We are excited to officially welcome, Colin Foley, to the UPST team as a new addition (and a new dad)! You may recognize Colin's name, as he has worked with UPST for about a year as a temporary contractor. With a strong background in contracts, having served as both a Paralegal and Proposal Manager, Colin has made a seamless transition into the Contracts team from the beginning., Background, Colin is a proud graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he earned a BS in Kinesiology. Before he stepped into his role in the President’s Office, he gained valuable experience at the real estate law firm Ligris and the innovative commercial lighting and design company, Signify., Role at UMass, Colin is a friendly and dedicated Senior Contract Specialist who manages procurement contracts and systemwide agreements while mentoring new team members. He loves to lend a helping hand across all campuses and is always ready to support his colleagues and handle his daily responsibilities on his assigned campus. Colin has worked on many projects, where his flexibility and team spirit truly shine!, Personal Interests, Colin grew up in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, a place that used to be famous as the carnation capital of the world! He loves spending his free time on the golf course and having fun in a men’s hockey league. Exciting news—Colin recently welcomed his first child into the world just a few weeks ago! , Looking Ahead, Colin is excited about the future! He understands the importance of taking things one step at a time to ensure he does his best work, even in a fast-paced environment. Colin has a keen interest in attending law school, but no matter what path he takes, he’ll definitely keep learning and growing within the UMass System. We’re so grateful to have Colin on the UPST team, and we can’t wait to see…
Type: Article
We are proud of our, internship program, , which gives students from UMass campuses the opportunity to gain hands-on business experience across all areas of the UMass President’s Office Administration and Finance functions. This summer, six Access interns took on an exciting challenge:, a chatbot proof-of-concept competition, to explore how AI could help the Access team connect with campus stakeholders and partners and enhance the tier 1 support we provide. Over a few weeks, the interns, divided into two assigned teams, worked together to design a concept, build a business case, and develop a chatbot prototype. From the beginning, both groups approached the project with curiosity, collaboration, and a focus on solving…, Team B, consisted of interns, Mhammed Mrabet, Salini Thiraviyarajah, and Pragathi Kempegowda, . They created Access Buddy Jr., a chatbot for new hires, interns, current Access employees, and potential future team members. The bot streamlined new staff onboarding, covering key tools, acronym decoding, and first-week tasks, while also acting as a quick resource finder for documents, file paths, and essential links. With features like exploration mode, interactive learning, and a centralized…, Team A, comprised of interns, Victoria Nault, Aditya Wanve, and Carissa Dwyer, . They developed Rookie Bot, a supplier-facing assistant that automates common procurement lookups. It retrieves payment details, supplier registration status, contract information, and request statuses. The bot handles single and multiple matches, provides clear error messages with UPST contact information, and can answer free-form procurement questions. Rookie Bot could reduce response times…, Congratulations to you all!,
Type: Article
Every day, we’re hearing more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it’s changing our lives, both at work and in our personal lives. At UMass, we’ve brought together a diverse team to explore how AI can make a difference in our professional lives. The goal of the, AI Hub, is to share useful insights and support everyone as we navigate this exciting journey together! Recently, three in-person training sessions were held in Westborough and Boston, and it was truly refreshing to see so many faces in the same room, exchanging ideas and learning how to harness AI technology responsibly here at UMass., Training Highlights: Leading the Way with AI, Our training sessions were expertly led by, Shawn Skelly, , with support from, Jacquie Kittler, . Together, they guided attendees through the essential UMass President's Office AI Acceptable Use Guidelines, emphasizing data privacy, security, and ethical AI use. Here’s what was explored:, What is AI?, A brief overview of what artificial intelligence is and the different types. , AI Tools 101:, How AI can streamline your work and spark innovation., UMPO AI Guidelines:, Clear do’s and don’ts to protect university data and uphold our community values., Open Q&A:, An interactive forum where your questions and concerns were thoughtfully addressed., Why This Training Matters, As AI becomes an everyday tool, understanding and applying these guidelines is critical for safeguarding our work and our institution. The enthusiasm and insightful discussions during the sessions showed just how ready we are to embrace AI responsibly and confidently., Missed the Training? We’ve Got You Covered!, If you couldn’t make it to a session or have more questions about AI use, please reach out anytime: Jacquie Kittler – jkittler@umassp.edu Shawn Skelly – sskelly@umassp.edu We’re here to support and guide you through integrating these guidelines into your work.
