Contrary to the weather in Michigan, Spring Break 2022 is quickly approaching! Prepare for a relaxing beachside week, a week of theme parks or a week at home with family using these exclusive employee discounts from MSU Benefits Plus.
To access all the discounts, visit MSU Benefits Plus and sign up for a free account using your ZPID number (located on your Spartan Card ID badge or on EBS).
Still looking for that perfect rental car or hotel for your trip? Are you headed to Disney World and need a discount on tickets? These are the perfect travel discounts for you:
National Car Rental: Use the code XZ20LK4 when booking your car rental for their exclusive Big Ten employee discount.
Wyndham Hotel Group: At participating Wyndham locations, book over the phone or online for up to 20% off the “Best Available Rate” with ID number 1000009114.
OrlandoVacation.com: Discounted Walt Disney World vacations for MSU staff, faculty, students and family members are available online with the code msusaves.
Staying at home during break has never sounded so enticing! See a new movie for less or bring your family to their first basketball game with these entertainment discounts:
Premium Seats USA: It is the height of the NBA season and there is no better time to check out a game with a 10% discount on tickets! Use the code CORESTREAM on the Premium Seats USA website.
AMC Theaters: Book movie tickets online for over 40% off at AMC, AMC Loews, AMC Showplace, Cineplex Odeon, Magic Johnson and Star Theaters.
Whether you are leaving town or staying in, you can try a new restaurant, see a show and more with these bonus flexible discounts:
Tickets at Work: Before you travel, book tickets for a show, visit an event and more, check your MSU discounts through Tickets at Work. The site is always being updated with new discounts and exclusives for employees.
Restaurant.com: As a special exclusive deal for MSU employees, pay $6 for $25 in restaurant certificates online using the code CORE.
Find these savings as well as many other benefits by visiting the MSU Benefits Plus portal. Sign up or log in today and have a great Spring Break!
If you work at MSU, you know how important student employees are to the success of your department and the university. Do you know a student who consistently goes above and beyond in their work? Supervisors have the chance to recognize these exemplary Spartans by nominating them for the Student Employee of the Year award by February 11, 2022.
Currently registered in an MSU degree-granting program.
Employed on student employee payroll for a minimum of three months between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022.
Nominated by their supervisor. Only one student employee may be nominated per supervisor. Complete an online nomination form here. Note: Graduate assistants, residence hall staff and other student employees who do not fall under the jurisdiction of MSU Student Employment or the Student Employee Payroll may not be nominated for this award. They are eligible for other recognition programs.
All nominees will be honored with certificates. The MSU Student Employee winner’s name is submitted for consideration for the State of Michigan competition. All nominees will be acknowledged at a reception on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, Big Ten A. Learn more about the award on the Department of Student Life website.
Another new year means new resolutions, and MSU Benefits Plus wants to make those goals and tasks more achievable than ever. Below, you can learn more about these exclusive health, wellness, and other helpful discounts for MSU employees and start your journey to a happy new year today!
To access all of these discounts and more, login to MSU Benefits Plus today. If you haven’t used MSU Benefits Plus previously, register using your ZPID number (located on your Spartan Card ID badge or in EBS).
Exercise and Mental Health:
Zeamo – On Demand workouts and fitness classes from top fitness brands and instructors – select free workouts and get 50% off your first month of gym and studio access with promo code 50OFF09.
Fitbod – Workouts that improve as you do by studying your strength and training ability, all from your phone – 25% off membership with promo code CORE.
Calm – 57% off of a one year subscription for the Apple App Store and Google Play Store’s most popular mental wellness application ($29.99 instead of $69.99).
Travel:
LMT Club – A free membership to the exclusive Last Minute Travel club (a $50 value), a website created so you can get the best deals on hotels and other travel needs.
Tickets at Work – Find deals of up to 60% off hotels in tons of destinations using this exclusive link.
