Check out this, video, celebrating the first week students were back on UMass campuses created by the UMPO communications interns! 5 Fun Facts about UMass students returning to campus this fall: The , UMass Amherst Class of 2027, – approximately 5,275 students – , is one of the most diverse in school history, . At , UMass Boston, , among the most diverse universities in the nation, two-thirds of the roughly 2,400-member Class of 2027 will be BIPOC ( Black, Indigenous, People of Color)., UMass Dartmouth’s, new cohort of students includes , the largest class of graduate students in its history., At , UMass Lowell, , “A record 48% of UMass Lowell’s incoming first-year class identifies as students of color. The , UMass Chan Medical School, in Worcester , welcomed its largest class of medical students
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Did you know that the MA State Retirement Board has a Pension Estimate Calculator on their website? Use the calculator to estimate your retirement pension. You simply enter some basic information (DOB, Service Start Date, Projected Retirement Date, Total Years of Service and Average Salary) and the calculator will estimate your pension based on Options A, B and C. Option A-No Survivor Benefit …
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The Enterprise Risk Management Duo, Christine Packard and Olivia Watson, traveled to Baltimore in September to present at the University Risk Management and Insurance Association’s (URMIA) National Conference. Christine Packard leads the team as the Assistant VP of Enterprise Risk Management while Olivia Watson serves as a Enterprise Risk Management Analyst. Their presentation educated other…
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Introducing Project Fast Lane, a multifaceted initiative aimed at enhancing Travel and Expense (T&E) operations across all campuses. Our objectives encompass a comprehensive overhaul of policies and standards, the streamlining of processes, and a technological upgrade. A pivotal milestone in this endeavor is the integration of Concur, a versatile tool designed to facilitate various T&E…
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Yummy Treats, Thanks to the Café at 50 Washington Street, the holiday spread was fantastic, and the desserts were next-level. Shoutout to our talented bakers in the Great UMass Dessert Contest!, Costume Fun , You all BROUGHT it with the festive fits! Favorite Seasonal Character and Festive Award went to Jacob Sturtz as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer., Name That Tune, Phones out, game faces on! Ruthie O'Keefe was the name that tune champ! , Dessert Showdown, The baking battle was fierce, but the awards went to: Most Likely to Be Gobbled First: Chocolate Torte - Anne Zuev Judges' Choice: Chocolate Orange Olive Oil Cake - Sara MacKenzie Most Creative Presentation: Surprise Cake - Pam Giordano (seriously, wow!), Gift Swap Shenanigans , The annual swap brought laughs, surprises, and a little playful “stealing.” No one left empty-handed—or without a smile., Spreading the Cheer, We couldn’t have done it without your generosity: Tons of gifts were donated to brighten the holidays for the kids at the Guild of St. Agnes. Veterans at the West Roxbury VA Hospital received much-needed items, thanks to you all. Big high fives to everyone who joined, donated, or helped make this event such a hit. You all made the office shine brighter than ever., , Can't wait to do it again next year!, — The Holiday Planning Dream Team 🎄✨ Andrew Buroni Lucas Carter John Dawson Kelly Fucci Diane Gale Sam Herren Jacquie Kittler Denise Lindberg Cheryl Millett Amy Thompson Jillian Warren
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Did you know that Buddy, our AI assistant in Procurement, handles about 30% of all inquiries at the UPST Contact Center? Buddy represents our team's commitment to innovation and excellence in customer service. Whether it’s day or night, on a weekday or weekend, Buddy is always ready to help. Available 24/7, he provides immediate responses to questions about payment status, job aids, commodity…
