CITS is excited to invite faculty, staff, and students to explore the SysAid Self-Service Portal — and to help us improve one of its newest features: the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot. Learn more about how you can test our new chatbot here.
Information and News
Help Shape the Future of IT Support: Try the New SysAid Self-Service Portal Chatbot!
New Software Requests and Approval Timeline for SRE users
All new software requests for the SRE must be submitted by noon Thursdays. Requests received after the deadline will be reviewed during the next request cycle, which may delay availability. Learn more about the updates to the SRE here.
CITS Launches New AI Tools Site to Support Safe, Smart AI Use at UMB - The Elm
This resource lists approved, restricted use, and prohibited AI tools to support safe, secure, and responsible use across campus. Find links to the tools page and additional information here.
M365 Copilot Chat- Crafting Effective Prompts
Microsoft Copilot is now available to the UMB community. Learn more about Crafting Effective Prompts for Copilot Chat For additional information including instructions on accessing Copilot, visit the Copilot webpage.
Connect with CITS:
CITS Upcoming Projects
CITS is dedicated to enhancing the technological experience at UMB, and we have several projects underway. We are particularly excited about two of these initiatives:
- Consulting Project Underway to Enhance Student Experience Through Improved Records and Registration Business Processes
- Experience Dashboard Under Development for UMB Students
To learn more about either of these projects, please visit the Upcoming CITS Projects page.
CITS Strategic Reports
To learn more about CITS goals and projects that have been taking place, please visit the CITS Strategic Reports and Projects page.
CITS Calendar
To view important information about scheduled application upgrades, maintenance, and downtime, please view the CITS Calendar.
CITS Newsletter
To view CITS' quarterly updates please visit our IT Newsletter page
IT Public Alerts - Calendar View
Experience Student Portal Launches Monday, June 15, 2026
06/15/2026 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
The Experience Student Portal—the new face of Self-Service Banner, commonly known as SURFS—will go live on Monday, June 15, 2026.
Designed for students, instructors, and advisors, this intuitive, card-based platform will serve as the entry point for accessing key university systems, including Blackboard, Mediasite, and Degree Works. While the appearance and navigation will be updated, core functionality will remain familiar.
Visit the website link below to learn more, and watch for a go-live announcement in The Elm on June 15.
Network Maintenance - DNS/DHCP services
06/16/2026 6:00 AM - 7:00 AM
The Center for Information Technology Services (CITS) will be performing maintenance on the DNS and DHCP management server on Tuesday, June 16th, 2026, between 6:00am and 7:00am. No downtime is anticipated.
Quantum Financials Downtime
06/20/2026 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Quantum Financials will be unavailable on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 1:00 AM to 2:00 AM for scheduled legislative updates.
Mediasite Maintenance/Downtime
06/27/2026 1:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Mediasite will be undergoing maintenance by the vendor on June 27, 2026 1:00 AM - 5:00 AM EST. The application may be unavailable for brief periods during this maintenance window.
Network Maintenance - Internet services
06/28/2026 4:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Our campus Internet Service provider, MDREN, will be performing network maintenance on Sunday, June 28th, 2026, between 4:00am and 7:00am. No downtime is expected but users may notice some network latency with internet connections during the maintenance window.
VoiceThread Is Being Retired at UMB
06/30/2026 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
The Center for Information Technology Services (CITS) would like to inform instructors, students, and educational technology staff that the multimedia discussion platform VoiceThread, which is integrated with Blackboard, will be retired at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). The campus-wide license for VoiceThread will end June 30, 2026, after which it will no longer be available for campus-wide use. Details of this news can be found as part of a recent announcement in The Elm (click 'more info' below).
Network Maintenance - Internet services including Azure and OCI
07/12/2026 4:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Our campus Internet Service provider, MDREN, will be performing network maintenance on Sunday, July 12th, 2026, between 4:00am and 7:00am. No downtime is expected but users may notice some network latency with Azure, OCI, and internet connections during the maintenance window.
Blackboard Maintenance/Downtime
07/29/2026 11:00 PM - 07/30/2026 1:00 AM
Blackboard will be undergoing maintenance by the vendor on July 29, 2026 11:00 PM EST. The maintenance downtime is expected to last approximately two hours. The Blackboard application will be unavailable during this maintenance window.
Contact
Help Desk
601 W. Lombard St.
Suite 540
Baltimore, MD 21201