CU Engineering Employee News & Resources - November 2023

All CEAS staff (including both University Staff and Classified staff) will need to have your performance goals entered into Cornerstone by Wednesday, Nov. 22. For this current cycle, you can simply copy and paste your current 2023-24 performance goals into the Cornerstone platform.

Have questions or need help? The CEAS HR team offers weekly virtual “office hours” for assistance with getting started in Cornerstone. Join us on Zoom every Tuesday at 11 a.m.! 

It’s time for your nominations for the college’s annual Faculty and Staff Awards. You may nominate colleagues in the categories of teaching, service, research, outstanding staff member and textbook recognition. 

Faculty award nomination process

Outstanding staff award nomination process

Please send your nominations for the faculty awards & textbook award to Fernando Rosario-Ortiz and the staff award to Monique McCloudno later than Nov. 27. Winners will be announced in mid-December and celebrated at the January all-college meeting.

Nov. 14-16. 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., CU Recreation Center, Ice Rink Overlook
CU Boulder Staff Council is once again partnering with Vitalant to hold a blood drive Nov. 14-16. Participants and volunteers will receive a Staff Council-branded vampire plush to commemorate your donation!  To schedule an appointment to donate blood, visit vitalant.org or call 303-363-2300. You can also utilize the online sign-up links below. 

• Nov. 14 blood drive appointments
• Nov. 15 blood drive appointments
• Nov. 16 blood drive appointments

The next full-day, in-person orientation for new staff members in the College of Engineering and Applied Science who started after the last orientation will be held in February 2024. We will be sharing the exact date in a future issue of our newsletter, so keep your eyes open! Invitations will be sent to new staff members and those who were previously eligible but unable to attend a past orientation. 

The Engineering Excellence Fund is a student-managed committee that awards nearly $500,000 annually to students and faculty to support the creation of an innovative environment for engineering education in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. They are actively recruiting new faculty and staff advisors to mentor and guide the committee to support impactful proposals with a focus on equitable outcomes. This is your chance to make a profound impact on the future and direction of our college and the lives of our students. As an EEF advisor, you would have a unique opportunity to serve our college and inspire the next generation of engineers and leaders.

Faculty and staff advisor application

Responses are requested by Jan. 12. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

Campus HR has launched a much-anticipated Supervisor Development Training program. This is a series of comprehensive learning and development journeys that prepare new to established supervisors for leadership roles.

Please go to the Learning & Development section of the Human Resources site and review Learning Journey 1, Learning Journey 2, and Learning Journey 3 to start your learning path. There are also an array of courses to fill your additional professional development needs.

We encourage everyone to take advantage of these learning opportunities as we support your continued growth and development at CU Boulder!

Applications are due Dec. 15
​If you plan to take a Fall 2024 Differentiated Workload, please ensure your applications is submitted to CEAS HR by the deadline. Visit our page on Differentiated Workload Semester for CEAS Instructional Faculty for more information.

Applications are due Jan. 15, 2024​
If you plan to take an AY 2024-25, fall 2024, CY 2025 or spring 2025 sabbatical, please ensure your application is submitted to CEAS HR by the deadline. Visit our College Procedures for Sabbatical Leave for more information.

• Christie Preston, ChBE - Oct. 6
• Margaret Koval, ME - Oct. 16
• Joseph Baldwin, ADVANCEMENT - Oct. 23
• Abby Dunn, ADVANCEMENT - Oct. 23
• Heather Mallander, EVEN - Nov. 1
• Kristin Kaiser, AES - Nov. 1
• Suhad Salah, ADMIN - Nov. 1

• Elena Cinnamon, CCAR - Oct. 16

Celebrating five years: 

• Katie Morgan, Research Accounting Specialist - ECEE
• Patty Sue Femrite, Finance and Payroll Specialist - ECEE
• Rachel Campagna, Undergraduate Academic Advisor - ADMIN/ChBE

Kyle Freeman, Administrative Assistant - EMP
Kyle goes above and beyond in tasks that support our faculty and staff. Specifically his attention to detail in planning and executing the Industrial Advisory Council meetings allows the EMP to hold very professional and efficient discussions. His support of our DEI Committee in designing and ordering motivational items is a reflection of his passion and his dedication to connecting with our faculty and staff. I really appreciate his willingness to engage with all DEI topics, his courage to speak up gives us all someone to look up to.  