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In March 2024, we started a new Accessibility Tip of the Month section in the UMass President's Office Connection newsletter. As we wrap up the year, we wanted to reshare the tips we shared from March through November. , March 2024 - Add Alt Text to Images in Email, Word, and PowerPoint, Did you know you can add alt text to images in your emails ? Providing a text description of an image makes it accessible to anyone who uses a screen reader, and also provides a visible text description if an image doesn’t successfully load in an email. You can also add alt text to images in your Word Documents and PowerPoint Presentations . , April 2024 - Add Data Labels to Graphs and Charts, When creating graphs and charts, ensure you label each data point directly. Direct labeling reduces cognitive load for everyone and makes the content more accessible to the colorblind, low vision, and neurodivergent communities. Watch Ann K. Emery’s video “ Remove Legends and Directly Label (Dataviz Accessibility Quick Wins) ” for more on why direct labels improve the accessibility of data…, May 2024 - Creating Accessible Social Media Hashtags, When creating hashtags in social media posts, use camel or pascal case . A hashtag in Camel Case #looksLikeThis, with the first word in all lowercase and then the first letter of each subsequent word capitalized. A hashtag in Pascal Case #LooksLikeThis, with the first letter in each word of the hashtag capitalized. If you don’t capitalize the first letter of each word, a multi-word hashtag will…, June 2024 - Use Descriptive Links, When writing communications, use descriptive links so that everyone reading your communication understands exactly where the link will take them. Link names should be the same as the page name linked to. Be as explicit as you can. Too long is better than too short. Make the link meaningful. Don’t use “click here” or “read more.” Add a short description when needed to clarify the link. Learn more…, July 2024 - Enabling Auto-Captions in Zoom, All meeting hosts can enable auto-captions and a transcript by default in Zoom. This feature can improve the overall experience for hard of hearing and neurodivergent employees that have not disclosed their disability. In addition, always provide a way for meeting attendees to request additional effective communications. Some attendees may request a copy of the presentation ahead of time to help…, August 2024 - Font Accessibility, Use a familiar, simple, and easy to parse font for body content in digital documents, emails, and on digital signage. When selecting a font, ensure that characters are distinct from each other, such as a lowercase l and an uppercase I and the number 1. For example, Verdana has clearly distinct designs for characters. Note that there is no one optimal font, but selecting an easy to parse font will…, September 2024 - Create an Accessible Email Signature, When creating or updating an email signature, here are some recommended best practices to ensure your email signature is accessible: Do not put your email signature in a table to format it. Using tables for layout purposes creates a confusing and verbose experience for assistive technology users. Provide alt text for any images in your signature. For example, you can include the following alt…, October 2024 - Use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker, Did you know that Microsoft has a built-in accessibility checker? You can use the accessibility checker to identify common accessibility issues in your documents and emails, such as missing alt text or hard-to-read text contrast. The checker is available on Windows, Macs, and through Office 365 on the Web. You can find detailed steps of how to run the checker in Microsoft's Improve accessibility…, November 2024 - Add Alt Text to Images in Slack , When uploading images to Slack, you can add a description (or alt text) in Slack . Alt text provides a text-based explanation of a visual for the blind and low vision communities. Once you add the alt text to the image, an ALT button will appear on the bottom left corner of the image. As Slack makes the alt text feature available to anyone, it can also be used on smaller devices by anyone to get…
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The Administration & Finance (A&F) Senior Management Team (SMT) hosted a highly engaging and successful Town Hall meeting on December 11th, fostering an environment for meaningful dialogue about the strategic direction of the A&F Roadmap 6.0. Tasked with coordinating the event, the SMT demonstrated exceptional teamwork and dedication to bring this important gathering to fruition.…, Session Highlights:, , SPARC, SPARC PRO Presentation:, Led by Deirdre Delaney, Anne Zuev, and Eric Gregoire, this session delved into the latest advancements in the SPARC initiative. The presenters highlighted critical updates and shared detailed insights into the financial strategies guiding the University’s future. Their analysis clarified complex topics and demonstrated the foresight behind these initiatives., ERP Presentation:, This session, led by Carol Dugard, Jason MacFadyen, Brian Girard, and Jeff Gull, provided an in-depth exploration of the ERP Roadmap. The team detailed how implementing the ERP system can revolutionize operations by enhancing efficiency and streamlining processes across the organization. Their presentation underscored the transformative potential of this technology in achieving organizational…
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