April 2013

Volume 10 | Issue 9

Heer Hall Ready to Welcome New Tenants

As part of Kent State’s campus transformation initiative, Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future, several administrative departments will be relocating to Heer Hall later this month.

The newly renovated building will be home to the Division of Human Resources, bringing together all HR units currently housed in Terrace Hall Annex and Wright Hall. Also taking up residence in the three-level building will be Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (RPIE), currently located in Lake Hall; and Academic Personnel, which will move from its office on South Willow Street.

Heer Hall is located near the intersection of Loop Road and Eastway Drive on the Kent Campus. The building improvements are similar to those made to the adjacent Harbourt Hall in 2011, and represent a transition to more eco-friendly solutions that will help to conserve energy and save money. As such, Heer Hall will be recognized as a Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) building. Harbourt Hall is the only other LEED building on campus.

The three departments are scheduled to move during the second half of April. Phone and fax numbers for all offices will remain the same.

Foundations of Excellence involves the construction of new buildings, facility upgrades and the establishment of dynamic, new spaces throughout Kent State’s campuses. The goal of the initiative is to create the most outstanding academic experience for students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community enriched by the university.

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It’s Performance Evaluation Time

Please make sure staff in your unit are aware that performance evaluations for classified and unclassified employees will take place in the coming months. March 20 through May 24 has been designated as the time to conduct the 2013 online performance evaluations for classified employees. The period for unclassified performance evaluations is April 8 through June 12.

Managers and supervisors of classified employees received an email notification March 20 with detailed information regarding the process and accessing instructions. As a reminder, recent enhancements include a performance log that can be used by your employees throughout the year to record their accomplishments, trainings and discussions.

Two webinars are available for supervisors and managers. Navigating the Online Assessment Tool will familiarize evaluators with the online assessment tool and will be offered April 8, from 10-11 a.m. and again April 23, from 10-11 a.m. Assessing and Improving the Performance of Others is a webinar for new managers and supervisors. This webinar will be available on the evaluation website after April 5.

You can register for any of the webinars at www.kent.edu/hr/employee/performance-evaluation-classified-managers.cfm. If you are unable to attend one of the sessions, they will be recorded and available for viewing a few days after the presentation.

If you would like an HR representative to come to your unit and present an overview of the evaluation process, contact Karen Watson, employee relations manager, at 330-672-4636 or kswatson@kent.edu.

If you have questions about the classified performance evaluations, contact Watson or SheaRon Daniels at 330-672-2726 or sdaniel4@kent.edu.

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Student Employee Reminders

New Form: Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland issued a new Federal Form I-9, which requires a revision to the procedures for hiring first-time, Kent State student employees. Beginning Monday, April 8, 2013, departments hiring students who have not previously been employed at Kent State University will be required to complete a Student Job Offer Form. The completed Student Job Offer Form must be presented to the Career Services Center (or Regional Campus employment office) in order for the student to complete Form I-9 and other required state and federal employment forms. The Student Job Offer form is not required for students who have previously worked on campus.

Once the initial employment paperwork is completed, the remainder of the online hiring process through CampusWorks remains the same. 

The Forms Library in the Student Employment Handbook has been updated to include the new Student Job Offer Form. Questions should be directed to Ami Hollis at ahollis@kent.edu or 28380, or Ann Motayar at amotayar@kent.edu or 330-672-8372.

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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 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 can be found on the 20-Year Club website.

For more information on either event, contact Geraldine H. Nelson, Ph.D., at 330-672-2901.

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Dates to Remember:

April 1-7	National Public Health Week
April 2	Last day of Passover
April 4-5	Virginia Hamilton Conference, Kent Student Center. More information at http://virginia-hamilton.slis.kent.edu/2013-conference
April 15	Income Tax Pay Day
April 16	Bowman Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Kent Student Center Ballroom. Contact Mary Mandalari at mmandala@kent.edu for more information.
April 17	Division of Human Resources Lunch and Learn. More information at www.kent.edu/hr/benefits/onewellu.cfm
April 22	Earth Day
April 24	Office Support Staff Luncheon  National Observance of Administrative Professionals Day
April 26	Spring classes end for first- and second-year Podiatric Medicine students

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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.