ITS Welcome Guide (Public)

Information Technology Services (ITS) serves students, staff, faculty and researchers on the Morgantown, Beckley, Keyser and Health Sciences campuses around West Virginia, as well as WVU Extension offices and other University affiliates. This Welcome Guide contains a few helpful links, background about WVU, highlights of IT policies, and other key resources for new ITS employees.  

Please note you will need to finish processing for payroll and claim your WVU account at login.wvu.edu three days prior to your start date. You can then use your new credentials to log in and read some of the Knowledge Base articles included here. 

Welcome

Welcome to Information Technology Services. We’re glad you’re here. This resource aims to introduce you to who we are, what we do, how we work, and how we support the University’s mission. Though it’s only an overview, ITS has a network of supportive colleagues ready to answer all your questions, and to provide support and guidance whenever you need it. Be sure to also check out the extensive Talent and Culture resources.

WVU is one of the state’s largest employers and a powerful economic engine, with a presence in all 55 counties through WVU Extension. As an R1 and land-grant institution, WVU engages in more than teaching, learning and research. We also serve, helping to build communities and improve the quality of life for West Virginians. We partner with public and private organizations to bring needed and valued solutions to real-life problems under the pillars of education, health care, prosperity and purpose.

Because West Virginia lacks any professional sports team, you may notice that school spirit is a source of pride and our athletic programs have super-sized appeal. They give people from the tips of the panhandles to the southernmost counties a reason to cheer. So, if you aren’t from here, there’s one thing to know: The correct response when someone says, “Let’s go!” is “Mountaineers!”

Our Vision

Provide a digital experience that differentiates WVU as the model land-grant university and preferred higher education destination. 

Our Mission

Provide a rich, integrated and secure digital experience woven throughout WVU’s pillars of education, healthcare, prosperity and purpose, creating opportunities for people to connect, discover and innovate to solve real-world problems. 

Our Guiding Principles

• Blue-Sky Approach: Welcome creative solutions, reimagine the way we work, and be uninhibited by past practices. 

• People-Driven Design: Enhance the user experience by creating useful, integrated, intuitive and technology-enabled engagement opportunities. 

• Repeatable Processes: Establish and document processes to ensure consistency of IT operations and customer experience.  

• Maximize Resources: Encourage adoption of enterprise solutions, implement the fewest solutions possible to conduct University business, and automate routine, repetitive, and time-consuming manual tasks. 

• Smart Data: Turn data into an asset that can provide critical context and new insights to drive digital experiences and support decision-making. 

• Built to Last: Create sustainable systems and processes that can adapt to changing needs, respond to innovation and dynamically support mission-critical functions. 

• Risk-Based Security: Ensure security and prioritize usability by implementing security controls based on risk, avoiding those that introduce unnecessary complexity and do not add value. 

About us

ITS reports to President E. Gordon Gee, but collaborates with the entire WVU Executive Leadership Team and many others across the University system. This alignment ensures that ITS is engaged as decisions are being made so that all implications are presented and considered proactively. It also helps develop a shared, long-term vision for IT and ensures that we are aligned with the University’s priorities. 

In 2022, WVU embarked on a Modernization Program that will lead to transformational changes over the next decade. The WVU Board of Governors authorized 15 projects that will begin to move us away from current on-campus, customized legacy systems to better supported, cloud-based systems in a common platform. These efforts are exciting and challenging, and they will require all of us, working together, to execute.  

Though most ITS staff now work in a remote or hybrid capacity, ITS teams who want to meet in person or work onsite periodically can do so on the 5th and 6th floors of One Waterfront Place and use your WVU ID card for access. Some employees are stationed onsite at the Health Sciences Center, or on regional campuses in Charleston, Beckley and Keyser.  

ITS was created by consolidating nine previously independent IT units over the past nine years: Office of Information Technology, Student Systems Management, Administrative Technology Solutions, Printing and Copier Services, Research IT, Student Life IT, Mountaineer Card Services, Health Sciences IT and Classroom Technology.  

Every merger creates opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and help create a more consistent customer experience through standardized IT Service Management processes. Amid WVU’s ongoing transformation efforts, we aim to be a cohesive, future-ready unit focused on planning, strategy and continuous improvement.   

Whether virtual or face to face, we continue to provide a friendly, fast-paced and dynamic work environment that provides exposure to a diverse range of issues and opportunities for our teams, while delivering daily on the University’s core values of curiosity and service.  