Taxes:
Turbo Tax – While it’s no one’s favorite part about the new year, get a little more excited about filing your taxes by saving up to $20 using the link found on the MSU Benefits Plus website.
Education:
Spartan Bookstore – If you are looking for books to learn something new or just to enjoy some reading, visit the Spartan Bookstore for 10% off new and used books with your faculty/staff ID.
Walden University – The new year is the perfect time to gain some new knowledge that can support you in your career. Receive10% off your tuition for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs at Walden University with this link.
Tech:
Apple – Get ready to get the best deals if you choose to spend your holiday gift money on new Apple products because MSU employees get exclusive pricing through the Employee Purchase Program using this link.
Dell – Ready to upgrade your workspace in 2022? Get the best prices from Dell’s Work from Home Bundles with Member ID PS113067902.
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 through the MSU HR Website.
For more information on discounts from MSU Benefits Plus, visit the HR website. If you have any questions about the discounts, please call MSU Benefits Plus at 888-758-7575.
As we say goodbye to another year filled with unexpected challenges, now is a great time to take stock of how you’re feeling at work and pinpoint areas you’d like to improve on or change. If you don’t know where to focus your time, start by reading What’s Your Plan: Six Steps to Align Your Goals with What’s Important to You. You’ll learn how creating a personal strategic plan can provide a “vision and structure for your professional life and an anchor for you to connect with during periods of change.”
Sometimes, we set goals that may sound good on paper but aren’t super meaningful on a personal level, which sets us up for failure or significant stress as we try to achieve them. Take some time to clarify what you value most – such as life/work integration, better time management, or meaningful work – so you can focus your time strategically and succeed.
Common Work-Related Goals:
Review the common work-related goals below to see if any resonate with you and use the articles and learning opportunities provided to help you reach them.
What would you like to work on this year? I’d like to…
Improve my time management, organization and/or productivity. Between emails, texts, phone calls, virtual meetings, social media, family, and co-workers all demanding your attention, it can be hard to clear away the distractions and zero in on the work that needs to get done. Find tips to help you manage your time better, stay organized and, as a result, improve productivity.
Feel more fulfilled or happy at work. Do you wish your work was more inspiring? Before you go searching for a new job, check out these resources to see if you can make the job you currently have feel more fulfilling.
Have better life/work integration. Effective life/work integration will look differently for everyone and depends on your unique needs, goals and circumstances. Clearly communicated boundaries and expectations combined with flexibility and understanding are key.
Move into a supervisor or leadership position. If you’re ready to make a career move into a leadership position – or perhaps you have already and are looking to improve your skillset – we have plenty of resources to help you succeed.
As you think about what you want to work on in the coming year and beyond, consider tying them to your Performance Excellence goals (for support staff). For more information about how to set yourself up for success as you identify goals, check out this When SMART Meets HARD: Setting Goals that Matter article.
This holiday season, MSU Human Resources is sharing our holiday traditions with you. Get into the holiday spirit with family memories, matching pajamas, yummy recipes and more, all from our wonderful HR team members!
Feel free to leave your traditions, recipes, and more in the comments to start a conversation with staff from all over MSU!
Jordan Skjaerlund — HRIT
Favorite tradition: “My husband and I celebrate Advent from December 1 – December 24. Each day we exchange a small gift and take a picture together with the gifts each person got.”
Jeff Brodie — Benefits
Favorite tradition: “FOOD FOOD FOOD (but I have to limit carbs because of the dastardly Diabetes). Staying home on a snowy day. Seeing friends when they are available!”
A happy memory: “As a child/teenager I remember glorious Thanksgiving dinners. As a child I remember the grandparents and my aunt/uncle bringing in laundry baskets of toys (this was the 1960’s when most folks did not have a lot of money).”
Sheila Chorey — The Leave of Absence Team
Favorite tradition: “In the past, our family would select a country to research for our Christmas celebration. We would use the opportunity to try new recipes and be creative with decorations.”
