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New Electronic Workflow for Cellular Devices

Employees authorized to have a university cellular device must submit a new authorization form each year (per administrative policy 7-02.15). This includes employees who have access to a university-owned device or who receive a stipend for their personal cellular device.

An online workflow process is being developed for future authorizations, including the 2013 fiscal year renewals.  In addition to streamlining the authorization process, the automated workflow will provide for improved reporting and monitoring for managers and those overseeing the cellular device programs. 

The workflow will follow the same approval hierarchy as the Expense Reimbursement workflow and should be available by the end of May. More information will be communicated when the workflow is activated, and the paper forms used in previous years should not be submitted for fiscal year 2013 renewals.

The workflow must be completed in order for an employee to have a cellular device provided by the university or to receive a stipend. This includes a stated legitimate business purpose, an explanation of the intended use and the appropriate approvals.  As in the past, any university costs associated with providing the cellular device will remain with the department, division and/or campus.

Employees whose salary is fully or partly paid from a sponsored project are not eligible for the stipend option. If a cellular device has been budgeted on a sponsored project and approved by Sponsored Programs, a university-owned phone may be provided under the “personal use” option. Under this option, personal calls are not permitted and any personal usage must be reimbursed to the sponsored agreement on a monthly basis. 

Questions regarding cellular device authorization in general should be directed to Procurement at 330-672-2276 orprocurement@kent.edu. Questions regarding authorization for employees paid from a sponsored project should be directed to Debra Leonard, at 330-672-0988 or dleonard@kent.edu.
 

Total Compensation: Understanding the Value of Your Paycheck

Please remind your employees that Total Compensation statements for calendar year 2011 are now available in FlashLine for all full-time employees hired on or before Jan. 1, 2011. This annual statement provides faculty and staff with a complete picture of the financial value of their Kent State employment.

The statements include a summary of the employee's earned income (salary, vacation and sick leave), university contributions for health benefits, the tuition waiver, workers' compensation, Medicare and employee retirement plans (Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, State Teachers Retirement System or Alternative Retirement Plan).  

Employees received an email last week with directions on how to access their individual statements from two access points in the My HR tab of FlashLine. One is through the Employment Details channel; select Employee Menu and then click on the link to Total Compensation Statements. From that page, select the appropriate year and click Display.

The statement can also be accessed through the Total Compensation channel by selecting the Your Total Compensation Statement link. From that page, select the appropriate year and click Display.
For assistance with technical problems accessing statements, contact the Helpdesk at 330-672-HELP. For questions regarding information contained in the statement, contact the Benefits office at benefits@kent.edu or 330-672-3107.
 

HR Forms Library

Several Human Resources forms related to employment at ������ have been updated. The updated forms are listed below and can be found online in the Human Resources Forms Library atwww.kent.edu/hr/forms/index.cfm.  If you have saved older versions of any of the forms below, please be sure to replace them with the new version.

Updated Human Resources Forms:

• Personnel Action Form (PAF) and PAF Instructions
• Change in Status Form and Instructions
• Declaration of Prior State Service
• Notice of Voluntary Resignation
• Notification of Separation (NOS)
• Checklist for Terminating Employees
• Sick Leave Conversion (Upon Retirement)
• Poll Worker
• Ohio Ethics

If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources Records at 330-672-2901.
 

Student Employee Hiring Tips for the Summer

A reminder that when hiring temporary summer employees, it is important to use the most appropriate hiring process. If a potential temporary employee meets the credit hour enrollment requirement they should be hired through student employment. A supervisor may verify this by logging into CampusWorks and beginning the hiring process using the student’s FlashLine user name and selecting the hiring term. Once the supervisor clicks Continue, a message will alert the hiring supervisor if the student does not meet the enrollment requirement. You may also contact the Career Services Center at 330-672-2360 for enrollment verification.

If your department plans on hiring a high school student, they must be hired via the paper Student Job Hiring Formavailable in the Career Services Center Forms Library. This is for students who are attending high school, taking classes at Kent State through the Post Secondary Education Option Program, or graduating this spring and planning to attend Kent State in the fall.
 
Any questions regarding student employment can be directed to Ami Hollis at ahollis@kent.edu or 330-672-8380.
 

20-Year Club to Welcome 11 New Members

The 2012 20-Year Club Service Awards program will be held on Thursday, May 24, in the second floor dining room of the Kent Student Center. This year 11 staff employees will join the club.

The annual program honors classified and unclassified employees who have completed 20 years of continuous service at any Kent State campus. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cash bar; followed by dinner and the awards program at 6:15 p.m. The event is open to the university community and reservations are required. 

