What a year 2020 was for the IT Assistance Center (ITAC).
ITAC staff members and student employees stepped up and supported sudden remote teaching and working while simultaneously supporting distance learning. ITAC staff joined in the effort with enthusiasm and can-do attitudes and took immediate action to assist the technology needs of the TXST community in every way imaginable.
“I am extremely proud of our support teams within ITAC and the entire IT Division for anticipating, adjusting, and stepping up to the challenge of enabling the remote teaching, learning, and working mission,” said Benjamin Rogers, Assistant Vice President for ITAC.
ITAC staff worked to be a solid base of support as faculty, staff, and students moved into unfamiliar territory – quickly ramping up support through phone calls, LiveChat, email, and service centers in San Marcos and Round Rock.
Part of ITAC’s support efforts focused on faculty and staff who had never before used services such as the Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Remote Desktop to access workstations from home. At the same time, some ITAC student employees were forced to go home, so staff who normally work in classrooms or on administrative teams were called into action for direct support.
ITAC also took on a slew of new needs created by the switch to remote studying, teaching, and working.
“Many of our staff worked long hours and weekends to ensure Bobcats were prepared to take this big step,” Rogers said.
He said he believes the experience under pressure that his staff gained because of the COVID-19 pandemic will be meaningful long after the pandemic is over.
“Although most of our staff worked remotely, I truly believe this unprecedented situation has fostered a level of camaraderie that will outlive COVID-19,” Rogers said.
Jen LaGrange Aguirre is communications supervisor for the IT Assistance Center.