Provide your input on ASR staff development and leadership

If you have not already done so, please take a few moments to complete this short leadership survey. This is your chance to tell ASR directors about your professional development efforts and leadership skills. You'll also be able to provide input on the sorts of professional development and leadership experiences you are interested in.

Individual Development Plan team updates

Our update last week about the current staff who are contributing to these efforts is already out of date and contained one accidental omission. The IDP design team, who is reviewing and revising the current IDP, consists of Jeremy Todd, Jake Murphy, Ian Whitney and Didi Nguyen.

Over the course of the next three weeks, this design team will be working with ASR staff to test a new version of the IDP form and materials. For questions or comments about the IDP process, please contact Stacey Tidball.

From Sue: University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus completes accreditation

The Provost’s office has extended its gratitude to ASR for our information and the support provided to complete the Higher Learning Commission’s Comprehensive Quality Review process at the end of 2015.

It is with great pleasure that I can report that the University’s accreditation has been completed. Thank you to all of the individuals throughout ASR that played an important role in this process and helped to ensure the continued success of our University.

Leaver program turns student into “Returner”

ASR’s mission is “To make a positive difference in students’ lives.” A cross-collaborative effort that combined the work of staff from the Office of Admissions (Kay Anderson), the Office of Student Finance (Phuong Tran, Carol McDowell and Deb Wilkin) and One Stop Student Services (Marcia DeGaetano) did just that. Working together, they made a positive difference in the life of a student in a dire financial situation by helping the student with a residency appeal and additional financial aid (scholarships and grants) to pay off their outstanding balance, allowing them to register for spring classes. This student is now back on track to complete their University of Minnesota degree and has thanked our staff multiple times. It’s important to remember that the work we do in ASR can have a big impact outside of our office buildings.

Financial Aid Basics and More

On Thursday, January 7 OSF, One Stop and the Office of Undergraduate Education partnered to present financial aid basics (and more) to academic advising staff on the Twin Cities campus. Nearly 80 academic advisors attended the session and were very interested in learning more about how they can help students with financial aid issues (without becoming financial aid counselors). We spent a large portion of the meeting talking about Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), Work Study, Cost of Attendance appeals, Special Circumstances appeals and enrollment changes and the subsequent impact on financial aid.

Being a star team player

How can you be a star team player? MindTools.com offers these 10 tips:

• Set an example.
• Use your strengths to help the team.
• Share positive, contagious energy.
• Put the team first.
• Build relationships.
• Trust and be trusted.
• Hold people accountable.
• Be humble.
• Be a good listener.
• Accept criticism.

Check out their blog post for the full descriptions of each, as well as other work tips.

Upcoming learning opportunities

ASR Tech Tuesdays

ASR Tech Tuesdays is a series of fun, informal brown-bag meetings held over the lunch hour. Hosts and special guests share their knowledge related to working smarter and collaborating better by using technology.

Upcoming topics: Web Conferencing Primer (01/26), Editing PDFs (2/02)
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 12:00 PM (bring your lunch, if you wish)
Location: Locations vary; see z.umn.edu/techtuesdays for details

Visit z.umn.edu/techtuesdays and join the Tech Tuesdays Google Group, view a calendar of future topics, and more. Have an idea for a Tech Tuesday? Want to share your skills with your colleagues? Contact Amanda Miklik or Jeremy Todd.

ISSS Intercultural Workshop Series 

The International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) Intercultural Workshop series combines intercultural competency and skills development workshop and “Culture In-Depth” sessions discussing the unique practices, customs, and values of some of the largest international student populations on our campus.

Incorporating Equity & Diversity in the Search Process 

This workshop describes how to incorporate equity and diversity throughout all stages in the search process, including writing a position description and interview questions, using diverse recruiting sources, understanding your unit’s Affirmative Action goals and workforce statistics, and recordkeeping.