Don’t forget your MSU employee discounts this holiday season!

Published on by Megan MacGregorLeave a comment

As a benefits-eligible MSU employee, you have access to various discounts and savings that can help you find the perfect holiday gifts. Through MSU Benefits Plus, you can find discounts and special offers on products such as electronics, toys and more!

To access all the discounts, visit MSU Benefits Plus and sign-in using your ZPID number (located on your Spartan Card ID badge), or you can find the number in EBS. If you haven’t used MSU Benefits Plus previously, you’ll need to sign-up using your ZPID number to access the discounts.

The following are a few of the deals you can find through MSU Benefits Plus:

  • Apple – Enjoy employee pricing on most Apple products such as select iPhones, AirPods, MacBooks, Apple Watches and more when you shop through this exclusive link.
  • Amish Furniture Company – Receive a 10% discount on all purchases using coupon code EDU10% during check out (may request proof of MSU affiliation).
  • Best Buy – Save 20% on select cell phone accessories including OtterBox, LieProof, Mophie, Speck, Kate Spade NY, Under Armour, and more when you use promo code 20percentoff at checkout.
  • Calm – Get 57% off* the #1 app for meditation and sleep through this link.
  • HP Gaming Gear – The HP Employee Purchase Program (EPP) offers HP consumer products at discounts typically up to 10% – 50% off starting prices through this exclusive link.
  • Kiwi Crate – Inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, and save 35% off your first month’s box when you use this exclusive link!
  • Magazine Advantage – get up to 90% off the most popular magazines offering titles such as People, Better Homes & Gardens, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living, Martha Stewart Living & more! Buy for yourself or send as a gift through this exclusive link.

The HR website also offers other deals you can find on-campus through the MSU Tech Store, MSU Bakers, and the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, among others. You can check out some of those deals at MSU HR Website.

For more information on discounts through MSU Benefits Plus, visit the HR website. If you have any questions about the discounts, please call MSU Benefits Plus at 888-758-7575.

Job of the Week: Events Worker

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This week’s featured job from MSU Human Resources is an Events Worker support staff position (posting 746818) for the Department of Police and Public Safety in the Office of the President.  

The selected candidate will take on either a temporary or on-call role providing support for large and/or special university events. Special duties include, but are not limited to, working in concession stands, maintaining supplies, operating cash drawers and parking enforcement. They will monitor secure areas and contact police when needed for law enforcement or ordering maintenance. Temporary workers can work two (2) nine (9) month terms with a break in between. On-call employees can work up to 1039 hours in any twelve (12) month period. For the complete list of responsibilities and hour restrictions, click here.

Applicants interested in this role should expect to provide leadership and direction in emergencies and display a high standard of ethical conduct. Other desired qualifications include working flexible hours such as holidays and MSU home football game days. The ideal candidate will also need  to pass a certification test provided by the department,complete  required training, become certified in blood-borne pathogen standards and pass an employment background investigation.  

Learn more about the Department of Police and Public Safety at https://police.msu.edu/. Read more about the position here and apply with an MSU Application, resume and cover letter by November 19. All the latest job postings can be found at careers.msu.edu.

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Submit a Nomination for the 2022 Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award!

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Do you know an MSU employee pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree who deserves to be recognized for going above and beyond what is expected of them in their work and studies? Now is your chance to show your appreciation for your coworkers and all the outstanding work they do by submitting a nomination for the 2022 Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award! MSU is currently seeking nominations for this award and will accept nominations through January 21, 2022.

This annual award recognizes a support staff member who most closely exemplifies the contributions, personal characteristics, and commitment to MSU demonstrated by Ms. Jameyson, going “above and beyond” what is reasonably expected in supporting the mission of MSU. In recognition of Ms. Jameyson’s own pursuit of a graduate degree while working at MSU, the award recipient must be pursuing a graduate degree at MSU or elsewhere concurrent with their employment at MSU. A stipend of $2,500 will accompany the award and may be used as determined appropriate by the recipient.

Last year’s Ruth Jameyson Award winner, Kelly Feinberg, was a Research Administrator II/S in the Dean’s Office of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences pursuing a graduate degree in strategic communication from MSU. Learn more about the 2021 Ruth Jameyson Award Winner and what her colleagues had to say.

Individuals may be nominated by any member of the university community (colleague, administrator, faculty, support staff, student). A nominee must be a regular, active employee with at least five years of service to MSU in a support staff position.

To learn more about the nomination process, and find the nomination form, visit the MSU HR website. The deadline for nominations is January 21, 2022.

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OPD Course Spotlight — The Power of Habit

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“If you believe you can change — if you make it a habit — the change becomes real.” ― Charles Duhigg

Consider this: what would your life look like if you actually did the things you believe you ought to?