Speaking of values

In ITS, we apply those principles in specific ways to create a culture that is collaborative, transparent and open – open to change, to accountability, to new ideas, and to different perspectives. This is a journey, and we won’t always be perfect. But we will focus on doing things right rather than being right, and we will strive to help each other live these values daily. This is our Statement of Values. 

SERVICE

• Seek first to understand. Listen. Ask clarifying questions and listen again. Let others fully explain their ideas and consider how to improve that idea before sharing your own.

• Bring your best self. Master your job, keep your skills sharp, then bring your best effort to every interaction. Focus on each other’s strengths rather than shortcomings.

CURIOSITY

• Be creative and innovative when a challenge arises. Turn obstacles into opportunities rather than excuses. Ask for input from others. Help each other find solutions.

• Encourage diversity of thought. Together, we achieve better outcomes. Expand your idea of who brings value. Create a safe space for people to disagree, and when a decision has been made, speak with one voice.

RESPECT

• Follow the “Platinum Rule.” This variation of the Golden Rule simply means respecting our diversity by treating others as THEY want to be treated. Don’t assume your preferences are theirs. Ask.

• Be the change you want to see. Model WVU’s values even when someone else falls short. You can’t control the actions or behaviors of others, but you can control how you respond to them.

• Avoid blame when things aren’t going well. Help people recover from a mistake. Seek opportunities to be supportive and encouraging.

ACCOUNTABILITY

• Be honest. Be truthful, transparent and proactive in stating where things stand. Candor is valued; secrecy and obfuscation are counterproductive to teamwork.

• Admit your mistakes, take responsibility, and learn from them. With big ideas come big risks, and sometimes, failure is part of the process. Reframe a misstep as an opportunity to grow and improve.

• Embrace constructive feedback. It will be uncomfortable, but you will learn something. Self-awareness is a journey, not a destination.

APPRECIATION

• Elevate others. Call out important contributions and outstanding efforts, whether privately, publicly or to a supervisor. It means more than you may realize.

Meet the teams

Associate Vice President and Chief Information Office Brice Knotts leads ITS with the support of an executive leadership team. In the Meet Our Teams section of it.wvu.edu, you will see a high-level overview of each leader’s areas of responsibility. The ITS organizational chart is available in our Microsoft Teams environment. 

Ready? Let’s get started!

1. Three days before your designated start date, claim your account at login.wvu.edu and create a password that will last for one year. You must do this first, then follow step 2, before you can access many WVU resources, including the ITS Help Center and some of the resources in this document.
   Note: You must fully complete processing with WVU Payroll before you can claim your account. 

2. Download the free Duo Mobile app and set up Duo two-factor authentication using resources at twofactor.wvu.edu. We recommend you generate 10 backup codes and secure them so you can log in if your phone is out of commission.  

3. If you use a chosen name that’s different from your legal name, select Manage Account at login.wvu.edu, then the Profile tab. Systems that are capable of using chosen names will display what you enter.  

4. If you run into issues, call the ITS Service Desk at 304-293-4444. You can also find helpful troubleshooting articles and submit service requests at it.wvu.edu/help.  

5. Many services, including the Applaud time and leave system, are only accessible from off-campus via Virtual Private Network. WVU uses Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN, and we recommend you install this service as soon as possible.  

6. Trying to find something else? Start with the Knowledge Base at it.wvu.edu/help. 

Hardware and supplies

All ITS employees can choose between a standard Windows or Apple laptop setup, which will include a docking station and two 24-inch Ultra High-Definition monitors. Please work with your supervisor to indicate your preference.

If you live within 100 miles of the Morgantown campus, you will be required to pick up your equipment. Otherwise, it will be mailed to your home address. Upon leaving WVU, all equipment must be returned, following the same distance guidelines.

To log into your new Windows computer, you will use your WVU email address (username@mail.wvu.edu) and your WVU Login password. If you are a Mac user, you will log in with just the WVU username and Login password, rather than the full email address.

If you have any problems, please contact the Service Desk at 304-293-4444.

Tools you’ll use every day

• WVU.Encrypted is the secure wireless internet service for all WVU campuses, accessed with your WVU Login credentials.

• Microsoft 365 tools are standard for all employees, and all ITS staff will be enrolled in the Microsoft 365 Protection Mobile Data Protection Program. The Health Sciences Center has its own Microsoft 365 instance to ensure HIPAA compliance and to facilitate collaboration with WVU Medicine.  

