CU Engineering Employee News & Resources - Dec. 6, 2022

New Staff Orientation for College of Engineering and Applied Science will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 7 from 8:45 a.m.-3 p.m. This orientation covers initiatives specific to the CEAS and is different from the orientation offered at the CU Boulder campus level. All eligible new staff employees that started in CEAS this calendar year were invited to participate in this full-day, on-campus event. 

If you are eligible to attend CEAS New Staff Orientation and were unable to attend thus far, the next staff orientation is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, March 14. Registration will open in late February. Please reach out to Angela Eberhardt if you have any general questions regarding staff orientations.

CU Boulder granted two days of administrative leave during the December holiday season. All employees can take meaningful time off to focus on their families, friends, and personal health and well-being without needing to use vacation leave.

• Dec. 28-29: During Winter Break week (Dec. 26-30), administrative leave will be granted for two days that are not already campus holidays. If the governor issues an additional governor’s holiday for this period, that will be applied to the two administrative leave days.

Enter time-off in MyLeave
Employees will not record personal vacation leave for these days, but will need to record time-off on these days. When entering this time-off into your MyLeave for November 23 and December 28-29, please use the earnings code “Administrative Leave.”

Check out this step-by-step guide on how to use MyLeave for classified staff, university staff, faculty, temporary staff, etc. 

Reminder: All employees must submit a timesheet on a monthly basis.

We all have lots to do during the hectic holiday season, that includes taking care of some important year-end tasks to start 2023 with ease.

• Review and update your mailing address through theemployee portal before Dec. 15
• Verify your Social Security number
• Review your paycheck for accuracy
• Double check your tax withholdings with the IRS Withholding Estimator. (Reminder for international employees: You should not make changes to your W-4 without first  consulting an international tax specialist.)

If you would like to designate a different withholding rate for Colorado state income taxes, you can submit a DR 0004 withholding form. (If you do not submit this form, the information in your federal W-4 will be used to set your Colorado state withholding rate).

Applications are due Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023​
If you plan to take AY 23-24 or Fall 2023 sabbatical please ensure these are submitted to CEAS HR by the deadline. Visit our Engineering Faculty page for more information.

Don’t forget to bring your own mug or tumbler the next time you go to Violet Peaks Cafe for your midday pick-me-up. You’ll save 25 cents each time you stop by for your cup’o’joe or tea!

• Haylee Grace, Research Operations Coordinator, ADMIN - Oct. 28

• Tracy Hertzfeld, Sr. Finance & Grant Specialist, CEAE - Oct. 31

• Sharon Mackey, Sr. Finance & Grant Specialist, CEAE - Oct. 31

• Zoe Levitt, NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC), NCWIT - Nov. 9

• Rebecca Rico, Student Services & Curriculum Coordinator, CEAE - Nov. 14

• Nathan Holmes, Graphic Designer - Nov. 14

• Andrew Settle, Sr. Finance and Grant Specialist, ChBE - Nov. 28

• Valerie Hasbrook, Sr. Finance and Grant Specialist, ChBE - Nov. 28

Celebrating 5 years

• Nicole Simmons, Graduate Program Manager, AES 
• Alana Davis-DeLaria, Assistant Director, Academic Coaching, ADMIN

Celebrating 20 years

• Sarah Melssen, CCAR Research Manager, AES

• Kendra Thibeault, Graduate & Undergraduate Program Manager, EMP

"Kendra played a critical role in the successful launch of EMP’s new ME in Engineering Management degree on Coursera. This required her to go above and beyond her job responsibilities as the academic and admission advisor (at that time) for close to a year.  She helped lead the development of new processes and procedures for the Coursera student services side, such as advising, registration, degree & certificate completion audits, and information webinars.  She assisted with ensuring all systems requirements were correctly in place, in addition to helping with marketing ventures and developing the new Coursera web pages.  As usual, Kendra’s continual contribution to the EMP is exceptional."

• Laura MacDonald, Managing Director, Mortenson Center in Global Engineering

​"Laura demonstrates consistently outstanding performance in all areas of her job including supporting undergraduate & graduate students, staff, and faculty.  She also manages over 50 staff in Rwanda, conducting field research funded by USAID nationwide.  She wakes up early every morning to work with the team in Rwanda, and stays up late at night to support students in the Global Engineering Residential Academic Program."

• Rowie Wolfe, Academic Success Program Manager, CEAS Admin

"For the preparation and execution of the CliftonStrengths workshop she conducted for Administrative Council. She was thoughtful about the approach and spent time iterating on the content and activities to customize it for our college leadership team."

Congratulations to Robert H. Davis of chemical and biological engineering and Leysia Palen of computer science for earning the highest honor bestowed upon faculty across the system's four campuses.

Chancellor Philip DiStefano announced the recipients of the 2022 Employee of the Year awards. The annual awards are presented to CU Boulder staff in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the operations and success of CU Boulder. The awardees represent a variety of roles, which highlight the uniqueness of the CU Boulder workforce and the many facets of campus. Staff are nominated by their colleagues for exceptional service and contributions. This year’s winners—part of an outstanding group of candidates—have shown incredible dedication and have contributed to the success of students, their units and to the campus as a whole. They represent the best of CU.

