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August 2011

Volume 8 | Issue 1

Kent State is a “Great College to Work For”

Kent State University has been selected as one of the 2011“Great Colleges to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education, the nation’s number one source of news and information about colleges and universities. The Chronicle’s “Great Colleges to Work For” program recognizes small groups of colleges, based on their enrollment size, for specific best practices and policies. This is the second time that Kent State has made the prestigious list in the program’s four-year history (Kent State was also named in 2009).

The results are based on a survey of nearly 44,000 employees at 310 colleges and universities. Kent State faculty and staff rated the institution highly enough to be recognized in the Compensation and Benefits category for large universities with 10,000 or more students. More information is available in the July 25 issue of eInside.
 

Get Ready for Welcome Weekend

Welcome Weekend, an orientation program for new students, begins Thursday, Aug. 25, when new students move into the residence halls and continues through Monday, Aug. 29, when classes begin.  Faculty and staff are encouraged to wear your “Ask Me How Can I Help?” yellow buttons and be ready to provide assistance to new students and their families who will be on campus during this time. If you need additional buttons for your department, contact Justin Hilton, senior associate vice president for University Relations, at jhilton@kent.edu.

For more information on Welcome Weekend, visit: www.kent.edu/destination/welcome.

 

Looking for Staff Excellence

The nomination period for the third President’s Excellence Award begins later this month. Nominations will be accepted from Aug. 15 through Sept. 16.  Kent State President Lester A. Lefton established the award program in 2009 as a way to reward staff members who demonstrate their daily commitment to carrying out the university’s Excellence Agenda. In the first two years of the President’s Excellence Award, 21 recipients were recognized and each recipient received a check for $1,000 after taxes.

The award recognizes exceptional performance during the previous fiscal year (July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011). Full-time classified and unclassified employees at all campuses who have been employed by the university for a minimum of one year, and are in good standing with the university, are eligible to be nominated. Past recipients are not eligible to be nominated for a minimum of two years following their award and faculty are not eligible.

Information on the award criteria, the nomination process and the nomination form will be available on the President’s website beginning Aug. 15.  Please share this information with your staff and consider nominating an employee(s) who you feel is deserving of this award.

For questions, contact Carla Wyckoff at 330-672-5857 or cwyckof1@kent.edu.

Student Employee Reminders

The beginning of the academic year also means the return of student employees to many departments on the Kent State campuses. Please review the following reminders from the Career Services Center regarding new and returning student workers, and share them with your staff:

OPERS Refund
Upon termination of public employment in Ohio, students may apply for a refund of their accumulated Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) contributions. State law requires a three-month waiting period after ending public employment (e.g., at Kent State) before students/alumni can apply for a refund. Eligible individuals should contact the Kent State Payroll Office at 330-672-8640, or payroll@kent.edu for instructions on how to request an OPERS refund.
 
When students can begin work
As you proceed with student hiring for the upcoming academic year, keep in mind that once a student’s job has been established in Banner, both the student and supervisor will receive a confirmation e-mail from CampusWorks with the subject line: On-Campus Job Confirmation for (name of student). Once that e-mail is received, the student may begin work.  Supervisors may check the status of the student jobs they have offered in the Generate Hiring Activity Reports section on their CampusWorks homepage.
 
Student Employee Handbook
The online handbook is a comprehensive resource for student employment information and is updated throughout the year.  View the Student Employment Handbook at the Career Services Center website.
 
Questions regarding student employment may be directed to campusworks@kent.edu or Ami Hollis, associate director, Career Services, at 330-672-8380.

Vacation Reminders from HR Records

This is the time of year for employees who earn vacation to be aware of two September deadlines. Please see the details below on vacation accrual maximums and the annual sick leave conversion and share this information with employees in your department. Questions should be directed to a member of the HR records staff at 330-672-2901.

