Susan Geller, Portal project director, recently announced that she would be leaving the University to join Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (iocp.org) in the role of associate director. William Dana, Student project director, has accepted the additional role of Portal project director for ESUP. William is very excited for this opportunity and planning is underway to ensure a smooth transition for both teams. Congratulations, William!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Join the Communications Committee
In 2013, a Communications Committee was formed to improve communications within ASR and other units who communicate with us. The committee is looking for a few new members who would like to join. The committee meets monthly, usually brings a treat to share, works to identify barriers that block good communication and opportunities for improving how we are interacting as a whole or within our smaller units.
If you like to think creatively outside the box, then this might be the committee for you! The next meeting is January 31, 2014 in 290 Fraser Hall at 1:30 p.m. Please feel free to join us!
Committee members include Tina Falkner, Deb Wilkins, Cheryl Johnson, Pat Rickard, and Jackee Wernersbach.
If you like to think creatively outside the box, then this might be the committee for you! The next meeting is January 31, 2014 in 290 Fraser Hall at 1:30 p.m. Please feel free to join us!
Committee members include Tina Falkner, Deb Wilkins, Cheryl Johnson, Pat Rickard, and Jackee Wernersbach.
There's still time to donate!
If you haven't donated to one of ASR's service projects yet, there's still time to do so! Look for boxes in various locations throughout our offices to donate items for the following projects:
- Toys for Tots (toys or other gifts for children of all ages). Donations accepted through December 20. Drop-off boxes located in 160 Williamson Hal, 130 Coffey Hall, and 120 Fraser.
- Gift cards for the campus-based Student Parent Help Center (gift cards to stores where student parents can purchase everyday necessities). Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall, 120 Fraser, and 130 Coffey Hall.
- Items for the Ronald McDonald House connected with the University's Amplatz Children's Hospital. Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall.
- Animal Humane Society (items for all kinds of animals from dog treats to pet dishes and much more). Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 225 STSS or at West Bank or St. Paul One Stop locations.
Contact Tina Falkner if you have any questions.
- Toys for Tots (toys or other gifts for children of all ages). Donations accepted through December 20. Drop-off boxes located in 160 Williamson Hal, 130 Coffey Hall, and 120 Fraser.
- Gift cards for the campus-based Student Parent Help Center (gift cards to stores where student parents can purchase everyday necessities). Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall, 120 Fraser, and 130 Coffey Hall.
- Items for the Ronald McDonald House connected with the University's Amplatz Children's Hospital. Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall.
- Animal Humane Society (items for all kinds of animals from dog treats to pet dishes and much more). Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 225 STSS or at West Bank or St. Paul One Stop locations.
Contact Tina Falkner if you have any questions.
Online Student Data Update training
The Academic Support Resources (ASR) Training Team recently launched Student Data Update (SDU) training that may be used in lieu of in-person SDU training. SDU training is necessary to be granted update access in PeopleSoft. Registration for online training began Monday, December 16.
Registration and training is available in ULearn, the University's Learning Management System that allows for administration, tracking, and reporting of training content. The online training videos and related activities will take approximately 60-90 minutes to complete. Following confirmation of having completed the training, as well as submitting the Access Request Form, access to update data in PeopleSoft will be granted.
Online training provides users a self-paced environment that can be re-launched for future use. In-person training will still be available, but it is no longer required. Registration for both in-person and online training will be in ULearn.
Registration and training is available in ULearn, the University's Learning Management System that allows for administration, tracking, and reporting of training content. The online training videos and related activities will take approximately 60-90 minutes to complete. Following confirmation of having completed the training, as well as submitting the Access Request Form, access to update data in PeopleSoft will be granted.
Online training provides users a self-paced environment that can be re-launched for future use. In-person training will still be available, but it is no longer required. Registration for both in-person and online training will be in ULearn.
Annual service outage January 4 & 5
The University's annual data center maintenance outage is scheduled for 6 a.m. Saturday, January 4, with restoration scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. Sunday, January 5, 2014. The maintenance outage requires a complete shutdown of the primary data center and will affect many IT services, including One Stop self-service applications, PeopleSoft, and Moodle. It is expected that all affected services will be restored by noon Sunday.
