by Skip Warnick

Much of the buzz you hear from students about the portal focuses on reducing the number of times you need to log in each day. Now, the same convenience will be available to faculty and staff as well. Beginning early in the semester, you will be able to log in to the portal, gain access to your Mail@umd e-mail, ELMS organizations or courses, and timesheets, all with only one login.

Once you’re there, you should also try using some of the additional existing applications to enhance your portal experience and make your work day a bit easier to navigate. Keep your bookmarks and news feeds organized using the provided tools, and have the weather available at a glance. Browse your e-mail, keep up with threaded discussions from ELMS, and view information about your timesheets all on one screen. Get reminders about the need to sign timesheets, have your leave balances readily available, and only launch the full version of ARES when necessary. And that is just the beginning . . . imagine having all of ARES available to you through the portal! It’s not available yet, but timesheets will pave the way for more to come in the near future.

So bookmark www.my.umd.edu and keep an eye out for timesheets and other features soon to come. Also, please use the feedback area to let us know about other things that would be of interest to you.