January 30, 2013 Faculty-Staff CU-Boulder Today

In this Issue

Construction update for C4C and the Leeds School of Business

Expect to see ramped-up construction activity near Center for Community Jan. 30 - 31.

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;

Deadline for Hazel Barnes Prize nominations is Feb. 15

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 Hazel Barnes Prize. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 15, 2013.

The Hazel Barnes Prize is one of the most prestigious awards at the University of Colorado Boulder and focuses on the enriching relationship that occurs between teaching and research. Nominees should be regionally and nationally recognized, tenured faculty members who are not only outstanding teachers but also have distinguished records in research and scholarship over a substantial period of time at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Equity and Excellence Awards call for nominations - due March 5

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement (ODECE) at the University of Colorado Boulder seeks nominations for the 28th Annual Equity and Excellence Awards. This award is designed to recognize students, staff and faculty who have successfully and effectively worked to promote the principles of diversity and inclusive excellence in teaching, learning, higher education program management, or leadership practices and execution.

Community Notes

Boulder police looking for suspect in assault near CU campus

The University of Colorado Police Department would like to share the following Boulder Police Department news release with the campus community:

Boulder police are investigating an assault which took place between 4:15 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013 in the area of 28th and Colorado.

The female victim told police she was walking alone on eastbound Colorado toward 28^th St. when she says she was grabbed from behind by an unknown male. The male grabbed her with his arm across her neck.

Website: http://police.colorado.edu

Training: Federal Communications Reporting Requirements and Best Practices

The CU Office of Government Relations, in conjunction with the Office of the Provost, is offering training for faculty, staff and administrators regarding Federal Communications Reporting Requirements and Best Practices. This important training is to enable the university to comply with federal law. It will be conducted by Randy Nuckolls, Partner with McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP, who is a national expert in this field.

Who should attend this training?

Protecting student data - now and always

Safeguarding data protected by FERPA isn’t just a 9-to-5 responsibility or solely the duty of those who teach. To the extent that you have access to systems that contain student information and job responsibilities that occasionally extend beyond the office, protecting FERPA data is a 24x7x365 duty. Learn more about the roles and responsibilities of protecting student data entrusted to the university. (edit - corrected link.)

Parking & Transportation Services 2012 Annual Report

The 2012 PTS Annual Report is here! The 2012 Annual Report provides statistics and updates to PTS programs and services, based on the fiscal year, July 2011 - June 2012.

Syrian benefit night for Doctors Without Borders, Friday, Feb. 1

Project Nur at the University of Colorado, Amnesty International and the United Nations Association of Boulder County will hold a benefit night for Doctors Without Borders’ efforts in Syria on Friday, Feb. 1 in UMC room 235. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the event will continue until 10 p.m. Student tickets are $5 and come with a slice of pizza while non-student tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.

Payroll & Benefit Services update: New tax rates

PBS has received guidance from the IRS via the American Payroll Association to continue to use the 2012 payroll federal withholding tax tables until further direction is given. What this means is that your federal tax withholding will not change until new tax tables are released from the IRS. As part of the changes, an employee’s portions of the social security tax rate have also been affected. This rate has been restored to 6.2% (it was 4.2%) beginning January 1, 2013. This change will impact all employees (non-students) that are not participating in the PERA retirement plan.

Resiliency Group - Faculty and Staff Assistance Program

Resilience is the capacity to successfully adapt in times of stress and uncertainty. It does not mean that we go through life without feeling anxiety and pain; rather it is a process of overcoming challenges with a sense of well-being and wisdom. In this educational and participatory workshop series, we will learn and practice several different effective methods for uncovering and developing our natural resiliency. These strategies include mindfulness, working with the mind-body connection, meditation, emotional regulation skills, cognitive restructuring and building positive states. Participants will leave with a set of practical techniques that can be practiced in daily life.

Website: http://hr.colorado.edu/fsap/groups/Pages/Resliency-Group.aspx

CIRES Distinguished Lecture Series - Friday, Feb. 1, 2013

CIRES is pleased to welcome Dr. Richard Seager, from Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, as our next guest lecturer in the CIRES Distinguished Lecture Series. Join us for his presentation "The Dust Bowl and Other Great North American Droughts of the Past, Present, and Future" on Friday, Feb. 1 at 4 p.m. in the CIRES Auditorium-Room 338. Light reception to follow in the CIRES Atrium.