Graduates in ASR

As ASR units collaborate with one another to focus on graduation and retention rates, some of our own staff members have recently completed their degrees.

Allie Cummelin earned a B.S. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management in fall 2015. She holds a position in ASR as Assistant for Student Degree Progress and Retention. Allie said that finishing her degree was a wonderful feeling. “It has opened, and will continue to open, many opportunities in the future that I would have otherwise not been able to have.”

Lori Frase received a Master’s of Education in Applied Kinesiology in summer 2015. She is currently a business/systems analyst 3 for ASR-IT. Lori started a master’s program in 2009, but was waylaid from graduation. When she finally returned, she promised herself she would complete the degree. Lori had some fun while she was at it, taking a course that involved attending an MLB All Star game. She and her classmates were educating the public on recycling. Says Lori, “It was quite successful and fun!”

Jessica McCarty graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology in fall 2015. She joined the University full-time only recently, upgrading from a student position and now serves as project coordinator for Office of Classroom Management. Jessica is excited to bring the skills she gained from her degree to her career, and “proud to have graduated with distinction.”

Nick Pnewski earned a B.A. in Biology, Society, and Environment, with a minor in Sustainability, in fall 2015. He currently serves as project coordinator in the Office of Classroom Management. Nick declares that he is “passionate about sustainability and the environment,” and that he hopes to “bring more sustainable products and processes to OCM spaces.” Go, Nick!

Mara Schneider graduated with a B.S. in Human Resources Development in spring 2016. She currently rocks her position in ASR in the Office of Student Finance as executive office & administrative specialist. Of her graduating success, Mara shared: “I started this journey almost 14 years ago, but I never gave up. I could not have done it without the support from my family, friends, ASR, and the University. Thank you for helping me to become the first graduate in my immediate family!”

Barb Yungers, recently featured by the College of Continuing Education, completed a degree with a B.S. in Multidisciplinary Studies in spring 2016. She is a long-standing employee in the Office of the Registrar as a student services specialist. Having worked hard towards her degree since 2007, Barb said it was important to her that she finish what she started so long ago. “It wasn’t easy, but I hung in there and did it!”

Congratulations to each of you for your hard work and success!

UMN receives Pro Patria Award

On May 23, 2016, Julie Selander, director of One Stop Student Services and University Veteran Services, and Jake Murphy, former UMN student veteran, accepted the Pro Patria Award on behalf of the University of Minnesota. The Pro Patria Award is the highest honor given by state committees of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve office in the U.S. Department of Defense. The award recognizes employers who have demonstrated the greatest support to Guard and Reserve employees through their leadership and practices. Congratulations to University Veteran Services and the University of Minnesota!

ASR Bruininks Hall Open House

One Stop and Student Account Assistance (SAA) invite you to attend an ASR Bruininks Hall open house. Come meet and mingle with your ASR colleagues, enjoy refreshments, and explore Bruininks Hall. The event will include guided tours visiting University Veterans Services, One Stop and SAA service and administrative areas, and other campus resources in the building. We hope to see you there!


When: 1:30-3:30 p.m., Friday June 10
Where: Room 330, Bruininks Hall
What: ASR Open House

Campus Climate Micro-Grant Sponsored Book Club

ASR has been awarded a campus climate micro-grant. The Campus Climate Engagement Team (CCET) created the micro-grant program to encourage creative initiatives that foster dialogue, respect, and personal growth on campus. ASR’s winning proposal will establish an ASR book club, the intention of which will be to explore authors that have diverse perspectives and to build community through reading and discussing great books. The book club will be facilitated by ASR in partnership with the university’s TRiO Student Support Services program.

All ASR staff are invited to participate this summer by reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, winner of the 2015 National Book Award. This celebrated work explores the experiences of an African American man in the United States and the hopes and fears he has for his son.  

The book club will meet during weekly brown bag sessions for 4 weeks later this summer. Copies of the book will be provided. If you are interested in joining, please sign up here. 

Exact details (meeting time and space) will be determined based upon your responses. Please contact Richard Campo (campo035@umn.edu) or Darcy Fastner (dfastner@umn.edu) if you have any questions. We hope that you will join us for this exciting opportunity!

ASR Staff Picnic update

The location for the ASR Staff Picnic has been decided! Staff should gather outside of Bruininks Hall on the western terrace area overlooking the Mississippi river. Please hold time on your calendars to stop by for food and refreshments.


