DESIGN STORY
Riley Patton, ITS intern from Maize, works on a student’s laptop. He fixed hardware problems to get the computer back up and going. Keisha Hendricks
ITS AWARENESS The Importance of what the ITS does for HCC Students
The ITS office, originally known as Data Processing, started with two people in the 1970s. 20 years later it changed its name to Information Services when Loren Morris joined the four-person team. It has evolved over time and is now known as Information Technology Services (ITS) and Morris, Chief Information Officer, leads seventeen-member crew. ITS is integrated into the everyday lives of people across the Hutchinson Community College campus. Some are overwhelmed by technology and some are excited for what the future has to bring. Morris said not to be afraid of the advancing technology, but to respect it with common sense. One of the services the ITS office provides is helping fix problems. They work with
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just about any type of device from desktops or lap tops to smart phones. Being the original creators of DragonZone, the student portal, ITS helps solve web browser related issues. If a student needs help with LearningZone, the Online Learning office helps remedy those types of problems. The ITS is always looking for challenges to face, and puzzle pieces to put together. “Just because you don’t know how to do it, doesn’t mean it’s difficult to do”, Morris says. The main goal of ITS isn’t just about technology, it’s actually working with people. ITS does what they can to meet the mission of the college, by focusing on providing students access to their education. Glenn Acheson, Assistant Director of
ITS and almost 15-year member of the team, said, “Being a part of the ITS, technology is only 25 percent of what we do, while working with people is 75 percent.” According to Acheson, if students aren’t succeeding, then the ITS isn’t doing their job properly to help students succeed. “Students’ success is my success,” Acheson said. A common problem ITS deals with is students’ DragonZone password reset according to Mo Odeh, Technical Support Manager. He has been with ITS for 10 and a half years. The team accepts many challenges, from hardware issues to downloading free anti-virus software on student devices. “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’re always going to get the same result”, Adam Jefferson Assistant Director
DRAGON'S TALE • WINTER 2017 2/7/17 1:27 PM