The Community Fund Drive continues until October 31 and provides a variety of ways to make a charitable donation. You can make a pledge to the six federation partners or a 501(c)(3) of your choice. The Office of Undergraduate Education has a 20% participation rate thus far, which is lower than last year. In the last week, ASR has increased its participation by 2%. The highlights of the ASR community fund drive activities are here. The penny war continues, with Williamson Hall in the lead (points are apportioned by number of staff per building).
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Processing name changes
New tools are available to help determine what identification is required for students requesting a name change on their academic record. The guides can be found on the ASR website > Work Support & Tools > Work Tools > Name Change Decision Flowchart, Name Change Identification Checklist.
Portal usability for faculty and staff
The MyU portal project team conducted usability evaluations this month on the new MyU to test functionality with specific user groups: faculty, advisers, teaching staff, and finance (EFS system) users. Twenty evaluators looked at new MyU functionality for research, teaching, advising, and finance tasks. Usability findings were generally consistent with the student usability findings, but some issues were uncovered that will help guide and prioritize training and communications. Keep an eye out for future articles and videos around some of these new features in MyU.
ASR Staff event on Oct. 29
The fall ASR staff event is Wednesday, October 29 from 8:30-11 a.m. The event will be held in the DQ Club Room of the TCF Stadium and will feature a keynote address from Brigadier General Dr. David Hamlar, an address from Sue Van Voorhis, and a demonstration of the new MyU portal. A full agenda and a bio of the keynote speaker is available here.
One Stop in homecoming parade
One Stop and LLAS participated in the Homecoming Parade on Friday night, hopefully a factor in the Gophers victory on Saturday that we can repeat next homecoming!
Limited One Stop Service on Oct. 29
The West Bank and St. Paul One Stop Student Services locations will be closed from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Wednesday, October 29 for the ASR staff event. The Science Teaching and Student Services location will be open with full service.
Reminder: Student Veterans Appreciation Event
Come one, come all to the 8th annual Student Veterans Appreciation Event on Thursday, November 6, 2014 from 1-3 p.m. in the Great Hall at Coffman Memorial Union. Say "thank you" to student veterans, grab a slice of pizza, and participate in some carnival games. The event is free and open to the public; no RSVP is required. Can't make it? Stop by our booth to write a thank-you message to our veterans. Dates and locations are available on the One Stop website.
OCM received Access Achievement Award
The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) was recently presented an Access Achievement Award by the Disability Resource center. Here's what the Disability Resource Center had to say about OCM's efforts to ensure that the University's classrooms serve all students:
"We want to recognize the Office of Classroom Management for their attitude toward and pursuit of access. On numerous occasions I've had reason to interact with Classroom Management staff and they have always been ready and willing to help. Even more than being willing, they recognize the importance of access and it shows in their sense of urgency when an accessibility need is raised. I've seen OCM staff drop what they're doing to run and fix a piece of technology in a classroom, and separately, despite the unimaginably complex domino effect, OCM staff have happily and efficiently, rearranged classroom assignments to accommodate accessibility needs. OCM's recognition of the importance and urgency of access are worthy reasons for them to receive this Access Achievement Award."
"We want to recognize the Office of Classroom Management for their attitude toward and pursuit of access. On numerous occasions I've had reason to interact with Classroom Management staff and they have always been ready and willing to help. Even more than being willing, they recognize the importance of access and it shows in their sense of urgency when an accessibility need is raised. I've seen OCM staff drop what they're doing to run and fix a piece of technology in a classroom, and separately, despite the unimaginably complex domino effect, OCM staff have happily and efficiently, rearranged classroom assignments to accommodate accessibility needs. OCM's recognition of the importance and urgency of access are worthy reasons for them to receive this Access Achievement Award."
-thumb-1836x3264-196553.jpg)
Approving employees time and absences in the new MyU
After the Upgrade, supervisors will complete time and/or absence approval electronically, rather than on paper, by logging in to MyU portal. Supervisors will be able to delegate this function where necessary. To preview the process of approving absence/time, please see a short 3-minute sneak peek video. Training and other resources will be available at a later time.
Office of the Registrar now in Salesforce
The Office of the Registrar has transitioned out of ServiceNow and into Salesforce. Emails sent to otr@umn.edu now go into Salesforce rather than creating a ServiceNow incident. If you are a ServiceNow user and have an item for Office of the Registrar or GSSP to handle, please avoid reassigning a ServiceNow incident to them.
Campus climate work group hosts World Café events
The University's Campus Climate work group is hosting a series of World Café events for University staff, students, and faculty to share individual and collective experiences that have made them feel more or less welcome, included, and respected on campus. A staff World Café will take place November 11, 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Multipurpose Room 5, Recreation & Wellness Center, East Bank. For more details and to RSVP, visit the Campus Climate website.
