At this point in September, I realize summer is in the rear-view mirror. I do hope, however, that everyone found some time to recharge with family and friends over the past few months as we all look forward to a busy slate of activity in the fall.
The Services team used the summer period to advance a number of key projects, develop new collaborations, and make important enhancements to both our systems and programs of engagements. A few of these are described below. Thanks again to my colleagues for taking the time to contribute to this newsletter.
Update on PCI DSS v4.0
By Simon Labbett, Associate Director, Applications and Infrastructure
Supporting the university’s collective commitment to maintain a robust security profile for credit card processing (PCI DSS), we are upgrading our standards and requirements from 3.2.1 to the latest 4.0 standard. The 4.0 standard introduces significant enhancements, specifically around password complexity, account security, and compliance with vulnerability management, all while preserving the stringent measures we currently have in place to safeguard credit card information. This shift has prompted an accelerated plan to upgrade the server that hosts Advancement PCI applications, and we're well on track to have our changes in place to meet the University’s November target. While most of the new upgrades pertain to our back-end systems, we will be sure to communicate any front-line changes (or no changes for that matter) to our daily practices for handling credit card processing. We sincerely appreciate your unwavering dedication in meeting the standards of the PCI program.
Upcoming Tableau upgrades
By Pat Galloway, Senior Analyst Lead, Business Analysis
In the coming weeks, Advancement will be upgrading our Tableau software. In the latest version, Tableau has taken significant strides to enhance the front-end user experience. One key improvement involves a comprehensive redesign of the Tableau Server search engine, making it more intuitive and user-friendly for obtaining results efficiently. It also includes the introduction of the Data Guide button – a feature that offers invaluable insights into the data underlying each dashboard, providing users with a deeper, more robust understanding of the information.
Please stay tuned for go-live dates and timing for drop-in sessions where you can see these enhancements in action.
I-Drive ADV Common clean-up update
By Corrine Beckner, Associate Director, Data Governance and Data Quality
Thanks to everyone’s commitment and collaboration, we’ve made incredible progress on cleaning and vetting our ADV Common Drive. This important work supports the effective transition to a new file storage system for Advancement, which we hope to provide more updates on over the fiscal year. So far, we have collectively identified and archived more than 89GB of data (which accounts for over 6,200 folders and 44,000 individual files)! These stats are conservative, as this call to action did inspire many of you to delete old, outdated, and redundant files.
A special shout out to everyone who met (or delightfully beat) the deadline, and to the departmental subject matter experts (SMEs), each of whom continues to support this project as we look towards further consolidation and cleansing. Just shy of 70 superstars have contributed in some way to our success. Thank you also for your kind words of support and appreciation throughout this undertaking. I truthfully didn’t expect there to be so much enthusiasm for this task!
That said, the work continues, both within and outside of ADV Common. Please continue supporting your departmental SMEs, follow the recommended guidelines, and watch for updates on QUIRC and in your inbox regarding the next steps in this exciting process.
Partners in research
By Tim Wowk, Director, Prospect Research
I’m pleased to highlight two important opportunities the Prospect Research and Management (PRM) team had to collaborate with colleagues across Advancement. During our June in-person week, PRM joined forces with Principal Giving to present on industry trends and develop a deeper understanding of prospective donors to Queen’s. This was a great opportunity to meet with colleagues, share ideas, and contemplate similar opportunities for the future. In a similar vein, there has been a growing collaboration between PRM and the Queen’s Alumni Review team. To build a stronger bridge between the two units, the team has developed a process that leverages the strengths of each team to support both story ideation and development as well as opportunities to engage alumni and friends in activities across Advancement.
Queen’s Alumni Association
Each year, the Queen’s University Alumni Association (QUAA) awards grants of up to $2,000 to Queen’s community, student, and alumni groups or organizations for initiatives aimed at promoting innovation and fostering student-alumni and alumni-alumni connections. In recent years, QUAA grants have supported conferences, festivals, community outreach programs, a public-affairs radio training program, and summer day camps. To view the 2022 Alumni Association Grant recipients, please visit the Alumni Website.
Applications are open to student groups and clubs and alumni-led programs, events, or initiatives, and will be accepted until 11:59PM (EST) on Oct. 31, 2023. If you are working with a student or alumni group with an initiative or program that aligns with the QUAA’s mission and they could benefit from funding support, please encourage them to consider applying online today.
For more information or if you have any questions, please reach out to the QUAA Board of Directors or Alumni Officer, Volunteer Liaison Lindsey Kull.
Ask the ALT
This is a friendly reminder that the next Advancement Leadership Team (ALT) Q&A session will be at 1 pm ET this Friday, Sept. 22.
For those who are new to Queen’s Advancement, the rules for these open Q&A sessions are as follows: attendance is optional, anyone can ask any member of the ALT any question on any topic, and there will be no pre-set agendas so the Q&A session will last as long as attendees have questions. (The optional Zoom meeting already in your calendar is booked for up to 45 minutes).
We understand that some people may not be comfortable asking questions in front of a group. If you would prefer to submit your question(s) via an anonymous survey, we are happy to provide that option. Bianca Bruni will manage these anonymous questions. Submitters will not be identified to Bianca through the survey, and she will ask the questions on your behalf at the ALT Q&A.
The option to personally pose your question(s) at the meeting still exists.
Please consider questions you would like the ALT to answer and either submit them via the anonymous survey by 4 pm tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 19, or come prepared to ask them on Friday. Members of the ALT look forward to the discussion, and we will do our best to answer your questions.