Vacation Accrual Maximums
Classified and unclassified staff has until Sept. 30 to use vacation time that has accrued beyond the maximum allowed. After that date, any vacation balances beyond the maximum will be forfeited. According to the university policy regarding annual vacation leave for nonteaching unclassified and classified personnel, the maximum amount of vacation an employee can accrue is that which can be earned in a three-year period.

Vacation hours are earned each pay period and vary according to the employee’s years of service with Kent State and job appointment (i.e., classified or unclassified status). An explanation of vacation accrual rates, eligibility and usage is available at www.kent.edu/hr/benefits/leave/vacation.cfm.

Sick Leave Conversion
Eligible classified and unclassified employees will receive information later this month about the annual sick leave conversion period. Per policy 6-11.2, administrative policy regarding conversion of sick leave, eligible full-time employees with a balance of at least 500 sick leave hours may convert a maximum of 40 hours to vacation or a combination of vacation and personal leave. Eligible part-time employees with a minimum balance of 250 sick hours may convert up to 24 hours.

The conversion period is Sept. 1-14 and the process will be done electronically through the My HR tab in FlashLine. If staff members in your area do not have a computer at their work stations, please allow them time to complete the conversion at a computer lab.

Library Changes Update:  The Collection Move Project

Visitors to the Kent Campus Library this summer may have noticed several areas under renovation, which resulted in the relocation of some collections. Here is an update on the library changes, which are scheduled to be completed this week:

  • The current and bound journal collections, as well as half of the book collection has been moved.
  • Half of the Library book collection will be housed in permanent off-campus storage.  These books remain part of the Kent State Library collection and can be requested through KentLINK for next-day circulation.
  • The books that remain in the Library have been shifted to the seventh, eighth and ninth floors. The current and bound periodicals have returned to the Library and will be located on the fifth and sixth floors.
  • Journals from the Math/Computer Science Library and the bound journals from the Chemistry/Physics Library have been relocated to the central library, on the fifth and sixth floors.  

The second floor of the Library will house the Math Emporium, which is scheduled to be open at the start of the fall semester.  The fourth floor of the Library has also been cleared for expanded student seating and other services.

For more information, contact Tom Klingler, assistant dean for technical services and systems, at tk@kent.edu.

Kent Campus Makes the Switch to Pepsi

Employees and students will notice a change on the Kent Campus this fall. New vending machines, signage and beverages will be put in place as the campus makes the switch from Coca-Cola to Pepsi-Cola products.

Pepsi-Cola products include Pepsi, Diet Pepsi. Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Gatorade, Aquafina, Lipton, Ocean Spray, Orange Crush, SoBe Lifewater and Tropicana. Additional products include AMP Energy, Frappuccino Bottled Coffee Drinks from Starbucks Coffee Company, IZZE Sparking Juices, Muscle Milk, Naked Juice, Propel and Tazo Teas.

The plan is to have Pepsi fully operational for the start of the Fall 2011 Semester. For more information, see the July 18 eInside story.

New Rate for Mileage Reimbursement

If faculty or staff in your unit travel on university business, please make them aware of the recent change in the standard mileage rates which were effective on July 1, 2011.  The new rates can be found on the Accounts Payable website at http://www.kent.edu/controller/accountspayable/travel/index.cfm.

Dates to Remember:

Aug. 1
 Ramadan:  Islamic observance, first day of month-long fasting
Aug. 5
 Summer commencement, Kent State University at Geauga, 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 8-9
 Tisha B’Av:  Jewish holiday
Aug. 11
 Summer commencement doctoral ceremony, 6 p.m., Music and Speech Center, Kent Campus. For more information, visit www.kent.edu/commencement.
Aug. 13
 Summer III classes end
Summer commencement (master’s and baccalaureate), 10 a.m., Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. For more information, visit www.kent.edu/commencement
Aug. 26
 Women’s Equality Day
Aug. 26-28
 Destination Kent State: Welcome Weekend
Aug. 29
 Fall Semester 2011 classes begin at all campuses.

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 at managersfeedback@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.