Research shows that approximately 40-45% of what we do every day isn’t a result of deliberate decisions but rather out of habit. Habits affect performance more than talent, intelligence or luck, but it can be a challenge to control our habits to get the outcomes we want.

Have you acquired new or different habits throughout all the changes brought on by COVID-19? As we navigate the next phase of our professional and personal lives, University of Southern California research psychologist, Wendy Wood, explains, “We’re going to be faced with two sets of habits: pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. And we’ll have to choose which to repeat.”

As daunting as that might sound, you’re now in a perfect position to decide which habits you want to maintain going forward and any new habits you want to form. MSU HR’s Organization and Professional Development (OPD) department’s workshop, The Power of Habit, can help.

The Power of Habit, is currently open for registration in the EBS Portal for October 13, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Check out a preview of what you can expect from The Power of Habit.

Based on the bestseller by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit will teach you how habits work and how to develop effective habits using simple and precise skills grounded in science and research. Changing undesirable habits and creating new, healthy ones is not an innate trait nor something dependent on grit and willpower. Rather, habit formation is a skill that can be developed and strengthened. Discover how to master your automatic routines with the belief that almost any habit can be reshaped once you understand how — and why — it was formed in the first place.

Ready to learn more? Register for an upcoming The Power of Habit session in the EBS Portal, or contact OPD at prodev@hr.msu.edu or 517-355-0813 for additional information.

Winter Events, Activities, Holiday Shopping, and Courses

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As the colder weather sets in and the holidays approach, take note of the following opportunities on campus or in the surrounding area for you and your family. Please note: the events below are subject to change at any time. Please confirm event details, safety policies, etc. directly with each event listed.

Family/Kid Friendly

  • Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – MSU Abrams Planetarium Family Shows: In November, check out Violent Universe: Catastrophes of the Cosmos and The Little Star That Could. They also offer sensory friendly shows on the third Sunday of the month.
  • Nov. 6 – Family Day: Perspective: Make creative connections with our exhibitions through free hands-on and interactive family fun throughout the museum. All ages are welcome. See all upcoming events at the MSU Broad Art Museum here.
  • Nov. 19 – Silver Bells in the City: Millions of lights. Thousands of people. One very special guest. Lansing’s premiere holiday event.
  • Starts Nov. 20 – Wonderland of Lights at Potter Park Zoo: Tour grounds with friends and family as thousands of lights and decorations transform the zoo into a holiday spectacle.
  • Nov. 21 – CADL-Downtown Branch Sensory Friendly Movies: Join in on the 3rd Sunday of the month for sensory-friendly family-friendly movies when we turn the lights up and turn the sound down. Feel free to get up, dance, walk, shout or sing! Snacks provided.

Holiday Shopping

  • Nov. 4 – Dec. 23 (every Thursday, Friday and Saturday) – Michigan Made Holiday Art Exhibition: Showcasing established and emerging artists, enjoy holiday shopping and opportunities to support makers in the local economy.
  • Nov. 5 – 2021 MSU Houseplant & Succulent Sale: All sales from this fundraiser help support the gardens, including funding for garden maintenance, educational programming, and support for our undergraduate student employees.
  • Nov. 5 – Arts Night Out: Shops host a special sale, exhibits, arts and crafts demo, live performances.
  • Second Friday of the Month – Second Friday Shop Hop in Old Town: Hop around to multiple participating businesses for specials, make and takes, pop up shops, local artist, and more.

Music

Performance and Art

  • Nov. 3 – Whose Live Anyway? 90 minutes of hilarious improvised comedy and song all based on audience suggestions.
  • Nov. 14 – Print Club!: Print Club! is a LGBTQ+ affirming social club founded by Lansing artist Randi Richards (they/them/she/her) dedicated to making space for those that love ink to work together, share, and build skills without financial barriers.

Personal/Professional Development Opportunities

Sports/Fitness

  • Nov. 20 – Silver Bells 5K: Participants will be able to run/walk the 5K marked course in downtown Lansing or from home virtually.
  • Nov. 25 – Lansing Turkey Trot (in-person or virtual): Proceeds from the race go to support High School and Middle School Cross Country and Track programs, and Youth Running Clubs through the Michigan Running Foundation grant program.

Do you have an event you’d like us to consider including in a future article? Please email HR.CommunicationsList@campusad.msu.edu with the details.

Job of the Week: Communications Manager I

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This week’s featured job from MSU Human Resources is a Communications Manager I support staff position (posting 743910) for the Department of Strategic Initiatives in Infrastructure and Planning Facilities. 

