We've all been victim of an impulsive "reply all" at least once. Just be thankful your fast fingers didn't inundate 40,000 inboxes. Because that's just what one NYU student did, causing a virtual 'replyallcalypse.' So maybe that's a rare instance, but it is important to avoid hitting "reply all" to every single email you receive. Be sure the people copied on your response actually need to be kept in the loop. Are they key stakeholders for a project or main points of contact? If not, take it easy on the "reply all." No one wants an overly cluttered inbox.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Thank you, gracias, merci!
However you say thanks, be sure to do so this holiday season to a colleague who has gone above and beyond. You can request an ASR-themed thank you card by contacting Debbie Henderson. Just let her know how many you need. You even have two options to choose from and the envelopes are included. See how easy that was?
Option 1:
Option 2:
Senator sighting
Julie Selander, director of One Stop Student Services, and Bob McMaster, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Education, recently hosted a visit from Minnesota Senator Terri Bonoff. While on campus, Senator Bonoff, who was also recently appointed chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, received a tour of STSS to see the One Stop and University Veterans Services office and a few classrooms. Julie and Bob were proud to share the good work the University is doing regarding student services and science teaching.
The People in your Neighborhood--Bob Quinney
A Detroit native, Bob Quinney and his 100-pound, Standard Poodle named Spider currently live in Ventura Village in Minneapolis. His home, originally built in the 1880s, has been quite the project.
"I stripped the house to the studs when I bought it and put it all back together," Bob said. "I've built everything myself, including cabinets and replacement windows. It has taken eight years and I'm almost done."
When Bob isn't working on his house, he enjoys reading, watching movies, gardening, and knitting. He also loves to spend time with Spider.
"People always stop us on the street and ask what kind of dog he is," Bob said. "He makes quite an impression."
Bob has a Bachelors of Science in psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He also has taken numerous courses in art at Tennessee Technical University and the University of Minnesota. "I've probably taken enough to get another degree, but I haven't gotten one yet," Bob said.
Bob first started working at the University in December of 1997 in what was then called the Institute for Linguistics and Asian and Slavic Languages. During Bob's time at the University, he has moved around a few times and even left the U to pursue a job at another company.
In 2001, Bob joined the Scheduling Team in the Office of Classroom Management (OCM) for two years before moving to the Department of Art. However, he came back to OCM in 2005. Bob is now the Analyst and System Administrator for OCM's current scheduling system, R25.
However, as OCM transitions from R25 to Astra Schedule, Bob's work will remain much the same. "I focus primarily on ensuring that the interface between R25 and PeopleSoft stays in sync," Bob said. He will continue to make sure the system is up and running, monitor error logs, perform basic system maintenance, and be supervisor to two employees.
Before the U, Bob had a few interesting jobs, including for a tree cutting service company in Michigan. "I worked at this job when Detroit's elm trees were hit with Dutch Elm disease," Bob said. "It was tragic to have to cut down all these huge old trees with the disease."
Bob also worked at a gas utility company, which introduced him to the world of computers. "This was during the time when office computers were just getting introduced so the computer was the size of a table," Bob said.
And here's one interesting fact about Bob you probably never knew: Bob is also an avid singer.
He used to sing with a men's group at Wayne State University. They even sang at Westminster Abbey in London when they went on tour in Europe for a competition. They came in third place.
Bob's Bytes
1. His favorite movies are "Truly, Madly, Deeply" and "Lars and the Real Girl."
2. If Hollywood made a movie about his life, he would have Johnny Depp play him because "he's bizarre enough."
3. Bob has three sisters and one brother.
4. If Bob could be anything, he would be a migratory bird because there's "nothing better than flying."
4. Sly and the Family Stone was his first concert. The ticket cost $4.
5. When Bob was younger, he wanted to be a dentist. Now, Bob's biggest fear is going to the dentist.
6. Mumford & Sons is Bob's favorite musical artist.
7. Bob would love to have the superpower to make people disappear. "I guess I'd be an evil superhero," Bob joked.
8. The last book he read was called Wire to Wire by Scott Sparling.
9. Bob's favorite book is I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb.
10. If he could be a character for one day, he would be Atreyu from book The Neverending Story.
"I stripped the house to the studs when I bought it and put it all back together," Bob said. "I've built everything myself, including cabinets and replacement windows. It has taken eight years and I'm almost done."
When Bob isn't working on his house, he enjoys reading, watching movies, gardening, and knitting. He also loves to spend time with Spider.
"People always stop us on the street and ask what kind of dog he is," Bob said. "He makes quite an impression."
