Working Remotely

With the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff in mind, the University is implementing a number of measures on all campuses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to continue our educational mission.  All faculty and staff are asked to work with their department chairs, program directors, and supervisors to make plans to transition to remote instruction of partial/all instructional activities wherever possible starting as early as Monday, March 16.

The IT Services are committed to accommodating productivity in working remotely.  Please review the information below, outlining core technology resources to enable faculty and staff work away from the SMU campuses.

SMU provides a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to allow employees access to an SMU computer workstation from any internet-accessible location.  Virtual desktops provide access to the tools and software used every day in our offices.  As long as you have a computer (PC, Mac, Chrome Book) and an internet connection, no additional equipment is needed.

Virtual Desktops can be found once you log in to mySMU.  To learn more, please review the detailed access instructions.

Check for the status of SMU windows applications in VDI.

SMU is continuing to expand support for your transition to online teaching and business meetings.  Every SMU employee has access to a personal Webex account to support online meetings, events, and training activities.  Weekly webinars are offered to SMU faculty and staff during the transition.  Webex also offers 24 x 7 support for online meetings.

How to Access

To initiate a WebEx meeting, navigate to the SMU WebEx web site at https://samuelmerritt.webex.com/ and sign in with your SMU user account.

To join a meeting, use the Join Meeting button in the email (or calendar invite) you received. 

WebEx runs completely via a web browser. Chrome is the preferred browser for all computers. 

New: Learn Webex @ SMU

Online self-directed course designed to help you build your Webex proficiency.  Course content is a combination of customized SMU and vendor provided materials.  Use this as a resource portal to learn how to use Webex Meetings and Events. 

Take advantage of the discussion board to ask questions or share tips. Use the Check Your Knowledge quizzes to assess your competency, or the Feedback survey to provide formative input for future modules and improvements to this course.

Service Availability 24/7

Check WebEx Service Status

Useful WebEx Links

Employees who possess an SMU issued laptop computer with VPN access can use the Cisco Jabber application for personal office telephone functionality.  Jabber is a software-based phone, connected to your personal extension, which has all of the basic features of your Cisco desktop telephone.  You can please calls, receive calls, and check your voicemail, all from your computer.

Employees who do not have Cisco Jabber.  Voice messages will be delivered to your personal email inbox. 

To learn more, please review the detailed installation and setup instructions

As of March 24, 2020, regular staff and student employees will use the new Samuel Merritt University electronic timecard!  All student and employee timecards need to be submitted to supervisors by12 noon on the Wednesday prior to the end of each pay period. All supervisors need to review, approve and submit by 3:00 p.m.

  SMU Timecard       

Undoubtedly, the transition to remote work and teaching will present many challenges.  If you have unique technology needs to succeed with remote productivity, please notify your department chair, program director, or supervisor.  Every department at SMU is crafting a business continuity plan.  All technology needs will be considered based on the contents of these plans.  YOU DO NOT NEED TO SUBMIT A SUPPORT TICKET to report unmet needs for remote productivity.

We will continue to update our Remote Productivity Resource Center with Guides, Instructions and  Recommendations (authentication required).

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