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Ryan Kenney, Marcin Pulcer

After a competitive search process, executive director of Information Technology Services Ryan Kenney will take up an appointment as associate vice-president of operations, effective July 18.

A graduate of UWindsor who holds a Master of Business Administration degree and designation as a project management professional, Kenney has held several progressive roles at the University over the past 15 years and is praised for his ability to effectively lead cross-functional teams.

“We are truly delighted that Ryan is the successful incumbent for the associate vice-president, operations role,” says Gillian Heisz, vice-president of finance and operations. “Ryan is well known across campus as a highly professional and innovative leader, and under his leadership I am confident that the operations division will make significant progress against the goals set in its strategic plan.”

Kenney has led transformative projects and initiatives on campus including the technical implementation of the Blackboard Learning Management System, the UWinsite system, and the launch of necessary IT infrastructure to support the shift to hy-flex learning and working environments during the pandemic.

To fill the vacant IT Services leadership role, acting executive director of ancillary operations Marcin Pulcer has accepted an 18-month appointment as its interim executive director, effective July 18.

Interim provost Patti Weir says she is thrilled to welcome Pulcer to this role.

“Marcin played a critical role in the Fall 2021 return to campus leading the hy-flex classroom installation and the scanning technology,” she says. “His technical expertise and leadership will allow for a seamless transition during this period of change.”

He will remain in this appointment until the end of 2023, during which time a search for a permanent hire will be conducted.

Pulcer obtained his Bachelor of Computer Science degree from the University of Windsor in 2008 and his Master of Business Administration in 2014. He has worked in various positions at the University since 2007, as a key member of the Information Technology Services Leadership team. Pulcer’s current position of acting executive director, ancillary operations, will be covered by Kenney until a replacement can be identified.

hand unplugging computer internet connection

Network improvements by service provider Connecting Windsor-Essex will cause the University of Windsor's internet service to be disrupted Friday, June 17, between 10 and 11:59 p.m. The internet outage should last no more than 40 minutes during the period noted.

In addition to the disruption to internet access on campus, all UWindsor systems will be off-line during the same time, including:

  • UWinsite Student
  • Blackboard
  • MyUWinfo

Users may have to restart or log in again on various platforms when internet service resumes.

If you have difficulties accessing the internet on campus after the outage, contact the IT Service Desk by calling 519-253-3000, ext. 4440. The IT Service Desk opens Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

fishhook spearing ID card

Faculty, staff, and students have recently received a variety of email phishing attempts looking to infect their computers or reveal personal information. The malicious emails encourage people to act quickly and pretend to be from legitimate organizations.

Find some examples criminals are using to trick email recipients.

Unsolicited Email with Attachment

A recipient receives an email with a Microsoft file attachment, like a Word or Excel file, that exploits a Microsoft vulnerability. The attachment can install malware when downloaded or when using the hover-preview mode.

Student Work Offers

The message offers the student a work-from-home employment opportunity. It asks the recipient for an alternative email address, potentially one with fewer security features than that provided through the University’s email system. The signature includes a fake university office and a PDF with more fraudulent employment details.

Email Account Deactivation

Another email phishing attempt, purportedly from the Microsoft Support Team, threatens email account deactivation. The recipient receives a URL to “click here” and log in. The link takes the user to a dubious website to provide their UWin account information.

Information Technology Services says not to preview or download attachments, click, or reply to any of these requests. If you have provided your UWin ID in any of these phishing attempts, you should promptly update your UWin Account password and follow up with the IT Service Desk by opening a ticket, calling 519-253-3000, ext. 4440, or clicking the chat icon in the bottom right corner of uwindsor.ca/its or uwindsor.ca/itshelp.

Learn to recognize phishing attempts:

  • The sender has a public email address, like gmail.com or outlook.com
  • Sense of urgency or threat of discontinued service
  • Unsolicited email
  • Attachments
  • Poor spelling, grammar, or look-alike branding

What should you do if you think you have received a phishing message:

  1. Do not respond
  2. Forward the email to spam@uwindsor.ca
  3. Delete it

Find more information on spotting phishing attempts on the IT Services website.

moving trucks

Tomorrow is the last chance to migrate or download any remaining files, documents, or data from the UWindsor-hosted Google account. All accounts and associated data will be deleted after April 30.

UWindsor students should review their Google accounts and save files elsewhere by tomorrow, if they:

  • received an email listing failed files after the 2020 migration process;
  • have used Google products like Sheets or Docs, which saves to Google Drive, after the migration process; or
  • have continued to use their Google account for storage after the migration process.

Faculty and staff who activated UWin Gmail accounts for collaboration purposes and want to keep files they have stored on Google Drive must transfer them to OneDrive or download them prior to the deadline.

Alumni who still have files on the UWindsor-hosted Google Drive can download them in their preferred location.

A webpage is available providing details about the Google Services retirement and instructions on how to transfer or download files.

drupal logo next to university of windsor logo

Faculty and staff who maintain UWindsor websites are encouraged to join an online session to learn the basics of the Drupal content management system.

This 90-minute session offers participants the opportunity to acquire the skills to create web pages, upload graphics, use menus, add content blocks, and follow accessibility requirements.

All content editors responsible for maintaining UWindsor websites are required to take the basic Drupal training.

“It is also a great refresher for those who may want to improve their skills and take their webpages to the next level,” says instructor Rob Aitkens, web development team leader.

The remote Drupal 7 Web Accessibility Basic Training starts at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4. Sign up is required to attend.