The selected candidate will report directly to the Infrastructure Planning and Facilities (IPF) communications manager. Special duties include, but are not limited to, oversight of photography, video and other multimedia and management of social media accounts. They will be responsible for strategy development and creation of all visual communication materials for IPF and oversee MSU and IPF level branding. The position will work to develop and maintain relationships internal and external to IPF. The staff member will also prepare files and reports for vendor printing and design presentations. For the complete list of responsibilities, click here. 

Applicants interested in this role should be self-starters who possess good decision making and problem solving skills. Knowledge required includes what would normally be acquired in a four-year college degree program in a communications-related field. One to three years of related experience in print marketing, photo and video production, and social media oversight is also required. An equivalent combination of education and experience may also be considered when filling this position. The desired qualifications for the position include experience with the Adobe Creative Cloud, website content management systems, and social media sites and content. The ideal candidate would also be a creative and innovative lifelong learner with the ability to communicate effectively with a diverse population. 
Learn more about Infrastructure and Planning Facilities at ipf.msu.edu. Read more about the position here and apply with a resume, cover letter, and portfolio by November 9. All the latest job postings can be found at careers.msu.edu.

Job of the Week: Office Coordinator II

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This week’s featured job from MSU Human Resources is an Office Coordinator II support staff position (posting 741956) for the Department of Educational Administration in the College of Education. 

The selected candidate will provide executive-level support to the Department of Educational Administration chairperson in the MSU College of Education. Specific duties include, but are not limited to, assisting in the faculty reappointment, promotion, tenure and annual review processes. They will process various forms and reimbursements, maintain faculty personnel files, plan department faculty meetings and class schedules, and more. The position will represent their department in interactions with students, faculty, staff, administrators, executives and the public. The staff member will also provide front desk support for the department bay area and direct all office guests to the proper location or person. For the complete list of responsibilities, click here. 

Applicants interested in this role should be initiative-taking team players who are willing to learn for continuous self-improvement. Knowledge required includes two or three years of college, technical school or a related field. One to three years of related experience in a professional office setting performing secretarial and administrative tasks is also required. An equivalent combination of education and experience may also be considered when filling this position. The desired qualifications for the position include experience in Microsoft Office and experience with university systems including SAP, SIS, D2L, Campus Solutions, WordPress and others. The ideal candidate would also have knowledge of University policies and procedures.

Learn more about the College of Education at https://education.msu.edu/ead/. Read more about the position here and apply with a resume and cover letter by November 2. All the latest job postings can be found at careers.msu.edu.

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Leadership Blog Series: Leading Strategic Planning

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Written by Sharri Margraves, HR Associate Director for Organization and Professional Development 

Strategic planning is a critical aspect for leaders in all organizations, and now that MSU has recently introduced its first strategic plan in decades, you have an opportunity to help drive the results that will continue the upward trajectory of the university. Strategic planning is about change, and as with any change effort, communication and clarity of purpose are essential throughout the process.

It can be helpful to recognize the process of strategic planning as four typical phases: pre-planning, assessment, implementation, and measuring and monitoring.

Pre-Planning

The pre-planning phase is a lot like trying out a new recipe, and the first rule of cooking is to read through the entire recipe before you start. Be sure you have everything you need, and you understand what you need to do. Similarly, with strategic planning, first make sure you have the people, tools, and clarity that will allow your team to be successful before you formally begin. Consider all aspects including who will be on the planning team, general timing, communication cadence and how you will ensure DEI throughout the planning process.

Assessment: Begin Where you Are

Assessment will take the greatest amount of time.

  • What is your organization’s readiness for change?
  • Do you have a current and valid Mission, Vision and Values (MVV, for short)?
  • Can you hear the truth from your employees and stakeholders?
  • Do you need to provide training?

Assessing the organization is a part of the plan that is vital to get right—and your organizational context matters. All the tools in the world will not help if you or your team is defensive about what you might hear. From here, you will begin to develop the tactical plan.

Implementation: Building the Document

Going from assessment to writing the plan… well, let’s just say it takes time. Gleaning the most essential strategic goals or themes from your assessment effort is an iterative process, and multiple people will be involved. You will need to align your MVV and framework and produce a clear and concise “living” document.

For each strategic goal, you will have key objectives. From there, you need to have the tactics that will be needed to reach the objective. Often forgotten: leaders need to connect the dots. These tactics tell teams and individuals what needs to be done by when.

Implementation: Communication

Sure, you’ve thought about the day when your plan would be done. The reality is, now is the point where the real work begins. Cascading the information throughout your organization for implementation while also communicating with your external stakeholders is critical.

