Author: Melissa Sanchez
Melissa is a student employee with Technology Services and is a senior at Illinois majoring in Communications.
There are bugs in every application and program that we use that unfortunately can leave the average user stumped. Thomas Nelshoppen, with decades of IT experience as a Field Consultant, has seen it all and can whip up solutions with ease. From the everyday hurdles in the Illinois App to the unknown frontier of AI, Thomas works every day so that you can use the amazing tech at your fingertips to its fullest extent.
Describe your role at Tech Services
Since I was hired as a field consultant in 1997, my job was to do what it took to help the customers do their work with as little impact as possible. I have helped faculty, staff and students with desktop and printer support, server setup and maintenance, advanced software support as well as working with my department’s workflow to ensure efficiency. Currently, I am assigned to the Smart, Healthy Community Initiative as lead support for the Illinois app which is based on the Rokwire platform. My job is to help those on campus who are having issues with the Illinois app on their phone. From my immediate support team to everyone else involved in the Rokwire project, I work in an awesome environment!
I also have just taken a role with campus support for Microsoft 365 for Copilot. AI is an emerging technology, so this is a growing need as our team is finding out. Finally, I maintain WordPress websites for several UI departments on campus.
What impact does your role bring to campus?
As a field consultant for 27 years in several departments throughout campus, I have a lot of campus knowledge and I can bring new people to this environment. Being embedded in departments and colleges, I know how our customers work and get their job done. To that point, I feel my focus in my career has been customer service. When we as Technology Services make a decision that affects our campus, I think to myself “How does this affect our customers?” and “Have we consulted the customer on this issue?” Doing this will give the customer a better overall experience.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I usually start the day by checking my email and messages and flagging anything that is critical and needs to be taken care of. If there isn’t already a Rokwire team check-in, I will stop by the Technology Services help desk and confer with my fantastic support team, April Dukes, and Sarah Mortensen to see if there is anything that requires my attention. For the rest of the morning, I will work on our support tickets and assist customers.
Afternoons are spent on project-based work. Sometimes, a support ticket requires a little extra work. When I was initially presented with the idea of supporting the Illinois app, I was told it would be full of mysteries, with a lot of problem-solving. Some of our tickets that get escalated require some deep diving. A lot of these ‘mysteries’ are issues with logging in or inability to use a feature with no discernable reason. I end up talking to a lot of our team to troubleshoot the issue and always figure out the problem.
Finally, since I am on campus most every day, I maintain our device inventory. This gives our team members the opportunity to pick up or drop off devices. We have iPhones, Androids, and tablets of all flavors so Q&A, the design team and the development team can test the app when we are all in the upgrade process of the cycle.
What do you feel like has been one of your biggest accomplishments in this role?
When I came on board with the Illinois app, I felt I added a sense of organization when it came to campus support as well as another for feedback. With help from a lot of people, we set up a dedicated queue for the app directed to the right people with reporting for accountability. After that, I revamped our documentation, so it was consistent with our other Rokwire communications. This was a lot of work and honestly, it’s an ongoing process.
More recently, I facilitated the implementation of the secure password management platform, Bitwarden. Since our team is spread out among many units on campus and even beyond, this will be invaluable. I could not have done it without campus Bitwarden advocates Jeremy Brown and Erica Ohman as well as our own project manager, Todd Nelson.
Best Tech Tip?
I highly recommend University of Illinois students use the Illinois app! There are invaluable features for them including Illini Cash, an MTD bus pass and the ability to schedule an appointment with the McKinley Health Center.
There is even a laundry feature that will tell you if a washing machine is free in your dorm!
What’s one hobby you have outside of work?
I am an avid photographer. I got serious about photography about 15 years ago and the hobby has consumed me. I have frequently contributed my talents to Technology Services by capturing images for their Communications team. I’m also excited to announce that within the last month, a gallery of my photographs has been hung up in our Data Center office.
But honestly, my passion is sports photography. When spring comes, I spend weekends at Illinois Field with my camera photographing the Illini baseball team. I have formed a bond with the program and as for the parents of the players, I think they appreciate me. With the help of my photos, I document the team’s successes and challenges on my website, Illinois Baseball Report which has evolved over a decade and a half. When the college baseball season is over, I like to go on adventures around the state with my son, Dylan, and we both come home with pretty good images of wildlife, landscape, and sometimes just small-town Illinois.
Fun fact about yourself?
I play a niche baseball board game called APBA. It’s a simple game that requires dice, cards, and boards but it is quite addictive. Not only that, but I have also played in a competitive league with the same friends since 1980. To say the least, our group has formed a close bond over the years. I have had a fan website dedicated to the game simply called apbablog.com for 15 years. I have dedicated followers from all over the country who I have connected with at regional tournaments.
“Behind the Screens” is a series of stories highlighting a different member of Technology Services each month so that you can get to know who we are and what we do for our university.