FY2024 Annual Report
ITS is setting the new standard for technology excellence.
Letter from Chief Information Officer, Jonathan A. Fozard
I am thrilled to present the FY2024 Florida State University Information Technology Services annual report.
As we reflect on the past year, I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for the incredible accomplishments we have achieved together. Our collective efforts have not only made a significant impact at Florida State University but have also garnered national attention, setting the pace for technological innovation across the country.
Our RISE 2030 campaign is setting new standards and demonstrating how ITS is soaring to unprecedented heights. The campaign, which integrates our technology investments with our strategic vision and aspirations, showcases our commitment to not only meet but exceed the evolving needs of FSU and drive transformative change.
In the past year, we truly redefined what it means to be at the forefront of technology in higher education and research. Our groundbreaking AI pilot studies and the implementation of machine learning to advance university operations positioned us as leaders in innovation and modernization. We also took a leading role in a state-wide cybersecurity competition and made critical updates to university security and privacy policies, showcasing our commitment to protecting critical data and research.
Our efforts in enhancing classroom technology and research capabilities were also remarkable. The renovation of university classrooms and research spaces with state-of-the-art equipment significantly improved the learning and discovery experience for our students, faculty and researchers, while niche projects funded by the Student Technology Fee positioned FSU to provide the best technology environment for student success. Additionally, our investment in high-performance computing and data center upgrades ensured we remain at the cutting edge for years to come.
The expansion of our ITS student internship program was another shining example of our commitment to fostering future leaders. We provided invaluable hands-on experience and professional development opportunities, helping to shape the next generation of technology professionals.
As we look ahead, I am confident our continued dedication and collaboration will help us reach even greater heights. Together, we are making a difference and setting the new standard for technology excellence across higher education.
Jonathan Fozard
Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Florida State University
ITS is powering the discoveries of breakthrough research at FSU.
Positioning FSU technology for the future
Technology is pivotal in Florida State University’s pursuit of excellence.
In February 2024, FSU Provost Jim Clark announced that IT units across the university would join central Information Technology Services to align critical technology resources and support. This initiative is a huge step forward in advancing technology resources and partnerships at FSU and will foster world-class learning and research.
Aligning our expertise and resources allows us to amplify our advanced technology capabilities, empowering us to better support the campus community while maintaining our position as national leaders in student success, research and innovation.
On April 5, the Office of Distance Learning was the first university department to join ITS. ODL now operates as a new unit of Digital Learning and Academic Technologies within ITS, while the university community reaps the benefits of united academic technologies in areas such as course design, online learning, classroom support and new technology pilots.
“This union positions the university to provide the best technology environment for student success,” says Clark.
With a combined 450 employees, the expanded ITS is poised to serve the campus community. University IT alignment will remain a top priority for the university in FY2025, with more college and department IT personnel and resources joining ITS to support the university’s strategic goals and initiatives.
“For many years, we have enjoyed a close partnership with ITS as the Office of Distance Learning,” says Robby Fuselier, ITS senior director. “We are thrilled to now have the opportunity to join ITS as the Office of Digital Learning & Academic Technologies and are excited about the innovations this close relationship will bring to our faculty and students.”
As ITS takes on an expanding role in the advancement of technology resources and integrations at FSU, future technology collaborations will solidify FSU’s position at the forefront of innovation as we define the future of technology in higher education—together.
Office of Digital Learning Annual Report
The Office of Digital Learning joined ITS in April 2024 to deliver a unified academic technology and learning experience to the university. ODL brings a strong background of supporting academic achievement and student success in online instruction. In 2023, ODL invested over $1.1 million in academic technologies and served more than 7,700 students enrolled in online degree programs. Find out more about FSU's online graduate programs ranked among the top 20 in the nation.
Classroom technology enhances learning experience
Last year, the ITS Technology Enhanced Classrooms team successfully renovated 17 university classrooms with state-of-the-art equipment to enhance the learning experience. ITS manages 271 classrooms in 49 buildings across the Tallahassee campus and collaborated with the Classroom Renovation Oversight Committee to secure funding and oversee the renovations. Over $1.3 million was allocated for classroom modernizations in FY2024. This initiative involved updating classroom technology, including projectors, document cameras and AV control systems, to ensure they are up-to-date and functional. Upgrades occurred in the Love, Hoffman, Fisher, King, Health and Wellness, HCB and UCC buildings. The new technology standardized video streaming, upgraded audio-visual equipment and replaced classroom furniture, creating a more inspiring and versatile learning environment.
