Classified Staff Council implements employee appreciation program

Do you know of a classified staff member doing a great job? The Classified Staff Council has implemented an employee appreciation program for classified staff. Nominees will be eligible for a prize drawing each month, and a certificate and pin will be given to all nominees. Candidates will remain in the drawing for six months, starting from the month of their nomination. Nominations can be made by members of the campus community via an online form on the Classified Staff Council website. Recognition also will be given to nominated employees at the Service Recognition banquet in May. For more information, contact Michele Olson at olsonmma@uwec.edu or 715-836-3526.

Condolences

Condolences to Patti See, Academic Skills Center, whose mother, Virgiline See, passed away Sept. 20 in Chippewa Falls. Full obituary.

Lincoln Financial representative on campus Sept. 24 and 25

Dr. Jim Egan, a UW-Eau Claire professor emeritus of economics and registered representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors in Eau Claire, will be available to meet with UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff members between noon and 4:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Potawatomi Room (320C) of Davies Center and between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sept. 25 in the Little Niagara Room (211) of Davies Center.

The Lincoln National Corp. is an authorized vendor to the UW System Tax-Deferred Savings (403B) Program, which is available to UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff. For more information or to reserve a time, contact Egan at 715-834-7775 or james.egan@lfg.com. Walk-ins are welcome. More information.

First faculty/staff Q&A with chancellor set for Sept. 19

Bousquet

UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff are invited to attend the first in a series of Q&A sessions with Interim Chancellor Gilles Bousquet from noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, in Phillips Recital Hall of the Haas Fine Arts Center. Campus facilities will be the main discussion topic, although questions on additional campus topics will be welcome.

"The Q&A sessions are designed to continue to create open channels of communication and further support an unfettered exchange of ideas and opinions to build trust and mutual understanding as we move forward to write together the future of this great institution," Bousquet said.

The next faculty/staff Q&A session will be from noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, in the Menominee Room of Davies Center.

UW System offers guidance on political activities

UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff are encouraged to review the UW System guidelines on political campaign activities at system institutions. The guidelines are available on the government relations page of the UW System website.

Ameriprise representative on campus Sept. 20

Andrew Court, a financial adviser for Ameriprise, will be available to share information with UW-Eau Claire staff members about 403(b) accounts and other financial topics relevant to today's market from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sept. 20 in the Mohican Room (310A) of Davies Center. Those interested in meeting with Court are asked to contact him at 715-834-7280 or andrew.j.court@ampf.com to reserve a time. Walk-ins also are welcome. More information.

Flags to be flown at half-staff through Sept. 16

As directed by President Barack Obama, the flag of the United States will be flown at half-staff at all buildings, grounds and military installations of the United States through sunset Sept. 16. This will be done as a mark of respect for the memory of John Christopher Stevens, U.S. Ambassador to Libya, and American personnel killed in the senseless attack on the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi Sept. 11. More information.

Campus information regarding Sept. 13 Vice President Biden visit

Some limited campus building and street closures, class location changes and redirected bus routes will be in effect on Thursday, Sept. 13, associated with the special event in UW-Eau Claire's Zorn Arena.

Street and sidewalk closures
From approximately 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the following street sections and sidewalks will be closed:

• Garfield Avenue from Park Avenue west to the Ecumenical Religious Center parking lot 
• Park Avenue from the Hibbard parking lot entrance south to McKinley Avenue
• Sidewalks on both sides of Park Avenue from Garfield Avenue south to McKinley Avenue

From approximately 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the following street sections and sidewalks will be closed:

• Garfield Avenue from State Street west to Park Avenue 
• McKinley Avenue from State Street west to Park Avenue

Building closures
The following closures will be in effect in the Kjer Theatre/Brewer Hall/Zorn Arena complex:

• The entire Kjer/Brewer/Zorn complex will be closed for a security sweep from 6:30-8:30 a.m. No faculty, staff or students will be allowed in the buildings during this time.
• The entire first floor of Brewer Hall and the hallway from Kjer Theatre to Brewer Hall will be closed from 6:30 a.m. until approximately 1 p.m.
• Access to the second floor and basement of Brewer Hall will be restored after the security sweep is completed at 8:30 a.m.
• Access to Kjer Theatre from Garfield Avenue (via the door next to the loading dock) will be restored at 8:30 a.m. Access to the theater also will be available from the basement of Brewer Hall.

Class relocations
Classes that normally meet at 8 a.m. in Brewer Hall have been moved to other locations. Contact the College of Education and Human Sciences at 715-836-3671 for more information.

Bus route changes
From approximately 10:30 a.m. to noon, Eau Claire Transit bus routes serving campus will be redirected. The Water St. route bus will stop at the southwest corner of Summit and Park avenues. The Stein Boulevard route bus will stop at the northeast corner of State Street and Garfield Avenue. The bus drivers will be in communication if there are people who need to transfer from one bus to the other. The buses may run a bit off schedule due to route changes and any changes in the vice president’s travel time.

Flags to be flown at half-staff Sept. 11

As directed by President Barack Obama, the flag of the United States will be flown at half-staff at all buildings, grounds and military installations of the United States beginning at sunrise and ending at sunset Sept. 11 — Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance. This will be done to honor and remember the individuals who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Read full Presidential Proclamation.

