With a New Year comes new hope as we continue to face COVID-19. With vaccinations beginning to be administered and plenty of experience quarantining and following safety guidelines under our belts, many say this is the beginning of the end and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Until we are in the clear, however, many higher education institutions are limiting in-person interaction. While we strive to have all of the required safety measures in place to offer in-person instruction, at Daemen we have the essential technology and qualified professionals behind it to offer students safe, high-quality remote learning experiences when they are needed.

Over the last year, our Office of Information Technology played a significant role in ensuring the university moved forward and maintained momentum in the face of the unknown last March when we first faced Covid-19. That work continues today.

Melaine Kenyon, vice president for information technology and chief information officer joined the university just before the pandemic. At a previous workplace, she participated in 2009 avian flu pandemic planning which included instruction on how to create an online presence for every course. Her experience and expertise has helped Daemen move through the challenges of the pandemic and ensure that students achieve a quality education, uninterrupted.

When Western New York first faced COVID-19, approximately 40 percent of courses had an online presence, but it was an entirely new feat transitioning the entire curriculum to remote learning. Daemen is the type of university that can work through challenges however, and nimbly moved to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic. There has also been a great deal of work achieved in the area of instructional technology, and support offered to faculty to make a seamless transition to remote learning, including helpful training.

“Our strong instructional design team held 16 training sessions over a one-week period in March. Nearly one hundred faculty members were trained for remote instruction.” – Kenyon

Speaking of our faculty members, Kenyon said they “made a true pivot, going from lecture to remote learning very quickly.” She added, “I have never been prouder of a group of people.”

To ensure business continuity for the university and student success, laptops and support were provided to employees and students to support critical business functions.

Our information technology technicians set up desktop computers in animation and graphic design students’ rooms on campus to enable them to continue and complete their projects.

“We have done so well because of our planning and organization that we started immediately, Kenyon said. “We had cleaning protocols on campus, and were very organized working with our faculty all summer so that classes could still be taught.”

With many employees returning to campus after the holidays, information technology continues to support the Daemen community, working with many other departments and individuals to ensure a healthy and smooth spring semester.

Learn more about Daemen University’s robust technology services.