New webpages provide dedicated research technology content
In August 2023, ITS published pages dedicated to research technology on the ITS website when it merged content from the Research Computing Center’s former website. The new research landing page highlighted ITS’s renewed dedication to advancing the visibility and availability of research technology at FSU and generated over 5,400 views in 10 months.
The refreshed content featured information on university research computing services, software documentation, grant resources and consulting information for the 3,580 users who visited the site during the fiscal year. Page visits spiked during the first six weeks of the Fall 2023 semester, as the Research Computing Center’s 940-member user base accessed the ITS website to log in to their RCC accounts, review updated documentation or request additional research computing services.
Sliger Data Center receives high-tech upgrades
In early Spring 2024, the Research Computing Center completed upgrades to the Sliger Data Center to prepare for liquid-cooled servers. Shortly thereafter, RCC deployed 26 Hewlett-Packard Enterprise 98-core AMD servers designed specifically to handle high-performance computing tasks in data and research centers.
Liquid cooling mitigates the load on the limited air-cooling infrastructure on the data center floor and improves CPU performance, energy and efficiency. All of this adds up to more bang for the buck with heavy research loads. Thus far, the new liquid-cooled nodes have processed approximately 21,000 jobs and 537,500 CPU hours' worth of scientific research.
Going forward, the RCC plans to add more liquid-cooled servers and a second chilled water loop dedicated to liquid-cooled systems to the Sliger Data Center in 2025.
Student Tech Fee funds upgrades to Ruby Diamond audio system
New cameras, digital mixers and audio interfaces allow the College of Music to capture and archive quality recordings of any concert, play or event that occurs in the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. This upgrade to the Ruby Diamond audio system was made possible by the Student Technology Fee, which funds millions of dollars for instructional technology at FSU every year. “I get to be the guy capturing [the show] and making sure it stays on record ... so that these awesome performances are not just lost when the curtain comes,” explains music student and stagehand Cameron Burns. The technology gives students hands-on experience and helps the College of Music livestream concerts. “There’s no substitute for experience,” sums up music student and recital technician Miranda Fuller.
Florida Virtual Campus Annual Report
Florida Virtual Campus supports Florida’s 40 public colleges and universities, providing centralized library, distance learning and academic advising services to over 1.3 million postsecondary students, faculty and staff statewide. In FY2024, FLVC shared services saved the state of Florida more than $41.3 million. Find out more about how FLVC helps students prepare for—and succeed in—college and beyond.
ITS is at the forefront of the technology revolution in higher education.
ITS recognized for groundbreaking AI work
In 2024, ITS participated in multiple AI pilot studies, working with Fortune 500 and international companies to explore unique applications of AI in higher education. These pilots explored new productivity and learning tools and paved the way for additional uses of generative AI in and out of the classroom.
ITS also collaborated with the Office of the Provost and Office of Institutional Research to create a predictive machine learning model that aggregated and analyzed data from sources across the university to improve retention and student success, thus advancing FSU in national rankings.
ITS streamlined access to self-service data via Snowflake, an AI-powered data analytics platform. Using Snowflake, ITS has effectively delivered secure and scalable access to university data, enabling university departments to access customized reports 95% faster than in the past.
These advancements are not only streamlining operations but also fostering a culture of innovation and technological advancement across the university.
Copilot harnesses the power of AI to improve work quality
In March 2024, 400 university leaders and professionals from across the FSU community were selected to evaluate Copilot for Microsoft 365. The AI companion tool, which embeds generative artificial intelligence features seamlessly into Microsoft’s most used applications—Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote and Teams—allowed users to effortlessly leverage AI within their daily work.
Over five months, the pilot group received access to specialized training to learn and experiment with the myriad features available in Copilot. Participants used the tool to summarize documents, organize meeting minutes and action items, create professional presentations and more. Post pilot, 75% of participants agreed that Copilot improved the quality of their work and allowed them to complete tasks faster.
