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Orange Online: April 2026 Student Newsletters

This message was originally shared to all students via email on April 2, 2026.

Orange Online at a Glance

Pressed for time? Information Technology Services (ITS) has you covered. Here are this edition’s topics:

AI at Syracuse University

There’s a lot happening in the AI space at Syracuse University, and we want to make sure you’re in the loop.

  • Try Clementine, our new AI class search tool. Finding the right courses just got a whole lot easier. Clementine lets you search using natural language—just ask something like “Are there any Psychology classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays?” and get results fast. As always, confirm your final selections in MySlice or with your academic advisor.
  • Tell us what you think. ITS is gathering feedback to improve our AI resources and the AI at Work event series, and we want to hear from you. The survey takes just a few minutes and covers how you’re currently using AI, what topics you’d like to see in future sessions, and how you prefer to learn.
  • Orange AI: Chat Session with Newhouse Professor Adam Peruta. Want to learn more about AI and maybe put your prompting skills to the test? Join ITS and Newhouse professor Adam Peruta on April 23 from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Graham Scholarly Commons in 114 Bird Library.

Study Breaks

Need a quick break from studying? Stop by and see ITS at our upcoming Study Breaks. We’ll be in the Schine Student Center on April 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. Grab a treat, say hello, and learn more about ITS services, events and newsletters. Study Breaks.

Music Mondays

Student musicians! Join us April 6 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the MakerSpace in Marshall Square Mall. Meet fellow SU musicians, find collaborators and tour our music and tracking rooms. Space is limited to 30 per session—sign up today! Register.

Research Computing Series

The Spring 2026 Research Computing Series features two virtual sessions on Microsoft Teams. Chemistry postdoctoral researcher Jessica Niblo will present on Wednesday, April 22, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Physics graduate student Keisi Kacanja wraps up the series on Wednesday, April 29, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Register.

Tech To-Dos Before Graduation

Congratulations, soon-to-be-graduates! On Answers, find a full list of IT resources including email and post-graduation access timelines. Before you go, remember to migrate your Google Drive data and transfer ownership of any Qualtrics surveys by emailing qualtrics@ot.syr.edu from your @syr.edu address.  Answers.

Information Security Tip: InfoBlox BloxOne

Every month, ITS automatically blocks 2.9 million malicious connections on the Syracuse University network—stopping phishing attempts and malware before they reach your device. Powered by Infoblox BloxOne, this protection runs quietly in the background, 24/7. Read Article.

Digital Accessibility Tip: Title Your Slides

Many assistive technology users rely on slide titles to navigate PowerPoint presentations. Use the built-in Title placeholder (not a text box) to ensure each slide has a unique, descriptive title. You can use PowerPoint’s Accessibility Checker to flag missing or duplicated titles. Office Hours.

AI Insights

Explore the latest in artificial intelligence with AI Insights, the newsletter for all things AI. Whether you’re looking to enhance your work with smart tools or simply stay informed, each issue brings you news from higher ed and the tech world and weekly AI tips. Newsletter. 

Tech Tips Weekly

Stay connected and ahead with Tech Tips Weekly—for quick, practical advice to make the most of campus technology. Each week, our new newsletter delivers easy-to-follow how-tos, timely service updates and insider looks at the newest features, tools and resources. Subscribe. 

Helpful Resources

ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

Tech Tips: April 2026 Faculty/Staff Newsletters

This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on April 2, 2026.

At a Glance

Each month, Information Technology Services provides tech tips for the Orange community. Pressed for time? Here are this edition’s topics:

AI at Work

There’s a lot happening in the AI space at Syracuse University, and we want to make sure you’re in the loop.

  • AI at Work: Claude Code. Join us April 15, 2 to 3:15 p.m. in 216 Marley or on Microsoft Teams.
  • AI at Work: Claude Success Stories recording is now available. Faculty and staff share how they are using Claude to draft communications, streamline tasks and more.
  • AI at Work Survey. Help us shape future programming—the survey takes just a few minutes and covers how you’re using AI and what topics we should discuss in future sessions.
  • Clementine, our new AI class search tool, lets students find courses using natural language. Just ask something like “Are there any Psychology classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays?” and get results fast.

    Research Computing

    The Spring 2026 Research Computing Series features two virtual sessions on Microsoft Teams. Chemistry postdoctoral researcher Jessica Niblo will present on Wednesday, April 22, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Physics graduate student Keisi Kacanja wraps up the series on Wednesday, April 29, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Register.

      SITETL

      Applications are open for the Summer Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning—a week-long faculty workshop from the ITS Online Learning Services team running June 1-5. Gain hands-on experience with campus teaching tools and leave with a plan for your courses. Seats are limited! Apply.

      Information Security Tip: InfoBlox BloxOne

      Every month, ITS automatically blocks 2.9 million malicious connections on the Syracuse University network—stopping phishing attempts and malware before they reach your device. Powered by Infoblox BloxOne, this protection runs quietly in the background, 24/7. Read Article.

      Digital Accessibility Tip: Title Your Slides

      Many assistive technology users rely on slide titles to navigate PowerPoint presentations. Use the built-in Title placeholder (not a text box) to ensure each slide has a unique, descriptive title. You can use PowerPoint’s Accessibility Checker to flag missing or duplicated titles. Office Hours.