  • You may need to become comfortable being a Guest in the other instance of Teams, as many ITS employees have @hsc email accounts associated with the Health Sciences Center’s Microsoft 365 tenant. Guests who need to switch between Microsoft Teams instances can use the local Teams client to access one organization and the web client to access the other to avoid missing important notifications.    

  • Use the Away settings as a courtesy to colleagues who may be trying to reach you on a vacation or sick day. This is especially important to collaborating in a largely remote environment. If you are in the ITS Leadership team (Assistant Director or above), you must post sick days and leave time in the OOO (Out of Office) channel so your colleagues know to contact your designee(s) with urgent needs.  

  • Outlook is the University’s primary email system. If you create an Outlook email signature, make sure that it meets WVU brand requirements. Feel free to add your personal pronouns under your contact information. 

  • Calendar is essential for meeting management, so please keep yours current, and be sure to indicate when you are on leave or otherwise unavailable.  

  • Teams is the official collaboration tool of ITS. All employees are expected to have Teams open when working. As state employees and as outlined in WVU policy, we must conduct University work using University-provided email accounts. This means we DON’T use personal email, Google Hangouts, unlicensed versions of Slack or other non-WVU tools to collaborate.  

  • Install the Teams app on your mobile device so you can get notifications when you are away from your primary computer. This is required for all ITS Leadership members and recommended for all non-hourly employees; we make most technical changes and often deal with emergencies outside normal business hours. You can, of course, turn off notifications when you are on leave.  

  • You will be added automatically to the ITS All-Staff team, a platform for a wide array of announcements, discussions on Living Our Values and more. 

    • You’ll soon be added to many other teams, including those specifically spun up for various projects and initiatives.  

    • PRO TIP: Teams has a PRAISE feature when you want to commend a colleague for a job well done!  

  • You can also opt into:  

    • ITS Mountaineer Cafe, a space to socialize with coworkers in a casual setting. 

• Zoom is used widely outside ITS, so you’ll likely be invited to webinars or meetings in that platform. You can set up an account at wvu.zoom.us. Health Sciences has a HIPAA-compliant version of Zoom called MDTV (Mountaineer Doctor Television).
  Note: You can’t use personal Zoom account credentials to access a WVU Zoom account. You’ll need to sign out of your personal account and log back in using your WVU account.   

• Jabber lets you have a campus phone number without the need for a physical phone. When you want to use Jabber, you must connect to the VPN. If you plan to take calls all day, you will need to stay connected. Otherwise, your calls can go to voicemail and you can check them at your convenience.   

  • Submit a ticket to get a 293- number after verifying with your supervisor that one is needed.   

  • For security and compliance reasons, ITS staff should NOT forward calls from their work phones to personal phones. If you are unsure whether you need a Jabber phone, speak to your supervisor.   

• Jira Service Management is the ITS Service Management tool, integrated with a Knowledge Base in Confluence. This is where we take in, track and manage our work. It’s also where we manage Incidents, Problems and Changes. Customers seeking support or knowledge typically start at http://it.wvu.edu/help .  

  • All employees should become familiar with all Service Management processes. These documents are under the Files tab of the “ITSM and JSM Info” channel of the ITS-AllStaff team. Your new team should also help familiarize you with these processes.  

  • The Glossary of IT Acronyms will help you learn the lingo. It’s important to keep in mind that many applications have been branded for WVU and have two names. For example, Banner and STAR are often used interchangeably, as are Oracle/MAP, Blackboard-Anthology/eCampus, Blue and SEI (Student Evaluation of Instruction), etc. 
    Applications administered by non-central IT staff also have this double-naming convention: WVU Hire is actually Taleo, Mountaineer Marketplace is JAGGAER, MyExpenses is Chrome River, MyTravel is American Express Global. ITS is moving away from this practice and now tends to use the product name. (The Applaud time and leave system is just called Applaud.)
    Note: Many systems, such as STAR, MAP and SOLE, are also more than one thing; each has different modules with unique functionality.   

About IT Service Management

IT Service Management (ITSM) is simply how we manage the end-to-end delivery of technology services to customers, from design and creation to implementation and support. ITS uses documented, repeatable processes and ITIL 4 principles to ensure a consistent approach to our work and a consistent customer experience, regardless of the product or platform involved.  