Bob has a Bachelors of Science in psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He also has taken numerous courses in art at Tennessee Technical University and the University of Minnesota. "I've probably taken enough to get another degree, but I haven't gotten one yet," Bob said.
Bob first started working at the University in December of 1997 in what was then called the Institute for Linguistics and Asian and Slavic Languages. During Bob's time at the University, he has moved around a few times and even left the U to pursue a job at another company.
In 2001, Bob joined the Scheduling Team in the Office of Classroom Management (OCM) for two years before moving to the Department of Art. However, he came back to OCM in 2005. Bob is now the Analyst and System Administrator for OCM's current scheduling system, R25.
However, as OCM transitions from R25 to Astra Schedule, Bob's work will remain much the same. "I focus primarily on ensuring that the interface between R25 and PeopleSoft stays in sync," Bob said. He will continue to make sure the system is up and running, monitor error logs, perform basic system maintenance, and be supervisor to two employees.
Before the U, Bob had a few interesting jobs, including for a tree cutting service company in Michigan. "I worked at this job when Detroit's elm trees were hit with Dutch Elm disease," Bob said. "It was tragic to have to cut down all these huge old trees with the disease."
Bob also worked at a gas utility company, which introduced him to the world of computers. "This was during the time when office computers were just getting introduced so the computer was the size of a table," Bob said.
And here's one interesting fact about Bob you probably never knew: Bob is also an avid singer.
He used to sing with a men's group at Wayne State University. They even sang at Westminster Abbey in London when they went on tour in Europe for a competition. They came in third place.
Bob's Bytes
1. His favorite movies are "Truly, Madly, Deeply" and "Lars and the Real Girl."
2. If Hollywood made a movie about his life, he would have Johnny Depp play him because "he's bizarre enough."
3. Bob has three sisters and one brother.
4. If Bob could be anything, he would be a migratory bird because there's "nothing better than flying."
4. Sly and the Family Stone was his first concert. The ticket cost $4.
5. When Bob was younger, he wanted to be a dentist. Now, Bob's biggest fear is going to the dentist.
6. Mumford & Sons is Bob's favorite musical artist.
7. Bob would love to have the superpower to make people disappear. "I guess I'd be an evil superhero," Bob joked.
8. The last book he read was called Wire to Wire by Scott Sparling.
9. Bob's favorite book is I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb.
10. If he could be a character for one day, he would be Atreyu from book The Neverending Story.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Your feet (yes, your feet) matter
If you have a propensity for wearing sky high heels or summer sandals during a Minnesota winter, your toes may be in need of some serious TLC. You probably weren't aware that a case of chronically swollen feet could actually be an indicator of something serious, like a cardiovascular problem or infection. Here are seven ways for employees to protect their feet. Thanks to OCM's Paula Seeger for suggesting this topic.
The People in Your Neighborhood: Lindsey Konerza
Lindsey Konerza considers herself a sports nut. She loves hockey, including the Minnesota Wild and the Gophers. In fact, she loves hockey so much that she says one of the reasons she married her husband, Jake, was because of his mutual love for the sport. "I was destined to marry someone who loves hockey as much as I do," Lindsey joked.
Lindsey and her husband will be married six years in January. "Our anniversary is January 13," Lindsey said. "I noticed one day that all of our major anniversaries fall on Friday the 13th. Hopefully, that's not a bad sign." Lindsey and Jake don't have any kids or pets right now, but will "hopefully someday." Right now, they live in Lindsey's home town of Woodbury.
She also loves Nascar and Indy racing. She has visited the Michigan International Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway and also saw the Indy Grand Prix in Sonoma County, California.
Lindsey is also an avid runner. For the past five years, she has done the Grandma's half marathon in Duluth with her husband and father-in-law. They are members at two wineries in Washington State and the Alexander Valley region of California. She also enjoys reading, cooking, remodeling her house (which just got a brand new kitchen), bowling, golf, and traveling. She would like to remind everyone that the U of M staff bowling league and golf league are always looking for new members!
Music is also a big part of Lindsey's life. Her husband is a music buyer for Target Corporation, which means that they often get to sample the local music scene. Some memorable moments so far have been Alabama Shakes at First Ave, Zac Brown Band at Target Center...and of course don't forget Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw at the first ever concert at Target Field.
Lindsey graduated from UMD with a degree in biology and chemistry. She recently completed her certification in project management from the College for Continuing Education, which helped her to get a new job in Financial Aid-Information Technology (FA-IT)
Before beginning at the University, Lindsey worked at Metropolitan State University in their Financial Aid Office.
In 2004, Lindsey started working in ASR. Originally, she started out as a One Stop Counselor and moved on to become a Financial Aid Counselor working under Larry Bloom in the Office of Student Finance. About two months ago, Lindsey was hired into one of the backfill business analyst positions for FA-IT.