Financial planning video conference set for Sept. 19

T. Rowe Price, one of the companies associated with the UW System TSA 403(b) Program, continues to offer educational opportunities for UW System employees. The company is sponsoring a Q&A with Stuart Ritter, a certified financial planner, via a live, 45-minute video conference, at 6 p.m. (Central time) Sept. 19. Registration is required. More information is available online.

Flags to be flown at half-staff Aug. 31

As directed by President Barack Obama, the flag of the United States will be flown at half-staff at all buildings, grounds and military installations of the United States beginning at sunrise and ending at sunset Aug. 31. This will be done as a mark of respect for for Neil Armstrong, who passed away Aug. 25. More information.

Temporary process for accessing Foundation fund information and alumni data

In April, the UW-Eau Claire Foundation and Alumni Relations office converted from the Bridge legacy system to The Raiser’s Edge and Financial Edge, which are not connected to PeopleSoft. (Campus Solutions did not have the functionality needed by the Foundation and alumni office, so a different system was acquired).

The Foundation and alumni office have been working to provide the customer service the university community expects in the areas of access to Foundation fund accounting information and alumni data. It is not yet known when that functionality will be available. In the meantime, please send email to Robin Leary at learyrj@uwec.edu for that information. She will provide a report showing current Foundation account balances and transaction history. Those who attempt to access Foundation fund account information from any other source will NOT be viewing current information. This is especially important for those who would not want to use old data to determine spending needs and/or scholarship award information.

To ensure a user-friendly process for alumni list requests, please give the Foundation and alumni office staff as much lead time as possible. It is not possible to guarantee an immediate response time on requests for information. The Foundation and alumni office staff are striving to provide accurate and timely information and thank the university faculty and staff for their understanding and patience.

LTS introduces new MyBlugold system

UW-Eau Claire's MyBlugold system has a new look and feel, as well as expanded capabilities for UW-Eau Claire students, faculty and staff.

The new system, which launched today, was developed during summer 2012 using Microsoft SharePoint 2010. Users can find the link to the system in the Current Students and Faculty/Staff dropdowns in the horizontal navigation bar on all UW-Eau Claire top-level Web pages.

The old MyBlugold system will be kept available for comparison purposes until Sept. 14.

MyBlugold is an intranet and digital workplace for UW-Eau Claire faculty, staff and students. The new system (1) replaces the original series of reference pages that linked to internal services; (2) serves as an intranet where campus departments and offices can create their own sites to publish internal information for students and staff; and (3) provides a digital workplace where documents can be stored and cross-functional teams can participate in projects.

"Sharepoint is a good fit for this campus environment,” said Craig Mey, UW-Eau Claire's director of Learning and Technology Services. "The new MyBlugold will help foster inclusive collaboration among our students, faculty and staff. The new system has many nice features that allow people with busy schedules to flexibly participate."

• Learn more about how the new MyBlugold system works.
• Get information about starting a MyBlugold intranet site.

ORSP announcements

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will sponsor a variety of programs this semester, including the following:

• Aug. 22: Sabbatical Information Session, 3-4 p.m., OL 1142 (CETL).
• Aug. 23: Grants Educational Series: Grant Proposals: Planning a Fundable Design, 3-4 p.m., OL 1142 (CETL).

Save the date: Admissions open house is Aug. 29

Admissions staff members invite the campus community to an open house from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 29 in Schofield 111. Staff will share information about UW-Eau Claire's new freshman and transfer class as well as tips for recruitment collaboration. Refreshments, pennants and posters will be available. For more information, call the Admissions office at 715-836-5415.

Condolences

Condolences to Dr. Scott Lowe, philosophy and religious studies, whose mother, Emily Boyd Lowe, passed away Aug. 1 in Lake Leelanau, Mich. More information.

Continuing Education offerings

Connecting campus and community. Continuing Education serves a wide variety of nontraditional students. Following are links to news releases about upcoming Continuing Education programs:

• Advanced wound care program to be offered through UW-Eau Claire Continuing Education.
• Registration opens for Continuing Education programs for nonprofit professionals.
• Online adult learning certificate offered through UW-Eau Claire Continuing Education.

Additional information can be found on the Continuing Education website or by calling 715-836-3636.

Lower-campus electrical outage planned for Aug. 25

On Saturday, Aug. 25, UW-Eau Claire's lower campus will be without electrical power. The Davies Student Center is one exception and will be unaffected. The Nursing Building will have its electricity interrupted for a short time at the beginning and end of the day. Davies Center and the Nursing Building will be without air conditioning for the entire day, as the central chiller in McIntyre Library will be down. Sunday, Aug. 26, will serve as a backup day if the work is not completed Aug. 25. For more information, contact Terry Classen, Facilities Management, at classetl@uwec.edu or
715-836-5278.

Tax-sheltered annuity workshop set for Sept. 19

Terry Lauber, a UW System benefit specialist, will lead a tax-sheltered annuity workshop for UW-Eau Claire employees from noon-1 p.m. and 2-3 p.m. Sept. 19 in the Ho-Chunk Room (320E) of Davies Center. For more information, contact Barb Bowers at bowersba@uwec.edu or 715-836-3871. View event poster.

Wide variety of wellness classes to be offered this fall

University Recreation & Sport Facilities offers a wide variety of workshops and non-credit classes that relate to health, fitness and nutrition. The programs are available to faculty, staff, students and community members. View fall course offerings.