The cost for the dinner is $10 for active and retired employees who are members of the 20-Year Club and $18 for all other guests. You can visit the 20-Year Club website for registration information and a list of this year’s inductees. Please check the list and recognize those members of your staff who are being inducted, as well as employees who are reaching other milestone years of service (e.g., five years, 10 years, etc.).

For more information, contact Carla Wyckoff at 330-672-5857 or cwyckof1@kent.edu; or Sandy Taylor at 330-672-0771 or staylor4@kent.edu.
 

Wellness Survey Extended

Faculty and staff can still provide input on what they would like to see in a workplace wellness program.  The deadline to complete the survey has been extended to May 18.

The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete and participants can enter a drawing to win gift cards to area restaurants or an iPod Nano. Take the survey now.
 

Classified Performance Evaluations Due in May

Don’t forget that all classified employee evaluations must be completed by May 15. Following the performance evaluation review, the evaluation must be signed (electronic signatures) by both the manager and the employee.

Managers and supervisors should log in to your evaluation homepage at complete classified evaluations for your direct report(s). Recorded training webinars as well as other resources are available on the Performance Evaluation - Classified Manager Web page at  www.kent.edu/hr/employee/performance-evaluation-classified.cfm.

Performance evaluations for unclassified employees began in April and continue through June 6. Managers and supervisors should have received email notification with detailed information regarding the process.  Additional information and guidelines are available on the Performance Evaluation - Unclassified Managers Web page at www.kent.edu/hr/employee/performance-evaluation-unclassified-manager.cfm. There are several different unclassified evaluation forms, so be sure to let your direct reports know which evaluation tool they should use.

If you need assistance with the evaluation process, contact Karen Watson, employee relations manager, atkswatson@kent.edu or 330-672-4636; or Sandra Cole at scole3@kent.edu or 330-672-7501.
 

Technology Updates From IS

Faculty should be aware that on May 13, Information Services (IS) will update Blackboard Learn to its latest software release. This will allow faculty members to take advantage of additional features for online courses, including:

• User interface improvements (e.g. rollover editing)
• Automated options in tests for re-grading and negative marking
• A new grade history view
• Ability to check for broken links within courses
• Improved options for reporting on course activity
• Options for faculty to enable new visual themes within courses

A detailed list of enhancements is available at http://www.kent.edu/blackboard.

IS also reminds faculty and staff that Kent State has embarked on a multistep process to improve communication and collaboration tools used throughout the university. As part of this process, all Microsoft Exchange users will be migrated from the current email system to Microsoft’s hosted Office 365 Exchange environment.

The migration process will take six months, but employees who wish to migrate early can do so by contacting their department’s IS support person. You can find the designated person for your area by going to  clicking on Local Support. More information about Office 365 is available at .
 

Reporting Fraud and Abuse

Did you know that the state Auditor’s Office has a hotline for Ohioans to report potential fraud throughout government? Or that Kent State has its own system for reporting suspected cases of fraud or fiscal abuse?

Recently passed state legislation, which takes effect May 4, makes several changes to the state fraud hotline, which allows Ohio citizens the opportunity to make anonymous complaints through a toll free telephone number, the state auditor’s website, or via U.S. mail.

At Kent State a similar reporting line was established several years ago to provide a mechanism to communicate university fraud and fiscal abuse concerns. The reporting line service is provided through an independent company, is available to all employees and has a toll free phone number that is accessible 24/7. 

The contact information for both hotlines, along with other information, can be found in the April 16 issue of e-Inside.
 

Save the Date: Homecoming 2012

Kent State will celebrate Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 20. The Kent State Golden Flashes will take on the Western Michigan Broncos at Dix Stadium. Other activities will include the Homecoming parade, the annual alumni continental breakfast and parade viewing party, and more. Visit  event updates.
 

Dates to Remember:
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Older Americans Month
May 1 May Day
May 4 May 4 Remembrance Day (final exams are recessed from noon-2 p.m.)     Visit the May 4 websitefor details.
May 4 Spring Advanced Degree Commencement, 6 p.m., Memorial and Athletic  Convocation Center, Kent Campus. Visit the Commencement website.
May 4-5 Spring Commencement at Regional Campuses; contact individual             campuses for times and locations.
May 5 Spring Baccalaureate Commencement, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Memorial and Athletic Convocation Center, Kent Campus. Visit the Commencement website above for more information.
May 5 Cinco de Mayo
May 13 Mother’s Day
May 24 20-Year Club Dinner, 5:30 p.m., Second Floor Dining Room, Kent  Student Center. Reservations required; see article in this issue.
May 26-27 Shavout: Jewish observance begins at sundown
May 28 Memorial Day (University closed)

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 calendarand share the information with your staff.