The success of these processes depends on an understanding of individual roles and responsibilities. On our IT Service Management Resource page, you can review the Roles and Processes at a high level or explore these documents in detail.   

• Change Management 

• Incident Management 

  • Major Incident Management 

• Problem Management 

• Service Request Management 

• Knowledge Management  

• Service Transition 

• Post-Incident Review 

The outcomes of these processes include effective prioritization, accountability for work, and actionable data to support decision-making. For more information on these processes, or to request help or training, contact Director Alan Skillings.  

Information for new ITS Supervisors

People leader resources are available on the Talent and Culture website, with tips for supervisors on having difficult conversations, being an accountable leader and more. You can also sign up for professional development and training opportunities.   

WVU’s efforts to create safe, diverse and inclusive campus for all are outlined at wvu.edu/inclusive-campus, along with access to resources. Have a problem? You can report abuse or file a complaint at diversity.wvu.edu/home/reporting-form. Our Senior HR Partner, Jackie Bumps, is also a resource for ITS leaders. 

When hiring a new ITS employee, you will be responsible for initiating the internal onboarding processes. Submit this form as soon as you have an agreed-upon start date, ideally allowing at least two weeks for all ITS processes to be completed. Please review the ITS Supervisor Guidance article, which lays out what to do when onboarding or offboarding an employee. If the employee is separating from WVU, you must also follow the processes outlined by WVU Shared Services.  

Although it’s rare, the work of ITS sometimes becomes newsworthy. Do NOT respond if you or any member of your team receives an inquiry from a media organization, including student outlets such as The Daily Athenaeum. Inform your executive leader and direct those inquiries to the ITS Communications Team via email (ITSWeb@mail.wvu.edu) or by directly contacting Executive Director Vicki Smith. If the ITS Communications team is unreachable, have your executive leader alert the CIO, who will coordinate any response with University Relations/Communications Executive Director April Kaull or Director Shauna Johnson. 

Other important resources

• Portal.wvu.edu is where employees go to access a wide array of administrative, academic and research tools. The Restricted Apps section, which requires that you first connect to the VPN, is where you request time off, find your pay statement and more. Here is an overview of the Applaud time and leave system. Note: Faculty, Students and Admitted Students have different views of and services within the Portal, determined by their primary roles.  

  • Mountaineer Marketplace lets you request or make purchases through preferred vendor catalogs. You can also transfer funds internally, pay utilities, ask WVU to approve new vendors and more.  

  • MyExpenses is an electronic expense-reimbursement system for PCard (state purchasing card) transactions, such as travel and employee-related purchases.   

  • MyTravel is to be used when booking University-related flights, lodging, rental cars, and other ground transportation. 

• All technology-related purchases, whether hardware, software or consulting services, are subject to the IT Purchase Request process, so be sure to familiarize yourself with it. It is the employee’s responsibility to be aware of WVU’s current spending restrictions as outlined on the Procurement site and/or in Division of Finance memos. Employees also must obtain all necessary supervisor approvals before submitting the form.  

• Guidance on purchasing, PCard reconciliation and more is available at procurement.wvu.edu/employees. 

• Use the Transportation and Parking site if you are an onsite employee who needs to view or purchase permits, review or pay citation, or review and update personal information such as the vehicle under permit, mailing and email addresses. You can also find city parking permits at parkmpa.com.   

• WVU Hire is the system used to process job candidates and hire new employees.  

• GoBeyond.wvu.edu (Point Recognition) in the Resources section is an application that lets you express appreciation for colleagues with customizable e-cards, while Professional Development link lets you explore course offerings from Leadership and Organizational Development.   

• Sign up for WVU ENEWS to keep up with important developments at the University.  

Software perks

LinkedIn Learning licenses are issued to new ITS employees upon hiring, as long as our allocation lasts. You will have access to 13,000 on-demand courses in a vast array of subjects, many of which offer certificates. Your supervisors may recommend training and/or choose to create learning pathways for you. We encourage you to work with your supervisor on what courses to complete. 

Microsoft Office can be installed for free on as many as five personal devices. (See Mac instructions or Windows instructions.) 

Sophos anti-virus protection can be installed for free on as many as three personal devices. To download it, follow these instructions.  

Software License Information Center (SLIC) is an ITS-administered program that gives employees access to free and discounted software at slic.wvu.edu.  

Looking for more? Check out the WVU Perks program.  

