This is the first in a series of articles focusing on each departmental group represented by the Millikin University Staff Advisory Council (MUSAC) members. To learn more about the different campus departments, we will highlight a new area each month.
DECATUR, Ill. – Rodger Reed feels he has one of the best jobs at Millikin University.
As the Technology Services Team Manager in Millikin’s Information Technology (IT) Department, he is often one of the first connections new Millikin employees make on campus when setting up their tech needs.
“We have the honor of doing that because when a new hire comes in, their first step is usually HR, and then their next step is IT (located in Schilling 106) for their badges, help set up their email, and if they are getting any hardware, we do that too,” Reed said. “I get to meet almost every person on campus, and I enjoy it. I get out on campus a lot, so I get to know everyone on campus, they get to know me, and it opens up a good avenue of conversation back and forth.“
The student and staff/faculty experiences on campus depend on the work that Information Technology does. From keeping Millikin’s websites up and available (Networking Services) to maintaining the administrative programs staff use daily (Administrative Services) and troubleshooting classroom technology (Technology Services), in total, IT handles about 2,000 service tickets a year.
Information Technology also plays an essential role in new facilities on campus. The Nursing program recently shifted from the Leighty-Tabor Science Center to the remodeled Health Sciences Center, calling for all their technology to be moved to another location. The creation of the Campbell Family Nursing Simulation Lab, which uses cutting-edge simulator mannequins to give Nursing students realistic experiences without a real-life patient, brought many technology-related challenges.
“Nursing doubled their simulation rooms from two to four, and they doubled the control rooms from one to two. They have more sophisticated mannequins now and, although those aren’t our responsibility, we are responsible for the control rooms so that everything can be recorded and you can interface with the student and the faculty,” Reed said. “That was a large undertaking, and it is state of the art. It's amazing how intelligent those mannequins are, and you can have them talk back to the student in the instructor's voice.”
IT is also continuously working on upgrading Millikin’s networking infrastructure and recently completed an upgrade to Dolson Hall’s Wi-Fi last summer.
“I believe that this summer we'll be upgrading the Perkinson Music Center and starting our progression through Leighty-Tabor Science Center,” Director of Information Technology Erik Schroeder said. “We will also be working our way back through the remaining buildings on campus that have not received an upgrade in a considerable amount of time,” Schroeder said.”
With the increased importance of maintaining and strengthening cybersecurity on campus, IT’s role is becoming more vital.
“I think trying to be a good cyber citizen is important. There are many more cyber incidents going on across the U.S. now, and some of them are getting more local. I think raising awareness is always good because we've seen on campus that there are some issues and some education that needs to take place,” Schroeder said. “Phishing emails are the number one way that anybody gets their account compromised, so it is important to remain vigilant when looking at emails, making sure that it's not a phish.”
Millikin’s cybersecurity campus-wide is only as strong as its weakest link, so everyone can significantly impact campus safety.
“I think cybersecurity is on the front of everybody's mind right now, given the current situation in life in general,” said Assistant Director of IT Caitlin Reed. “I expect more community training on cybersecurity and knowing how to identify what phishing looks like. I think the most important thing for people to know is that we're always here to help.”
The Information Technology Help Desk is located in Shilling 106 and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday year-round. It can also be reached at (217) 362-6488 or infotech@millikin.edu.