Some happy memories: “For our French Christmas, we made French onion soup and duck l’orange and hung a banner that said ‘vive la france.’ When we celebrated German style, the men wore lederhosen. My favorite was the Scottish Christmas. The house was decorated in plaid, and attire consisted of kilts and plaid. It is a fun way to get everyone involved, and have the kids do a little research.”
Debbie Hafke — HRIT
Favorite tradition: “We bake sugar cookies and decorate them on Christmas Eve every year. Even though the kids are teenagers, they still leave two of the cookies out for Santa, too!”
The Hafke family baking and decorating their favorite sugar cookies for the holidays!
Danielle Hook — Organization and Professional Development (OPD)
Favorite tradition (plans): “Our son will be 18 months old this Christmas so we are most excited about starting new traditions this year!”
Sharri Margraves — OPD
Favorite tradition: “Personally, I always do the Playmakers Holiday Classic 5k and hope to not freeze to death! I cannot convince anyone else in my house to do this with me for some reason…but bundling up in festive attire makes for a good time on campus. My aunt and I both do this and then go out for breakfast.”
Sharri and her aunt preparing to run the Playmaker’s Holiday 5K!
Chris Hanna — Metrics and Data Analytics
Favorite tradition: “Cutting our Christmas tree down on Friday after Thanksgiving. The family is always geared up to do it. However once we get out there it becomes a challenge to make a decision. Everyone has their own opinion of what tree to get. When you think you have found ‘The Tree’ and point it out. You hear from the others: that’s too short or too tall, or too skinny or too fat. Or someone says ‘are you kidding me, that’s the ugliest tree I’ve ever seen, Charlie Brown wouldn’t even want that one.’ But eventually we always find a tree that we enjoy through the holiday season.”
A happy memory: “Cutting our tree down Friday after Thanksgiving started our first year of marriage. We cut down a modest size tree, brought it home, set it up and realized we didn’t have nearly enough ornaments. So I got up early the next morning and decorated it with vacuum cleaner attachments from a shop vac and regular house vac. which were colored gray and light blue (as opposed to generally being black). I thought it was pretty clever and creative. Kathy (my wife) did not… Hence we went ornament shopping.”
Donna Duck — Academic Operations
Favorite traditions: “Going to cut down our Christmas tree with the family. Favorite movie – The Santa Clause movies and Polar Express. Family matching pajamas!”
A happy memory: “I had done matching pajamas one year as a one time thing. The following year, when my son found out that I didn’t have new pajamas he was very upset with me. So, what did I do? Some last minute shopping of course. I was able to find some pajamas at the last minute and saved our new tradition. We have done it every year since!”
The Duck family in matching pajamas in front of their freshly cut and decorated Christmas tree!
Happy Holidays to the entire MSU family! We are wishing you a season full of friends, family, and delicious sugar cookies!
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday, and Michigan State wants to support you in your service this holiday season.
Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 to encourage people to give back. It’s now a global movement that inspires millions of people around the world to collaborate for good and celebrate generosity.
Sign up now to serve with your fellow Spartans in states like Texas, Indiana, and Minnesota through Serve MSU. Join the tradition that is already 14,000 Spartans strong and has raised over $1 million and spent 61,000 hours volunteering, all since 2013.
You can also serve the local community this Giving Tuesday by supporting Spartan impact projects such as campus sustainability, diversity research, and veterans resources. All of these campus initiatives and more can be found here.
To give over the phone, call (517) 884-1000. You can also email University Advancement at uadv.msuannualfund@msu.edu with any questions about Giving Tuesday or service throughout the year.
Celebrate Giving Tuesday however it works for you and your loved ones. Make someone’s day brighter with a smile, help out a neighbor or stranger, or get involved in a cause about which you are passionate.
This Giving Tuesday, find the service project or need that is perfect for you and give what you can. Spartans Will… give back to the community!