The pilot, completed in partnership with Microsoft, placed FSU at the forefront of digital change in higher education. Copilot for M365 is now available to university employees as a paid subscription service, and the results of the pilot study will be used to shape future, broader use cases of generative AI offerings at FSU.
Ruby chatbot transforms customer service
In August 2023, ITS launched an enhanced, AI-driven chatbot in myFSU Service Center. Ruby, named after FSU alumna Ruby Diamond, is designed to provide efficient and interactive support to students, faculty and staff. The chatbot greets users, collects preliminary information, creates a support case and connects them to live assistance, streamlining the support process. Throughout the first year, Ruby learned from interactions and grew to handle a wider range of queries independently while continuing to evolve to leverage the latest in AI technology.
Ruby has significantly impacted customer service at FSU by automating routine inquiries, reducing the workload on human support staff and improving response times. It is estimated that Ruby has handled the workload of more than one full-time employee in its first year.
In November 2023 and May 2024, ITS team members presented at the Florida Innovation Day and Salesforce Education Summit, respectively, highlighting Ruby’s role in revolutionizing digital service channels at FSU.
Single point of support streamlines work orders for IT services
“The way we’ve always done it” is not always the best way.
Multiple antiquated ways to submit technology service requests resulted in a convoluted and cumbersome experience when purchasing IT services.
To solve the problem, ITS transitioned to a new technology service request and support process for all billable and non-billable services. On July 1, ITS launched a new application within myFSU Service Center for managing billable services, replacing the legacy MySoft and FileMaker Pro systems. The new process, powered by AssetWorks AiM, streamlines intake methods and creates a more consistent and secure way for students, faculty and staff to request services and report problems to ITS. In the first three months since the new process launched, over 1,500 cases were submitted that resulted in a work order. In addition, the new process delivered improved billing reports to ITS customers, providing easy access to a breakdown of charges and services for all payments to ITS.
Data Catalog
In March 2024, ITS published a data catalog designed to facilitate data discovery, support impact analysis and foster data literacy.
90%
The catalog currently manages 1,005,531 data resources and has reduced the time spent searching for specific university datasets by 80% and the time spent understanding data relationships by 90%.
70%
The data catalog provides a structured inventory of FSU data, contributing to a 70% decrease in duplicate data requests, which translates to significant savings of time and money.
60%
Thanks to the ease of accessing and understanding university data, self-service analytics adoption is up 60%, and the data catalog is fostering a data-centric decision-making culture at FSU.
Fringe benefits pool streamlines budgeting at FSU
The fringe benefits pool project was initiated to significantly reduce the administrative burden on those responsible for developing and maintaining budgets at FSU. This change, which mirrors the method used at most R1 universities, provides a more reliable method for managing budgets for all FSU funds.
The pooled approach for determining fringe benefits simplifies predicting employee-related costs, easing budget preparation and management. This project involved updating processes and creating new queries in myFSU Human Resources and myFSU Financials. There was also a need to import new data and update a dashboard in myFSU Business Intelligence to support the project.
ITS worked closely with the FSU Budget Office, Controller’s Office, Office of Human Resources and Office of Research to gather comprehensive project requirements. The collaborative efforts of the various teams were instrumental in executing the technical vision for the project, exemplifying the ITS commitment to teamwork and collective problem-solving.
NWRDC Annual Report
With over 50 years of experience, the Northwest Regional Data Center operates as a cost recovery organization, delivering innovative and reliable solutions to Florida’s public and non-profit sectors. In FY2024, NWRDC managed nearly 3,400 servers and over 100 PB of data while expanding customer outreach, enhancing backup and recovery services and upgrading infrastructure. With a budget of $113 million, NWRDC returned $4.7 million in budgetary savings to customers through credits or cost reductions. Find out more about the state of Florida's cloud broker.
ITS is staying one step ahead of the rapidly changing security landscape.