      Tech To-Dos Before Leaving the University

      If you are retiring, graduating or transitioning elsewhere, it’s important to know how long you’ll retain access to University tools like Microsoft 365 (email, OneDrive, Teams), Google Workspace and more. Visit Answers for timelines and make reviewing digital assets part of your exit process.

      AI Insights

      Explore the latest in artificial intelligence with AI Insights, the newsletter for all things AI. Whether you’re looking to enhance your work with smart tools or simply stay informed, each issue brings you news from higher ed and the tech world and weekly AI tips. Newsletter. 

      Tech Tips Weekly

      Stay connected and ahead with Tech Tips Weekly—for quick, practical advice to make the most of campus technology. Each week, our new newsletter delivers easy-to-follow how-tos, timely service updates and insider looks at the newest features, tools and resources. Subscribe. 

      Helpful Resources

      ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

      • Academic and administrative IT staff

      • Classroom Resource Guide

      • ITS Service Center

      • Self-Serv NetID and password management portal

      Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

      5 Claude Features You Didn’t Know You Needed 

      By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS 

      Claude can do a lot more than answer questions and write first drafts. If you haven’t explored beyond the basics yet, you’re leaving some of the most useful functionality on the table. Here are five features worth trying. 

      Claude Can Remember Things 

      Claude has a memory feature that learns your preferences, role and context over time—so every conversation isn’t starting from scratch. Once it knows you’re a faculty member who writes in AP Style or a staff member who manages event logistics, it factors that in automatically. 

      Try it: Open a new chat and tell Claude your role, your typical audience, and one formatting preference. Then ask it to “add to memory” for future conversations. 

      You Can Upload Files and Actually Do Something With Them 

      Claude can read your documents—syllabi, reports, meeting notes, data files—and then do real work with them. Summarize, extract key points, reformat or generate a follow-up action list. It goes well beyond just “uploading a PDF”. 

      Try it: Upload a meeting agenda or report and ask: “Summarize the key decisions and draft a list of action items with owner names.” 

      Claude Can Browse the Web 

      A common assumption is that AI tools are frozen in time. Claude’s web search feature changes that. It can look up current information, pull from live pages and help you research topics that need up-to-date data—not just what was true two years ago. 

      Try it: Ask Claude to search for recent articles on a topic relevant to your work and summarize what’s new in the past six months. 

      You Can Give Claude a Role 

      Assigning Claude a persona dramatically improves what it produces. When you tell Claude to act as an instructional designer, a skeptical editor or an HR professional, it shifts its entire approach to match that lens. 

      Try it: Start your next prompt with “You are a plain-language editor reviewing this for a non-technical audience”—then paste in something you’ve written. 

      Claude Can Write Code—Even If You Can’t 

      You don’t have to be a developer to benefit from this one. Claude can generate Excel formulas, build simple data trackers, clean up messy spreadsheet data or automate small repetitive tasks—all from a plain-English description of what you need. 

      Try it: Describe a repetitive task you do in Excel and ask Claude to write a formula or script to handle it. 

      You don’t have to use all five at once—start with the one that sounds most useful and go from there. The features that make the biggest difference are often the ones hiding in plain sight, and chances are it won’t be the last new thing you discover! 

       

      Adobe Express: Your New Go-To Design Tool

      By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS 

      If you’ve been using Canva to create flyers, social posts or presentation graphics, here’s some news worth knowing; Syracuse University provides free access to Adobe Express—and it’s worth making the switch. 

      What Is Adobe Express? 

      Adobe Express is a browser-based and mobile design tool that lets you create polished graphics, short videos, flyers, social media content and more (no design experience required). And it’s already available to all faculty and staff. 

      What Can You Do With It? 

      Adobe Express lets you quickly build branded materials using customizable templates, drag-and-drop editing and access to thousands of stock photos and icons. You can resize designs for different platforms in seconds and animate graphics for social media—all from one place. 

      One of the first things worth doing when you set up your account is creating a Brand Kit. Load it with Syracuse University’s official colors (Orange #F76900 and Navy #000E54) and approved fonts and every design you create will automatically stay on-brand without starting from scratch each time. For more information, check out the Syracuse University Brand Sharepoint site. 

      What About AI? 

      This is where Adobe Express stands out. Powered by Adobe Firefly — Adobe’s AI tool trained exclusively on licensed and public domain content — the platform includes several AI tools: 

      • Generate Image: Create custom visuals from a text prompt, commercially safe and ready to use in university materials. 
      • Generate Video: Type a description and generate short video clips for use as b-roll, background footage or social content—no camera required. 
      • Clip Maker: Have a recording of a department talk, faculty panel or campus event? Clip Maker uses AI to identify the best moments, add captions and reformat the footage into social-ready clips automatically. 
      • Dynamic Animation: Bring a static flyer or graphic to life with one click—great for Instagram Reels or event announcements. 

      Because Firefly is trained on licensed content, everything you generate is safe to use in university communications without copyright concerns. 

      Getting Started 

      Sign in at express.adobe.com using your NetID credentials. Your account is already waiting for you. 

      Remember, you can always use your AI tools such as Claude to ask how to do anything in Adobe. If you have a question about how to do something, just ask Claude!  

      Orange AI: Chat Session with Newhouse Professor Adam Peruta

      Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, this event has been postponed.

      Want to learn more about AI and put your prompting skills to the test? Join ITS and Newhouse professor Adam Peruta for the first Orange AI: Chat Session on April 23 from 3-4 p.m. in the Graham Scholarly Commons (114 Bird Library). Food and beverages will be provided.