October 29, 2012 Faculty-Staff CU-Boulder Today

In this Issue

CU-Boulder Environment and Sustainability Visioning Committee named

Provost Russell Moore today announced the charge and membership of a visioning committee to consider future opportunities for synergies and collaboration between University of Colorado Boulder environment and sustainability research and academic programs. Sharon Collinge, director of environmental studies and a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, will chair the Environment and Sustainability Visioning Committee, or ESVC.

CU invites alumni ‘Back to Boulder,’ announces new parade day, time

Have you been “Back to Boulder?” It’s a question being posed by the University of Colorado Boulder Alumni Association to its family of more than 250,000 students and alumni. Alumni, current students, faculty, staff and community members will find a broad slate of activities for the 2012 Homecoming weekend starting Thursday, Nov. 1. A full description of activities and events as well as event registration can be found on the Back to Boulder website at http://www.cualum.org/back2boulder.

Boulder Faculty Assembly seeks nominations for spring excellence awards

Each spring the BFA presents up to twelve members of the Boulder Faculty Senate with awards for faculty excellence, recognizing their outstanding work. These awards are especially notable because Boulder Campus colleagues make the nominations as well as the selections of award recipients. Instructors are eligible to be nominated. Up to four awards each will be granted for excellence in the areas of teaching;

Community Notes

Windows 8 available for download but compatibility issues exist

Microsoft has released its newest operating system, Windows 8, and it is now available for download at no cost to CU-Boulder faculty and staff (including student employees). As is the case with most new software releases, there are initially a number of incompatibilities with commonly used applications and this is also the case with Windows 8. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) recommends upgrading only when applications that you commonly use are supported and compatible, and you have verified that your hardware can support the new OS.

Website: http://colorado.edu/oit/windows8

Voting on Election Day - Nov. 6, 2012

University of Colorado Boulder employees are encouraged to vote on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Per Colorado Revised Statute §1-7-102 and State Personnel Board Rule 5-20(A), employees who do not have three hours of unscheduled work time during poll hours must be granted up to two hours of paid administrative leave. These three hours do not have to be consecutive (e.g., employees who work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. are not eligible for this leave because they may vote between 7-8 a.m. or 5-7 p.m.).

Rec Center construction update: Increased truck traffic in area

The excavation phase of the Recreation Center renovation and expansion project begins today, bringing increased truck traffic to the streets around the facility. During the week of Oct. 29 through Nov. 2, expect high truck traffic on Folsom Street and Stadium Drive as crews excavate near the location of the former tennis courts. (see map at the link below)

From Nov. 5 through Dec. 14, expect high truck traffic on University Avenue, Macky Drive and Pleasant Street as crews excavate for the new southwest entrance to the Center.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/BuffUpTheRec

2012 Elizabeth D. Gee Memorial Lectureship Award: request for nominations

The Women’s Committee of the Faculty Council requests nominations for the 2012 Elizabeth D. Gee Memorial Lectureship Award. This award recognizes and honors an outstanding faculty member of the University of Colorado for efforts to advance women in academia, interdisciplinary scholarly contributions and distinguished teaching. The award carries a $1,000 prize, and the recipient will have an opportunity to present his/her scholarly work at the CU Women Succeeding Annual Professional Development Symposium held on Feb. 22, 2013. Previous nominees are encouraged to re-apply.

Free energy assessment and Cosmo's pizza

Save money this winter by making your home more energy efficient at no cost! Student and Community Outreach on Renter's Efficiency provides the tools, gear and knowledge. Take advantage of this awesome program and get free pizza as an additional bonus. It only takes an hour tops and can make a difference in your energy bill!

Big Energy Seminar Series

The RASEI Big Energy Seminar Series brings nationally and internationally recognized speakers with a focus on large, secure, sustainable energy systems to Colorado. RASEI's goal is to promote a multidisciplinary understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with developing and deploying the 21st century energy industries needed to meet the global energy challenge.

Website: http://rasei.colorado.edu