FSU leads state-wide cybersecurity competition
During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, FSU Information Technology Services teamed up with nine other Florida universities for the Cyber Bowl, an online game designed to test defenses against cyberthreats. In October 2023, participants tackled five challenging questions to help their school win the cybersecurity championship. FSU had the second-highest participation rate at 8.99% and 4,009 players, just behind the University of Florida's 4,107 participants. The competition saw a total of 13,862 entries across all 10 schools. FSU students and employees who participated were entered into a grand prize drawing for tickets to the Miami vs. FSU football game and two $500 tuition scholarships. The 2023 Cyber Bowl was a huge success, and other national universities contacted FSU for advice on how to replicate the competition in their states.
Seminole Secure completes first business continuity three-year cycle
When FSU launched its business continuity plan in 2021, the university threat landscape needed attention. Seminole Secure was created as a four-part program to improve disaster preparedness and response at FSU. Under the guidance of ITS and Emergency Management, all university business units were required to complete a three-year effort to develop and maintain a disaster recovery plan, business impact analysis, risk assessment and continuity of operations plan.
Three years later, ITS successfully wrapped up the first cycle of Seminole Secure, guiding 54 university business units through the program.
Completion of the three-year cycle will provide the basis for ensuring ITS and FSU are prepared for disaster situations.
Now that each university business unit has essential disaster recovery plans and procedures in place, maintenance of required risk assessments and plans will continue to operate on a three-year cycle to ensure FSU remains ready to respond to natural or manmade disasters.
Role Certifications
A new online certification process for reviewing employee security roles was implemented on July 1, 2023, to increase the security of university data.
>1,600
In total, more than 1,600 managers of employees with security access roles received quarterly notifications to review and adjust employee roles throughout the fiscal year.
50
The new, streamlined process included instantaneous processing of removal requests, resulting in the removal of 50 security roles from employee accounts.
86%
Supervisor approvals have maintained an 86% or above completion rate each quarter, attributed to the persistent quarterly reviews and more efficient processing.
Updated security policies set the tone for cybersecurity compliance
Early 2024 saw the greatest expansion of FSU cybersecurity in recent years.
ITS worked closely with the FSU Institutional Risk Management Committee to approve new enterprise security requirements and update the university's Information Technology Security and Information Assurance Policy. The updated policy outlines the mandatory adoption of several security tools and programs, including computer protection and threat response, server protection and threat response and vulnerability management scans. The policy also requires participation in the university’s business continuity plan, Seminole Secure.
In addition, ITS updated the Acceptable Use of Technology Policy and Privacy Policy and revised seven cybersecurity standards.
The adoption of these security tools and programs by all university business units helps ensure a secure and resilient digital environment for the university community.
AI-enabled security solution protects university servers from cyberthreats
The importance of server protection in higher education cannot be overstated. With the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks, robust cybersecurity measures are essential to protect digital assets.
In 2023, ITS deployed a new enterprise server protection and threat response service, powered by CrowdStrike, to further strengthen the cybersecurity posture of the university and protect proprietary information, including high-value university research and other personally identifiable information. The AI-enabled, cloud-based solution continuously monitors and detects threats targeting university servers and limits exposure to brute force attacks against departmental on-premises and cloud environments. All university-owned servers and cloud resources are required to run the university’s server protection and threat response service.
This proactive approach to server protection not only safeguards sensitive data but also ensures the uninterrupted functioning of academic and administrative operations.
Machine learning helps protect university data from ransomware
Backups are great, but what happens when your backup file gets corrupted?
High-profile ransomware attacks have become a mainstay in the news. As attacks get more advanced, additional layers of security are needed to keep information protected and business running.
In 2024, ITS invested in an immutable backup solution. The solution, powered by Cohesity, creates a wall against cyberattacks, storing backup files in a read-only state that cannot be modified, encrypted or removed. Machine learning monitors backup data for anomalies and recommends the last known clean copy in the event of an attack. This ransomware-resistant backup solution ensures FSU backup data cannot be tampered with, delivering the highest level of protection against ransomware attacks.
Phishing simulation tests employees’ ability to recognize attacks
To click, or not to click; that is the question. Over the past 15 months, ITS has engaged in a phishing simulation campaign to observe and improve the university’s cybersecurity posture.
A common cybersecurity exercise, the phishing simulation sends a fake phishing email to employees to test their ability to recognize phishing attacks. All employees who fall for the attack by clicking or entering information are required to complete remedial cybersecurity training. Phishing simulations such as this provide an opportunity to educate employees on phishing and correct poor security practices.