Lou Rutherford, Assistant Program Director - EMP
Lou is the glue that holds our program together. She is an extraordinary administrator who is gifted with empathetic communication and a genuine caring heart for others. She serves our program as the leader of the DEI committee, and member of the executive committee, all while performing an outstanding job as director of operations. Lou is someone we appreciate, respect, and rely on for meaningful support when dealing with challenges. Our Engineering Management Program wouldn’t be the same without her!

Lori Walker, Program Coordinator - Herbst
Lori Walker has been awarded the Employee Recognition Award 2023 for her exceptional dedication and outstanding contribution to the Herbst Program, particularly during the past two years in the face of significant and unforeseen organizational and personal challenges. In addition to completing her work with professional and exemplary skills, Lori kept things on track during a trying 18-month period in which the program had two different interim directors and a new permanent director, a faculty member who had little prior administrative experience. She far exceeded her performance goals during this time, despite also dealing with personal challenges as well. Her work ethic has had a positive impact on the mission of the program and has contributed greatly to the productivity of the Herbst team. The Herbst Program has profited greatly from Lori’s immense efforts and adept management skills.

Maura Hollister, Assistant Director, First-Year Experience - Engineering Connections
Maura has been an instrumental leader in the planning and successful launch of the Engineering Connections residential community in Williams Village. Maura approaches her work with thoughtful detail and keeps students centered in all that she does. Maura works to support all of her team and is a trusted colleague across the university. 

Adria Blum, Program Coordinator - Honors Program & Mortenson Center for Global Engineering RAPs
Adria was instrumental in orchestrating not one, but two vital projects over the summer and fall of 2023, moving the Engineering Honors and Global Engineering RAPs to Will Vill North as part of the new Engineering Connections program. Adria’s dual role as coordinator for both programs required her to delicately balance the needs of two distinct student populations and also the needs of the engineering freshmen more broadly. She accomplished this by creating an environment where students from all three groups feel heard and supported. She is a lynchpin of the current success of the residential engineering programs and proves every day how vital she is to the engineering community and beyond.

Nancy Wright, Finance Manager - Mortenson Center for Global Engineering
As finance manager for the Mortenson Center, Nancy approaches her job with the patience and persistence the center needs to not only continue business as usual but also pursue growth and new opportunities. During her time with the center, Nancy has taken on increasing responsibility and is always looking for opportunities to improve. She is a thoughtful, kind colleague and a central member of our team. 

Rebecca Rico, Curriculum Coordinator - CEAE
Since starting with CEAE in November 2022, Rebecca has hit the ground running and accomplished so much. On top of her already busy workload tackling academic scheduling, Rebecca has introduced, assisted with, or completely taken over the following initiatives: study abroad, virtual info sessions, peer & faculty mentoring, undergraduate welcome back event, faculty stories series, study breaks, career fair prep, and major dinners.  Rebecca does all this and more with speed, efficiency, and enthusiasm. On more than one occasion, other faculty and staff have commented on how contagious her enthusiasm and optimism are. We value her hard work and initiative and wish to recognize her through the CEAS Staff Incentive Award. Thank you, Rebecca!

Meagan Jones, Executive Assistant - ADMIN
Meagan Jones is being nominated for the Staff Incentive Award for her outstanding work as the lead event coordinator for a symposium for 100+ participants for the National Academy of Engineering on Sunday, Sept. 9, through Wednesday, Sept. 13. The event was extremely successful and drew national attention to the University of Colorado Boulder. Meagan provided support over the weekend and in the evenings of the event. The president of the National Academy of Engineers also recognized Meagan, stating, "I am sure I speak for the attendees when I say that the hospitality and care they extended made us feel part of the CU Boulder family." Thank you for all of your hard work, Meagan!

Managing Performance in a Hybrid Workplace
Next Sessions: Nov. 16, 10 a.m.-noon, virtual. Jan. 3, 10 a.m.-noon, virtual
This course identifies the shift needed for leaders to accomplish unit and university goals in a hybrid environment. Outcomes based management is one key to managing performance in a hybrid workplace along with keen attention to continuous progress on goals.  

Leading at the Speed of Trust (Franklin Covey series)
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 9-11 a.m., ARCE 346
Develop, restore, and extend trust to achieve sustainable results with your team. Registration is required. 

Get Familiar with Managing Your Performance Goals with Cornerstone!
As you know, the College of Engineering and Applied Science is transitioning to the Cornerstone Performance Management tool for university and classified staff performance management! It’s time to migrate your goals for the 2023-24 cycle to Cornerstone and ensure you have well-written, SMART goals for the current performance evaluation year, which runs from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. To get more familiar with using Cornerstone, check out the Cornerstone Knowledgebase resource provided by Campus HR.