Employee engagement survey
The deadline to participate in the Employee Engagement survey is October 31st. Thus far, Office of Undergraduate Education, including ASR, has the highest response rate at the University with 71% of employees responding. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and your response is appreciated. For more information, visit the survey website.
Wellness tip: be good to yourself
This issue's wellness tip is about taking care of your physical and mental health, particularly during times of stress, Be Good to Yourself.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Employee Engagement Survey out Monday
The University of Minnesota will soon begin conducting its second annual E2 Employee Engagement Survey. You should have received an email today (Thursday, October 9) from Mary Stein in Bob McMaster's office with the subject line "IMPORTANT: Employee Engagement Survey." That email contains important information about how to define certain terms used in the survey. If you need that email re-sent to you, please send an email to asrcomm@umn.edu.
Benefits-eligible faculty and staff will receive an email on October 13 from the Hay Group, an external vendor that is administering the survey. Take 10 minutes to share your thoughts about your work and your workplace. All answers are confidential. Your answers will help the University fulfill its teaching and research mission.
If you have any issues with the survey link you receive, contact the Hay Group directly to request a new link at UofMNsurvey.US@haygroup.com. Each survey link is customized and can only be used one time.
More information on engagement is available from the Office of Human Resources.
Benefits-eligible faculty and staff will receive an email on October 13 from the Hay Group, an external vendor that is administering the survey. Take 10 minutes to share your thoughts about your work and your workplace. All answers are confidential. Your answers will help the University fulfill its teaching and research mission.
If you have any issues with the survey link you receive, contact the Hay Group directly to request a new link at UofMNsurvey.US@haygroup.com. Each survey link is customized and can only be used one time.
More information on engagement is available from the Office of Human Resources.
Work tip: SCAMPER - Improving processes and services
SCAMPER: Substitute - Combine - Adapt - Modify - Put to another use - Eliminate - Reverse
Asking questions about existing processes or services using specific prompts will help you come up with creative ideas for developing new processes and for improving current ones.
First, take an existing opportunity that you want to improve, one that you're currently having problems with, or one that you think could be a good starting point for future development. Then, ask questions using the SCAMPER mnemonic to brainstorm as many questions and answers as you can.
Finally, look at the answers that you came up with. Do any stand out as viable solutions?
Sound interesting? Find more here.
Asking questions about existing processes or services using specific prompts will help you come up with creative ideas for developing new processes and for improving current ones.
First, take an existing opportunity that you want to improve, one that you're currently having problems with, or one that you think could be a good starting point for future development. Then, ask questions using the SCAMPER mnemonic to brainstorm as many questions and answers as you can.
- Substitute: What other process could you use?
- Combine: What could you combine to maximize the uses of this process?
- Adapt: How could you adapt or readjust this process to serve another purpose or use?
- Modify: How could you change the shape, look, or feel of your process?
- Put to another use: Can you use this process somewhere else?
- Eliminate: How could you streamline or simplify this process?
- Reverse: What would happen if you reversed this process or sequenced things differently?
Finally, look at the answers that you came up with. Do any stand out as viable solutions?
Sound interesting? Find more here.
Wellness tip: save on your annual UPlan rates
Employees can now save $400 or $600 on their annual UPlan rates, depending on their tier of coverage. UPlan members enrolled in Employee-only or Employee and Children coverage who earn at least 400 wellness points will save $400 on their 2016 annual rates. UPlan members enrolled in Employee and Spouse with or without Children coverage who earn at least 600 points will save $600 on their 2016 rates.
To correspond with the increased UPlan rate savings, the program has increased the points employees can earn with many of the wellness programs. UPlan-covered spouses can now earn up to 200 points for their joint balance, but they are not required to.
To correspond with the increased UPlan rate savings, the program has increased the points employees can earn with many of the wellness programs. UPlan-covered spouses can now earn up to 200 points for their joint balance, but they are not required to.
Brown bag sessions on merit pay increases
You are invited to a brown bag session to hear more about the merit-based performance evaluation system ASR is implementing for civil service and P&A employees. This change is due to a directive from President Kaler and will be implemented during the 2015 review cycle.
Sue Van Voorhis will go over the process and answer questions. Sessions are scheduled for:
Bring your lunch and come hear about the new process!
Sue Van Voorhis will go over the process and answer questions. Sessions are scheduled for:
- Wednesday, Oct. 22, 12-1 p.m. - Williamson 160B (OCM Demo Room)
- Wednesday, Nov. 5, 12-1 p.m. - Fraser B20
Bring your lunch and come hear about the new process!
ASR mini-poll results
Last week's poll asked employees whether or not they agreed with this statement "I understand how ASR supports the overall University mission and goals." 94% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they understood how ASR supports the University's mission and goals.
One respondent said that "We (ASR) are the spine," of the University, while another said that "If I didn't think that the work I do on a daily basis in ASR makes a positive difference in the lives of students, I would not be working here! It is very important to me to be able to make that connection in my work."