When: Thursday, July 28, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Where: Outside of Bruininks Hall
What: ASR Staff Picnic and fundraiser

ASR presentation to University engagement leaders

OHR Leadership and Talent Development sponsored a session for Engagement Leads on May 17. The session focused on how units are planning to address survey results. John Vollum presented a case study of ASR and OUE actions, highlighting ASR’s emphasis on pairing Individual Development Plans (IDP) with the annual performance appraisal cycle.

Download the presentation slides.

Fraser construction update

Funding for the Fraser construction project has now been approved and money allocated. A construction start date has not yet been determined, but we are still aiming to have the space ready and staff moved by the end of the summer. We will continue to provide updates and are excited to start making progress!

By the numbers: Spring Student Degree Progress

The Regents Progress Card established graduation rate goals of 65% for our four-year cohort (i.e., the fall 2017 entering freshman class) and 82% for the six-year cohort (i.e., the fall 2015 entering freshman class) by 2021. Currently, our four-, five-, and six-year cohorts are on the right track, trending slightly higher than last year's rates that locked at 63.3%, 75.7%, and 77.69% respectively.

Our potential graduation rates are based on the number of students whose degrees have been awarded, plus the number of students who have applied for degree. Reaching those rates depends on every student who applied to graduate through summer 2016 actually receiving their degree.

To assist students financially in completing their degree, ASR currently has money available in the form of "Completion Funds.” While an ASR committee reviews each student on a case-by-case basis, priority is given to students who could benefit from registering for summer in order to get back on track for four-year degree completion or who are ready to graduate this summer. Preference is also given to students who are struggling to pay off their spring 2016 balance and need to register for summer or fall. If you have any students that you would like to nominate for completion funds, or any questions about who would be a good candidate, contact ASR Student Degree Progress (asr-sdp@umn.edu).

EAB SSC pilot project wrapping up

The University of Minnesota has completed its pilot of the Education Advisory Board Student Success Collaborative (EAB SSC). Between March 7 and May 6, 2016, 29 advisors representing 8 colleges and programs on the Twin Cities campus used the SSC platform during their regular advising appointments and provided feedback through survey submission and checkpoint meetings. The project team is preparing a recommendation that will be reviewed by Provost Hanson to determine next steps.

Spring Forward (again!), Spring Staff event reminders

As a reminder, here are the details for this year’s ASR Spring Staff event:

• When: Check-in begins at 7:45 a.m., Lunch will be served at 12:00 p.m.
• Where: Bruininks Hall (formerly STSS), floor 2

View the full event schedule and session descriptions >>

Notes:

• Coffee will not be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own.

• If participating in the bike ride, we recommend bringing a helmet, if you have one. There will be a location to store personal items, but we recommend not bringing valuables, as we cannot be held liable for them.

ASR Spring Cleaning on May 19

Don’t forget that Thursday, May 19 is our ASR annual afternoon of spring cleaning. From 12:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m., staff are encouraged to spend the afternoon purging old emails, voicemails and paper files or clean up any work surfaces, shared common areas, dust blinds, shelves, or machines.

Project Management 201: Making Projects Work

Project Management 201 is an intermediate course intended to develop an understanding of the project management life cycle that incorporates the skills necessary to confidently participate and provide leadership on project teams. The 201 course will take place on June 23 and highlight some of the soft skills necessary to help your project succeed.

Course outline:

• Forming a strong team
• Building relationships with stakeholders
• Change management and communication

Project Management 201 will be led by John Vollum and Santiago Fernandez-Gimenez. The first PM 201 will take place on June 23. Staff assigned to lead or participate on projects, as well as staff looking for development opportunities, are encouraged to participate.

To register, click here and login using your university login and password. Contact pwf-team@umn.edu if you have any questions.

AATUCYKTOTA?

That’s “Acronyms At The University: Can You Keep Track Of Them All?” for those not in the know. And hopefully it’s an acronym that you should never have to use or ever see again, but also highlights a bigger issue at the University.

As an ASR staff member, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of University acronyms. Though they are intended to make things easier for University staff to write or discuss, they can quickly get out of hand. But, it’s important to stay in know. On the ASR website, you can find a handy spreadsheet of widely-used acronyms >>

Drone’s-eye view of Campus

Take a different view of the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus with this video highlighting some campus landmarks from a drone’s point of view.