As yet another academic year is quickly drawing to a close, we are busy attending the year-end festivities and trying to put the finishing touches on the various projects we have been juggling. Whether we are grading finals, planning graduation, learning the new Jenzabar system, or managing any number of other responsibilities on campus, we are certainly operating at a very high energy level. For those who will be gone during the summer months, we hope you will enjoy a long period of renewal. For the rest of us, let’s be certain to take some time to exhale and to recharge as well. Before we know it, orientation will be here!

This would be a good time to remind staff that our vacation policy allows a carry-over of thirty days on June 30th. If you have more than 30 days of vacation accumulated, you must use or lose them before July 1st when your new allocation is applied. Remember that vacation eligibility is reflected on your paycheck in hours. Simply divide the number by 7 to get the number of days. Keep in mind that for exempt staff, there is a lag of about 30 days as time records are only submitted once per month.

Faculty and staff should have received Benefits Statements recently, produced for us by Benefits Analysis, Inc., our flexible spending account (FSA) administrator. We hope you have found the information enlightening. Unfortunately, the employee contribution to the pension was included in the totals even though there was no amount indicated for contribution. Correction letters will be sent shortly. Employee contributions to their 403(b) plans are not considered to be a contribution, but rather, an investment or allocation of funds.

Performance evaluation season is underway. By now exempt employees should be working on their self evaluations and plans and priorities for fiscal 2010. Forms and timelines are available on the HR website. Non-exempt evaluations are due to HR by May 22nd. They will be returned to supervisors by May 29th for delivery to staff. Training was provided to supervisors highlighting the need for a retrospective look at fiscal 2009, but also, a plan and recommendations for continued growth and development in 2010. The performance evaluation meeting not only provides a formal opportunity for supervisors to deliver feedback, but also, to coach and mentor staff.

As a part of the performance evaluation process, supervisors of office support staff have a particular challenge this year to update job descriptions including skills and competencies for each position. HR is meeting with each supervisor to consult in the process. Training for exempt new-hires is scheduled for May 13th. A task force will be assembled to revise the non-exempt appraisal instrument.

The Information Technology department has worked very hard to develop and administer testing in various computer applications for office support staff. Special thanks to Katie Caraway and Roselle Laza-Schmitz for partnering with HR in this needs assessment process. The results of the testing which was held in April will identify learning opportunities. Training will be scheduled beginning in June to enable employees to improve their skill levels. There will be larger group overview sessions as well as ongoing small group training modules. Note that these sessions will be open to all employees – not only office support staff. Supervisors will be encouraged to attend not only to expand their own knowledge, but also to enable them to challenge staff to apply their new skills.

Those in the support staff who have performed at an advanced level in the testing will be asked to attend focus groups designed to identify "best practices" for accomplishing certain projects and tasks in offices. Some employees will be invited to demonstrate some of their competencies in mentoring sessions with other office staff. By illustrating how certain skills and competencies have streamlined their work processes, others may benefit from the expertise of these individuals. Supervisors have been asked also to identify tasks and processes that either have not been done efficiently or at all due to a lack of skill or knowledge. The compiled "wish list" will be compared to best practices and the skills assessment to ensure that the training will result in appropriate opportunities for improvement.

Many thanks to the Offices of Campus Ministry, EOF, and Institutional Research for presenting "A Day in the Life of.." their departments at the HR Brown Bag Lunches this semester. This completes a three year team-building series featuring the good work of the departments on campus. We have learned the inter-relatedness of offices and come to appreciate the challenges faced by our colleagues. Next year, HR hopes to showcase student clubs, some faculty departments, and groups of departments that work together with common goals. Other ideas would be very welcomed.

Many thanks to the Benefits Committee for another productive year, and especially to Elaine Maliszewski and Sandra Grieco who have completed their terms. Maria Micelli will represent non-exempt staff beginning in the fall. Albert Cardona replaced Lynn Peluso joining Billy Ortman in representing exempt staff. Ann Marie Callahan and Ed Schons represent faculty through the Faculty Liaison Committee. The committee is chaired by yours truly and attended by HR staff, Terri Demarest and Michelle Flynn. Many thanks to all for your time and commitment.

HR hosted TIAA-CREF representatives on campus in March providing employees from Caldwell and neighboring institutions with an investment update. For those who were unable to attend or who would prefer an individual meeting, call 1.800.732.8353 to schedule an appointment at a local site. TIAA-CREF will no longer provide one-on-one counseling at the College.

Website updates: The 2010 Schedule of Office Closings is posted on the HR site. Please note also that the Request for Tuition Remission form has been revised. There is a separate form for graduate and undergraduate remission now. HR will no longer accept the old forms, so please be sure to access the new ones online as needed.

And now for round two of our Policy Manual Scavenger Hunt! Prizes will be given to the first two employees to correctly answer the following questions and submit them to Michelle Flynn.

1. Where should "Lost & Found" items be taken?
2. Caldwell College tuition remission is available to employees after what waiting period?
3. For administrative staff, the first three months of employment serve as _____________?
4. After one year of service, how to how many personal days is a staff member eligible?

Remember to give the answers and the section of the policy manual in which you found them!

At graduation, we will see many happy students to whom faculty and staff have "kept the promise" over the last number of years. We keep the promise in our direct dealings with students, but also in our direct and indirect contacts with one another. Here are some excerpts from the KTP mailbox…

"The (students) who have an opportunity to work with you are truly fortunate since your sense of caring for them is without bounds. I am so grateful that you were able to assist a student during her great time of need so expertly and sensitively. "

"Amidst all obstacles thrown at you this week and today... GREAT job with today! It couldn't happen without you!"

"I just want to say thank you for all of your help …. You are a joy to work with."