Update from Stacey

It is definitely the season of new beginnings. The semester will be kicking off shortly with many welcome week traditions, such as Pride & Spirit and Convocation. Many of you are supporting the start of the semester, and I know it can be a busy time (for example, check out the OCM updates below). I am feeling the uptick as well, but I am still trying to grab the last bits of summer. 

We snuck in a quick trip with our family this weekend, and next we're figuring out when we will go to the State Fair. In my experience, people have strong opinions about the fair, and personally, I’m a big fan. I drag my family through the animal barns, we look at the fish in the DNR building—even though the kids have outgrown this—we watch the parade, and we eat our every-year favorites and try at least a few new items. I hope you are finding some summer enjoyment and feeling as ready as you can for the start of fall. Thank you for everything you do!

Upcoming Project Request deadlines

Now that Q1 2026 is officially underway, we will begin reviewing project requests for Q2 2026 (November - January) and beyond. Please submit project requests as early as possible to allow time for review. Full details of the project request process and additional resources are available on the ASR Staff Site.

Dates and deadlines for Q2 2026:

• Project request deadline: September 4
• Project prioritization meeting: October 9
• Start of ASR planning quarter: November 2

Request a ClickUp license

We’ve implemented a new process for managing ClickUp licenses. You can now submit a request form to obtain a Member license for a new employee, request a Guest license, or request to remove a license. ASR Central will process your request once submitted.

Financial aid

Financial aid significantly impacts a student’s ability to pursue higher education. Prior to federal student aid, financial support for higher education depended on scholarships provided by the wealthy, which was not always awarded based on need or merit. This made higher education inaccessible to low-income students until the Serviceman’s Readjustment’s Act (G.I. Bill) and Higher Education Act.

Roughly 60% of undergraduate students take out student loans to attend college today. This number increases when you look at low-income students or students of color. 80.6% of Black or African American students receive grant aid to help fund their education. Despite the availability of financial aid, the cost of college is still the largest barrier to higher education and 1 in 6 Americans have federal student loan debt.

The University of Minnesota offers need-based grants, such as Promise Plus and U Promise Scholarship. The state of Minnesota created the North Star Promise to increase higher-education access and decrease student loan debt. Individuals can also help low-income students reach their education goals:

• Donate to the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF)
• Direct students to the University’s UGRD Scholarship tool

OUE Bridge to Success Funds

The ASR Completion Funds, which help students overcome financial barriers to registration, has been rebranded as the OUE Bridge to Success Funds. This new name better reflects our expanded vision and resource provisions.

This year, we are excited to announce that we have access to more funding, which will allow us to help more students. To support this work, we are seeking nominations from the University community. If you have a student nomination, we encourage you to submit them to asr-sdp@umn.edu or by contacting One Stop Student Services.

Note: To help us manage student expectations, please do not inform students that they have been nominated. We will contact students directly, or work with you if your nomination moves forward.

Digital accessibility highlight: Links

As we work on ensuring all of ASR is compliant with Title II requirements, we will be highlighting the 7 Core Accessibility Skills that are important for everyone to learn.

Links are a fundamental part of digital content. Improving the usability and accessibility of links is beneficial to everyone. The most impactful practice is to embed links within meaningful text. This helps screen readers and provides the user with more information about the link. Avoid link text such as “click here,” “read more,” or “info” because it does not tell a reader anything about the destination of the link.

You can learn more about the importance of links, how to use them appropriately, and watch a screen reader demonstration on the ODA website.

ClickUp Tips & Tricks: Adding watchers

If you want to keep stakeholders informed about a project’s progress in ClickUp, you can add them as a watcher on the task. Watchers receive ClickUp notifications about changes to the tasks or subtasks they are “watching.” They won’t receive notifications for any tasks higher or lower in the hierarchy unless you add them. If you are managing a project or small initiative with many tasks, consider adding stakeholders as watchers to a selection of high-level tasks.

Task creators, assignees, editors, and commenters are added as watchers by default. You can use the Bulk Action Toolbar to add a watcher to multiple tasks or create an automation to add a watcher to future tasks. You can find more tips under the ASR ClickUp Tips & Tricks tab in the ClickUp Member User Guide.

ASR Staff Engagement August 21 Survey

This week’s ASR Engagement Survey asks about your seasonal preferences. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences.

Last week’s survey asked about your state fair plans and favorites. There was an even split between those who are going to the state fair and those who are not (40.7% each). When asked about their favorite state fair foods, pronto pups received the most votes (23.1%), followed by cheese curds (19.2%), and Australian battered potatoes (7.7%).

