From: Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President
Dear Students,
As part of OSU's commitment to Prosperity Widely Shared, including our goal to ensure that every student we admit has a clear path to graduation, we are expanding how we support you throughout the academic year. During AI Week, I’m pleased to introduce Beaverly, a new SMS-based tool designed to connect you more quickly to the information and support you need to succeed.
During spring term, Beaverly will periodically send check-ins. These check-ins are designed to support your success, and they have been timed to offer important resources at key parts of the term, including moments when students often need additional guidance to stay on track. You can also reach out to Beaverly anytime to ask a question. Beaverly has been trained to answer common questions quickly or connect you to the people who can help. Beaverly is not a substitute for advisors, faculty, or staff. Its purpose is to connect you more quickly to the people and resources that can help you.
While Beaverly is a chatbot, there are many real humans behind this program. The OSU team will be reviewing conversations with Beaverly to help improve resource recommendations and outreach. This same team will also help connect important resources to students who express interest. If you’re interested in learning more about Beaverly, or find a way Beaverly can be improved, you can find more information at: https://academicaffairs.oregonstate.edu/office-undergraduate-education/initiatives/EdSights
With the rise of generative AI, you may have questions about accuracy or data use. Beaverly draws from a knowledge base curated by OSU professionals and is designed to prioritize accurate information and appropriate referrals. It does not train external AI models.
This is part of a broader effort across OSU to better support undergraduate students from their first term through graduation. I encourage you to engage with Beaverly when you hear from it and to continue reaching out to the many people across OSU who are here to support your success.
Wishing you an excellent spring term,
Roy Haggerty, Provost and Executive Vice President