On October 28th our colleagues came together to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, a time that symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. The celebration was filled with color, joy, and connection — from beautiful decorations and traditional attire to delicious food and music. A big thank-you to everyone who participated and helped make the event special!…
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We launched the campusGenAI Playground pilot on August 4, 2025, and moved to a full employee rollout on October 1, 2025. In just over three months the playground has become an active experimentation environment for UMPO staff—supporting rapid prototyping, knowledge work, and safe exploration of generative AI capabilities while we scale governance and training. , Pilot launched:, 8/4/2025 |, Full employee rollout:, 10/1/2025 , Fast facts (08/04/2025–11/15/2025), Total queries: 10,144 Peak daily queries: 339 Top users: Nicholas Blinn; Amy Thompson; Andrew Buroni; Mike Durkin; Megan Momtaheni; John Andrews; Anne Zuev; Chris England; Pete O’Connell, Why this matters?, Rapid adoption shows real demand for AI-assisted work across UMPO. Early use cases (drafting, summarizing, ideation, contract reviews, training content) are boosting productivity and informing where to integrate AI safely. Top users are emerging as unit champions sharing use cases and best practices., Next steps , More hands-on lunch and learn sessions/workshops and quick start guides. Partner with Amherst for opportunities to extend data integrations., How to get involved, Try the campusGenAI playground, share a short success story, or join an AI learning opportunity in the future., Reminder, Don’t submit sensitive or personally identifiable data. Verify AI outputs and follow UMPO Acceptable Use Guidelines . Thanks to everyone who joined the pilot and early adopters — the momentum is strong. Contact AI Hub umpo_ai_hub@umassp.edu or join the Slack #umpo-campusgenai-playground to get started.
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Transforming College Teaching Evaluation: A Framework for Advancing Instructional Excellence is a newly published book by our very own President’s Office staff member, Dr. Gabriela Weaver, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research. Gabriela joined us less than a year ago from the Amherst campus. The book is the result of her research, funded by the National Science Foundation and…
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Before booking travel, please review the UMass BTE policy and standards, and the cancellation terms of your chosen vendor., In today's environment, where unexpected changes and disruptions may occur, it's especially important to understand the cancellation policies associated with your bookings. Charges resulting from cancellations due to personal reasons are not reimbursable. , A note on rental accommodations (e.g. VRBO or Airbnb)., Travelers may stay in rental accommodations if the total cost is equal to or less than that of a standard, single-occupancy hotel room. When selecting this option, travelers must provide documentation showing the cost comparison. Be aware that these accommodations are typically non-refundable, non-transferable, and may not offer credits for future travel.
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Did you know that at the end of each semester, a student employee's record are updated, and if their contract has expired, their Concur access is automatically removed? Without proactive guidance, students may be unsure on how to handle pre-travel authorization or reimbursements. Your help is essential to avoid confusion and delays. , How You Can Help, If a student is traveling this summer or needs to submit reimbursements for academic reasons, please make sure they understand the following: Student Travel Pre-Authorization: If the student employee is traveling over the summer for academic reasons, their pre-travel authorization must be completed under one of their campus approved student request policies available in Concur Request. In most…
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As a reminder, the travel registration email address has been changed to UMass.TravelRegistration@healix.com . If you sent an itinerary to the previous email address, it will still be received by Healix. Be assured that any communications sent to the previous email address, UMass.trips@healix.com, will still be received and processed to ensure a smooth transition. Additional information on travel…
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At the start of the school year, there are many new and returning employees and students in the UMass System. Access to Concur for employees, graduate students, and student employees is contingent on possessing an active Human Resources record. Please be patient in allowing for access as it can take time for HR to process changes and updates. If you are traveling within the next 3 weeks and need…
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UMass encourages the use of Concur for booking business trips. Below are the main advantages of using the Concur Travel portal: Policy Compliance and Assistance: The Concur Travel booking portal advises you what is within UMass policy. Travel registration is automatically completed for you. Booked travel confirmations and information is easily accessible in Concur. When traveling, CTP offers 24…
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Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is the industry's way of describing the systems used to support key areas like finance, human resources, and in higher education, students. In the context of UMass, ERP includes a myriad of technologies, from Peoplesoft HR, Finance and Student, Buyways, to a large number of point solution products acquired and implemented over the past 20 years. The UMass "ERP"…
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