IT Frequently Asked Questions

Argos (Reports)

Banner

Blackboard

What is Blackboard?

Blackboard is a web-based Learning Management System in which instructors create virtual classrooms by posting course materials on the Web. The course may be taught entirely online or as a hybrid experience, combining traditional class meetings with online materials. Courses may include learning materials such as documents, presentations, audio and video files, web conferences, on-line course assessments, collaborative group work tools such as announcements, e-mail capabilities and discussion groups.

Click here to view other documents.

CUNY Portal

CUNYfirst Campus Solutions

Where can I go for CUNYFirst assistance?

Where can I go for CUNYfirst assistance?

Why is the Graduate Center moving to CUNYfirst Campus Solutions?

The Graduate Center is dependent on a variety of CUNY-based systems in conducting its business processes and must of course execute its core functions in concert with the remainder of the University. As the last CUNY campus to implement CUNYfirst Campus Solutions, CUNY will now have in place an integrated, comprehensive and University-wide system of record for its critically important business functions.

What do I need to do to prepare for the CUNYfirst Campus Solutions implementation?

Faculty and staff for whom the Graduate Center is their designated home campus should ensure that they have “claimed” and are familiar with their CUNYfirst login credentials. Instructions on how to claim a CUNYfirst account can be found here.

Likewise, GC students who do not otherwise have CUNYfirst accounts will need to claim their CUNYfirst accounts in May (current timeline). Instructions on how to claim a CUNYfirst account can be found here. (GC students who have already established CUNYfirst accounts - by virtue of a teaching appointment at a CUNY campus for example - need not go through the exercise again.)

Once any user claims an account the individual is assigned a unique CUNYfirst login ID based on first and last name, and an EMPL-ID for access to the system. Going forward, the EMPL-ID is your unique numeric identifier, replacing (for example) your Banner ID. CUNYfirst maintains one identity record for each member of the CUNY community, regardless of how many schools they’ve attended or how many roles they’ve held.

How will I receive email communications from CUNYfirst Campus Solutions?

CUNYfirst-based activity often triggers email communications to users, but such messages are delivered to individuals’ CUNY home-campus email addresses only.

  • For GC students, email messages originating in CUNYfirst will be delivered to student email addresses in the Office 365 “gradcenter.cuny.edu” domain.  

  • For faculty and staff for whom the GC is the official CUNY home campus of record in the HR system, email messages originating in CUNYfirst will be delivered to email addresses in the “gc.cuny.edu” domain.  

  • For faculty and staff for whom the GC is not the official CUNY home campus of record or for those from other institutions, email messages originating in CUNYfirst will be delivered to email addresses in the varying domains of the home campuses or institutions.  

What are examples of functionality found in CUNYfirst Campus Solutions?

For faculty, Faculty/Advisement Self-Service features include access to teaching schedules, grade rosters, course history, exam schedules, enrollment dates, and other tools that facilitate members of the college community serving in these roles.

For students, Student Self-Service features include the ability to register for classes, pay tuition, view grades, print unofficial transcripts, examine class schedules, review the course catalog and pursue related activities.

Will CUNYfirst Campus Solutions training be available?

In Spring 2018, more information on the training schedule will be made available here.

How will the transition from Banner to CUNYfirst Campus Solutions take place?

A specific “go-live” date will be identified by the central office CUNYfirst implementation team. Two weeks prior to that date, all student-related processing in Banner will be suspended while the final transfer of legacy data into CUNYfirst Campus Solutions is undertaken. Once the go-live date is reached, all student-related processing will occur from that date forward in CUNYfirst Campus Solutions and Banner will be decommissioned as a production system for student-related transactions.

Document Management System

Email (Faculty and Staff)

Email (Office 365 for Students and Graduates)

Does the GC Self-Service Password Reset program allow me to reset my Office 365 password?

No. The GC Self-Service Password reset tool allows you to change or reset your GC network password via the web. It is not affiliated with your Office 365 account.

Does Office 365 have a Self-Service Password Reset tool?

Yes, it does. However, before you can use the Office 365 Self-Service Password Reset tool, you must register your account.

How to Register for the Office 365 Self-Service Password Reset Tool

Once you have registered, if you ever forget your password, you can go here to reset it.

How to Perform a Self-Service Password Reset

If you should ever need to update your registration information, please review this guide:

How to Update Contact Information for the Office 365 Self-Service Password-Reset Tool
 

Does Microsoft provide any training or support options for Office 365?

Microsoft created a welcome video to introduce Office 365 and its features. If you have never used Office 365 before, we recommend that you take a look. Note: SkyDrive is now OneDrive. Also, keep in mind that not all features of Office 365 are enabled so your menu options may be slightly different than what you see in the video.

Office 365 Welcome Video

Microsoft has free online training webinars and videos that are available to you to view at your leisure.

Training

You can also download printable Office 2013 reference guides.

Quick Start Guides

Microsoft also created their own support resource page for Office 365. From this page you can access troubleshooting options and view previously reported Office 365 issues.

Office 365 Support

How do I open a non-human mailbox, such as the English Student Association, from my desktop version of Outlook?

If you currently monitor a non-human mailbox, such as the English Student Association, you can configure your desktop version of Outlook to connect directly to that mailbox. This action is performed by creating an Outlook profile for the desired mailbox.

If you have not previously monitored a non-human mailbox but now require access to one, you must first contact IT Services (ITServices@gc.cuny.edu). IT Services will open a ticket to grant you access permissions for the mailbox. Once this has been completed, they will notify you and you can then configure your desktop version of Outlook to connect to the non-human mailbox.

