As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the educational and professional landscape, University of Massachusetts Global reaffirmed its commitment to academic innovation by hosting Generative AI Day on October 7, 2026. The virtual conference brought together faculty, staff, students, and campus partners to explore how generative artificial intelligence is reshaping learning, career preparation, and university operations.
The event directly aligns with UMass Global’s mission to deliver an accessible, inclusive, and transformative education grounded in excellence and flexibility, creating lasting value for students navigating a dynamic workforce. By addressing public and student interest in emerging technologies, the conference showcased how UMass Global is proactively embedding AI tools across academic disciplines while maintaining strong institutional oversight and academic integrity.
At UMass Global, we're building AI skills alongside critical thinking, curiosity, and collaboration. Gen AI Day showcases academic innovation that strengthens teaching and learning, prepares students for what's next, and keeps people at the center,
noted Dr. Jennifer Teague, provost and chief academic officer at UMass Global.
The event was introduced by Provost Teague, who emphasized UMass Global’s dedication to equitable, workforce-relevant education. The conference featured a dynamic keynote address by Dr. Nada Hashmi, an assistant professor at Babson College and a research affiliate at MIT. Dr. Hashmi, an award-winning educator, provided insights into the intersection of AI, organizational equity, collective intelligence, and AI ethics.
Throughout the day, industry experts and UMass Global staff and faculty led a variety of insightful sessions, spotlighting practical applications and ethical considerations of AI. Session highlights included:
Beyond these featured topics, additional sessions showcased everyday efficiency tools, from using Scribe to streamline documentation to creating Copilot agents for organizational consistency. The conference demonstrated that UMass Global is not just observing the AI revolution, but actively harnessing it to support its faculty, staff, and students.
Dr. Belluomini, for example, shared that learning to use AI has freed up more time for her core priorities: providing personalized feedback, mentoring students, designing innovative curriculum, and preparing future social workers for ethical leadership in a rapidly changing world.
By fostering an environment of open dialogue and continuous learning, UMass Global continues to build strong industry and community partnerships that prepare learners to thrive in a complex and changing world.
Our research has changed how I approach course development and teaching. As I design courses and create instructional content, I focus on integrating AI into meaningful, real-world learning experiences that progressively develop students' AI competencies, critical thinking, and professional judgment. Rather than simply introducing new technologies, my goal is to help students understand how to use AI thoughtfully, evaluate its outputs critically, and apply it responsibly in professional settings,
shared Dr. Atanassova, associate professor of business administration, human resources, and leadership at UMass Global.
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