The list of affected services, as well as updates during the maintenance period, will be available on the University's IT Service Status page. (Note: You may need to expand the Planned Maintenance section to view the list). Click here for a complete list of affected services.
Questions and concerns should be directed to Data Center Operations Services service owner Joe Zanmiller at jpz@umn.edu.
The list of affected services, as well as updates during the maintenance period, will be available on the University's IT Service Status page. (Note: You may need to expand the Planned Maintenance section to view the list). Click here for a complete list of affected services.
Questions and concerns should be directed to Data Center Operations Services service owner Joe Zanmiller at jpz@umn.edu.
System Status retires Friday, Dec. 20
System Status, the web page used to communicate IT outages, will be retired on Friday, December 20 and will be redirected to its replacement, IT Service Status. Generated by the University's IT Service Management tool, ServiceNow, IT Service Status can be accessed by the public and does not require authentication.
Unlike System Status, Service Status does not rely on the University network, enabling IT to communicate with the University even if the network is down. Another advantage is the ease in which incident, problem, and change records can be associated and tracked. Take a quick video tour of the new IT Service Status page and learn how to create outages in Service Now.
Unlike System Status, Service Status does not rely on the University network, enabling IT to communicate with the University even if the network is down. Another advantage is the ease in which incident, problem, and change records can be associated and tracked. Take a quick video tour of the new IT Service Status page and learn how to create outages in Service Now.
Whether or if?
Many people believe whether is interchangeable with if, but it isn't. If introduces one condition. Here's an example: "If we save money, we can afford a trip to Europe." Whether expresses a condition where there are two or more alternatives. For instance, "I'm not sure whether I will study at the library or the coffee shop."
Thursday, December 5, 2013
People in Your Neighborhood: Mike Brown
Mike Brown is a lifelong learner. "One of my biggest fears is getting too comfortable and not progressing and learning," he said.
Hailing from Largo, Florida, Mike received his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of South Florida. After college, Mike wasn't sure what career he wanted to pursue, he just knew he wanted to be in higher education.
"I love biology and science, but didn't like the lab work and research," he said. "I began tutoring math and science at St. Petersburg College."
Soon after, Mike got involved with the administrative and student services side of higher education and found his passion. He moved to Minnesota in May 2012 to start at Hamline University's registrar's office as a transfer coordinator.
But Mike wanted to be more involved in process improvement. So, about six months ago, he started working in the Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) office as a GSSP Coordinator.
With his job, he focuses primarily on the Graduate Degree Plan (GDP). He processes the GDP and advises graduate programs on policies and processes. He also troubleshoots student degree progress process problems. On top of these tasks, he is the day-to-day supervisor of the ASR front desk student workers in 160 Williamson Hall.
"I really enjoy working in GSSP. My position affords me more opportunities to be engaged in processes and make large-scale, systematic changes," he said. "The environment is very collaborative and student-centric. It's a great place to work."
Mike plans to apply to the master's program in classics and near-eastern studies in fall 2015. For now, Mike is taking prerequisite classes classical Hebrew language courses as a non-degree student. He hopes to add an advanced understanding of biblical Hebrew to his repertoire so he can conduct academic research on ancient texts.
When he's not at work or brushing up on his ancient texts, Mike lives in Richfield with his wife of three years, Domini, and his sister-in-law. He has an Australian Shepherd named Tonks and a cat named Ferdinand.
In his spare time, Mike likes to read, skate, snowboard, fish, and play video games. He also loves bad science fiction movies and books. Mike also enjoys surfing, but that's proven to be a bit difficult to do in Minnesota.