Logistics for hybrid and onsite employees

The One Waterfront Place (OWP) building supervisors are ITS Office Manager Kelly Dorazio and Rusty Roe (OWP_Building_Supervisor@mail.wvu.edu). You can identify building supervisors elsewhere by searching the Facilities Service Desk. 

• A WVU ID Card is required for door access to many WVU buildings, so you’ll need to request one if you are regularly working onsite. Submit a compliant photo in advance, and you can pick it up at one of the ITS Service Centers, which are located in the Mountainlair next to the Post Office, in G-118 of Bennett Tower, and in G-101 North at the Health Sciences Center.   

• If your job requires you to access locked rooms, please speak to your supervisor about getting a key from Facilities.  

• Use Outlook to schedule conference rooms, which are identified with an OWP prefix. Entering the room number will also show seating capacity. (Ex: OWP_6115_16Seats_Conf)   

• 25Live is an online scheduling system to reserve classrooms, computer labs, certain conference rooms and recreation fields. If you have additional questions or need help, email scheduling@mail.wvu.edu.  

Cisco desktop phones are available for onsite employees. If there is not one at your location and you believe you need one, please speak to your supervisor.  

• To reach someone at WVU, press 3 and then their four-digit extension.   

• To make a local call, press 9 and then the number.   

• To make a long-distance call, press 8 and then the number.   

• Learn how to set up your voicemail.   

To control expenses, WVU requires participation in the Managed Printing Program. We do not allow the purchase of desktop printers; nor may you use WVU funds for supplies for your personally owned printer.  

Laws, policies and rules

University Policies 

In addition to WVU Board of Governors Rules and University policies, all employees must abide by all IT policies and standards posted on our website. These policies and standards identify the acceptable and unacceptable ways to use University IT resources, the requirements to secure University data and IT resources, and the University’s guiding principles for how to gather, use, disclose and manage identifiable personal data. They fall under three general categories: Acceptable Use, Security and Privacy. Here are a few highlights to remember:   

• The Acceptable Use Policy requires the use of University-provided devices for work whenever possible and prohibits the use of WVU technology resources for personal business activity. WVU has the right to monitor all activities on University-owned devices. You should have no expectation of privacy in what you create, store, send or receive using WVU email or other resources. Never access systems or data that are not relevant to your job responsibilities.  

• The Identity and Access Management Policy holds all WVU employees accountable for the actions that occur using their WVU Login credentials. Never share your Login credentials with anyone or use someone else’s credentials to access an information system.  

• The Sensitive Data Policy identifies what the University considers Sensitive Data, including Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers and visa/passport numbers. Never use a personal computer to access sensitive data, never share Sensitive Data with unauthorized individuals, and never transmit Sensitive Data via email.  

• The Email Policy requires use of University-provided email to conduct University business. The contents of WVUemail accounts are the property of WVU, not the account holder. Personal and non-WVU accounts cannot be used to conduct WVU business.  

• The Computer Security Incident Response Policy requires that all suspected or known security incidents be reported to Information Security Services immediately at defendyourdata@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-4457.  

West Virginia Ethics Law 

All WVU employees also are subject to the West Virginia Ethics Act. While the state law is expansive, ITS and the WVU’s General Counsel have collaborated to answer common questions and to provide guidance on how to avoid a perceived conflict of interest or other issue. You can find this guidance document in the Files section of the ITS All Staff team (WVU Login required): WV ETHICS LAW GUIDANCE. 

ITS Security Requirements 

Any work done on behalf of the University must be done using a WVU-issued email account and a WVU-managed device. You should NOT use a personal account, software service or computer that you are personally paying for to conduct University business.  

ITS employees will be automatically enrolled in the Microsoft 365 Mobile Data Protection Program, which protects WVU organizational data from unauthorized access. Any content shared via a WVU email account is considered organizational data, regardless of its purpose or origin. Once enrolled, you will only be able to access these documents with the suite of Microsoft 365 mobile apps (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, etc.). Please review the KB article for more details. 

ITS employees may not connect any WVU-owned or -managed computers to external storage drives. If you believe you have legitimate need to connect a WVU-owned external drive to a WVU computer, have your supervisor submit a request using this form: wvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0dGkFb3nTub2LuC   

Finally, all ITS employees must complete annual training to ensure compliance with HIPAA (the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), as well as annual cyber security awareness training. ITS staff are also subject to quarterly phishing simulations.