Winter classroom updates

Winter break provides the Office of Classroom Management an opportunity to access classrooms and complete projects while they are not consistently in use. Technology life-cycle upgrades are underway in Blegen Hall 205, so that it can be used as a swing classroom during spring semester. In all, 30 classrooms will receive upgrades in Blegen as the installations continue through the spring and summer semesters. 

On the St. Paul campus, Magrath 6 & 8 and Biological Sciences (BioSci) 64 are receiving upgrades prior to the start of spring semester. BioSci 64 was one of the original 2007 pilotActive Learning Classrooms and the technology upgrade will convert the instructor and student technology from analog to digital.

Financial Aid disbursements have begun for spring 2016 term

On January 4, students in the School of Dentistry, Medical School, and College of Veterinary Medicine began receiving their financial aid disbursements for the spring 2016 term. Students that signed up for direct deposit received their credit balance on January 6; credit balance checks for students that have not signed up for direct deposit were produced starting January 8. 

Undergraduate, graduate, Pharmacy and Law students will have their aid disbursed on Monday, January 11. Students that signed up for direct deposit will receive their credit balance on January 13; credit balance checks for students that have not signed up for direct deposit will be produced starting January 15. 

In case you’re wondering - a credit balance is the aid (money) left in a student’s account after their tuition and fees have been paid. Most students use this money for living expenses, so are very interested in knowing when they will receive it. 

Remember to complete Sexual Harassment training

The University’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) Office emailed staff to announce several new educational opportunities on important topics (please check your emails for the full message). Staff are encouraged to complete the “Speak Up: Understanding and Preventing Sexual Violence” training available through ULearn. EOAA has also developed video versions of three existing educational programs that also address these important topics: Sexual Harassment, Awareness, Prevention and Response;  Responding to Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Assault; and EOAA Supervisors Toolkit.

ASR Tech Tuesdays are here!

Date: Every Tuesday, starting January 12
Time: 12:00 PM (bring your lunch, if you wish)
Location: Locations vary; see z.umn.edu/techtuesdays for details

You asked, we listened - we’re kicking off the first Tech Tuesday event with a highly-requested topic: “Meeting Room Technology”! Join us to learn tips and tricks for using meeting room technology with confidence.

Visit z.umn.edu/techtuesdays and join the Tech Tuesdays Google Group, view a calendar of future topics, and more.

Williamson Hall Open House recap

The Office of the Registrar would like to thank everyone that was able to attend and make their December 17th Open House in Williamson Hall a huge success. The food was delicious, nothing less expected from ASR staff, but the event also provided an opportunity for staff to meet each other, put faces to names, and learn about the work that goes in on Williamson Hall (not just the Academic Records unit). Director of OTR Ingrid Nuttall gave a number of tours throughout the event and noted that touring staff said it was really helpful to understand where the archives of the paper transcript forms were held and why. Stay tuned for information about future Open Houses.

Individual Development Plan update

ASR’s Individual Development Plan is being revised to make it more user friendly and to encourage use by more staff for personal and career planning. An IDP Design Team (Jeremy Todd, Jake Murphy and Fritz Skinner) has redrafted the form, written clearer instructions, and worked to link the plan to an annual cycle of planning and review. The ASR Directors are also recommending that we implement a process to increase the use of IDPs in ASR.

The revised IDP Plan and process will be tested with a sample of users, reviewed with supervisors, and introduced in advance of our spring performance appraisals.

For questions or comments on the IDP process, contact Stacey Tidball.

Is it a hat? A tomato? Learn the Pomodoro technique!

The Pomodoro technique helps users break down larger tasks into smaller tasks to be completed or worked on in pre-established, timed intervals that helps users better focus and concentrate on the task at hand. Learn more »