Source Newsletters – January 2018

In case you missed it, here are the January 2018 Source newsletters.

There is a Source Newsletter for Support Staff and a Source Newsletter for Faculty, Academic Staff and Executive Management.

You can find older editions of the newsletter on the HR website.

Here are the headlines at a glance for this month’s Source:

Support Staff: 

  • source-january-ss2018 IRS Retirement Plan Contribution Limits
  • Join the MSU Support Staff Facebook Group
  • A New Year of Resolutions: WorkLife Tips
  • Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award Nominations
  • Student Employee of the Year Award Nominations
  • Women’s Networking Association Seminars
  • Identity Theft, Unemployment Fraud and Tax Fraud
  • IRS Extends ACA Individual Statement Deadline
  • TIAA Webinars to Boost Financial Know-How
  • Solutions Center Phone Number Update
  • Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities

Faculty and Academic Staff:

  • 2018 IRS Retirement Plan Contribution Limitssource-january-fas
  • Academic Women’s Forum Event Dates
  • A New Year of Resolutions: WorkLife Tips
  • 2018 AT&T Instructional Technology Award
  • Student Employee of the Year Award Nominations
  • TIAA Webinars to Boost Financial Know-How
  • Teaching & Learning Spring Conference and Student Success Summit: Proposals Due Feb. 5
  • Identity Theft, Unemployment Fraud and Tax Fraud
  • IRS Extends ACA Individual Statement Deadline
  • Solutions Center Phone Number Update
  • Events at a Glance

Job of the Week 1/19/18

This week’s job of the week is a Management Analyst (posting #486354) with the Office of Planning and Budgets. This position is responsible for planning, directing, managing and executing the fiscal and budgetary responsibilities necessary to successfully support the range of university capital planning, implementation and operational activities and associated processes and policies. The Management Analyst will engage with various campus stakeholders on a regular basis to problem solve, develop strategies, recommendation and implement approved plans.Careers @ MSU Graphic

The ideal candidate would possess five or more years of related work experience in budget development and administration; strong reasoning, judgment and communication skills; and must enjoy problem solving among other qualifications.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

MSU Tennis Center wants YOU to come play!

Have you heard about the MSU Tennis Center and all it has to offer? The center opened 31 years ago to build a community around the sport of tennis. It offers discounted court times for faculty, staff and students. The center is also open to the public and is based on a pay-to-play system, no memberships are required! They are also the home of the Michigan State Men’s and Women’s tennis teams.

The Tennis Center offers classes for all ages, from kids starting at age three to seniors and any skill level. Class schedules are posted on the Tennis Center website. If the posted times do not work for your schedule, instructors are flexible and can create new time slots that work for your schedule. On top of set lessons and classes, the center offers adult mixers every month. Players get rotated around courts to play against different people every round and snacks are provided afterward! Family Fun Nights are also scheduled periodically where parents can bring their children and have a chance to play with them on the court, rather than watching during lessons.

The Tennis Center certified staff are made up of MSU Alumni, former MSU Tennis players and coaches. They are available to provide guidance on equipment, craft and best practices. The Pro Shop located inside the center offers apparel, rackets, balls and more specialty items to help you play your best game.

ProShop

On top of the discounts and resources at the Tennis Center, there is also free admission to MSU Men’s and Women’s Tennis matches! With a unique court set-up, spectators are as close to the game as possible, with visibility of all eight courts.

Court

The goal of the Tennis Center is to help everyone in the area build a community, perfect their craft and assist in any way they can. “Love the game. I feel like if someone comes here and gets involved in something, they can come and learn to love the game of tennis.” -Heather Mactaggart, Manager.

Student of the Year 2018 Nominations

Reliable, professional and self-starting are some of the words that describe exemplary student employees here at MSU. As supervisors, mentors and teachers to these outstanding Spartans, you have the power to recognize these individuals in the best way possible. Nominate a student employee for the Student Employee of the Year Award! The MSU Student Employee of the Year Recognition Program is sponsored by The Division of Student Affairs and Services, Department of Student Life.

Last year’s winner was Zachary Perez, an operations intern for the Eat at State ON-THE-GO Food Truck. At his award ceremony Perez said “Getting into Culinary Services and helping in the test kitchen led me on a path to truly be successful. It really helped me advance into a career and line up a full-time position for post-graduation.”

Student Employee of the Year 2017_Perez
Zachary Perez, Student Employee of the Year 2017

Eligible nominees must be:

  • Currently registered in an MSU degree-granting program.
  • Employed on student employee payroll for a minimum of three months between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018.
  • Nominated by their supervisor. only one student employee may be nominated per supervisor.
    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. Complete an online nomination forms here.

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 the reception on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. Learn more about the award on the Student Life website.

Job of the Week 1/12/18

This week’s job of the week is an Information Technologist I with MSU Human Resources (HR).

In this position, individuals will provide front-line support operations for MSU HR. The Human Resources IT Support Team is responsible for workstation setup, support, management, and decommission. The selected candidate will serve as an active member of the HRIT Support Team to improve processes and triage incoming customer requests.

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business or related information technology field. It is also desired to have experience working with vendors; experience managing workstations in a complex environment (both Windows and iOS); knowledge of DNS, DHCP, and MS Active Directory; ability to isolate, analyze, describe, and resolve complex issues; strong reasoning and problem-solving skills; experience with software like SpiceWorks or CA service desk. Exceptional customer service values and skills, including ability to successfully resolve conflict constructively and to maintain positive relationship with executive sponsors for customer groups.

