| Week of August 3, 2020 Contents: | | NIU Well-Being Tip: Preparing to Return to Campus by Counseling and Consultation Services, Employee Assistance Program and RecWell.
After several months away, you may be preparing to return to work for the fall semester. Some employees may be excited, but others may be concerned about returning. You are likely experiencing a wide range of emotions. You may have concerns about employee safety in our new campus normal or about finding routine again after so much time working from home. You may be planning to work on campus only a few days a week and may need to figure how to adjust to your new schedule. How can you work through these concerns to maintain your wellness in the upcoming weeks? • Acknowledge your feelings. Your feelings are your truth and understanding them will help you start navigating a successful transition back to the workplace. • Review the Protecting the Pack website. The information has been prepared to help share policies and procedures to keep faculty, staff and students safe while on campus. • Remember your wellness at work. If you find yourself feeling anxious or stressed, continue to practice mindfulness and other techniques to remain calm and centered. • Follow safety protocols. Wear your mask, wash your hands, sanitize shared spaces, practice social distancing and remind others to do the same. Be graceful with each other as we navigate new policies. We all must protect one another, but we need to allow each other the opportunity to find our footing in the face of change. • Communicate with your employees and supervisors/managers. We need to communicate so issues and concerns can be discussed and addressed. Providing regular updates and sharing information can help alleviate anxiety and establish certainty and comfort. We are all embarking on the new “normal” as we return to campus and we know change can be challenging. We have all worked through change in the past and will face more in the future. We navigated change when we started working from home, and the strategies you used to manage then can help you as we return to our campus work routines. We also learned change provided us with new opportunities. Reflect upon what helped you and try to implement some of those same techniques in the weeks to come. Finally, listen to yourself, your colleagues and students. If you are experiencing overwhelming emotions or seeing fellow colleagues or students having difficulty, remember there are offices to assist. Students can be directed to Counseling and Consultation Services (CCS) and employees can contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Huskies continue to help Huskies. We have done so in the past and we will continue moving forward. |
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| Protecting the Pack updates We continue to closely monitor activities and developments related to the spread and management of coronavirus (COVID-19) in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health and the DeKalb County Public Health Department. The resource links below are meant to support the health and wellness of our university community. Please check them frequently. | Frequently Asked Questions | Communications | Human Resource Services FAQs |
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| | Notices
Fall 2020 student employment information for campus employers This fall, all on-campus student employment opportunities will be advertised in a single central location, Huskies Get Hired (HGH). The platform is traditionally used to connect students who are seeking internships and jobs with off-campus employers; Career Services and Human Resource Services are partnering to make HGH the primary hub for campus departments to advertise vacant positions and for students to find the latest campus job opportunities.
Effective immediately, hiring managers with student employment opportunities in their areas should follow the instructions posted on the Career Services website to create a free HGH employer account and post their vacant student positions.
Staff in Career Services will be available to assist hiring departments with advertising in Huskies Get Hired. Please email careerservices@niu.edu with any questions.
Virtual information session for supervisors At 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, the HR team will host an online information session for supervisors to provide additional guidance and answer questions on how to best manage and support our employees during this time. To register for the session, please email Karen Smith at ksmith12@niu.edu.
NIU 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Plan approved vendor virtual appointments Northern Illinois University sponsors the Northern Illinois University Supplemental Retirement Plan – Internal Revenue Code Section 403(b) (“Plan”). As an employee of Northern Illinois University receiving compensation reportable on a W-2, you are eligible to voluntarily elect to invest a portion of your compensation to the Plan to supplement your retirement savings. The Plan allows employees to make tax-deferred (pre-tax) and/or Roth option (after-tax) 403(b) investment contributions. The approved Vendor(s) in the Plan will be holding virtual appointments to provide individual financial counseling. Whether you are currently enrolled in the Plan or seeking additional information for future enrollment, each vendor listed below has provided a link to their company information and the dates of their future appointments for those who would like individual financial counseling. Vendor | Virtual Appointment Dates | Vendor Information | Fidelity Investments Nicholas Camarella Bob Intoccia | Aug. 18, 2020 Sept. 28, 2020 Nov. 3, 2020 | Call 800-642-7131 or make an appointment online. For more information, visit www.fidelity.com. | TIAA Patrick Windle Jennifer McClure | Aug. 11, 2020 Sept. 3, 2020 Oct. 13, 2020 Nov. 19, 2020 Dec. 17, 2020 | Call 800-732-8353 or make an appointment online. For more information, visit www.tiaa.org. |
To obtain more information on the NIU Supplemental Retirement Plan 403(b), please visit the Human Resource Services website.