The FSU simulation was sent to nearly 15,000 faculty and staff, and the results will enable ITS to streamline and focus future phishing education.
Supplier Onboarding
In October 2023, ITS assisted with the university launch of PaymentWorks, a cloud-based platform to onboard and manage university suppliers.
3,025
In total, 3,025 suppliers have been onboarded and integrated with myFSU Financials, replacing the need for departments to collect confidential information from suppliers.
420,053
The system supports a massive amount of university supplier transactions, with 420,053 invoices processed during FY2024.
36,744
In FY2024, 36,744 payments were processed via check, wire or electronic funds transfer, all protected by a wide range of validations, including tax ID and bank data validations.
ITS is building a pipeline of future leaders.
Empowering future leaders through the ITS intern program
One of the proudest achievements of ITS is the ITS Intern Cohort, which began in 2021 with just 12 interns and rapidly expanded as part of the RISE 2030 campaign to enhance student engagement and success. ITS employed 133 interns during the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters in disciplines including cybersecurity, application development, user experience and communications. Interns worked with over 50 supervisors across the organization to gain hands-on experience through meaningful projects and benefit from networking and professional development opportunities. Many former interns have transitioned into full-time roles within ITS, demonstrating the program’s success in fostering career growth. Additionally, our alumni have soared to impressive heights—securing prized positions at global powerhouses such as Tesla, Aldi, Mastercard, Oracle and Citibank and spreading their influence across continents. With plans to expand future internship partnerships and opportunities, ITS remains committed to supporting student success.
Activity guide leads students through steps to apply for graduation
ITS worked with the Office of the University Registrar to introduce an enhanced application process for graduation in spring 2024. The new system features a centralized Apply for Graduation activity guide within myFSU Student Central, designed to guide students through the necessary steps to apply for graduation. Eligible students can access the activity guide for a two-week period at the start of each semester.
The revamped functionality, launched in early 2024, has already shown impressive results. During the Spring 2024 and Summer 2024 semesters, a total of 11,000 applications were submitted through the new system, indicating a positive reception and adoption of the new process among FSU students.
By utilizing this activity guide, FSU aims to simplify the graduation application process and provide a more streamlined experience for all FSU students. This initiative reflects the university's commitment to leveraging technology to support student success.
High performance computing intern finds passion for research
Meet Carly Sweeney. In her sophomore year, Carly joined ITS as a solutions architect intern and then worked with the User Experience team before she found her perfect fit as a high-performance computing intern for the Research Computing Center.
Carly’s research at the RCC centered on benchmarking the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model on HPC systems. Using the WRF, she evaluated the efficiency of compute nodes by testing single- and multiple-node configurations with different core counts and compiler combinations. This benchmarking ensured the high performance compute cluster operated at optimal efficiency, comparing it to the standard benchmarks for WRF version 4.5. Since nodes are added to the HPC cluster annually, Carly tested these additions each year for consistency and accuracy.
[The RCC] is an open and welcoming learning environment that has been an amazing place to work. Everybody is there to help each other—which has been helpful as an intern—and everyone wants to help each other succeed.
Beyond her research, Carly automated benchmarking scripts and created user-friendly documentation for future benchmarks, making HPC maintenance smoother. She described the RCC as a collaborative, welcoming environment that has been invaluable for her growth as an undergraduate. Her time as an RCC intern has expanded her skills and passion for research and showcased the importance of trying on multiple internships for size.
Data analytics internship opens door to full-time position
It takes a team to manage the myriads of data FSU generates, and interns play a vital role on that team. Data analytics interns work with various data platforms, including Oracle and Snowflake, and get first-hand experience transforming and translating data from multiple source formats into structures that cooperate with reporting and visualization products used by the university community.
Bryce Correa, a former data analytics intern, now serves as an analytics architect with ITS. During his internship with the Data & Analytics team, Bryce honed his skills in various tools, systems and business processes. After completing his degree, he seamlessly transitioned into a full-time role. In his current position, Bryce conducts ad-hoc data analyses and creates reports, dashboards and visualizations to empower departments to make data-driven decisions. Bryce’s journey is a testament to the limitless opportunities an ITS internship can provide for students.
