Job of the week – Executive Secretary II/S

This week’s job of the week is an Executive Secretary II/S (#566431) for the Institute for Global Health in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. This position is seeking an individual to manage global health travel and appointments for the Associate Dean of the institute and Director for the Master of Science in Global Health.

The responsibilities for this role include managing the day-to-day schedules for the Director and Dean and drafting content for emails and letters while overseeing communication information in the office. Other responsibilities for this role include acting as a liaison with professors, physicians and researchers, communicating information to staff and publishing documents like newsletters and travel forms.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge acquired through a high school education with course work in word processing, typing, shorthand and grammar; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in editing, composing correspondence, calendaring, spreadsheet, database and presentation software; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

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.

Grab your skates and head to the ice at MSU Munn Ice Arena!

Have you checked out the MSU Munn Ice Arena? If you’re looking for an activity to do with the whole family for spring break, try visiting Munn. The MSU Munn Ice Arena was built in 1974 and has been home to the MSU hockey team for over 40 seasons. Munn hosts daily practices and home games for the MSU hockey team.

During the week at Munn, you can find a wide range of opportunities for skaters like freestyle skating for more advanced skaters who want to work on skills, jumps and routines, open skate for the public for all skating types, and even an “old timer’s group” where a group of guys just come in and play a few games of hockey. In the summer, you can find the ice arena filled with future hockey players at the MSU Youth Hockey Camp.

But Munn isn’t only used for camps and games, you can take part in open skate Monday through Thursday. Munn offers discounted admission prices and group discounts for faculty, staff and students. If you’re looking for some bonding time with your fellow co-workers, departments can rent out the ice privately. Departments can use an interdepartmental account transfer to pay for their event.

Munn Ice Arean

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So whether you want to get back into hockey through the IM league for students and faculty or want to sign up for an open hockey session to get a few games in during the week. Check out Munn Ice Arena website or Facebook page for more information.

Resources for New Supervisors

Are you a recently appointed or newly hired supervisor or manager? Whether you’re brand new to your leadership role or an experienced supervisor looking for resources to develop your skills, there are tools available to help you. Information is available in various formats to fit your schedule and learning style including in-person courses, online resources and toolkits on the HR website.

Professional Development Courses

  • Fundamentals of Supervision on April 24
    Supervisors are a main determinant of overall performance, retention and morale in an organization. Participants with less than three years of supervisory experience will learn fundamental skills on how a supervisor adds value to the organization, how to move from peer to supervisor, tips to build communication skills and more. Learn more about the Fundamentals of Supervision course.
  • New Supervisor Essentials on May 22
    This course is for recently appointed or newly hired supervisors and managers of support staff. You will learn key tools you can use in your new role as a supervisor and a panel of supervisors will be available to answer your questions and share lessons learned. The Office of Employee Relations will also give an overview of important information that every supervisor at MSU needs to know. Learn more about the New Supervisor Essentials course.
  • Foundations of Student Employee Supervision Certificate Series starts June 19
    This four-session certificate series is designed for MSU professionals looking to enhance their skills in supervising and leading student employees. The series focuses on skill building and understanding the unique needs and challenges inherent in overseeing the work of student employees. These courses can also be taken individually, but you’ll need to attend all four to receive the certificate. Learn more about the Foundations of Student Employee Supervision Certificate series.

Online Resources with elevateU
The elevateU portal is full of online resources including eBooks, videos, courses and more – all available to you for free 24/7. Want to learn more about optimizing team performance, cultivating creativity or processing change? You’ll find resources on these topics and much more in the elevateU portal. Use these tools to help you build your own skillset as a new supervisor or share these resources with your team to help them reach their professional goals. Learn more about elevateU and access here.

Toolkits on the HR Website
The HR website contains a wealth of information useful to those in a supervisory role, including toolkits for various processes. Whether you have questions about how to hire support staff, want an overview of benefits options or need to know deadlines for payroll processing, these toolkits are available to assist you. Find toolkits for supervisors on the HR website.

Job of the Week – College Alumni Coordinator

This week’s job of the week is a College Alumni Coordinator (#565154) for the Honors College. This position is seeking an individual to provide support for the alumni community and to assist the alumni board with strategies to increase engagement and financial support.

The responsibilities for this role include developing and implementing programs to build relationships with alumni across the U.S. and abroad and coordinating meetings with the Honors College and MSU alumni. Other responsibilities for this role include collaborating with the Honors College Communication Coordinator to prepare, edit and disseminate communications with Honors College alumni and donors.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in business, public relations, communication, marketing, or a related field; 1-3 years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in planning and production in higher education fundraising, event coordination, public speaking; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

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.

TIAA offers financial workshops for women to learn more about investing, saving and more!

