Administration

User Managed Group management tool gets a redesign

Updates to the User Managed Group webpage improves the group creation and management process

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — By the end of this month a redesigned User Managed Group (UMG) webpage within Account Management will be available for all members of the University to create and modify UMGs. The redesign and integration within Account Management is an important step to continue updating Identity Access Management services and the consolidation of tools.

Updated features will make creating and managing groups easy to do from all devices. The redesigned main page will display all groups to which students, faculty or staff are a member as well as any groups to which an individual serves as an owner or administrator. Quick actions on the main page will help users create a group or change current members with streamlined menu options.

To aid with creating or managing large groups, new abilities allow for multiple members to be added to a single or multiple groups at one time. A new search bar enables users to easily find group members by entering their last name or Penn State user ID.

Groups can integrate with Microsoft Outlook and the Office 365 suite of applications to easily communicate with group members through Outlook as a distribution list. Groups can also still be linked with University Collaboration Suite (UCS) if the group creator or members are not yet using Outlook for email and calendaring. After the University-wide transition to Office 365, all existing UMGs will be imported to Outlook.

The update will not change the function of UMGs and all current UMGs will be maintained in the new management system. Later this month, the new webpage can be accessed by visiting Account Management at accounts.psu.edu and selecting the “Groups” tab. For any questions, reach out to your local service desk or email accounts@psu.edu.

An image of the redesigned User Managed Group's website. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated July 17, 2018