CU Engineering Employee News & Resources - June 6, 2023

Staff Performance Management Update
The performance management cycles for Classified Staff and University Staff are closing soon. Now is the time for managers to start working with employees on completing self-evaluations and collecting 360 feedback.

University Staff
≫ Performance management cycle runs July 1 to June 30

Classified Staff
≫ Performance management cycle is currently April 1 to July 31

Please submit Univeristy Staff and Classifiied Staff evaluations and hybrid work agreement forms to CEAS HR by Friday, Aug. 11. For any questions, please contact Alisha at ceashr@colorado.edu.

Check out our newly launched performance management webpage for details about timelines, ratings, coaching sessions, completing the annual hybrid work agreement form, and more. 

June 13-14. 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., CU Recreation Center, Ice Rink Overlook
Staff Council is once again partnering with Vitalant to hold a blood drive on June 13 and 14. Participants and volunteers will receive a Staff Council-branded vampire plush to commemorate your donation! Use the links below or call 303-363-2300 to schedule an appointment to donate blood.

• June 13 appointment
• June 14 appointment

The university will offer Juneteenth as a floating personal observance day for all leave-eligible faculty and staff.

• Leave-eligible employees will need to request the eight hours of leave (prorated for part-time staff) from their supervisors for use before June 30, 2023
• Staff can enter the earnings code “Personal Observance Day” in their My Leave request

Tuesday, July 18
The next CEAS new staff orientation will be held on Tuesday, July 18 in the Discovery Learning Center (DLC). This is a full-day, in-person orientation for new staff members in the College of Engineering and Applied Science who started after the last orientation on March 14.

Invitations have been sent to new CEAS staff members and those who were previously eligible but unable to attend a past orientation. If you did not receive an invitation but believe you are eligible to attend (or if you know someone that fits this description), please reach out to angela.eberhardt@colorado.edu for more information.

The college has recently received some questions about our designated lactation room, located in DLC 201. This room was created in accordance with campus requirements, which include nearby access to clean running water, privacy accommodations, a power outlet and comfortable chair. We encourage community members to review the campus lactation room policy for guidance, resources and additional support.

The Faculty Governance Council (formerly Faculty Governance Committee) held elections this week for its executive and standing committees. Congratulations to the following faculty members:

• Chair: Andrew Goodwin
• Vice Chair: Roseanna Neupauer
• Secretary: Katherine Ramos
• At-Large Member of Executive Committee: Melinda Piket-May
• Teaching Affairs Committee: Novella Bates
• Faculty Affairs Committee: Shivakant Mishra and Alireza Doostan
• Budget and Resource Policy and Distribution Committee: Sarah Stanford-McIntyre

University of Colorado faculty on a contract have the option to choose to change their contract payment schedule between May 1 and July 14, for the 2023-24 academic year. Faculty members have until July 14 at 5 p.m. to select their new schedule in the employee portal following this guide.

Campus Human Resources and the Office of Student Employment will update student assistant pay ranges effective July 1 to accommodate the new starting rate level. Updated ranges can be found on the Student Employment website at Student Assistant Job Descriptions, Pay Ranges and Job Codes

For more information or FAQ details regarding Campus Compensation please refer to the Campus HR Employee Compensation FAQs for the upcoming academic year.

• Lalery Mayo, Coordinator of Business Operations, Williams Village - May 1

• ​​Stephanie Rosario, Research Contract and Grant Assistant Director, ADMIN/RSO - May 8

• Elizabeth Kollipara, Finance and Accounting Senior Professional, CS - May 8

• Charles Ferrer, Content and Communication Specialist, ADMIN - May 8

• Mackenzie Hatcher, Professional Academic Advisor, ADMIN/ECEE - May 12

• Morgan Ulrich, Project Manager, DARPA Contract, CEAE - May 15

• Kira Schulz, First-Year Professional Academic Advisor, ADMIN - May 16

• Abigail Morton, Graduate Program Specialist, AERO - May 19

• Sarah Merry, Professional Academic Advisor based at Colorado Mesa University, ADMIN - May 22

• Hanna Nordwall, Graphic Designer, ADMIN - May 24

• Adria Blum, Engineering Honors and Global Engineering Residential Program Coordinator - May 30

Celebrating 5 Years

• Marissa Bejarano, NCWIT Finance and Operations Professional
• Julia Putt, Research Program Manager
• Kyle Freeman, Administrative and Office Coordinator

Celebrating 10 Years

• Lauren Cole, Manager of Operations

May 2023

Ashley West, HR Coordinator, CEAS Programs - EVEN

Ashley is a tremendous asset to the Environmental Program in her human resources role. We greatly appreciate her consistent and dedicated engagement with the program, her fantastic attitude, her thoughtful communications, and her attention to detail. She is a very deserving recipient of this Employee Recognition Award.

Toni Gossett, Undergraduate Advisor, CEAE

Toni Gossett continues to exceed the expectations of the Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering. She serves as a dedicated Academic Advisor, providing her students with the attention they deserve and strongly advocating for their needs. She has worked tirelessly on student activities throughout the past academic year to ensure that our undergraduate community has opportunities for connection. Toni is an active participant in department events, including faculty and staff meetings and social events. She is intentional with forming connections within, as well as outside of, the department. Impressively, Toni has served as Chair of CEAE’s JEDI Committee this past academic year. In this role, she has stepped up to the challenge and engaged fellow staff, faculty, and students in an effort to create a more inclusive community within our department. The time and effort this role has required of her is extreme and we are so proud of, and appreciate, her leadership.  

