Google cuts support for Internet Explorer 8

As of November 15, 2012, Google cut off support for Internet Explorer 8. After the "kill date," they expected some users in Internet Explorer 8 would have issues with features in various Google Apps (e.g., Calendar, Sites, Docs). Eventually, Google Apps will stop working entirely in that browser.

If this affects you, no worries! You can install Google Chrome or Firefox, and anyone using Windows 7 can install Internet Explorer 9 or 10, which are still supported by Google. (Thanks to Christa in ASR for this helpful info!)

Cash for college

Spring semester financial aid has been disbursed. Here's a running total of how much was awarded on each campus:

Crookston: $6,810,037
Duluth: $51,318,575
Morris: $7,534,057
Twin Cities/Rochester: $360,569,520

The grand total for the entire first spring disbursement? $426,232,189. Wow. Now it's our job to help make these students' education worth it!

Stay safe online

Be sure to stay safe online and to avoid scams. Threats exist that can cause serious harm to the university computers, and IT strives to minimize damage caused by compromised or infected systems. They do this to prevent cross infection, deny access to systems by attackers, and reduce the possibility of a data breach. If you discover a computer system is offline, contact 1-Help. (Thanks to Jeremy in OCM for passing along this very important info.)

State Senate stops by

At the end of January, members of the Minnesota State Senate were on campus. Bob McMaster, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, Julie Selander, Director of One Stop, and Robin Wright, Associate Dean of the College of Biological Sciences, hosted about 25 senators on a tour of the Masonic Cancer Center. Afterward, they stopped by STSS to learn about the active learning classrooms and the work being done in One Stop Student Services.

Savvy skills

Do you aspire to be a leader? If so, you're probably aware that great communication is an absolute must. But even if you're an amazing writer and speaker, you still gotta have the people skills to be effective. Along with addressing fundamental communications skills, here's an article that also offers tips on developing rock star people skills.

New year, new titles

Vice Provost Bob McMaster has aligned his units and titles to better reflect job responsibilities. Laura Koch's title changed to Associate Dean to reflect her work with the colleges. Bob Rubinyi is Director of Distributed Education, which reports to McMaster. Steve Hawks from Kansas State has been hired as the Assessment Coordinator. Sue Van Voorhis' title is now Associate Vice Provost and University Registrar to reflect her work with all the campuses.

McMaster will be hiring an Associate Vice Provost of Enrollment Management to replace the Admissions Director position that Wayne Siger vacated last year.

People in your neighborhood: Maggie O'Neill

She may work in financial aid collections, but Maggie O'Neill is all about giving.

For Maggie, making a difference is a priority. She lives by the Latin phrase, Non scholae, sed vitae discimus, which means "We do not learn for the school, but for life," and bases her goodwill around the actions of Mother Teresa.

"I feel very blessed and like to give others similar opportunities," Maggie said. "I couldn't live with myself if I thought I didn't make a difference or give back enough."

Maggie is dedicated to giving back in anyway she can. When she was younger, someone volunteered for her Girl Scout troop by cooking at various events. She decided to continue that legacy.

"I donate my time and cooking services to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts troops at encampments in the Minnesota and Wisconsin area," Maggie said. "I cook everything from scratch and I help kids learn how to make things like bread and cinnamon rolls. It's my way of paying it forward."

Not only does Maggie give back in her free time, but she also pays it forward at work. For five years, Maggie has been in Student Account Assistance as a Principal Collections Representative. And, though it may sound like she's all serious business, she views her job as less of a collections agent and more of an adviser and loan coach to students.

"Yes, we're collectors, but we don't pick up the phone and bark at people to pay their bill," Maggie said. "It's hard to admit that you need help when you get off track financially. We advise students on their rights and responsibilities and help them get back on track."

The aspect of Maggie's job that she is most proud of is her work on the new online Exit Counseling. She joined the project last January, after many issues pushed the launch off for a couple of years. After streamlining multiple processes, the new system launched in July 2012.

When Maggie is not at work or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her family. She has been married for 27 years to her husband Mike. She has two kids, Caitlin and Kevin. Her daughter just received her master's in deaf education from Smith College & Clarke School for Hearing and Speech and her son is currently enrolled at the University of St. Thomas majoring in physics. For 30 years, Maggie has lived in her current city of Bloomington. Maggie also loves to cook and garden. She has a huge vegetable and flower gardens.

Prior to coming to the University, Maggie worked a few accounting and human resources jobs. Despite her experience in accounting, Maggie initially started at the U as an undergraduate student in the Occupational Therapy program while working accounting jobs to pay for school. A few semesters shy of her degree, Maggie decided to take a job in accounting.

Though she still has a passion for the health sciences field, she likes where she is at. "At the end of the day, if I can look at myself in the mirror and honestly say, "Today I did my best, whatever that best may be, I made a difference, then it's been a great day and that's all I need."

Magnanimous Maggie:
1. Maggie's favorite book is Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott.
2. Neil Diamond was her first concert.
3. She loves the movie Casablanca.
4. Maggie loves big band era music because she loves to dance.
5. If she could be anyone for a day, she would be Carol Burnett to make people laugh.
6. For Halloween one year, Maggie and her roommates debated between going as a six-pack of beer or a bag of jelly beans. They picked the latter.
7. Maggie says that people may be surprised to know that she is painfully shy. "I worked to overcome my shyness, but it's still hard to get up and talk in front of a group."
8. Maggie has always been fascinated by the health sciences field.
9. Her most interesting job is when she worked for the international engineering firm that created the recordable CD.
10. She loves Italian food.