Below are the steps for configuring Outlook for a non-human mailbox from a MAC.
Configuring Outlook for a Non-Human Mailbox (MAC)

Below are the steps for configuring Outlook for a non-human mailbox from a PC.
Configuring Outlook for a Non-Human Mailbox (PC)



 

How do I install the Office 365 software and set up email on my personal devices? (Students Only)

First, please check Microsoft's support page to determine if your device meets the minimum system requirements for installation.

If your device meets the minimum system requirements, follow the instructions provided by CUNY CIS in the document below.

How to download a copy of Microsoft Office

Microsoft's support page also contains additional installation instructions for PCs, Macs, and mobile devices.

Install Office Using Office 365

Install Apps on Mobile Devices

Phone and Tablet Setup Reference

How to set up email in Mac OS X

How to set up email on Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

How do I log in to my Office 365 student email account?

How do I log in to my Office 365 student email account?

How do I update my email address on a GC listserv?

It is our recommendation that you update your email address to your @gradcenter.cuny.edu email address on any listservs to which you subscribe.

How do I update my email address on a GC listserv?

How does this affect how I use library tools and services? (Students Only)

For off-campus access to library databases and journals, use your GC network (not Office 365 email) account.

To sign in to the Interlibrary Loan System (ILLiad), use your GC network (not Office 365 email) account.

If you currently have Interlibrary Loan notifications sent to another email address, please update your email address in ILLiad to your Office 365 email address.

If you currently have library circulation notifications sent to another email address, please update your email address at the Graduate Center Library's Circulation Desk.

How long do items remain in the Office 365 Outlook Deleted Items and Junk Email Folders?

How long do items remain in the Office 365 Outlook Deleted Items and Junk Email Folders?

May I auto-forward email from my Office 365 email account to an external email account?

No, the Office 365 system configuration precludes automatic forwarding of email from your Office 365 student email account to an external email account in order to safeguard the University's ability to communicate effectively via email. For more information, see the University-CIO-Letter.

For the best experience, we strongly recommend that you connect to your Office 365 student email account using Outlook Web App, or through an email program that supports Exchange ActiveSync access such as Outlook 2013, Outlook 2010, Outlook for Mac 2011, Apple Mail 10.6 Snow Leopard, Apple Mail 10.7 Lion, or Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition.

Connecting to your Office 365 based email account using POP3 or IMAP4 only lets you send and receive mail. You can't access your contacts, tasks, or calendar when you connect to your account using POP3 or IMAP4. For instructions on how to do so, visit Microsoft's support page.

What are Microsoft's privacy policies?

Click here to view Microsoft’s statements on privacy.

What does the Office 365 plan include?

Office 365 Plan for Students

Office 365 Plan for Graduates

Note: Six months following your date of graduation, your Office 365 account will be converted to graduate status. As a graduate, you will continue to have access to your email, calendar, and contacts. However, you will lose access to any documents you saved on OneDrive and you will only have view or read access to the other Office 365 applications. We recommend you move any files that you wish to keep off of OneDrive before your 180-day grace period concludes. If you wish to continue using the full versions of the other Office 365 applications, you will need to purchase licenses from Microsoft.

What happens to my GC mailbox if I am an employee as well as a student?

What happens to my GC mailbox if I am an employee as well as a student?

What is the difference between my email account and my network account?

Your xxxx@gradcenter.cuny.edu account is used exclusively for the Office 365 student email system, and is separate from your GC network account. Your GC network account is used exclusively to access the Graduate Center's online resources and various other systems.

If you are logging into student email your username is astudent@gradcenter.cuny.edu. If you are logging into any other resource or system, your username is "astudent".

NOTE: As your email account and network account are separate, they have separate passwords which do not synchronize.

Encryption

Faxing

Hardware and Software

IT Services

Kentico

Are there any Kentico CMS tutorials?

With the help of our design team and the Communications & Marketing department, we have amassed a repository of walkthroughs, videos and workshops that are available for your use.

Some of the things you will discover are:

  • Create quick and simple online forms for your users to fill out.  Once a form is generated, it can be placed onto any page as a standard widget.  All the content is available for your review directly from the web page. So, you can see content in place. If required, you can secure the form and its content against non-authorized individuals.
 
  • All event listings that are created in Kentico are automatically made available to the CUNY website (www.cuny.edu) for inclusion in their feeds, automatically included for display on the Graduate Center calendar and are available in our RSS feeds.
 
  • News articles are made available in the main GC news listing (as well as other microsites if desired) and are also available in our RSS feeds.

And there are many other great things about Kentico. Take a look around or contact us via IT Services. IT Services (formerly The Help Desk) should be your first point of contact for technical assistance.

You may contact us by sending an email to itservices@gc.cuny.edu or by visiting our online self-service portal available 24/7. The self-service portal will allow you to request assistance from IT via a simple web form.

Emergency calls are received between the hours of 9:00 am – 5:00 pm at 212-817-7300.

Network Resources

Online Survey

What are some online survey tools?

Free and paid online survey tools

Note: IT is providing this information as a courtesy, without endorsement of any particular product or service. Any intended purchase of software to be installed and run locally at the Graduate Center must be discussed and coordinated with IT in advance.

Password Reset

Printing

Telecommunications

Training Videos

Does Information Technology provide online training videos?

Yes.  There are training videos available for key topics such as Blackboard, Kentico, and Argos as shown in the image below.  Please click here to view these videos


Website Services

Wireless Access