Commercial Card Program’s Return to Work information Card Services will resume the processing of commercial card applications on Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. The link to the application and the User Guide are available on the Treasury Operations website under Card Services.
New cardholders, their transaction approvers, and proxies are required to participate in a Commercial Card Program Introductory Training. These training sessions will be conducted via Teams. The upcoming sessions are listed below:
• Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020 – 9 to 10:30 a.m. • Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020 – 1:30 to 3 p.m. • Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 – 9 to 10:30 a.m. If you have applied for a commercial card or are interested in doing so, please email cardservices@niu.edu with the training date and time you would prefer to attend. Then, Card Services will send you a Teams appointment.
New and replacement cards will be distributed by appointment only. When your card arrives, Card Services will email you to arrange an appointment and provide you with instructions.
If you are a current cardholder and have transferred to another department, you must return your card and reapply for a new one. You will not be required to take the introductory training again.
Please, email cardservices@niu.edu if any of the following has occurred recently:
• Your department name has changed or merged with another • Your transaction approver has retired or transferred to another department • You no longer have a need to participate in the commercial card program
Beginning Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, Commercial Card policy regarding billing and shipping addresses (Section VI. G) is being reinstated. All products must be shipped to Central Receiving or one of the university’s satellite locations. No purchase should be shipped to a cardholder’s home. To request an exception, please complete the Exception Request form and submit it to Card Services.
If you have questions, feel free to contact Card Services at cardservices@niu.edu. |
| Deadlines
Financial Month End Close The month of July is closing for all financial reporting activity at noon on Monday, August 10, 2020. Journals not posted at that time will go into August business. Submit July journals before end of business on Friday, August 7th. Final July reports are scheduled to be available Tuesday, August 11, 2020. In addition, August reports are scheduled to be available Monday, August 17, 2020. These dates, and other important dates related to The Controller’s office can be found on the FMS Reports Calendar. |
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| Liz Wright receives the Patricia Siebrasse Administrative Professionals Award The Administrative Professionals Advisory Council presented the 2020 Patricia S. Siebrasse Administrative Professionals Award for Excellence to Liz Wright, executive assistant for the Office of the President. The annual award is given to an administrative professional at NIU who demonstrates continued commitment to their field, operational efficiency within their organization and meaningful contributions to the university. Read more. |
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| New Facebook Data Center sparks opportunities for DeKalb and NIU Facebook’s recent announcement that it will build a data center in DeKalb is an exciting sign of progress and growth for the region. The environmentally sustainable 907,000-square-foot facility, located off Gurler Road on DeKalb’s south side, will bring a substantial investment (about $800 million in phase one) in construction and infrastructure, as well as long-term benefits to DeKalb and NIU. Read more.
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| | Celebrating our amazing history America’s most enduring institutions are those created to meet specific needs and allowed to evolve as those needs change. Such is the story of Northern Illinois University, which this year celebrates its 125th anniversary. |
Featured Key Moment Huskie Bus Line transportation system is born (1971) The rapid growth of the NIU campus in the 1960s significantly expanded the university’s physical size and shape. There were now more than 40 buildings sprawled across 417 acres with nine miles of streets and 13 miles of sidewalks. Three cars were registered for every available parking spot (15,108 vehicles registered and 4,778 parking spaces). Learn more about the Huskie Bus Line > |
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| Northern Illinois University's vision is to be an engine for innovation to advance social mobility; promote personal, professional and intellectual growth; and transform the world through research, artistry, teaching and outreach. Learn more about NIU’s vision, mission and values. |
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