Brad Rohrer, vice president for information technology and chief academic and research information officer at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, has been named chief information officer and associate vice president at the University of Iowa. He will begin on Feb. 23.

Choosing between Teams Premium and Microsoft 365 Copilot in meetings depends on what happens after the meeting ends. This comparison explains when recap features are enough and when broader Copilot access makes more sense for follow-up work in Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

AI tends to help most when it replaces setup work, such as moving from a blank page to a first draft or basic structure. It’s less helpful when accuracy, verification, or judgment are the main task, because time saved drafting can disappear during review. This piece outlines a simple way to decide when AI is likely to help and when it may add extra steps.

The University of Iowa is launching a pilot for an AI tool that will allow access to multiple models. Iowa's AI Gateway is a pilot that allows us to test a secure, centrally managed AI workspace for teaching, research, and administrative work. The pilot runs from early February through April 2026, is no cost, and is open to up to 250 faculty and staff. Participants will use the tool during the pilot period and share feedback on where it helps and where it doesn’t.

ITS’s AI Support Team looks back on 2025’s rapid AI changes and highlights what they focused on: building AI literacy (including HawkAI courses), expanding training for enterprise tools (Copilot, prompting, Copilot Agents, and ChatGPT Edu), and helping Copilot for Microsoft 365 move from pilot to a full production service. The update also previews what’s next, continued chatbot pilots plus new efforts like a multi-model pilot and the Iowa AI Gateway, while inviting campus feedback and ideas.

This article explains five common “prompt traps” that can produce confident but unreliable outputs. Like hidden assumptions, demanding certainty, missing context, asking AI to “verify” facts it can’t check, or handing AI decisions that should stay with people. It offers safer prompt alternatives and a quick pre-submit checklist to help users get more accurate, responsible results in tools such as ChatGPT Edu and Copilot.

A myth-busting guide clarifies common misunderstandings about AI use at Iowa. Such as whether there’s only one “official” tool, whether ITS can see everything you type, and whether other Teams users can view your Copilot prompts. It also distinguishes Copilot Chat vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot and reinforces that data-classification rules still apply, especially with sensitive University data.

This piece breaks down the differences between public AI tools and Iowa-supported tools (Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and ChatGPT Edu), focusing on where prompts and responses may be stored and why that matters for privacy and policy compliance. It emphasizes choosing the right tool for the data, notes that some Iowa-supported services require additional licenses, and provides simple examples of what’s safer to do in public tools vs. enterprise environments.

ITS announces that faculty and staff can purchase ChatGPT Edu licenses and explains how access works (HawkID SSO, license ordering via IT leadership, and provisioning through the University workspace). It summarizes key capabilities, training options through My Learning, and responsible-use expectations, especially around data classification, Restricted/Critical consultation requirements, and the fact that it’s not HIPAA compliant for patient data.

As the year draws to a close, we want to recognize something fundamental: every member of our university played a part in keeping the institution secure. Whether it was a faculty member pausing before clicking a suspicious link, a staff member reporting a strange login prompt, a researcher checking if a data-sharing tool met compliance needs, or a student flagging a scam circulating among peers, each action strengthened our collective ability to protect our shared mission.