Looking to learn more about financial literacy? TIAA, one of MSU’s retirement vendors, is offering upcoming workshops on April 11 specifically geared towards women who are either in the early stages of their careers or mid-career. The She’s Got It: Financial Knowledge for All workshops are guided to help woman learn about investing, building actions plans and learning how to secure your future well-being. This workshop will focus on core concepts on investing, finding ways to save for life events and developing financial goals.

Why is it important to save? In life, anything can happen, and it is important to save for your future and for both expected and unexpected life events. You may not end up saving as much as you like every year, but you can start with a goal and plan from there. The workshops will go over ways to save if your single, married, in long-term relationship and saving with children and parents.

Below are some of the basics things you can learn from the workshops:

Saving and investing:

  • Setting aside an emergency fund
  • Increasing contributions from raises
  • Learn how to pay yourself first!
  • Two secrets of making your money grow

What to consider when investing?

  • Investment risk
  • Volatility
  • Asset allocation and diversification
  • Expenses

The workshops will be held on Thursday, April 11. Choose from one of the following sessions:

  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. OR
  • Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Both workshops will be at the MSU Student Center, Lake Huron Room, located on the third floor. For more information on this workshop or to reserve your seat, visit the TIAA website or give them a call at 800-732-8353.

Job of the week- Data Entry Operator I

This week’s job of the week is a Data Entry Operator I (#564699) for the College of Human Medicine. This position is seeking an individual to serve the community of Flint by connecting with families who were impacted by the Flint Water Crisis and serve as a resource for programs for wellness and recovery.

The responsibilities for this role include administering surveys over the phone and in person, entering data in the database and verifying source documents and information. Other responsibilities for this role include obtaining missing data, compiling data for reports and performing data searches as requested.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge acquired from specialized training such as that acquired in one year of Data Processing; up to six months related experience in data processing, key entry or database; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

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.

Don’t Wait to Start Saving for Retirement

For younger MSU employees, creating a comprehensive retirement savings plan may not be a top priority. Why should you plan for your retirement now when that day is 30 to 40 years in the future? But the young have a huge advantage when it comes to saving money for retirement: more time. This additional time allows the young to potentially benefit the most from compounding, which may lead to greater savings down the road.

How Compounding Works
Compounding basically means allowing an investment to earn money while continually reinvesting those earnings over time. The more time you have, the smaller your original investment may need to be. In the hypothetical example below, a 25-year-old starts saving $5,000 annually ($416 per month) and a 40-year-old starts saving twice as much but waits until age 40 ($833 per month). 

The 25-year-old ends up contributing less money over time – $200,000 versus $250,000 – but ends up with a higher balance: $798,735 versus $566,317. In other words, the 25-year-old contributes $50,000 less but ends up with $232,000 more than the 40-year-old who waited to save.

As this example shows, younger investors may benefit from saving as much as possible as soon as possible. MSU offers two voluntary savings plans: the 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Plan and the 457(b) Deferred Compensation Program. Starting to save earlier in either plan means contributing a smaller percentage of income and potentially earning more than if you wait until you’re older to contribute. So while retirement may be a long way off, the choices you make today can have a dramatic, long-lasting difference.

You can learn more about MSU’s voluntary savings plans on the HR website, including information about how to enroll or make changes to your retirement plan contributions. MSU employees can change their contributions at any time throughout the year. Reference this Retirement Plan Comparison document to see the differences between the 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Plan and the 457(b) Deferred Compensation Program.

Of course, remember that investment returns are not guaranteed and will fluctuate — in some years you may have gains, and in other years you may have losses. But over time, any investment that has a net gain will have benefited from compounding.

Important Information: Please note, the example above is a hypothetical illustration only and is not intended to represent the past or future performance of any investment. The example assumes contributions are made monthly at a 6% annual effective rate, compounded monthly. and no withdrawals. Actual performance will vary with market conditions. Investing involves risk. There is no assurance that the goals will be met or that the solution or strategy will be successful.

Questions? We’re here to help! Contact the Solutions Center at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434.

This article was written in partnership with TIAA.

Get ahead for Spring Break with these discounts and savings with MSU Benefits Plus!

While MSU’s Spring Break has already ended, you may be getting ready for your non-college student’s Spring Break in a few weeks. Still looking for something to do? MSU Benefits Plus has you covered! All benefits-eligible MSU faculty and staff have access to a variety of discounts and savings through MSU Benefits Plus. Here you’ll find discounts and special offers on a variety of activities, hotels, entertainment and more!

To access all the discounts, visit MSU Benefits Plus and sign-up for a free account using your ZPID number (located on your ID badge), or you can find the number in EBS.

Check out some of the deals you can find for Spring Break:

Tickets At Work – Save on Multi-Day Disney Ticket Packages

Save on multi-day ticket packages when you buy in advance through Tickets At Work! Discounts are automatically applied when you visit their website.

Tickets At Work – Save at Michigan’s Adventure

Save up to 60% on admission to Michigan’s Adventure when you buy tickets in advance through Tickets At Work! Check out this discounts and more at their website.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car – Save on Car Rentals

Save at least 5% on rental cars when you book through the exclusive link! Discounts automatically applied at Enterprise Rent-A-Car website!

