LAS CRUCES, N.M. — On July 15, the NMSU IT department launched the new myNMSU launch pad. This replaced an almost decade-long website.
The old portal has been active since at least 2015, making it hard to maintain and not up to the security standards of the IT department.
With the old contract expiring in 2025, the department decided to use it as an opportunity to explore the idea of finding a new vendor.
This process started at the beginning of 2024, when they began to seek approval from the IT governance committee at NMSU. The committee approved the motion, and the IT department decided to move forward with the company Ellucian.
Hannah Mireles, project support specialist for IT at NMSU, said this new portal opens up opportunities to innovate.
“A lot of that we have on there now is what people are used to,” Mireles said. “We are looking forward to innovating and using the functionality of this portal to its full potential in the future.”
She also said many universities around the nation are using this portal as well, making it a goal to stay up to date with other schools.
When creating the website, a planning committee was formed. Students and staff from around campus shared the aspects they liked and did not like about the old portal, as well as what they wished to see within the new one.
Other than the planning committee, a user test group was performed where multiple different people from campus signed up to test the website, scoring it a 9.1/10.
“We were trying to recognize the needs of facility, the needs of students and the needs of staff to make sure everybody was represented and that it was going to be a portal that everyone can use,” Mireles said.
However, now launched and being used daily, students are having a different opinion.
A small student survey shows almost 90% of students do not like the new platform and have found difficulty using it.
David Westrick finds the most difficulty when it comes to the organization of the cards.
“I have very mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I appreciate the improved visual accessibility when it comes to transactions and the like,” Westrick said. “On the other hand, default organization of the new portal leaves much to be desired, as well as how seemingly overbearing it can be at times.”
The abundant amount of cards is a common complaint among students, many of whom think there are simply too many with not enough organization.
Annelise Bingham finds most her frustration coming from the authentication process.
“I like that it is semi easier to find things, but the amount of times I have to sign into a program is crazy,” Bingham said. “I feel like if I’ve Microsoft authenticated into the main portal, I shouldn’t need to do it again when trying to access things like my timesheets or navigate 360.”
For students who share these struggles, Mireles gives some tips.
- Take time to familiarize yourself with the home page.
- Take time to view the cards available, such as the new Star Degree Audit card.
- Customize using the bookmark ability so you only see the cards you will use every day.
- Come visit the IT help desk. The team would love to sit down and help anyone struggling to get set up.
Along with the new myNMSU portal, an app has also been launched to the public. Mireles notes that the app and websiteare linked for individual users, and any customization done on one will be reflected in the other.
Due to this being a new launch, Mireles explains this is an evolving portal and can change as needed.
Currently, a new portal governance committee is being formed with representatives from all over campus. Together, they will be making decisions on the content that is going up or coming off the portal. Their first meeting is set to be at the end of September.
https://studenttech.nmsu.edu/help-desk
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