UMD Unit Awards for Staff

UMD Staff,

In spring of 2016, the Staff Council was asked to appoint a task force which would review the Outstanding Service Awards and make recommendations on how they could be improved.  They provided their recommendations in July 2016, which were adopted by the senior administration.  This year we celebrated the new Outstanding Staff and Team awards, in keeping with the group's recommendations.

An additional element of their recommendation was to create new unit-level awards that would allow for more awards to be given at a "local" level.  This email is to let the campus know that these awards are now ready to be launched.  The campus should anticipate communications to come from each participating unit: Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Student Life, Finance & Operations and Medical School, which will detail their program and how to participate.  As each unit develops its award program, it will be provided to Human Resources and Equal Opportunity and put on their website.

A Brief Overview of the New Unit Awards

·         Awarded and administered at the unit (Chancellor/vice chancellor/SMED) level with funding based on the unit's percentage of total campus employees

·         Covers the same employees as the Outstanding Awards:  Labor-Represented, Civil Service, and Academic Professional/ Administrative (P&A) employees who do not hold faculty rank appointments, irrespective of percentage of appointment

·         Recognizes UMD employees for a special or unique contribution to their college, department, unit, or the UMD campus based on the following criteria:

1.      Leadership on the job

2.      Customer focus

3.      Quality of service

·         Award is $250 added to the employee's pay, with taxes reducing the net award

·         The Chancellor will announce the winners quarterly

·         Units may sponsor additional non-monetary recognition such as a certificate, public posting, celebrations, etc., as desired

Nomination and selection processes will be specific to each unit, and all will be posted on the HR&EO website.

Please watch for updates and communications on these new awards programs at UMD.

Sincerely,

Lendley Black

Chancellor

End of year notes and fall save the date

Dear colleagues,

The end of the semester and commencement is here! Each year, I am surprised at how quickly our academic year progresses. We have many things to be grateful for and proud of this year. Thank you for your contributions to our success.

The end of the year events, ceremonies, and awards are a wonderful time to reflect and celebrate together. To get a snapshot of activity on campus this past year, please take a minute to watch this recap video.

I'm also pleased to share with you a new non-discrimination statement from the Campus Climate Leadership Team which clearly articulates our expectations, standards, and values. This statement furthers our Goal 2 commitment to create a positive and inclusive campus climate for all by advancing equity, diversity, and social justice.

This year was packed with impressive work from our students, faculty, and staff. Some examples include the creation and launch of the new Advanced Materials Center, the reopening of the beautifully renovated Cina Hall, and the opening of the new Securian Math Learning Lab. Our fine arts departments held numerous impressive performances and exhibitions, and the theatre department earned national awards for the One River production. We also gained national attention for the discovery of a new galaxy, led by our physics department, and for our mechanical and electrical engineering students winning the nationwide Air Force Research Lab Challenge. Bulldog Athletics saw broad-based success with national rankings, recognitions, and success, over 2,000 volunteer hours, and the highest single semester all athlete GPA ever at 3.19. 

Moving forward, we continue to look towards continued excellence and achievements. This includes an ongoing push for legislative bonding funds to hopefully start construction on our new Chemistry and Advanced Materials Science building. Watch for a celebration this fall for the 50th anniversary of the Alworth Planetarium. The Department of Communication is creating a new Communication Research Lab in Kirby Plaza. I'm sure our faculty and students will have a summer filled with impressive research. There are many other accomplishments I could mention, and I look forward to numerous additional achievements to celebrate in the fall. 

Please save the date and time for our faculty and staff welcome on Monday, August 21 from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. in the Ward Wells Field House. This continental breakfast event will replace the previous afternoon welcome. 

I'd be remiss if I did not mention our budget, so I'll just quickly note that Vice Chancellor Steve Keto will provide an update on our budget and next steps after we get a clearer picture from the state legislature over the next couple weeks. We remain concerned about the proposed low funding for the University of Minnesota from both the Minnesota House and Senate.

Thank you all for a another successful year and congratulations to our 2017 graduates!


Sincerely,

Chancellor Lendley Black