Finally, we asked if you have a favorite show, concert, or event that you’ve attended at the state fair. Many folks mentioned live music, including Boyz II Men, Weird Al, and The Chicks. Other events such as tractor pulls and horse shows were also mentioned. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated.

August 7 survey results

Are you planning to go to the state fair this year?

• Yes (40.7%)
• No (40.7%)
• I’m not sure (18.5%)

What is one of your favorite state fair (or any fair) foods?

• Pronto pup (23.1%)
• Cheese curds (19.2%)
• Australian battered potatoes (7.7%)
• Sweet Martha’s Cookies (3.8%)
• Cheese on a stick (3.8%)
• Fried pickles (3.8%)
• Pickle dog (3.8%)

Do you have a favorite show, concert, or event that you've attended at the state fair (or any fair)? If so, what was it?

• Los Lobos at the bandshell!!!
• Sonny Landreth and Buddy Guy @ Leinie Lodge Bandshell
• Boyz II Men and Chaka Khan
• Demo derbys!
• The Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum horse shows
• Vanilla Ice, Belinda Carlisle, and Depeche Mode :)

Update from Stacey

It was delightful to see so many of you at the ASR Picnic and staff event! I wish I had been able to speak with every single one of you, which brings me to one of the items I discussed during my update: How can I better connect with ASR staff?

We don’t have all of the logistics pinned down quite yet, but I will soon be hosting regular “office hours” and time slots for coffee/tea chats. Our amazing ASR Central folks are going to help with a schedule that provides both Zoom and in-person formats. The time slots will also rotate, so it won’t conflict with the same recurring meetings for folks. I am looking forward to trying something new!

OCM’s Study Space Art Inclusivity Project

The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) is updating art in study spaces around campus. This is a joint project with various teams across ASR. Kristina Laskowski, the leader of the project and OCM’s learning space planner, shares, “Currently, the art in our study spaces across campus feature archived photos, which predominantly reflect a less diverse campus community, ultimately limiting the representation of the current student, faculty, and staff population. The Study Space Art Inclusivity Project aims to update and diversify the artwork displayed in OCM's study areas across campus.”

Replacing this artwork will foster a more welcoming environment for students. This work aligns with ASR’s DEI Vision Statements, as our mission supports finding ways to make a positive difference in students' lives. OCM’s initiative to replace this artwork also promotes accountability by taking responsibility for creating and growing a more inclusive environment for students.

While this project is in its final stages of placing artwork before the fall semester, some of the new artwork has already been placed! You can see the before and after photos below.

Social Science 139 before and after

Ruttan 10 before and after
You can dive deeper into the project by checking out the introductory slides or by visiting the following updated study spaces in person:

• McNeal Hall 190, 192 & 223
• Social Sciences Building 102, 122 & 139
• Ruttan Hall 10
• Biological Sciences 15

Digital Playground

The next Digital Playground session will be on August 13 at 9 a.m. With summer in full swing, August’s session will be open for drop ins. Please schedule a 15-minute, or longer, session and connect about your topic or question of choice. There are no bad questions, unless you’re asking if you can play a gnome bard in D&D. You are in the driver’s seat and can ask about anything from Gmail to AI tools or you can pop in if you don’t know where to start but think tech can solve the problem.

If you haven’t already, join the Google Group to find recordings and resources from previous sessions. If you have any questions or would like to join the Google group, reach out to Pete Fleenor (fleen010@umn.edu).

ASR Staff Engagement August 7 Survey

This week’s ASR Engagement Survey asks about the upcoming Minnesota State Fair. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences.

Last week’s survey assessed your road trip preferences. Most say they enjoy going on a road trip (64%). Chex mix/trail mix and donuts were mentioned most frequently as favorite snacks to purchase at a gas station.

Finally, we asked where you would take a road trip to in the US if all expenses were covered. Many folks mentioned national parks such as Glacier National Park and Denali National Park. Driving along the East or West Coast was also a popular answer. Thanks all for your continued participation!

July 24 survey results

Do you enjoy taking road trips?

• Yes (64%)
• No (4%)
• It depends (32%)

What's one of your favorite snacks to purchase at a gas station?

• Donettes mini donuts—a road trip staple. They’re not great but on a road trip they are perfect.
• Doughnut & Coffee
• Milky Way Dark chocolate bar
• Nerd gummy clusters
• Chex mix!

If you could take a road trip to anywhere in the US with expenses covered, where would you go?

• Mighty 5 National Parks in Utah
• The Grand Canyon or Yellowstone!
• North Carolina coastline
• All along the West Coast.
• Anywhere with mountains!
• Cedar Point Ohio Amusement Park