DOIT Newsletter - Fall 2025
A Message from the Vice President / Chief Information Officer
Dear University Community,
As we step into a new academic season, I’m excited to share the latest issue of our Division of IT (DoIT) newsletter—a space where we highlight the progress, challenges, and opportunities shaping our digital campus. Technology continues to play a vital role in enhancing learning, teaching, research, and operations, and our DoIT team remains committed to delivering secure, reliable, and innovative solutions that support the campus community.
In this issue, you’ll find updates on our Smart Campus initiative, tips for staying cyber-safe, and insights into upcoming projects designed to improve your digital experience. Whether you're faculty, staff, or student, your feedback and engagement are essential to our success. Together, we’re building a smarter, more connected university.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Warm regards,
Go Beach!
Min Yao, Ph.D.
Vice President & Chief Information Officer
SMART CAMPUS UPDATES
The Division of IT launched the Smart Campus Initiative in 2017. The goal of the initiative is to empower the campus community with leading-edge technologies. Since its launching, a number of new technologies and services have been implemented on campus, such as digital signature (DocuSign), student virtual lab, high-performance computing, FREE (Faculty Research Experience and Expertise database), Unified One-card Access at Housing, and Beach Bites mobile app. These new technologies and services have made it easier for students to learn, faculty to teach and research, and the University to operate. Below are some of the latest new technologies and services implemented as part of the Smart Campus Initiative.
Live Virtual Support with Teams Call Queues
There are over 300 Teams Phone call queues and call centers in operation across campus providing service organizations group calling features. These help campus units and offices manage and share the responsibility of answering and making department phone calls. As a next level support offering, units and offices can implement video chat capability to existing call queues. As phishing attempts evolve, this important feature ensures service organizations have the ability to visually validate customer identities, reducing potential security incidents. Currently, the Technology Help Desk (THD) and Library Circulation desk both offer such a service, to complement in-person, telephone, and email support. THD, for example, averages approximately 150 IT support video sessions per week during the semester.
Chatbot Works Around the Clock
Elbee chatbot has handled over 331,700 all-time conversations. Though the bulk of the AI-powered conversations occur during business hours, the technology provides one-third of this support after-hours and on weekends. This highlights the role and positive impact that this technology can make in empowering students with the answers they seek at all hours and without staff time.
Student Virtual Lab Now Provides 47 Campus Software Programs
Our Student Virtual Labs (SVL) now offers access to 47 campus-licensed software programs for students and faculty. With 24/7 remote access to diverse lab environments and applications, SVL ensures that all students can meet course requirements with access to essential resources from any remote location.
Student Remote Labs: Continued Access and Usage
Our Student Remote Labs service provides students with remote access to specialized software programs and applications from the Colleges of Business, The Arts, Liberal Arts, Education, and Engineering. It offers an equivalent of 280 lab computers remotely. This service eliminates the need for physical lab visits, providing flexibility and convenience.
High Performance Computing (HPC) Environment Upgraded
The campus HPC environment was recently upgraded to improve performance and security. Offering high computational power and parallel processing to growing numbers of faculty and student researchers, on average, the environment is running cluster jobs 82% of the time. This is nearly double the average last year.
Discover and Share CSULB with the Smart Map
Utilize the campus smart map to access comprehensive information, hidden points of interest, walking directions from any building, and easily locate outdoor Wi-Fi zones. The smart map also provides detailed accessibility routes and live shuttle stop tracking. Whether you are new to campus or seeking to enhance your navigation experience, this resource offers valuable features for all users. Additionally, locations include shareable QR codes and link options suitable for departmental and program event materials. See smart map top features and resources.
AI News
- The AI Technology website provides a wealth of resources about campus AI projects and resources. Ever wonder what these AI projects are? Catch up on the work of the Business Operations AI subcommittee.
- With an increasing number of campus-provided AI tools, ever wonder about the differences among the offerings? Compare Campus-Provided AI Tools.
- If you haven’t already done so, you have until October 20 to take the CSU AI Survey. This is a CSU-wide anonymous survey about generative AI (GenAI), such as ChatGPT Edu and Microsoft Copilot found in the Campus Single Sign-On (SSO) service. Your feedback will directly influence how emerging technologies are adopted on campus.
- Applications are now open and due November 1, 2025, for the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) AI Education Fellowship, funded by the National Science Foundation. This one-year fellowship will support 10 faculty champions advancing undergraduate and master’s AI education nationwide. Fellows will receive a $5,000 stipend, travel support, and opportunities to lead AI education initiatives at their institutions and within a national community of practice.
INFORMATION SECURITY
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Mark your calendars for a month full of learning and engagement! CSULB is joining forces with CSU campuses to build a stronger security-conscious culture at the Beach. This year’s theme focuses on empowering individuals to take control of their digital safety through engaging webinars, interactive challenges like Cyber Wordle, and expert-led sessions on phishing, AI threats, and job search scams. Don’t miss out on prize drawings and practical tips to protect yourself online!
Explore the full lineup of events and register today.
New AI-Powered Phishing Validation Tool
You can also use our Phishing at the Beach tool to check suspicious messages. Just paste the email text (no screenshots) and submit for an AI review
NOTEWORTHY
beachnet+ Wi-Fi to Be Retired – Connect to eduroam
The beachnet+ Wi-Fi network will be retired on January 1, 2026, and eduroam will become the primary secure Wi-Fi network on campus for students and employees. If all your devices are not already automatically connecting to eduroam Wi-Fi, make the switch now by visiting www.csulb.edu/wifi on your device.
Once connected to eduroam, you’ll automatically connect to eduroam Wi-Fi at any other participating colleges and universities globally, including other CSU campuses. Eduroam is available at over 38,000 locations and over 100 countries. Switching now ensures uninterrupted secure Wi-Fi access and enables connectivity at thousands of institutions worldwide.
ADA Title II Update Deadline
In preparation for the upcoming ADA Title II update deadline on April 24, 2026, the Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) Team, in partnership with the Web Development Center (WDC), has renewed the Letter of Conformance for the CSULB website. This third-party certification confirms that our site templates and training resources meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, ensuring a strong foundation for digital accessibility.
While this renewal is an important milestone, ongoing work remains. Accessibility extends beyond templates to the content created and maintained across our campus sites. Both automated and manual checks continue to identify areas for improvement. To support this effort, the university will begin using a product called PopeTech, a web-scanning tool that will help streamline accessibility reviews and strengthen compliance practices.
More details and guidance will be shared in the coming months as we continue working together toward an inclusive digital experience for all.
DID YOU KNOW?