Are you looking for more ways to save money this holiday season? If you have a health care FSA for the 2021 plan year with funds still available, you can save an average of 30% by using pre-tax dollars on eligible expenses. While you still have some time to use 2021 FSA funds in the new year, it’s a good idea to think about your expenses now so you can maximize how you’ll spend any remaining balance.
Consider the following ways your FSA could benefit you and your family this holiday season. Whether you’d like to reduce holiday stress or prepare for New Year’s resolutions, your health care FSA can help. All items listed below are from the FSA Store, which means you can shop worry-free knowing everything is automatically an eligible expense.
Reduce Stress, Improve Health and Wellness: Many people experience a significant amount of stress during the winter months trying to juggle work, family and holiday plans. This Home Health and Wellness top ten list offers products to help during the workday, such as blue light glasses, tension headache relief or heating pads and neck wraps. Other helpful items include this acupressure mat, a hot/cold therapy relaxation mask, and lavender-scented comfort wrap.
Bounce Back this Virus Season: While we’re all aware of the COVID-19 virus, flu/cold season is here as well. Prepare for viruses so you and your family can bounce back quickly. Find personal protective equipment, as well as virus preparedness products such as thermometers, at-home COVID-19 tests, and over-the-counter medicines.
Before you place an order, be sure to check out the FSA Store’s monthly coupons and promo codes for additional savings. If you have any questions about your FSA, please contact MSU’s benefit provider HealthEquity/Wageworks directly at 877-924-3967. You can learn more about FSAs on the HR website.
Congratulations to Jamie Lake, the recipient of this year’s Clerical-Technical Recognition Award!
The Clerical-Technical Award is sponsored by the Thomas and Concettina Gliozzo Endowment Fund and recognizes outstanding clerical-technical employees. Jamie was selected for the award this year because of her outstanding work as a Secretary II staff member in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. She is known to take her job seriously and care about professionalism while also showing empathy and support for everyone around her.
Jamie was nominated for this award by Jill Cruth, the Academic Coordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, who, along with many other staff and faculty in the department, shared kind words and great examples of why she deserves to be recognized. A few of these examples include how this past year, when a co-worker in the Fisheries and Wildlife Office got sick, Jamie took on even more responsibility; and when a visiting scholar from Nigeria seemed homesick, Jamie decorated her office to make her feel at home and welcomed at MSU.
Jamie is also involved in the community, especially with her church’s youth programs and her passion for nature, which fits her role perfectly in Fisheries and Wildlife. She has cleaned up trash in the Great Lakes and is raising pheasants to release into the wild with the goal of raising the population of the endangered species.
Jamie is a problem solver who acts on issues without being asked. This great attribute to the department has resulted in an updated and more frequent social media presence, rewards for surveys conducted by faculty members, and even a new protocol for quickly and efficiently teaching faculty and student employees about the office systems.
Jamie had this to say about winning the prestigious award:
“I am humbled to accept the Gliozzo CT award. Winning this award recognizes [that] the support I provide is genuinely appreciated by my colleagues and I am thankful to each one of them. I’m super grateful to be working in the Fisheries and Wildlife department, with the most amazing faculty, staff, and students.”
Congratulations Jamie for your incredible work in your department and at Michigan State!
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.
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.
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
Nov. 2 – MSU Percussion Ensemble: Presenting a range of contemporary works performed by members of MSU’s percussion ensemble.
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
Nov. 3 – Introduction to Process Mapping: Learn how to define key process improvement terminology, identify common elements of process maps, reduce barriers to success, and create a process map. If you take this course, consider taking the follow-up Promapp, Interactive Process Creation course on Dec. 1.
Dec. 1 (register by Nov. 17) – The Power of Habit: Based on “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, in this course you will learn how habits are created and how to replace undesirable habits with productive ones.
Dec. 9 – Building Cohesive Teams: Explore strategies to increase team cohesiveness and establish positive day-to-day interactions to enhance communication, build team awareness and cultivate trustworthiness in the work culture.
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.