Premium Seats USA – Save on MLB Tickets

Save 10% on Major League Baseball tickets when you use code CORESTREAM at checkout! Save now on MLB tickets at Premium Seats!

Restaurant.com – Save Even More on Great Dining Experiences

Get $25 gift certificates for only $6 with code CORE at checkout! Check out restaurants in popular cities like Detroit, LA, Atlanta and more! Find the perfect place for your family to dine here.

Employee Travel Specials – Save on Cruises

Enjoy special offers and savings on Royal Caribbean, Carnival and MSC Cruise lines with rates as low as $52 a night on select cruises. Find your perfect cruise here!

Premium Seats – Concerts, Sporting Events, Theater Tickets, and more!

Save 10% with code CORESTREAM on great seats and exclusive VIP packages to live entertainment and sporting events throughout the country. From concerts of all sizes to professional and college sports to Broadway and beyond, you’ll find tickets to thousands of events at Premium Seats USA! Take a look at some upcoming events on Premium Seats’ website.

Hotels.com

Are you traveling for Spring Break? Take your family out for a fun night in the city! Save an ADDITIONAL 8% off most bookings at hotels.com with code CORESTREAM8. Find your destination at Hotels.com.

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- Library Assistant II

This week’s job of the week is a Library Assistant II (#564112) for MSU Libraries. This position is seeking an individual to process and maintain materials records for the library and perform detailed bibliographic verification for English and foreign language materials.

The responsibilities for this role include updating information on automatic systems for maintaining records, distributing internal mail and performing detailed bibliographies. Other responsibilities for this role include processing paperwork, accessing materials for processing and processing outgoing first-class domestic and international mail.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge normally acquired from specialized training such as the first year of college or business school; six months to one year of related and progressively more responsible or expansive recent experience in an office setting; experience with record keeping, data entry/retrieval, databases, spreadsheet, word processing and web page editing; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

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.

Celebrating International Women’s Day with Associate Vice President of MSU HR Sharon Butler!

March 8 is International Women’s Day, where women’s achievements are celebrated around the world. To celebrate, we’re shining a spotlight on Associate Vice President of MSU Human Resources (HR), Sharon Butler. From working for General Motors (GM) to the banking industry to higher education, Butler has been in human resources for over three decades. We sat down with her to get her perspective on women in the workplace and her advice for the next generation.

During Butler’s time in higher education, she served as the Chief Human Resources Officer at the University of Cincinnati, as well as in similar HR leadership roles at Wayne State University. She came to MSU in 2012 and has been the woman in charge of MSU HR since. But Butler began her career in HR in the mid-’70s at GM, working her way up from a machine operator to a frontline supervisor and finally to HR. She began working at GM at a time not long on the heels of the Civil Rights Act, quite often finding herself the only woman and minority in the room and in leadership. “At the time I began working for General Motors, most of the people who were in leadership positions were white, World War II veterans,” said Butler. “My first salary job was as a frontline supervisor, and at that time there were no other women supervising at the plant I was in, and only about four or five African American men supervising. There were several thousand employees who worked at that location.” In fact, it would be 10 years until Butler worked in an environment with other women in leadership roles.

Everyone faces obstacles in the workplace and sometimes they leave lasting marks. But how you overcome those obstacles can leave an even greater, and hopefully more positive, impact. From her time at GM, Butler learned the best way to overcome obstacles is to find a way to work together. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or admit you need help; communicate you’re teachable, but also be sure to make it clear what you can bring to the table to get the job done. “I don’t have to broadcast I’m the leader, but that I’m willing to work with others to get things done…It is better to confess what I don’t know, ask for help, and be willing to negotiate with others,” says Butler.

Another key is confidence – be confident in who you are, what you know and how you feel and express yourself. The presence of confidence, not arrogance, shows you are willing to learn and open to listening.

I learned in my first job that the only way you can lead is if you can get people to want to follow you.  Sharon Butler

In particular, women in the workplace are often faced with what has become known as the glass ceiling, which is an invisible barrier that “prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions” (Merriam-Webster, 2019).

Butler’s advice to women facing the glass ceiling:

  • Be confident, but not arrogant, and teachable.
  • Act like you want the position.
  • Use your voice to make yourself known.
  • Show your supervisor and/or leadership you are ready for a higher-level position.
  • Set your personal values and stick to them, no matter the cost. This could even mean not getting the result you want but helping to make a way for those coming after you.

Looking to the future for women in the workplace, Butler’s advice is to find ways to encourage women, give them opportunities to grow, listen and make them feel included. Most of all, Butler hopes for a future for women where they have the freedom to make the choices best for them without guilt – whether that means having a full-time career or a family or everything in-between.

I have great faith that women coming behind me will be just fine.  They'll be instrumental in changing the workplace and society. Sharon Butler