Dear Patriots,
I’m excited to introduce myself as Information Technology Service’s (ITS) first chief experience officer (CXO). As both a proud George Mason University alum and longtime staff member, I’m truly honored to step into this new role and help launch a program focused on improving our community’s experience through better use of data. Over the past decade, I’ve helped guide ITS as it evolved from a utility to a service provider to the customer-focused team we are today. I’d love to share a little about what we’ve been working on and where we’re headed.
Last year, in alignment with broader ITS strategic planning efforts, our leadership identified several objectives designed to strengthen our customer-centered approach. These objectives focus on streamlining internal processes, increasing operational agility, clarifying our core services, and establishing a more consistent and transparent framework for customer service across the organization.
Following the finalization of these goals, we initiated an organizational restructure to better support our community. This included formalizing four tiers of support to improve workflow efficiency, consolidating existing support teams for greater cohesion, and creating new teams devoted to user experience, learning, and relationship management.
Currently, we are analyzing our existing data to identify opportunities for improvement. In parallel, we are updating our customer satisfaction surveys and assessing what additional data is needed to gain a deeper understanding of our service performance for students, faculty, and staff. Our IT Service Management team will use these insights to refine our processes and enhance the overall user experience.
ITS is committed to supporting the university community and we welcome your feedback! If you have had a positive experience with one of our services or support teams, we encourage you to share it with us. Likewise, if an experience has fallen short of your expectations, we want to hear from you so we can continue to improve.
Thank you for helping drive our ongoing transformation, and cheers to the start of another great semester!
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Charlie Spann
Chief Experience Officer
Information Technology Services
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Phishing Reminder: George Mason community members who receive phishing emails should report them to phish@gmu.edu. Reporting phishing emails allows ITS to issue alerts and notify recipients. If you receive a phishing email and respond by clicking on a link, replying, or downloading attachments, please contact ITS Support by phone 703-993-8870 or Live Chat for assistance. Information about reported phishing emails is available on the ITS website.
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ITS Website Refresh: ITS launched a new look of the ITS website in January. This is a visual refresh, not a redesign, intended to streamline functionality, improve long‑term maintainability, and comply with university branding and ADA Title II standards. The navigation, content, and features (e.g., ITS maintenance, calendar, ITS alerts, phishing alerts, etc.) have not changed.
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PatriotAI User Training Recap: Curious about PatriotAI but haven't made it to a training yet? Check out the recap from last week's user training at Mason Square, which provided an introduction to generative and agentic AI, explained how AI models generate responses, and taught users how to craft effective prompts using the PACE framework (Problem, Action, Context, Expectations).
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Thrive at Mason Bootcamp will be hosted virtually on July 14-15, and the call for proposals is underway. This year’s theme, "Thrive in Practice: Tools, Processes, and Practical Skills," focuses on actionable approaches staff can apply directly in their day-to-day work. This event is designed to support practical learning through knowledge sharing, real-world examples, and skill-building experiences. Contact fscomm@gmu.edu with questions.
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George Mason faculty and staff now have access to TimelyCare for free, confidential mental health support. Benefits include 24/7 emotional support with the TalkNow line, up to 12 free scheduled counseling sessions per academic year, health coaching, self-guided resources, mindfulness tools, and peer support. Learn more.
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