Just as a reminder: ASR's mission, vision and Values are posted on the ASR website. The University's history and mission and the University's current vision and goals are also available.
One respondent said that "We (ASR) are the spine," of the University, while another said that "If I didn't think that the work I do on a daily basis in ASR makes a positive difference in the lives of students, I would not be working here! It is very important to me to be able to make that connection in my work."
Just as a reminder: ASR's mission, vision and Values are posted on the ASR website. The University's history and mission and the University's current vision and goals are also available.
SR Training Team preview sessions
In October, the SR Help Training Team is conducting training preview sessions for the Upgrade. They held two sessions the first week of October, with 88 and 105 attendees respectively. This week, they are conducting two more sessions for University staff to learn more about the Upgrade and the avenues for training.
Upgrade testing - please respect your colleagues' time
Employees from across ASR will be performing system testing for the Upgrade over the next several weeks. System testing will require very focused effort - please be courteous to employees that are performing system testing and respect their need for time alone. If you are performing system testing, here are some ideas on how to alert colleagues to your need for privacy:
Disruptions will result in wasted time and effort, so please be sure to avoid interruptions to system testing.
- Hang a sign outside your workspace
- Set your Google chat status to "busy"
- Reserve time for system testing on your calendar
Disruptions will result in wasted time and effort, so please be sure to avoid interruptions to system testing.
ImageNow upgrade
On November 7-9, Collaboration & Web Content Services will upgrade ImageNow to version 6.7. While changes to the user experience will be minimal, it is necessary to upgrade in order to maintain technical support from the vendor. In addition, based on vendor recommendations, the ImageNow infrastructure will be enhanced to conform more closely with industry standards.
The upgrade activities will require down time for the tool. To minimize disruption to University business, the majority of the work will occur over the weekend of Nov 7-9:
Status updates will be provided during the upgrade via IT Service Status. Additional details about the upgrade will be sent to ImageNow users in the near future.
If you have questions about the upgrade or ImageNow, send a message to imagenow-support@umn.edu.
The upgrade activities will require down time for the tool. To minimize disruption to University business, the majority of the work will occur over the weekend of Nov 7-9:
Status updates will be provided during the upgrade via IT Service Status. Additional details about the upgrade will be sent to ImageNow users in the near future.
If you have questions about the upgrade or ImageNow, send a message to imagenow-support@umn.edu.
Reporting hours, vacation and leave time after the Upgrade
To learn how you will report absences electronically after the Upgrade, please watch a short 3-minute sneak peek video about the process.
If you are are a full-time civil service or labor-represented employee who earns approved overtime or shift differential, please also watch the sneak peek on electronic time reporting (for overtime and shift differential).
Both electronic processes will offer easy, streamlined, and ink-free ways to report absences and overtime.
If you are are a full-time civil service or labor-represented employee who earns approved overtime or shift differential, please also watch the sneak peek on electronic time reporting (for overtime and shift differential).
Both electronic processes will offer easy, streamlined, and ink-free ways to report absences and overtime.
Community Fund Drive - donate now!
There are several ways to participate in the University's community fund drive:
Visit the University's Community Fund Drive donation page. Click the "Donate Now!" link in the upper right to make a donation. If you are not able to donate this year, or if you donate in some other way, you can still be be entered in the prize drawings by clicking the "Donate Now!" button < "donate on line" < scroll to the bottom of the page and click the box next to "Can't pledge this year, but want to be included in the prize drawings?"
You can also participate in the ASR Penny War. The ASR penny war will run October 6-24. Building winners will be revealed at the October 29 ASR Staff Event. Collection jars will be available in these buildings:
Please remember: the value of pennies collected by a building count positively toward that building's point total, while the value of other coins or dollar bills are subtracted from that building's point total. So, putting pennies in your building's jar while putting other coins and dollar bills in other building's collection jars would be a winning strategy.
Visit the University's Community Fund Drive donation page. Click the "Donate Now!" link in the upper right to make a donation. If you are not able to donate this year, or if you donate in some other way, you can still be be entered in the prize drawings by clicking the "Donate Now!" button < "donate on line" < scroll to the bottom of the page and click the box next to "Can't pledge this year, but want to be included in the prize drawings?"
You can also participate in the ASR Penny War. The ASR penny war will run October 6-24. Building winners will be revealed at the October 29 ASR Staff Event. Collection jars will be available in these buildings:
- Coffey - commons area, room 130
- Fraser - commons area near 261
- STSS - kitchenette, room 211G and
- Williamson - kitchenette, room 160K
Please remember: the value of pennies collected by a building count positively toward that building's point total, while the value of other coins or dollar bills are subtracted from that building's point total. So, putting pennies in your building's jar while putting other coins and dollar bills in other building's collection jars would be a winning strategy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)