"I update the batch schedule for various communications we send out," Lindsey said. "Recently, I have been attending the Plan and Discover sessions for the PeopleSoft upgrade."
She is known in her unit as the "resident scribe." Her work focuses on issues related to the student Campus Community side, and the pages in PeopleSoft that are crossing to/from Human Resources.
"My boss at my old job used to say to me, 'financial aid picks you, you don't pick it,'" Lindsey said. "It's not like I woke up one day and said to myself, 'I want to be in financial aid.' We are a small community of people, and our main goal is to make sure we can provide for students and parents to the best of our ability and make that transition easy."
Lindsey's Laws
1. Lindsey's favorite vacation spot is Hawaii and she is going for her sixth time in March.
2. New Kids on the Block was her first concert.
3. She has many favorite books but thoroughly enjoys receiving her monthly FoodTV magazine for new recipe ideas.
4. She knows every line to the movie "Christmas Vacation." Her other favorite movies are "Amelie" and "P.S. I Love You."
5. If she could have any career, it would be a wedding/party planner.
6. Her biggest fear is heights. Though her husband would say it is flying.
7. Growing up, she thought she may have wanted to be a doctor or a dentist, but the cost of school changed her mind.
8. The last book she read was from the Shopaholics series by Sophie Kinsella.
9. She loves the tres leche cake from Cafe Latte on Grand Ave. Secretly, her favorite place to eat is IHOP.
10. If she could be any movie character, she would be the female version of Daniel Craig in James Bond.
Lindsey and her husband will be married six years in January. "Our anniversary is January 13," Lindsey said. "I noticed one day that all of our major anniversaries fall on Friday the 13th. Hopefully, that's not a bad sign." Lindsey and Jake don't have any kids or pets right now, but will "hopefully someday." Right now, they live in Lindsey's home town of Woodbury.
She also loves Nascar and Indy racing. She has visited the Michigan International Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway and also saw the Indy Grand Prix in Sonoma County, California.
Lindsey is also an avid runner. For the past five years, she has done the Grandma's half marathon in Duluth with her husband and father-in-law. They are members at two wineries in Washington State and the Alexander Valley region of California. She also enjoys reading, cooking, remodeling her house (which just got a brand new kitchen), bowling, golf, and traveling. She would like to remind everyone that the U of M staff bowling league and golf league are always looking for new members!
Music is also a big part of Lindsey's life. Her husband is a music buyer for Target Corporation, which means that they often get to sample the local music scene. Some memorable moments so far have been Alabama Shakes at First Ave, Zac Brown Band at Target Center...and of course don't forget Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw at the first ever concert at Target Field.
Lindsey graduated from UMD with a degree in biology and chemistry. She recently completed her certification in project management from the College for Continuing Education, which helped her to get a new job in Financial Aid-Information Technology (FA-IT)
Before beginning at the University, Lindsey worked at Metropolitan State University in their Financial Aid Office.
In 2004, Lindsey started working in ASR. Originally, she started out as a One Stop Counselor and moved on to become a Financial Aid Counselor working under Larry Bloom in the Office of Student Finance. About two months ago, Lindsey was hired into one of the backfill business analyst positions for FA-IT.
"I update the batch schedule for various communications we send out," Lindsey said. "Recently, I have been attending the Plan and Discover sessions for the PeopleSoft upgrade."
She is known in her unit as the "resident scribe." Her work focuses on issues related to the student Campus Community side, and the pages in PeopleSoft that are crossing to/from Human Resources.
"My boss at my old job used to say to me, 'financial aid picks you, you don't pick it,'" Lindsey said. "It's not like I woke up one day and said to myself, 'I want to be in financial aid.' We are a small community of people, and our main goal is to make sure we can provide for students and parents to the best of our ability and make that transition easy."
Lindsey's Laws
1. Lindsey's favorite vacation spot is Hawaii and she is going for her sixth time in March.
2. New Kids on the Block was her first concert.
3. She has many favorite books but thoroughly enjoys receiving her monthly FoodTV magazine for new recipe ideas.
4. She knows every line to the movie "Christmas Vacation." Her other favorite movies are "Amelie" and "P.S. I Love You."
5. If she could have any career, it would be a wedding/party planner.
6. Her biggest fear is heights. Though her husband would say it is flying.
7. Growing up, she thought she may have wanted to be a doctor or a dentist, but the cost of school changed her mind.
8. The last book she read was from the Shopaholics series by Sophie Kinsella.
9. She loves the tres leche cake from Cafe Latte on Grand Ave. Secretly, her favorite place to eat is IHOP.
10. If she could be any movie character, she would be the female version of Daniel Craig in James Bond.
Better Know a Unit: Communications team
If you're in need of a few word and design savvy folks to help get your message out, look no further than ASR's communications team. They're responsible for facilitating and supporting the communication needs of all ASR units. "We treat communications like its own product," Communications Manager, Ingrid Nuttall, said.