Mike's Materials
1. Mike can do a roundoff back handspring and juggle (not at the same time).
2. He says people would describe him as friendly, silly, and nerdy.
3. His favorite book is the The Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien.
4. Wedding Crashers is his favorite movie.
5. Star Trek is Mike's favorite TV show.
6. If he could be any character for a day, he'd be Sonic the Hedgehog. "He's fast, and I'm slow."
7. His favorite food is cheese.
8. Mike loves punk rock music.
9. Sum 41 was his first concert, though he wants everyone to know that they don't count as punk music.
10. Mike grew up wanting to be a professional folk musician, but says he didn't have the discipline.
Hailing from Largo, Florida, Mike received his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of South Florida. After college, Mike wasn't sure what career he wanted to pursue, he just knew he wanted to be in higher education.
"I love biology and science, but didn't like the lab work and research," he said. "I began tutoring math and science at St. Petersburg College."
Soon after, Mike got involved with the administrative and student services side of higher education and found his passion. He moved to Minnesota in May 2012 to start at Hamline University's registrar's office as a transfer coordinator.
But Mike wanted to be more involved in process improvement. So, about six months ago, he started working in the Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) office as a GSSP Coordinator.
With his job, he focuses primarily on the Graduate Degree Plan (GDP). He processes the GDP and advises graduate programs on policies and processes. He also troubleshoots student degree progress process problems. On top of these tasks, he is the day-to-day supervisor of the ASR front desk student workers in 160 Williamson Hall.
"I really enjoy working in GSSP. My position affords me more opportunities to be engaged in processes and make large-scale, systematic changes," he said. "The environment is very collaborative and student-centric. It's a great place to work."
Mike plans to apply to the master's program in classics and near-eastern studies in fall 2015. For now, Mike is taking prerequisite classes classical Hebrew language courses as a non-degree student. He hopes to add an advanced understanding of biblical Hebrew to his repertoire so he can conduct academic research on ancient texts.
When he's not at work or brushing up on his ancient texts, Mike lives in Richfield with his wife of three years, Domini, and his sister-in-law. He has an Australian Shepherd named Tonks and a cat named Ferdinand.
In his spare time, Mike likes to read, skate, snowboard, fish, and play video games. He also loves bad science fiction movies and books. Mike also enjoys surfing, but that's proven to be a bit difficult to do in Minnesota.
Mike's Materials
1. Mike can do a roundoff back handspring and juggle (not at the same time).
2. He says people would describe him as friendly, silly, and nerdy.
3. His favorite book is the The Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien.
4. Wedding Crashers is his favorite movie.
5. Star Trek is Mike's favorite TV show.
6. If he could be any character for a day, he'd be Sonic the Hedgehog. "He's fast, and I'm slow."
7. His favorite food is cheese.
8. Mike loves punk rock music.
9. Sum 41 was his first concert, though he wants everyone to know that they don't count as punk music.
10. Mike grew up wanting to be a professional folk musician, but says he didn't have the discipline.
You're appreciated!
The annual ASR staff appreciation event is Thursday, December 12 from 2-4:30 p.m. at the Library Bar and Grill in Dinkytown. All ASR staff, including student staff, are invited to celebrate the hard work and progress made in 2013. As in years past, there will be a raffle for prizes. You are welcome to bring a prize for the raffle if you'd like. See you there!
One Stop and University Veterans Services limited service on Dec. 12
On December 12, if a student needs to meet with a counselor after 1:30 p.m., please direct him or her to the One Stop in the Science Teaching and Student Services building.
Lending a helping hand
Each year, ASR staff have the opportunity to participate in a service project. We're mixing things up a bit this year though. Rather than supporting only one project, staff may give to several different causes. Look for boxes in various locations throughout our offices to donate items for the following projects:
- Toys for Tots (toys or other gifts for children of all ages). Donations accepted through December 20. Drop-off boxes located in 160 Williamson Hall and 120 Fraser.
- Gift cards for the campus-based Student Parent Help Center (gift cards to stores where student parents can purchase everyday necessities). Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall.
- Items for the Ronald McDonald House connected with the University's Amplatz Children's Hospital. Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall.
- Animal Humane Society (items for all kinds of animals from dog treats to pet dishes and much more). Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 225 STSS or at West Bank or St. Paul One Stop locations.
