After conferring with key stakeholders and considering important campus-wide dates, the Digital Ecosystem team has moved the launch of the new web site to January 7th, with promotion and communication continuing in the following week as Simmons gears up for the start of the semester. This date ensures that external delays won’t reduce the amount of testing and training time available to the community and that we do not risk impacting key admissions deadlines. We will launch with a polished, attractive site that features Simmons news and stories and makes them more visible online.

We have been working closely with Area Editors from each functional group to make sure that all content is up-to-date and will be granting them access to their content within the site on a rolling basis to review and make changes. Training for “Simmons Internal,” an online repository for many of our existing resources for students, staff and faculty who are already a member of the Simmons community, began last week.

A Digital Ecosystem newsletter with more details about the new site will be sent out soon. Please visit our project web site  for additional information.

Simmons Technology is expanding the availability of conferencing services for faculty and staff by enabling OpenVoice, an improved conference calling service. OpenVoice will provide continuously available toll-free audio conferencing numbers that you can use to host meetings of up to 125 participants. Meetings can be scheduled in advance or as needed, and sessions can be recorded for later use. The service is available 24/7 via your office phone, personal phone, and through the mobile app.

Please note that this is an additional service, and you can still use GoToMeeting when you want to incorporate technology (such as screen sharing and webcam use) into your meetings. OpenVoice provides a separate, on-the-go conferencing service that’s available just by picking up your phone.

In the next week, you will receive details via email, including your personal conference room number and PIN, as well as call-in numbers and links to download the app. There is no need to set up an account or password, and you can begin using the service as soon as you receive the email notification.