Texas State University’s Microsoft Champions Program is a professional learning community established by Dr. Carlos Balam Kuk Solís, associate vice president for technology innovation in the Division of Information Technology. The Microsoft Champions program aims to support, foster, and encourage Texas State faculty and staff in their exploration of the power of Microsoft’s tools and applications. Together, these Microsoft Champions accelerate dynamic use of the Microsoft tool suite at Texas State through discussion, collaboration, and peer mentoring.
Community purpose
Through the Microsoft Champions program, users explore Microsoft applications in depth. While all university students, faculty, and staff have access to the Microsoft suite, few are aware of its full potential. Dr. Solís says, “The Champions program exposes our faculty and staff to all that is available in our Microsoft subscription. A lot of those tools, applications, and capabilities remain unknown or untapped.” Hoping to expand knowledge and productivity with the tool suite, Solís hosts the Microsoft Champions collaborative as an exploratory environment where users of all levels can find inspiration. Solís explains, “The Champions program has been designed specifically to support faculty and staff in their Microsoft products adoption journey. Our goal is to bring into focus what is new in the ever-evolving Microsoft ecosystem, while meeting people where they are, and working with them at their own pace, and to help them solve the problems that matter to them.”
Program impact
Laura Jones, a member of the Microsoft Champions program planning committee, and co-host of the monthly meetings, describes participants as “…a community of folks at the university who are interested in using Microsoft products to enhance their work environments.” The program benefits participants individually and Texas State as a whole. The Microsoft Champions program identifies day-to-day productivity challenges and members collaborate to find solutions using Microsoft applications. Solís says, “The Champions program focuses on empowering people to excel at their job. By informing, training, and rewarding people for adopting technologies that allow them to offer a higher quality of service to our students, the Champions program supports and empowers our faculty and staff to deliver a high-quality experience for our students.”
Member experiences
Microsoft Champion Brooke Heithoff Tuttle, director of academic advising for the College of Science and Engineering, says, “Learning new things that I can apply to my job reduces frustration and increases organization. Even something as simple as the Loop checklists has helped our office collaborate on processes.” Laura Parchman, GIS and data management associate for The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, appreciates the interdepartmental collaboration aspect. “I think it’s a good program that could encourage communication and learning between departments,” Parchman observes.
How to join
The Microsoft Champions program meets every third Friday of the month, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., in person and online. Meetings are followed by an hour of networking and refreshments. Getting involved is easy. Faculty and staff can register for upcoming events, as well as join the Microsoft Teams Channel.
Become a champion of digital learning and innovation at Texas State by joining the Microsoft Champion program!
Kimberly Conner is a copy editor in the IT Marketing and Communications office.