Since joining full-time, it has been great to work more closely with the team as well as the interns that we've had since I was in the same place as them.
ITS hosts inaugural intern banquet
Interns have become integral to the daily operations of ITS. To commemorate their hard work and success, ITS hosted its inaugural intern banquet. On April 8, 2024, 34 interns and 12 supervisors gathered to celebrate their work and network. Interns also had the opportunity to showcase posters highlighting their semester’s work and lessons learned. Esteemed businesswoman Julie Riehl, a vice president at Web.com, then spoke on the importance of taking chances in your career and seizing opportunities. This memorable occasion was made possible by the generous sponsorship of Florida LambdaRail, in memory of Jack Hall.
The Collegiate School transforms learning with integrated technology
When The Collegiate School at FSU Panama City opened its doors in August 2023, it marked a new era in education. As Bay County’s first developmental research laboratory charter school, The Collegiate School offers a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and career preparation. But what sets The Collegiate School apart is its innovative use of technology.
The school operates in affiliation with the FSU College of Education and benefits from central management of IT resources as a partner in the ITS Information Technology Administration Partnership Program. All students are equipped with a Microsoft Surface tablet or Dell laptop and Microsoft suite, and they enroll in Microsoft certification exams to further their knowledge of the devices and software. In addition, students are present at the FSU Panama City campus every day, gaining firsthand experience of college life through dual enrollment. Looking ahead, ITS plans to offer advanced training on Windows devices and design virtual workspaces for students.
This integration of technology not only prepares students for academic success but also ensures they are ready to meet the sophisticated needs of business and industry in North Florida.
FAFSA Simplification
The FAFSA Simplification Act, a major overhaul of the processes and systems used to award Federal Student Aid, required ITS and the FSU Office of Financial Aid to act quickly to support the changes, which went into effect for the 2024-2025 award year.
8
ITS coordinated with campus partners to test and apply eight financial aid release patches to the university’s student information system, myFSU Student Central, to support the act.
610,000
ITS modified existing system customizations to support the FAFSA changes, which nationally will expand access to federal student aid and enable 610,000 additional low-income students to qualify for Pell Grants.
246 million
Over $246 million in grants, loans, scholarships and waivers were awarded thus far during the 2024-2025 award year to 35,000 FSU students, ultimately resulting in an easier application process for students pursuing their higher education dreams.
Student health insurance program streamlines class registration
All full-time FSU students must carry valid health insurance. Without it, they cannot register for classes. This simple requirement could result in big problems when registration holds were placed on student accounts.
In 2024, ITS worked with University Health Services to update the student health insurance program, eliminating the requirement for students to provide proof of insurance or purchase insurance before enrolling in classes. With the new system functionality, students are automatically enrolled in health insurance, and they must submit proof of insurance to receive a waiver to remove the insurance charges if they have alternative coverage.
This change has resulted in fewer inquiries to University Health Services about waivers, as registration is no longer prohibited due to pending insurance proof. In addition, the new process outsources waiver administration, creating process efficiencies for university staff and accelerating the class registration process for students.
ITS presents the first-ever Seminole Showcase
In April 2024, ITS hosted its semiannual staff town hall. Unlike in previous years, the second half of the day featured the inaugural ITS Seminole Showcase—a conference-style event with 12 staff-led presentations.
ITS employees had the opportunity to attend three concurrent 50-minute sessions covering exciting topics such as “A Hands-On Introduction to Generative AI,” “Championship-Level Customer Support” and “Introduction to Immersive Media and VR.” The event provided on-campus professional development opportunities while showcasing cutting-edge technology projects in education, research and administration. Adding to the excitement, 54 talented ITS interns presented posters sharing their hard work and semester experiences.
The event offered both employees and interns the chance to explore their individual interests and passions. “The Showcase is an event we look back on fondly, and we are looking forward to seeing what future iterations of this event will bring," summarizes Brandon Casey, ITS engagement coordinator.
