New Employee Guide to Campus Technology

Welcome to St. Thomas! ITS is here to help you have a smooth transition to your new role within the university.

This is a quick reference of topics to assist you with getting setup after you've claimed your account. Be sure to explore our full list of technology services for more offerings and in-depth information. 

Your St. Thomas Computer

ITS provides desktop and laptop computers to Faculty and Staff members on a leased cycle. Your department may already have a computer available for you. If not, your hiring manager should request one through the Hardware Acquisition Service forms. Both Mac and PC computers are available. If you need to temporarily borrow a computer, faculty and staff can checkout equipment for up two week periods. 

• Email & Office 365: St. Thomas uses Microsoft Office for our campus email, file storage, and more. This comes pre-installed on all St. Thomas computers, is available through OneStThomas, and by going to office.com from any web browser. You can install the Microsoft Office Suite on your personal devices for free on up to 5 devices. Use the Outlook app from your device's app store for email and calendar. 

• Software: A variety of software is already available for you on your office computer including the Microsoft Office apps, Zoom, Teams, and more. Learn more about how to Install Software on your St. Thomas Computer.

• File Storage & Back-up: ITS recommends using Office 365's file storage apps. You can access these files from any web browser, editing documents in these spaces auto-save to the cloud, and a backup of each file is created. Learn about these file sharing and collaboration services (OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams) in our knowledge base. St. Thomas also uses CrashPlan to backup a copy of your desktop computer. 

• Printing: Printing costs are charged to your department's index code automatically. Your computer may already be connected to a nearby printer. If you need to set this up, find instructions in our knowledge base on how to Add/Remove a St. Thomas Printer to a St. Thomas Computer. 

Working Remotely with Your Personal (Home) Computer

• You can access many St. Thomas resources from your personal or home computer.  When working remotely, you will need to determine if the systems you access require a VPN connection.  Systems that contain sensitive data, like Banner, Cognos, and Appworx will require the use of the VPN.  Other systems like the Office 365 suite (Email, Word, SharePoint, MS Teams) are accessible simply through standard authentication.
• Remember, when working on a non-St. Thomas device, do not store any university data, particularly protected data, on your personal laptop or home workstation.  Follow this link for remote security tips.

Personalize your St. Thomas Profile

• Personalize your digital presence by adding a picture to your Office 365 account. This image will appear in a variety of places including your email and OneStThomas profile. 
• Add or update your office information in Murphy Online. You can edit your campus phone number, office number, and mailbox stop here.
• Create a branded email signature in Outlook. 
• Create a vanity email address.

Learn how to use the OneStThomas intranet

This is where you will find internal university news, events happening on campus, the login links for all university systems, and so much more. ITS recommends when searching for information to first start in OneStThomas since some information is only available internally and not on our public website. Learn more about OneStThomas.

Intro to St. Thomas Systems

All of the logins for these systems are available in teh Apps and Tools menu of the OneStThomas intranet.

• Email is available through Outlook in Office 365.
• Murphy Online is where pay stubs, tax forms, personal information, student grades and records, and more is available. 
• Canvas is our learning management system for course content.
• Department conference rooms are managed and can be reserved in Outlook. Other campus rooms are reserved through 25Live. Food for meetings and events can be reserved through NetCatering.
• Printing is managed by PaperCut software.
• Some roles my need special access to Banner Admin (our system of record), Cognos (reporting), Optix (document retention), or Salesforce (customer relationship manager and applications).

Teaching & Learning Technology

The St. Thomas e-Learning and Research (STELAR) Center is your resource for academic technology tools, training, and support. STELAR collaborates with faculty and partners across campus to apply an intentional use of technologies in teaching practices, new delivery methods, and emerging research. Our team of instructional designers are also available to assist you with course design, accessibility best practices, consultations, and more.

Search the knowledge base for articles tagged: #faculty, #academictoolkit or #stelar to find articles most relevant to your role as an instructor. 

Help & Technology Support

There are several ways of getting help with technology problems you encounter and needs that arise throughout the course of your work. 

• Submit a request for any service in our Service Catalog. Go to Service Catalog. 
• Troubleshoot with the Tech Desk via phone, chat, email, or by visiting in-person. Our customer service representatives will troubleshoot any issues with you, make recommendations, and route your request to the right team of techs (if needed) for resolution. View contact information, locations and hours of operations. 

Other Frequently Asked Questions

• Telephone Frequently Asked Question
• Voicemail: First-Time Setup Process
• VPN Getting Started
• Remote into your Office Workstation Computer
• Security Tips for Working Remotely