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Autistic Pride Day has been recognized internationally by the Autistic community since 2005. Autistic pride recognizes the importance of pride for autistic people and its role in bringing about positive changes in the broader society. The day focuses on reshaping the negative and inaccurate messaging that is often conveyed by non-autistic people - the myth that autistic people are broken and that…
Type: Event
The UMass President’s Office hosted two dynamic sessions of the Senior and Middle Manager Development series on May 14 and May 21, 2025, in the Commonwealth Room. These sessions brought together leaders from across the system to deepen their understanding of critical topics shaping the university’s future. The first session on May 14th began with remarks from John Dunlap, Chief Human Resources…
Type: Article
TASC is moving to a new, state-of-the-art card processing platform. It’s a foundation that will support, future enhancements and innovation, with the TASC Card and the MyTASC platform. As part of this move, TASC will be issuing new FSA cards. , New cards will be mailed out to participants and their dependents on June 9, 2025. , Watch for an email from TASC and check your mail for the new TASC FSA cards. , TASC will need to, deactivate their current cards on June 7, 2025, . This means there will be a period of about 3-4 days (more or less, depending on USPS) when new cards are in the mail and current cards will no longer work. See this informational flyer for how to request reimbursement for an expense you paid out of pocket. , NEED HELP?, Online Support:, Sign into MyTASC and go to Support › Contact Us, Customer Care:, Call 800-745-9202 Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm
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New Hires, Name Hire Date Title Department Farokh Bhada 5/12/25 Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer UMBA Matthew Reader 5/12/25 Program Manager UITS, Departures, Name Departure Date Title Department Brian Burke 6/27/25 Amherst Deputy General Counsel OGC
Type: Article
“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”, - Marsha P. Johnson LGBTQIA+ Pride Month is celebrated each June to honor the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual community, among other identities. The month celebrates the community, achievements, and advocates for queer rights. Pride month celebrates all who have contributed to and continue to create acceptance of all members of the LGBTQIA+…
Type: Article
On April 17, 2025, UITS held another successful Open Forum staff meeting that included a lively agenda: Welcome / New Hires and Promotions – Michael Milligan MVB Challenge Coin Award Recipients – Pete Connell and Scott Szajna Internal Rapid-Fire Presentations: Vanita Chawla – Automation, Apps & AI Az Blake – Prompt Builder in Agentforce: Field Generation Megan Momtaheni – Spotlight on Women’s…, UITS Most Valued Behaviors, You may have seen them listed in our email signatures or perhaps on banners back at South Street… At each Open Forum roughly 2-3 times per year, the MVB Working Group gathers and solicits nominations for folks who exhibit the most valued behaviors in a role model way. Anonymized nominations are submitted to one of the UITS Interns and the MVB team goes to work to determine the most commendable…, Winners of the April 2025 Most Valued Behaviors Challenge Coin are: , , UITS Most Valued Behaviors Challenge Coin:
Type: Article
DEIA Calendar, The DEIA Communications team keeps a calendar of upcoming diversity awareness months and days recognized either nationally or internationally due to their cultural, historical, or religious significance. , Month-Long Events, Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month Black Music Appreciation Month LGBTQIA+ Pride Month National Caribbean American Heritage Month National Immigrant Heritage Month Portuguese-American Heritage Month , Date-Specific Events, Thursday, June 5: HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day Friday, June 6 – Saturday, June 7: Eid al-Adha (Islam) Thursday, June 12: Loving Day Saturday, June 14: U.S. Army Birthday Wednesday, June 18: Autistic Pride Day Thursday, June 19: Juneteenth Saturday, June 21: Summer Solstice Thursday, June 26 – Friday, June 27: Hijri New Year (Islam) , Additional Awareness Communications this Month, The DEIA Communications team is sending out individual communications around the following awareness events this month: LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Communication Massachusetts Emancipation Day Event – Tuesday, June 17 at 12:00 p.m. Juneteenth Communication
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