- Second Harvest (non-perishable food items for children, families and seniors in our community; you may also make a cash donation). Donations accepted through December 18. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall.
Contact Tina Falkner if you have any questions.
- Toys for Tots (toys or other gifts for children of all ages). Donations accepted through December 20. Drop-off boxes located in 160 Williamson Hall and 120 Fraser.
- Gift cards for the campus-based Student Parent Help Center (gift cards to stores where student parents can purchase everyday necessities). Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall.
- Items for the Ronald McDonald House connected with the University's Amplatz Children's Hospital. Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall.
- Animal Humane Society (items for all kinds of animals from dog treats to pet dishes and much more). Donations accepted through January 3. Drop-off box located in 225 STSS or at West Bank or St. Paul One Stop locations.
- Second Harvest (non-perishable food items for children, families and seniors in our community; you may also make a cash donation). Donations accepted through December 18. Drop-off box located in 160 Williamson Hall.
Contact Tina Falkner if you have any questions.
Thank you, veterans!
The 7th annual Student Veterans Appreciation Day went off without a hitch on November 12. The event, which was held in Coffman Memorial Union, celebrated the contributions of University student veterans, military members, and their families. This year's event featured a short program, including:
- The University's Military Color Guard
- The University Marching Band
- Remarks from veteran and University head wrestling coach J. Robinson; and
- Remarks from University student veteran Zach Benson.
Thank you to all of our student veterans for your sacrifice and service!
- The University's Military Color Guard
- The University Marching Band
- Remarks from veteran and University head wrestling coach J. Robinson; and
- Remarks from University student veteran Zach Benson.
Thank you to all of our student veterans for your sacrifice and service!
Winter coat drive
The Student Parent HELP Center has volunteered to organize a winter coat drive for low-income students and their children. If you'd like to donate gently used, clean, women's, men's, or children's coats, please drop off your items in the large gold box outside room 24 in Appleby Hall.
Children's boots that are in good shape are also accepted, as well as hats and gloves/mittens that still have their mates. The deadline to donate items is Wednesday, December 11.
Children's boots that are in good shape are also accepted, as well as hats and gloves/mittens that still have their mates. The deadline to donate items is Wednesday, December 11.
Student work stream finishes IDPs!
For the past nine months, University business analysts, subject matter experts, and members of functional steering committees have been in IDPs evaluating what PeopleSoft has delivered and what our business requirements are. Read more about all of their hard work and what's up next.
Brainy biologists
If you have a chance, be sure to check out the second floor of STSS this Friday. Biology 2002 students will be presenting their final capstone projects from 8-10 a.m. in the general purpose study space on the second floor.
The students have been working hard on their projects all semester and often have fascinating results to share. Dean Bob Elde from the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) also encouraged staff to check out the students' work during his keynote address at the fall 2013 ASR staff event.
The students have been working hard on their projects all semester and often have fascinating results to share. Dean Bob Elde from the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) also encouraged staff to check out the students' work during his keynote address at the fall 2013 ASR staff event.
Changing bus routes
Beginning December 7, Metro Transit and other regional public transportation providers will resume bus service on Washington Avenue. U of M Campus Connector buses will also return to Washington Avenue on Monday, December 9. For more information on the new routes and bus stops, click here.
Holiday shopping online
Are you planning to avoid the crowds this holiday season and shop online instead? The November issue of "OUCH!" has a few tips for doing so securely. Take a minute to also download and share "OUCH!" to share with your family, friends, and other would-be online shoppers.
Stay updated on campus emergencies
If you haven't done so already, remember to sign up for TXT-U, the University's emergency notification text messaging system. You can register or update your information online at TXT-U, and add up to two numbers to keep family members or others informed.
Bring vs. take
You'll probably be doing a lot of bringing and taking this holiday season. But how do you know which action you are really performing? If you are moving something toward a person or a place, then you are bringing something. (Ex: I'm bringing gifts to my parent's house.) If you're moving something away from a person or place, then you are taking. (Ex: I'm taking our packages to be gift wrapped at the store.)
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