Establishing the priority while allowing your team to contribute to the “how” is important because the strategic plan should be parallel to the normal work you are already doing. On an individual level, each person in the organization should know how they will contribute to the responsibilities and tasks that will roll up from tactics to objectives to goal achievement.

Measuring and Monitoring: Review and Revise

What will success look like? As you develop your tactical plan, you will have time/milestones, key performance indicators (KPI) and other measures to indicate you are achieving your goals. Establishing a regular cadence for reporting progress is important to your internal and external stakeholders. Some objectives have a bit of a lag before data can be obtained, which is why you want to have other indicators to ensure you are progressing. Including the measurement in the building phase is important. It’s easy to get excited over goals, only to realize measuring progress is not so easy.

Interested in learning more? Recommended resources are listed below, and the Organization and Professional Development department can be reached at prodev@hr.msu.edu for specialized support.

Recommended Resources

MSU Strategic Plan

Strategic Planning Checklist

Business Orientation: Strategic Organizational Goals | elevateU course (50 minutes)

Job of the Week: Communications Manager I

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This week, MSU Human Resources is featuring a Communications Manager I support staff position (posting 739078) through the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

This individual will be supporting the MSU Center for Low-Moisture Food Safety, a large, multi-institutional grant team. They will coordinate communications, marketing, publicity efforts, and develop communications strategy. They will also support the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering by coordinating best communications and marketing practices for student recruitment and retention (undergraduate and graduate), research, and outreach in the department. The primary responsibilities include serving as a communications resource for faculty and staff on the grant team and in the department. The position also includes networking within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Engineering, and University Communications to generate collaborations and successful media campaigns, as well as overseeing composition and editing of web and print content, news stories, feature stories and social media posts. A day in the position may entail attending regular meetings with the grant project management team, department communicators or faculty and staff members, developing creative work focused on the grant project activities and the department’s teaching, research and outreach, and making sure all communications and materials are aligned with MSU and college specific brand strategies. For a full list of responsibilities, click here. 

Applicants interested in this role must have knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in communications, public relations or a related field as well as one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in higher education, experience developing and executing communications strategies for a large project or unit and experience in public and media relations, composing news articles and print media, marketing, advertising, creative service and graphic design is also required. Other necessary skills include word processing, desktop publishing, web design, database software, public presentation and experience managing and executing content for social media. The desired qualifications include experience in AP Style writing and editing techniques; web communications, social communications and general communications support; strong writing, proofreading and editing skills; attention to detail; strong interpersonal skills; knowledge of tools such as Office 365, Adobe Photoshop and InDesign; and MSU branding knowledge.
To read more about the department of this position, visit https://www.canr.msu.edu/bae. Learn more about the position and apply with a cover letter, resume, and three professional references by October 26 here. The position is grant-funded through August 2025 with possible extension contingent upon funding renewal. Find all the latest job postings at careers.msu.edu.

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Updates to Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance for the 2022 Plan Year

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AD&D insurance is a voluntary, employee-paid benefit that provides various amounts of coverage for accidental death or dismemberment that occurs at any time (not just during work). AD&D insurance is available to all benefit-eligible employees and their spouse/other eligible individual (OEI) or dependent children. You can only enroll, make changes or cancel coverage in AD&D insurance during the Open Enrollment period in October.

AD&D coverage is available at 1 to 10 times your annual salary. Benefit levels vary by type of insurance selected (employee-only or family) and the extent of the injury. Benefit amounts for your spouse/OEI and/or child(ren) are based on a percentage of your benefit amount. To calculate your monthly rate, review the Support Staff Open Enrollment Guide or Faculty/Academic Staff Open Enrollment Guide.

Please review the Prudential brochure for AD&D insurance to find details about the plan. We’ve highlighted a few plan enhancements for the 2022 plan year below that may help you determine if this optional benefit is right for you and your family:

  • The maximum benefit has increased for employee coverage to $1,500,000 (from $1,000,000) and spouse/OEI coverage to $750,000 (from $600,000).
  • The child only benefit amount has increased from 20% to 25% of the eligible employee benefit.
  • The spouse & child benefit amount increased to 50% spouse/20% child (from 50% spouse/15% child).

Additionally, other updates for the 2022 plan period include benefit amounts for triplegia, motorcycle safety equipment, home alteration/vehicle modification, critical burns, mortgage payment, funeral expenses, monthly rehabilitation, and surgical replantation. Find details about these new benefits for the 2022 plan year here.

Questions? MSU’s plan administrator for AD&D insurance is Prudential. If you have questions, we encourage you to speak to a Prudential representative during the MSU Virtual Benefits Fair this October or contact Prudential at 877-232-3555. Additionally, find further details about AD&D insurance in the Prudential brochure available on the HR website.