She's not kidding. The team of six adeptly adheres to a rigorous list of clients, which includes all ASR units.
While much of the work the team handles is ongoing, they've recently completed several big projects. Graphic Designer, Sarah Hollerich, finished a series of colorful magnets depicting imaginative "monsters" that illustrate different StrengthsQuest talents. She also collaborated with Communications Coordinator, Elyse Paxton, to design flyers and brochures for the 2012 Student Veterans Appreciation Day that took place on Nov. 15.
Writer/Editor, Mandee Kuglin, developed a new ASR intranet, in conjunction with the web team, and she worked with Elyse to edit and communicate the release of the University's new scheduling tool Schedule Builder. Mandee and Sarah also launched and manage the new Live Like a Student Facebook page, which provides money-saving tips for college students. Meanwhile, Communications Coordinator, Kate Sophia, established the ESUP student project work stream website.
Juggling each client can be a challenge. "It's difficult to keep all the plates spinning," Kate said. Adapting to other units' business processes and often working under tight time constraints is also demanding for the team, as each project requires an exemplary level of creativity and attention to detail. The intricate and often complex details of financial aid are also a continuous learning experience for the Communications staff.
One of the biggest misconceptions of the team is not what you may think. "It isn't just writing well," Ingrid said. The ability to work collaboratively--often with little direction--and produce a high quality product requires innovation, imagination, and resourcefulness. The writing and/or designing is the byproduct. "We're constantly learning new ways of doing things," Kate said.
The team's diversity is ample, both in terms of personalities and approaches to work. But somehow it all works out. "We're all very different, but we all gel," Ingrid said.
Communications/OE Coordinator, Matt Tveter, agrees. "There's a genuine desire to get along and a mutual feeling of respect. No one says that something is a bad idea."
For Sarah, this type of collaborative team environment is a first. "I've never had a job like this before," she said.
Communications staff:
Ingrid Nuttall, Communications Manager
Matt Tveter, Communications/OE Coordinator
Kate Sophia, Communications Coordinator
Elyse Paxton, Communications Coordinator
Mandee Kuglin, Writer/Editor
Sarah Hollerich, Graphic Designer
She's not kidding. The team of six adeptly adheres to a rigorous list of clients, which includes all ASR units.
While much of the work the team handles is ongoing, they've recently completed several big projects. Graphic Designer, Sarah Hollerich, finished a series of colorful magnets depicting imaginative "monsters" that illustrate different StrengthsQuest talents. She also collaborated with Communications Coordinator, Elyse Paxton, to design flyers and brochures for the 2012 Student Veterans Appreciation Day that took place on Nov. 15.
Writer/Editor, Mandee Kuglin, developed a new ASR intranet, in conjunction with the web team, and she worked with Elyse to edit and communicate the release of the University's new scheduling tool Schedule Builder. Mandee and Sarah also launched and manage the new Live Like a Student Facebook page, which provides money-saving tips for college students. Meanwhile, Communications Coordinator, Kate Sophia, established the ESUP student project work stream website.
Juggling each client can be a challenge. "It's difficult to keep all the plates spinning," Kate said. Adapting to other units' business processes and often working under tight time constraints is also demanding for the team, as each project requires an exemplary level of creativity and attention to detail. The intricate and often complex details of financial aid are also a continuous learning experience for the Communications staff.
One of the biggest misconceptions of the team is not what you may think. "It isn't just writing well," Ingrid said. The ability to work collaboratively--often with little direction--and produce a high quality product requires innovation, imagination, and resourcefulness. The writing and/or designing is the byproduct. "We're constantly learning new ways of doing things," Kate said.
The team's diversity is ample, both in terms of personalities and approaches to work. But somehow it all works out. "We're all very different, but we all gel," Ingrid said.
Communications/OE Coordinator, Matt Tveter, agrees. "There's a genuine desire to get along and a mutual feeling of respect. No one says that something is a bad idea."
For Sarah, this type of collaborative team environment is a first. "I've never had a job like this before," she said.
Communications staff:
Ingrid Nuttall, Communications Manager
Matt Tveter, Communications/OE Coordinator
Kate Sophia, Communications Coordinator
Elyse Paxton, Communications Coordinator
Mandee Kuglin, Writer/Editor
Sarah Hollerich, Graphic Designer
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