News & Events

In this Section

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!  

      Keeping Campus Online Activity Safe, One Block at a Time

      Every time you connect to the internet on campus — whether you’re submitting an assignment, checking your email or streaming music between classes — your device is making thousands of tiny behind-the-scenes requests to reach websites and online services. And not all of those destinations are safe.

      That’s where Information Technology Services comes in.

      In just one month, ITS automatically blocked 2.9 million malicious or suspicious connections before they ever reached a device on the Syracuse University network. That means 2.9 million potential threats — phishing attempts, malware, data theft schemes — stopped in their tracks every month, often without anyone on campus even noticing.

      This protection is powered by Infoblox BloxOne, a security tool that Syracuse University has relied on for the past year. It monitors network traffic in real time and automatically blocks harmful connections before they can cause damage. It runs quietly in the background, 24/7, so you don’t have to think about it. Whether you’re in a residence hall, a classroom or the library, Infoblox BloxOne is constantly watching for anything that looks out of place and acting fast to shut it down.

      Keeping Syracuse University’s network safe is an ongoing commitment — one that ITS takes seriously so that students, faculty and staff can focus on what matters most.

      AI Insights for March 19, 2026

      This message was originally shared to subscribers March 19, 2026.

      AI at Work

      Looking for ways to use AI to get more done at work? Join us for AI at Work: Claude Success Stories on March 25 from 2 to 3:15 p.m. in 216 Marley and on Microsoft Teams to hear faculty and staff share how they’re putting Claude to work in real, practical ways.

      This Issue’s Tip: Claude and Microsoft 365

      Most of us use it to write and brainstorm, but connect it to your Microsoft 365 account and it becomes a whole lot more powerful. Suddenly Claude knows your inbox, your calendar, your files, and your Teams messages — so you can ask it to summarize unread emails, draft a reply to your department chair, or prep an agenda for tomorrow’s meeting. No copy-pasting, no extra context needed.

      Ready to try it? We put together a step-by-step setup guide and some sample prompts to get you started.

      News and Views

      In Summary

      Higher education is confronting widespread AI misuse, from fake research citations to tools that can’t reliably detect cheating, forcing a shift in assessment models. At the same time, AI skills are now baseline job requirements amid uneven workforce disruption. Organizations are struggling to move AI into real operations, accelerating demand for new leadership roles, while growing reliance on AI is beginning to reshape human reasoning.

      Education, Teaching and Learning

      • New Tools for Understanding AI and Learning Outcomes (OpenAI)
      • AI and Course Design: Machines Can Help, but Only Humans Can Teach (Educause Review)
      • AI Tools to Reduce College Dropout Rates (EdTech)
      • Blackboard Executives Say Catching AI Cheating Is a Lost Cause. This One Isn’t Worried. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
      • Writing Faculty Push for the Right to Refuse AI (Inside Higher Ed)
      • Journal Submissions Riddled With AI-Created Fake Citations (Inside Higher Ed)

      Business, Strategy and Leadership

      • Every Company Wants AI, but Few Have The Leader Who Can Make It Real (Forbes)
      • C-suite shakeup: Demand for chief AI officers accelerates (TechTarget)
      • Tech Firms Are Persuading Retailers to Put AI Everywhere (The New York Times)

      Culture, Trends and Novel Use Cases

      • March Madness 2026: AI and Prediction Markets Replace the Office Pool (PYMNTS)

      Policy, Defense and Global Impact

        Society and Human Impact

        • AI Becomes a Daily Habit: The Consumer Shift From Trying Tools to Living With Them (PYMNTS)
        • Thinking—Fast, Slow, and Artificial: How AI is Reshaping Human Reasoning and the Rise of Cognitive Surrender (SSRN)
        • Is AI Making Us Stupid? Cal Newport Is Worried. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
        • How I Killed—and Revived—Teamwork With AI (The Wall Street Journal)

          Tech Industry and Competition

          • Anthropic’s Standoff With the Pentagon Shakes Up AI Talent Race (The Wall Street Journal)
          • Amazon Holds Engineering Meeting Following AI-Related Outages (CNBC)

          Tools, Products and Innovation

          • Anthropic Automates Excel and PowerPoint Workflows With One-Click Skills (PYMNTS)
          • Inside OpenAI’s Race to Catch Up to Claude Code (Wired)
          • Introducing The Anthropic Institute (Anthropic)

          Workforce, Jobs and Skills

          • AI Engineering Tops List of In-Demand Skills: LinkedIn (CIO Dive)
          • Leaders Say AI Skills Now Are as Fundamental as the Ability To Write (HR Dive)
          • Jobs Least and Most Vulnerable to AI (The Washington Post)
          • Labor Market Impacts of AI: A New Measure and Early Evidence (Anthropic)
          • More CEOs Envision Hiring Than Firing Due to AI, CEO Survey Finds (Axios)
          • I Worked for Block. Its AI Job Cuts Aren’t What They Seem. (The New York Times)

          Access to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and other paywalled content is available to all students, faculty and staff with a valid Syracuse University NetID. Learn more.

          This Issue’s Win: Thinking Partner

          A prompt is how you ask generative AI tools to do something for you (e.g., creating, summarizing, editing or transforming). Treat it like a conversation, using clear language and enough context to get the result you have in mind.

          To get more practice, use the generative AI tool of your choice (for example, Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI ChatGPT or Anthropic Claude) to execute the following prompt:

          “You are my thinking partner, not just an answer generator.

          I’m working on: [describe a project, class, or problem].

          Instead of giving me a quick answer, do the following:

          Ask me 2–3 clarifying questions to better understand my goal.
          Point out any assumptions I might be making.
          Suggest 2 different ways to approach this (including one I might not have considered).
          Then help me build a clear, step-by-step plan.
          Prioritize depth, critical thinking, and insight over speed.“

          Helpful Resources

          Thank you for reading. Go Orange!