MOR program shapes IT staff to be tomorrow’s leaders
The ITS team's involvement in the MOR Leaders program has been transformative for our staff. For four years, ITS has supported employees' leadership development through the national program, which coaches and empowers participants to adopt a leadership mentality. In February 2024, FSU hosted the MOR Leaders National Cohort, comprised of over 30 leaders from public and private universities. The visit presented valuable networking opportunities and featured a talk by ITS Chief Information Officer Jonathan Fozard about the importance of leadership.
To date, 90 FSU staff members have graduated from the MOR Leaders program, and nine team members have represented FSU as part of the MOR Leaders National Cohort. Through the program, our staff are not just learning to be better leaders; they are becoming visionaries who can drive innovation and growth within our organization and position ITS to tackle the ever-evolving challenges of the tech industry.
The MOR Leaders program has been transformative for my career, helping me grow as a confident and strategic leader. It has deepened my understanding of how to inspire, coach, and empower my team. At the same time, it has allowed me to build meaningful connections with peers within ITS and across the university. This experience has taught me to think big-picture and lead with conviction, better equipping me to make a lasting impact at FSU.
Professional Development
ITS implemented the Professional Development Bonus Plan to encourage professional and personal growth by rewarding team members for obtaining designated certifications and other achievements.
37
In the inaugural year of the ITS bonus plan, 37 certificates were earned by 21 ITS employees, adding valuable skillsets in emerging technologies to the ITS team.
51%
The most popular certifications received by ITS staff members were for Mersive Solstice, representing 51% of the total certificates earned, followed by AWS at 19% of the total certificates earned.
$24K
In total, $24,000 of bonuses were awarded to employees who achieved professional certifications during the 2024 fiscal year.
ITS debuts at FSU Homecoming Parade
In Fall 2023, ITS made its debut in the FSU Homecoming parade. The ITS float featured an FSU football theme with a Cyber Bowl twist—a competition among Florida universities that encouraged students, faculty and staff to learn cybersecurity tips and tricks. The float reminded onlookers to participate in the Cyber Bowl game, bringing the virtual game to life with a goal post, digital scoreboard and fan signs with techy puns.
A team of 50 ITS staff members came together to decorate the float and walk in the parade while Chief Information Officer Jonathan Fozard drove his truck to pull the float.
ITS is planning for the success of tomorrow.
Employee training and system updates lay the foundation for a safer digital environment
ITS is committed to ensuring the digital safety of the FSU community.
As part of this commitment, ITS is instituting an annual cybersecurity training course for university employees. The training, mandated by the IT Security and Privacy Training Standard, is designed to help individuals identify, prevent and respond to common cyberthreats such as phishing, malware and ransomware. By participating, individuals will be better equipped to protect both their personal information and the university's data.
ITS will also continue to further modernize identity and access management at FSU in 2025. IAM manages digital identities for users, applications and data. It allows the university to provide automated access to an ever-growing number of technology assets that integrate with FSU systems. Updates will include centralizing role management, increasing controls around privileged access accounts, improving guest account facilitation and expanding integrations with university systems to streamline onboarding and offboarding processes.
These initiatives and more will contribute to a safer digital environment at FSU.
Improved data management and streaming improve student experience
ITS is creating the data architecture for unparalleled insights and innovation.
A new data vault at FSU will enhance departmental autonomy and innovation while creating a cohesive data model. The data vault, which is expected to grow to 8TB of data, will support near real-time data availability and efficient data management with a 90% reduction in time spent combining data from multiple sources and 80% faster query executions. In addition, standardized data definitions and business rules will improve data organization and governance across FSU.
ITS also will deploy an enterprise-wide streaming platform that will transform the university’s data capabilities. Data streaming will enable real-time event processing and analytics across all departments. This transition to an event-driven architecture will enhance business intelligence, improve inter-department data flow and reduce data latency in decision-making processes.
These efforts will harness myriads of institutional data to ultimately improve the student experience through faster response times and real-time personalization.
Enhanced communication and collaboration services meet evolving university needs
Get ready for enhanced communication and collaboration solutions.
Students, faculty and staff can look forward to a new suite of workspace and productivity tools in the coming year. ITS will launch Google Workspace in 2025, delivering a robust suite of teaching and learning applications to the FSU community, including Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets and other applications. These tools will be offered in addition to the existing Microsoft Office 365 service currently available to FSU students and employees.
