Category: News Flash

MSU Human Resources would like to congratulate the 2016 Outstanding Supervisor Award recipients!

The University-wide award was established to draw attention to MSU supervisors who are highly regarded by their employees for their consistent support of the work/life (professional/personal) needs of their employees.  Previously established by the former Family Resource Center in the spring of 2001, this award is now managed through the WorkLife Office. Various academic and support staff units submitted excellent nominations this year. The nominees and nominators represent a wide variety of departments and position levels.

In celebration of “National Bosses Day and Work & Family Month” the recipients were honored at surprise celebrations with their staff and family held on various dates surrounding National Boss’s Day on October 16.

This year’s five winners include:

Karen Crosby – Chief Financial Officer, Deans Office, College of Human Medicine

“Karen has fostered a culture of support and respect. The office is a very positive place to work, and I feel our team is professional, personable and high performing.”

 

 

 

Amy Driver – Data Entry Supervisor, Enterprise Information Stewardship

“[Amy] assumes and believes in the excellence of our staff which empowers us all, and has created a work environment that makes me want to come to work every day.”

 

 

 

Sherman Garnett – Dean, James Madison College

“Whether there is a need for flexible hours, for a long time away to care for loved ones, or our own health issues, Dean Garnett has created a productive and engaging environment where faculty and staff know that they are respected, listened to and cared for.”

 

 

Jessica Nakfour – Management Analyst, MSU Extension Director’s Office

“[Jessica] is a cheerleader who motivates me to be a better employee.”

 

 

 

 

Jeremy Wilson – Director, Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection, School of Criminal Justice

“Jeremy has high expectations of high quality work that are balanced with the desire to  attend to the needs at home”

 

 

 

 

MSU is proud to have leaders who support the balance between work and personal well-being. Thank you for making our university a great place to work!

 

 

Sometimes a little knowledge goes a long way. At least that’s what happened to Eric Strouse of IPF Safety and Security Services who stopped by retirement vendor TIAA’s table at the Big Ten Network MSU vs. Wisconsin game tailgate on September 24. Eric simply tested his knowledge about financial life and work fundamentals and won TIAA’s Apple Watch sweepstakes.

You too can be entered to win amazing prizes through TIAA’s educational challenge quiz. Now through December 15, each time you play, you are entered for a chance to win one of 60 $25 Visa gift cards. Take the challenge as many times as you’d like, and learn something new about work life and finances each time. Put your knowledge to the test today!

 

When the air begins to crisp, the leaves start to change and football season is in full swing, there comes an overwhelming sense of pride that falls over campus. This sensation is known as Homecoming. Students, alumni, staff, faculty, fans, friends and family are brought together by the mutual love and respect of Michigan State.

The Homecoming Game vs. Northwestern Wildcats is on Saturday, October 15, but the festivities will take place all week. Events like Hayrides and History, a “Game of the Century” viewing party and Dairy Store ice cream at The Rock will begin on Monday, October 10 and continue throughout the week. A full list of events can be found on the Alumni Association website.

The 2016 Homecoming Parade begins at 6 p.m. on Friday October 14. Starting at the Hannah Community Center, the parade will be led by Grand Marshals Tom and Lupe Izzo, and will travel down Abbot to Grand River and turn on to campus at the Collingwood entrance. Traffic on campus will be extra busy before the parade, and several roads will be closed, so you may want to leave work a little earlier than usual.

Don’t forget the tradition of “glowing green”! Spartans anywhere in the world can show their school spirit by switching their front porch, window or any light with a green bulb for the week. Submit your “Glow Green!” photos on the MSU Alumni Association’s Facebook page, or use #GlowGreen on Twitter or Instagram for a chance to win prizes.

The leaves may no longer be green, but our hearts always are.

Working for a university as large as Michigan State, it may be difficult at times to find the resources that you need to succeed both in your career and in your personal life. The new MSU WorkLife Office was created to address this problem and provide one location for faculty and staff to obtain answers and resources pertaining to both career and family life.

We had a chance to sit down and talk with Dr. Barbara Roberts, the executive director of the WorkLife Office, in order to learn more about this new resource. Dr. Roberts described that the WorkLife Office “is here to ensure that faculty and staff have what they need to do their jobs as productively as they can.”

The office has five main focus areas: Family Care, Career Transitions, Workplace Assistance, Relocation and Community Connections, and Research. If you are a faculty or staff member with questions in any of these areas, be sure to head to their website for more information.

The WorkLife Office also sponsors many events throughout the year. One of those events, “Reflect and Connect: Navigating Life and Work Effectively in Challenging Times,” will take place next Friday, September 16. The WorkLife Office is co-hosting this event with the Employee Assistance Program and the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives. “Reflect and Connect is an opportunity for people to come together and share what’s going on in the larger world beyond the campus and sometimes on the campus,” Dr. Roberts said.

Another upcoming event is the Fatherhood Forum, which will be held on Friday, September 30, at the Kellogg Center.

Since this is a brand new office, many people may have misconceptions about its purpose. “We are not replicating the services that other people are already doing,” Dr. Roberts said. “We are helping get people to those services. So we want to be the one-stop shop where you can come in and find out about everything on campus, put together your palette of resources that you need, and go out and paint your picture of work-life balance with the resources that are already here.”

The WorkLife Office strives to ensure inclusivity, she said. “One thing that we feel makes our office unique is our ability to focus a lens of diversity on work-life practices. So we look at, and we want to hear about, how concurrent work-life practices and benefits and resources on campus affect people from different populations.  So sometimes things that we take for granted as being useful to everyone aren’t as effective in a certain population, a cultural group, or faculty of color, or international faculty, or any group that wants to draw on those provisions but maybe they weren’t designed with those folks in mind necessarily. And so you say, well wait a second, this doesn’t work for me in my culture or faith tradition or whatever it is, and we want to hear about those gaps so that we can be sure that the provisions that we put in place to help you are helpful.”

The WorkLife Office is located in Linton Hall. Parking is available across the street at the Grand River ramp or in any of the staff parking lots around West Circle. Contact the office at 517-353-1635 or worklife@msu.edu. A tour of the WorkLife Office will be available on October 3 as part of their Open House to kick-off Work and Family month. Learn more about the Open House.

As the new academic year kicks off, many of you may already be wondering what days the university will be closed. We’re here to help! MSU HR has compiled a list of the important dates to keep in mind for this year.

If you want more information than we provide below, be sure to check out the full academic calendar, which is available on the Office of the Registrar’s website.

• MSU is closed Thursday, November 24, 2016 and Friday, November 25, 2016
• MSU is closed Friday, December 23, 2016 and Monday, December 26, 2016
• MSU is closed Friday, December 30, 2016 and Monday, January 2, 2017
• MSU is open, but classes are cancelled Monday, January 16, 2017
• Spring Break is Monday, March 6, 2017 – Friday, March 10, 2017
• MSU is closed Monday, May 29, 2017
• MSU is closed Tuesday, July 4, 2017