For more details on the responsibilities and requirements of this position, and to view all of our current postings, please visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Careers @ MSU Graphic

Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award Nominations are Open

MSU is seeking nominations for the Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award.  This award recognizes support staff members who are pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree while also performing “Above and Beyond” in the scope of their duties at MSU. Ruth Jameyson was a loyal individual with an unparalleled Spartan Spirit. She was employed at MSU for 31 years before her retirement in 1969. During her time at MSU, Ms. Jameyson served as the secretary to MSU President Robert S. Shaw from 1938-1941 and President John A. Hannah from 1941-1969.

The annual Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” 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. The recipient will be honored at the Distinguished Staff Award reception in May.

Last year’s winner was Grace Morris. Morris works for MSU Libraries as an Imaging/Digitization Specialist. She was hired in 2005 as a student and at the time of her nomination, was going to library school to get her master’s degree. Watch her video here

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 Michigan State University in a support staff position, must be enrolled and attending a post-baccalaureate degree program at Michigan State University or elsewhere.

Nominations will be evaluated for achievement in the following areas:

  • Excellence in overall job performance going “Above and Beyond” what is expected
  • Outstanding interpersonal skills and working relationships within MSU’s diverse community
  • Contributions to the department that lead to efficiency, effectiveness or other improvements
  • Contribution to the University (committees, outreach, projects or other efforts)
  • Concern for students in or out of the classroom
  • Successful progress toward degree completion

To nominate an outstanding Spartan by Friday, January 26, visit: https://hr.msu.edu/recognition/support-staff/ruth-jameyson-award.html

WageWorks and FSA

Welcome to 2018 and to WageWorks – MSU’s new Flexible Spending Account (FSA) plan administrator.  You should have already received your new health care card in the mail, so make sure to register for your online account if you haven’t already.

Uneasy about learning to navigate a new system? WageWorks has made it easy! Check out the following video on using your new online account.

Do you still have reimbursement requests for 2017 monies? Not to worry. You can continue to submit claim forms to our previous FSA administrator, CONEXIS, for 2017 funds through your online CONEXIS account at https://www.wageworks.com/conexis/. Keep in mind that you’ll see the WageWorks logo going forward since they officially acquired CONEXIS, but this is the correct login to access your 2017 FSA information. Important note: You cannot use your 2018 funds for 2017 claims.

If you participated in the 2017 Health FSA with CONEXIS, and still have remaining 2017 funds, DO NOT throw away your CONEXIS card. CONEXIS allows you to use these remaining funds through March 15, 2018.

If you have not received your WageWorks debit card, or if you need to obtain additional cards, please contact WageWorks at 877-924-3967. Dependent Care FSA accounts do not have debit cards.

WageWorks also offers a mobile app for submitting receipts and reimbursements. Download it from the Play Store or App Store by searching for “EZ Receipts.” Contact MSU HR Solutions Center with questions at 517-353-4434 or visit the MSU HR website for further information.

Job of the Week 1/5/18

This week’s job of the week is an OPB Assistant Budget Officer. This position is in the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs in the Office of Planning and Budgets.

The individual in this position will be an integral part of the team responsible for development and administering the university’s general fund budget, related systems and processes.  They will have significant responsibility for operating the Enterprise Budget System utilized for budget planning and development activities, raise processes, university metrics and other associated reporting.

Eligible candidates must also have knowledge in Computer Science, Programming or Information Systems; three to five years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in programming, computer systems development, design and analysis and supervision; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. It is also beneficial to have experience in Cognos (IBM) Planning Analytics, Cognos (IBM) TM1, Cognos (IBM) BI; knowledge of relational database design and development; ability to build financial and cost models; experience/training in Cognos, and web-based architecture.

For more details on the responsibilities and requirements of this position, and to view all of our current postings, please visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Careers @ MSU Graphic

Events Round-Up January 2018

Community Festivals

Thursday, January 18

Live and Local Music Fest

Saturday, January 27

2nd Annual Bourrrbon Winterfest at BAD Brewing Company

Annual Art & Craft Beerfest

Community Events

Art

Saturday, January 6

Family Day, Presented by Fam Bureau Insurance

Food

Saturday, January 6

RTP Chili Cook Off

Sunday, January 14

Brewers Brunch at Lansing Brewing Company

Saturday, January 20

10th Anniversary & Crack Fries Contest

Sunday, January 21

FARE: eat differently brunch

Music

Friday, January 12

The Wharton Center Presents: Moscow Festival Ballet Cinderella

Family

Monday, January 22

Beginning Meditation for Adults and Kids

Saturday, January 27

Preschool Playdate

Sports/Fitness

Thursday, January 11

PiYo Workout

Tuesday, January 23

Lansing Brew Run

Sunday, January 28

Polar Bear 5K Run/Walk

Other

Saturday, January 6

Winter Bridal Show

Organization and Professional Development

Tuesday, January 16 or Thursday, January 18

Creating an Inclusive Environment

Wednesday, January 17

Everything DISC: Behavior Styles at Work

Tuesday, January 23

Roadmap to Retirement  *Sessions from 8:30 a.m. -Noon and 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 25 and Friday, January 26

Sustainable High PerformanceÂ