Congratulations to the 2022 award recipient for the College of Engineering and Applied Science, Debbie Yeh!

Make a co-worker’s day. Think of a co-worker who has been doing a fabulous job lately or someone who has helped you out. Send your shout out to CEASHR@colorado.edu to have it included in our next newsletter!

"I am thrilled to announce that Debbie Yeh has been selected as a recipient of the Chancellor’s Employee of the Year Award! 

 This is an incredible honor and is fantastic recognition for all of Debbie’s outstanding work on behalf of the SSAS team, ME department, college, and campus!  Please congratulate Debbie when you see her and thank her for all of her hard work.

 Congratulations, Debbie!"

        -Mary Steiner, Associate Dean for Students, ADMIN

Involved in the hiring processes within your unit? Learn more about inclusive hiring practices by taking the Inclusive Staff Hiring Process training, available in Skillsoft.

Tuesday, January 10. 9-11 a.m. | Register to attend
The Employee Management and Compliance Essentials course provides a comprehensive overview for managers and supervisors of legal guidelines, campus policies, and CU-Boulder practices related to employee management and development. Anyone who supervises should attend this program.

Wednesday, Dec. 7. Noon-1 p.m., virtual | Register to attend
While most of us would claim that we aspire to financial goals – home ownership, saving for retirement, putting kids through college – recent studies have shown that a large percentage of people between the ages of 25–40 are deeply in debt, living from paycheck to paycheck, and highly stressed about the direction of their financial lives. Attend this seminar to discuss ways to better control your finances. This workshop is hosted by FSAP in conjunction with our partners at Elevations Credit Union.

The program provides up to six grants of $235,000 each covering up to three years of research activity with the intent to provide independent research opportunities to promising and talented early career biomedical faculty. To learn more, register for their informational webinar at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 9.

Tuesday, Dec. 13. 12:30-2:30 p.m., virtual | Register to attend
Understanding how implicit bias works is one of the cornerstones of diversity, equity and inclusion principles. Implicit bias influences our decisions, actions and judgments, and can have negative impacts on marginalized and minoritized groups of people. Learn how our thought processes prioritize certain aspects of our interactions, communication patterns and evaluations, and come away with a variety of strategies that you can use to mitigate implicit bias.

The Office of First-Generation Programs and Enrichment within the Center for Inclusion and Social Change (CISC) is proud to present the First-Generation Faculty and Staff Directory. As part of CU Boulder’s commitment to support first-generation students both in and out of the classroom, our office is leading the effort to compile and maintain an updated list of faculty and staff who are the first in their families to go to college. Additionally, you will find allies of the first-generation community who may not be first-generation but strive to intentionally support this amazing population at CU Boulder.

The Inclusive Staff Hiring Process online course is now available on Skillsoft. This course provides an overview and strategies for how to conduct an inclusive hiring process. Learn how to identify elements and stages of CU’s inclusive staff hiring process, apply strategies and best practices that promote diversity and inclusion for each step of the hiring process, and apply strategies to mitigate unconscious bias. Visit the HR Diversity Search & Hiring page for more information. To enroll, launch the Inclusive Staff Hiring Process course in Skillsoft.

Send a photo of your furry/scaly/feathered loved ones to CEASHR@colorado.edu to have it included in our next newsletter!

“This is my little brother, Rip! He came to visit us in Colorado this summer with my parents, and as you can tell, he was super excited to go with me to campus and see the Engineering Center. And yes, he brings his lampchop with him everywhere.” - Carly Morse, Online Student Services and Scheduling Coordinator

For some of us, the holidays represent a time to gather, celebrate and reconnect with loved ones. For others, it may be a time that’s marked by the stress of hosting demands, gift-giving expectations, complicated family dynamics and to-do lists.

Check out one of the Zen Meditation or “Feel Good Fridays” sessions being offered by the Contemplative Resource Center.

Need a little extra TLC to make it through the holiday season and winter? Acupuncture can be helpful for a variety of conditions, including allergies, respiratory diseases, anxiety, depression, back and neck pain, digestive disorders, fatigue, PMS, stress and more. Faculty & Staff are eligible to make the most of this benefit and can book appointments through the myCUhealth portal.

Social media can be a great tool for connecting with friends, extended family members and organized groups. However, it can also be hard to disconnect from things we may rather not see, like traumatic events, natural disasters, political feuds and more. While it’s convenient to check every notification and read every headline at our fingertips, this isn’t always the best strategy to care for our mental health.

Through CU’s Flu Shot Clinics, CU Health Plan members and covered spouses can receive a free flu shot at a campus clinic. If you aren't a plan member, you can receive a shot for just $39. Registration is required. Please bring your CU Health Plan ID card (Anthem or Kaiser) and wear clothing that allows access to your right or left shoulder so the nurse can administer the shot.

Mental Wellness Matters: This hotline helps all CU employees find support, resources for mental health issues. The University of Colorado is offering all employees a new option for quick access to mental health services – The Real Help Hotline at (833) 533-CHAT (2428).

SilverCloud Can Help!SilverCloud offers secure, immediate access to online CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) programs, tailored to your specific needs.