Additionally, myFSU Portal will get a makeover in 2025. The redesign, which prioritizes user experience and accessibility, incorporates customized widgets, productized widgets and a mix of custom and out-of-the-box functionality to create a personalized Portal experience. Possible functionality includes a geographic information system for campus navigation, viewing classes from the myFSU Mobile app and an employee timesheet widget.
ITS also is testing and implementing a cloud calling solution to extend internet calling capabilities to colleges and departments. The new service will allow individuals to make and receive phone calls using the internet instead of a traditional phone line and will replace the previous client that required VPN access. This new service will allow greater accessibility and flexibility in remote communication.
ITS remains committed to enhancing and expanding services that meet the evolving needs of our organization.
Competitive gaming and mixed-reality collaboration support student engagement
The FSU virtual community continues to grow.
Over the last decade, eSports programs at FSU have thrived as a student-led initiative across campus. To encourage this trend, ITS is working with the Division of Student Affairs to create a new eSports lounge that will provide students with a dedicated space for competitive gaming. The eSports lounge will feature 30 high-performance gaming stations equipped with PCs, monitors and gaming peripherals. A shoutcaster station will enable real-time commentary and analytics during matches, enhancing the competitive atmosphere. The room will also cater to casual gamers with a space for gaming consoles and comfortable seating. The lounge will leverage eSports to provide a fun and vibrant community space that fosters student engagement on campus and enriches learning through technology and innovation.
In the year ahead, ITS will pilot Microsoft Mesh, a cloud-based collaboration tool. Immersive, mixed-reality experiences will enable seamless interaction among students, researchers and colleagues across the globe. The tool will support the development of custom environments, providing FSU with unique interactive teaching and learning opportunities to revolutionize collaboration and drive the future of academic excellence at FSU.
ITS employees are recognized for their expertise within the field.
Presentations, Publications and Awards
Over the past year, ITS represented FSU and showcased our staff’s experience and expertise as leaders within our field. We proudly recognize the outstanding contributions of the following ITS team members who have shared their knowledge through presentations and publications. By presenting at national and regional conferences, publishing their work and teaching classes, these individuals have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and a passion for the field of technology.
Jessica Contreras-Franco, Jose Hernandez, Alex Townsend, Paul van der Mark, SSERCA Booth Panelists, SC23
Rebekah Dorn, LIS5255 IT & The Elderly
Rebekah Dorn, "Five Lessons from the Flying V,” MOR Insights
Rebekah Dorn, "Galvanizing Distributed IT: Building an Ecosystem to Deliver Value Together," Common Solutions Group
Mitch Gans, "Implementation of a Zero-Waste Data Center Facility," 2023 Florida TaxWatch Productivity Award
Mitch Gans, "Our Green Office & Zero-Waste Workplace," Sustainable Tallahassee: Green Drinks
Mitch Gans, “Sustainability on Campus," Spring 2024 Seminole Innovators & Environmental Service Program Collaboration
Jose Hernandez, Research Software Engineer Careers and Project Involvement in the Digital Humanities Panelist, Digital Humanities 2024
Jose Hernandez, "Outreach and Education for High-Performance Computing," SC23
Jose Hernandez, "Humanities in High-Performance Computing," SC23
Marcelina Nagales, Jose Hernandez, Paul van der Mark, "Education and Outreach Strategy Design for High-Performance Computing Centers: Lessons from Florida State University's Research Computing Center," Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library
Marcelina Nagales, Alex Townsend, "Open OnDemand in Research Computing," SSERCA 2024
Sathish Sundaramoorthy, "Automating Purchase Order Rollover Process," HEUG Alliance 2024
Alex Townsend, Jose Hernandez, Paul Van Der Mark, "Research Computing at FSU," SC23
Paul van der Mark, "Adapting to the Rapid Evolution of Science and Engineering Research,” National Science Foundation Advanced Computing Systems & Services
Credits
Writing
Megan Del Debbio | ITS
Emily Krna | ITS
Design
Derek Kooi | ITS
Gina Miller | ITS
Photography
Ryan Arocha | ITS
Davud Dautbasic | ITS
Alexa Lowry | ITS
