Postage Costs Go Up
In case you forgot, the price for first-class mail and most other postage increased on Jan. 27. A first-class stamp now costs 46 cents and other classes of mail, such as Nonprofit, Priority and Express Mail increased an average of 2.5 to 3 percent. View the Mail Services chart highlighting the new postage rates. For questions, contact Steve Finley, manager, Mail Services, at 330-672-8703 or sfinley7@kent.edu.
New Institute for Excellence Class Begins
The Institute for Excellence kicked off its third year of programming in January. The 10-month professional development program offered by the Training and Development unit in the Division of Human Resources is designed to align the university’s strategic goals with personal leadership development to create a culture of excellence.
The Institute for Excellence has two program tracks: one for administrators and one for individual contributors who are not currently in a managerial role. This year’s class has 39 participants: 22 in the administrator track and 17 in the individual contributor track. View a list of the 2013 class.
The Institute for Excellence groups will meet monthly for either a full- or half-day session. A partial list of session topics includes discussions with members of the President’s Cabinet, increased financial literacy, emotional intelligence, two 360° assessments to benchmark skills, diversity in higher education and understanding team dynamics.
Town Hall Meetings Set to Discuss Tobacco-Free University
This fall a universitywide committee was convened at the request of President Lester A. Lefton, to study a proposal that would make all campuses tobacco free. This is in response to the recommendation from the Ohio Board of Regents that all public college and university campuses in Ohio become tobacco free.
The committee conducted a survey last fall, and has scheduled a series of Town Hall meetings this spring to gather additional input from the university community. The Town Hall sessions will be conducted at all campuses between Feb. 26 and March 14. Each session will last one hour, and faculty, staff and students are invited to attend.
View the schedule to find the meeting at your campus. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to coordinate work schedules so that employees from your unit who want to attend may do so.
Why Is Change So Hard?
Change will be the topic for a special presentation Friday, Feb. 15, in the Kiva on the Kent Campus. Cynthia Ackrill M.D., noted speaker and president of Wellspark, will speak at 10 a.m. on “Habit Shifting- Why It Is So Hard to Make a Change, and How to Make it Easier; The Neuroscience of Behavior Change.”
The session is open to faculty, staff and students; managers and supervisors are encouraged to coordinate work schedules so that employees who wish to attend may do so.
Change is always difficult, whether it’s your New Year’s resolution, losing weight or getting that job promotion. Ackrill will explore the role of the brain (neurological) and body (physiological) in changing habits and what you can do to help produce the results you want.
The program is sponsored by Kent State’s OneWellU wellness program and the College of Nursing. Registration to attend is requested and can be completed online. For those unable to attend, the session will be streamed live. View more information and the registration link.
Don’t Throw Those Files Away
Under Ohio law, Kent State has a responsibility to ensure that all of its records are maintained and disposed of in accordance with the institution’s retention schedule. A “record” as defined by the Ohio Revised Code is not limited to the paper in your file cabinets or desk drawers; it also includes emails, videotapes, etc.
The university has a retention schedule to assist faculty and staff in managing those records for which they are responsible. The schedule is organized by type of record and indicates how long each record should be kept before being destroyed or reviewed for historical value. There is also a General Schedule for routine types of records, such as personal notes and blank forms.
When a record has reached the end of its retention period as listed in the schedule, approval from the Office of General Counsel and the University Archivist is required before the record can be destroyed. Records listed in the General Schedule may be disposed of without prior approval.
To request approval, a department must complete and submit the online Records Destruction form. The form is also available through the General Counsel website. Please note that the form has changed and now requires the employee to log in with their FlashLine user name and password.
For more information on record retention, see the Nov. 19 e-Inside Legal Brief. You can also contact David Ochmann, deputy general counsel, at dochmann@kent.edu or Nichole DeCaprio, legal research specialist, at ndecapri@kent.edu.
Student Employee Reminders
For departments with student workers, here are some spring semester reminders from Student Employment. For more information, contact Ami Hollis, associate director, Career Services, at 330-672-2360 or ahollis@kent.edu.
Training and supervising student employees
If you have new student employees in your department this semester, it is critical to their success that you conduct a thorough orientation to the job and department, and review key university policies. For recommended topics and key policies to review with your new and returning student employees, see the Training and Supervising section of theStudent Employment Handbook.
Students @ Work
Last year the Career Services Center piloted a new retention initiative called the Students @ Work program. This effort is designed to help student employees reflect on the skills they are building; engage further with campus resources; and see connections between work, school and future careers. This spring, supervisors at all campuses and departments are asked to participate in this program by engaging each student employee in at least one guided conversation over the course of their tenure in your department. Once you and your student employee have met, please complete the Conversation Questionnaire and send it to the Career Services Center.
A sample conversation questionnaire and other resources are available at the Career Services Center Students @ Work website.
Spring Job and Internship Fair
Please make your student employees aware of the Spring Job and Internship Fair, Wednesday, Feb. 27, from noon-4 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. Student/alumni attendees seeking full-time employment or internship opportunities are highly encouraged to view the record number of registered employers in advance. In addition, Career Services will be conducting several workshops to assist students in preparing for the fair. More information can be found on the Spring Job & Internship Fair Web page.
Spring Employee Recognition Events
Mark your calendars now for the university’s two annual spring employee recognition events. The Office Support Staff Luncheon will be held April 24, in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. This program recognizes university employees who provide office support in departments throughout Kent State’s campuses. Invitations will be mailed the first week in April. Managers and supervisors are asked to coordinate work coverage in their units so those who are invited may attend.
The 20-Year Club dinner will take place on Wednesday, May 22, in the Kent Student Center. There are 13 staff members who will mark 20 years of continuous service at Kent State during the current fiscal year. The list of inductees and more details on the dinner will be available next month on the 20-Year Club website.
For more information on either event, contact Carla Wyckoff at cwyckof1@kent.edu.
Dates to Remember:
Black History Month
Feb. 10 Chinese New Year/Year of the Snake
Feb. 12 Mardi Gras
Feb. 13 Ash Wednesday
Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day
Feb. 15 College of Podiatric Medicine Spring Classes End (third-year students)
Feb. 18 President’s Day (university open, observed Dec. 24, 2013)
Feb. 18-March 1 College of Podiatric Medicine Spring Finals (third-year students)
Feb. 24 Purim: Jewish observance
Tell Us What You Think
This e-newsletter is designed to keep you, the managers and supervisors, informed. Please take a few minutes to let us know what you think of it, along with any comments or suggestions. You may contact us atmanagersfeedback@kent.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.
For information about events and programs for university employees, please check out the Faculty and Staff calendar and share the information with your staff.