Erin Jerick, Area Director & Undergraduate Advisor, CEAE

Through her role as an undergraduate advisor, Erin Jerick has had a major positive impact on our students. She is thorough in understanding degree requirements and nuances and approaches each student’s individual case with compassion. Students know they can rely on her to give them the right information as well as her support in navigating petitions and other special cases. Erin is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge of the curriculum. She has instant recall of all changes to the curriculum, all petitions that have or have not been approved and why, all votes from department curriculum committee meetings and from UEC meetings, etc. We rely heavily on her knowledge in all discussions of curriculum and in ensuring that decisions on petitions are consistent over the years. We cannot recommend Erin more highly for this award. Her quiet sense of humor and sharing of baked goods and creative projects have become a hub of our department community. Faculty rely on her good judgment to inform a wide range of decisions across the department, students value her warm and thorough mentoring style, and she is always in attendance at staff meetings and social events.

May 2023

Molly Riddell, Research Support Assistant Director

Your instrumental role in supporting all RSO members, innovative and bold ideas around college strategic plans for research, innovation, diversity, and equity, and your dedication to service. Your exemplary performance within and outside your role, including taking on additional tasks after the retirement of a key staff member in RSO. You are a true asset.

Lindsey Bradley, Kiewit Design Build Scholar Program Administrator

For your exemplary relationship management and stewardship for our partners at Kiewit through your work with the Kiewit Scholars program. This “above and beyond” service really peaked this week when we hosted Kiewit for their bi-annual advisory board meeting and annual scholarship dinner. You executed both events with a high level of sophistication, preparing internal participants, managing logistics, and leading the advisory board meeting.

John Henderson, Space Use & Building Operations Coordinator

For consistently going above and beyond and surpassing your responsibilities. You prepared the DLC for the all-college meeting and cleaned up afterward.  You arranged for the DLC's carpet to be cleaned for free and assisted operational colleagues during their remote work or days off. You oversaw the entire Microsoft Teams phone upgrade and ensured accurate emergency messaging. Additionally, during the December holiday break, you played a pivotal role in restoring the Engineering Center after a major flood.

Natasha Ouellette, Engineering Project Consultant, ITLP

For your active participation in creating meeting topics, reaching out to potential speakers, and ensuring smooth onboarding for new members. Your adept facilitation skills are evident during ICC meetings, where you help maintain a productive and collaborative environment. Additionally, you take the lead in the Governance Committee, contributing to its effective functioning. Your dedication extends to co-organizing events and engaging with ICC members on a semesterly basis, fostering a sense of unity and camaraderie within the committee.

Katie Morgan, Research Accountant, ECEE

For going above and beyond in your role, assisting the chair with budget management, expense allocation, and reconciliation, as well as preparing detailed spending reports. Your unwavering commitment is also evident in your support of ICC members, as they assist with conference travel funding and facilitate purchase requests. CEAS greatly values your contributions, and your dedication plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth financial operations of the committee.

Bret Moreland, Laboratory and Facilities Coordinator, ECEE

For assisting during the major flood that occurred involving the entire ECEE wing of the Engineering Center, especially our teaching and research labs. You were on-site during much of the break assessing the damage, working with the applicable faculty, coordinating efforts with the building proctor, facilities management, and ServPro.

Audrey Cook, Procurement Specialist, ECEE

Your exceptional initiative and dedication go above and beyond your role. You proactively found a company to manufacture replacement light lenses, personally delivering samples and arranging manufacturing with Colorado Plastics. For your tenacity in solving procurement challenges benefits our department and others. Your remarkable commitment and resourcefulness are highly appreciated.

CU Boulder has presented Hanspeter Schaub with the 2023 Hazel Barnes Prize, the university’s largest and most prestigious single faculty award. The honor recognizes outstanding teachers who also have distinguished records in research and scholarship.

Congratulations to Eric Frew for being named as one of this year’s inaugural winners of the Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award! The Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA) presented the first-ever Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Awards on Friday, April 7, at the ACUMent (Across CU Mentoring Program) celebration lunch. The awards honor faculty who have shown excellence in mentorship for faculty members in and outside their departments.

Matthew Morris of civil, environmental and architectural engineering has received the college’s John and Mercedes Peebles Innovation in Education Award for 2023. The award recognizes faculty in the college who have shown a unique commitment to students demonstrated through innovations in education.

Juneteenth is an official Colorado state holiday. The University of Colorado implemented a Personal Observance Day (POD) to facilitate the implementation of this holiday as soon as possible. The POD is one day of leave offered each fiscal year to leave-eligible employees. It may be used on the Juneteenth holiday itself (observed on June 19 or the nearest weekday when that date falls on the weekend) or any day chosen by the employee and approved by their supervisor.

Supervisors and payroll liaisons are asked to ensure that vacation leave-eligible employees know they have this leave day available and that they only use it once per fiscal year. Please check each employee’s leave history when they request POD.

In-person sessions, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. each day
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.

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.

Thursday, June 15. 1-2 p.m., virtual
Dr. Ashleigh Lawrence will be leading a talk that will explore how and why local Black histories matter and what may be gained or lost when Black history becomes part of national political narratives.

• Pounce de Leon, Cleocatra, and Peaches are loved and adored by the amazing Christina Oerter, one of our lovely undergraduate academic advisors on the SSAS team.

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

The Faculty & Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) is dedicated to serving the emotional and psychological needs of the campus community. All FSAP staff are trained as generalist counselors and are equipped to deal with a wide range of personal and work related issues.

Learn the value of body weight exercises and how to personalize your workout with modifications. During this interactive presentation, we’ll explore the best exercises for home and work to keep you moving in a fun and engaging way, no matter where you want to move. You’ll also receive bonus tips to get kids active or add more fun to your workout routine.

For many of us, trauma can be challenging to define and even more challenging to talk about. Here are five things everyone should know about trauma and ways to support a friend or loved one.