HR Connect – Page 230 – News and Announcements from the Office of Human Resources

Employee Appreciation Week Ahead

UW-Green Bay will be celebrating Employee Appreciation Week May 13 to 17! You are encouraged to participate in all of the fun activities that have been planned as UW-Green Bay’s way of saying “thank you” for all you do for this great University. Register to be put in the drawing for Preferred Parking (parking in any visitor or 15 minutes parking space for a day) or Talledega Trikes at UWGB Superspeedway (bracket style tricycle races). Participation is not required.

Sign up here: https://uwgreenbay.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0fDDfjzL2BcVV6l

This form also allows you to submit a compliment or shout out to a co-work to say thank you. These comments will be posted anonymously on the UWGB Human Resources Facebook page. Make sure to “like” our page prior to May 13 to see all the comments that are submitted. If you want to send a co-worker a hand written thank you note, you can use these Fill-In-The-Blank Notes for that personal touch. Please contact Julie Flenz in Human Resources (flenzj@uwgb.edu or x2235) with questions.

Employee Spotlight: Tara Carr

Name: Tara Carr

Position at UWGB: Small Business Development Center Director

Summary of what you do: Provide leadership, vision and strategy for the SBDC. Work with entrepreneurs and business owners to achieve their goals, manage grants and budgets, reporting, oversee staff, implement and deliver professional programs, facilitate the business plan writing program, conduct outreach and advocacy for the SBDC. I also teach 6 credits a year for the Cofrin School of Business.

How long have you been employed: Hired as the SBDC Director three years ago (as of April 2019).

Three words that describe you: Driven, hardworking, insightful

Personal interests: Travel, home remodeling, foodie, kayaking, golfing

Random facts/interests: I adopted my younger brother when he was 12. In jest, my close friends refer to him as my son-brother.

Any favorite line from a movie? “You’re wishin’ too much, baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

Are you messy or organized? My house is very clean and I do not like anything on the counters. My closet only has wooden hangers and clothing is hung by type and by color. Towels need to be folded a certain way. My office, however, is a beautiful mass of collected piles of information.

Do you have a favorite quote? “Identify your problems, but give your power and energy to solutions.” – Tony Robbins

What books are at your bedside? Daring Greatly – Brene Brown, In Pieces – Sally Field, Becoming – Michelle Obama, Yes, Ma’am – Susan Bickett, Leadership Without Easy Answers- Heifetz

What phobias do you have? Claustrophobia, mild ophidiophobia (snakes), and Cleithrophobia (fear of being trapped)

What places have you lived in? Upstate New York, Bennington and Manchester Vermont, Findlay and Lima Ohio, Saginaw Michigan, Eagan Minnesota, Beloit and Appleton Wisconsin.

What would you like to be famous for? I have zero desire to be famous. As an introvert, I prefer to be behind the scenes making things happen and getting things done. If I HAD to be famous, it would be about making a positive impact on people’s lives and being the difference maker.

If you were an animal what would you be? My dog! She has the best life.

What’s on your bucket list? Top five: Bike the Camino de Santiago, visit all 50 states (7 more to go), watch baby turtles hatch, attend Albuquerque balloon festival, play with a baby elephant

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you? Charlize Theron! She has the amazing ability to transform herself to portray various characters and change her appearance to play the part.

Where is your home town? Hoosick Falls, NY

Where would you like to go on a dream vacation? African safari or Thailand Elephant Nature Park

Review Your Beneficiary Designations

When was the last time you reviewed your beneficiary designations? Naming someone as beneficiary is an opportunity to pass a financial interest to your loved ones after you’re gone. If it’s been a while since you’ve reviewed your beneficiary designations, or if you have experienced a major life event such as a marriage, divorce or birth of a child, now may be a good time to review your designations.

To see which benefit plans you are enrolled in, log into the MyUW Portal. Go to the Benefit Information app and click “Launch full app.” Review the “Coverage” column on the “Summary” page to determine the plans you are enrolled in (“waive” indicates you are not enrolled). To see additional plans, click “Next” at the bottom of the screen. Then compare the plans you are enrolled in to the list below. These are the benefit plans that have benefits payable to beneficiaries:

State Group Life Insurance
Individual & Family Life Insurance
UW Employees, Inc. Life Insurance
University Insurance Association Life Insurance
Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS)
UW Tax-Sheltered (TSA) Annuity 403(b)
Wisconsin Deferred Compensation (WDC) 457

Next, go to the UW System Beneficiary Information page to print the applicable beneficiary form(s). Note: Some of the plans may allow you to update your beneficiary designations online.
Once you have completed the appropriate forms, send them directly to the benefit plan listed on the form (not to your human resources office).

If you do not remember who you have listed as a beneficiary for your benefit plans, you can simply submit a new beneficiary designation. The beneficiary designation on file at the time of your death is binding in the payment of your benefits. If you do not have a beneficiary designation on file when you pass away, your benefits will be paid out according to standard sequence. Go to the UW System Beneficiary Information page to learn more about standard sequence.

Source: UW System Human Resources

Strawberry Spread Recipe

We’re not talking about making preserves here, just a quick spread to refrigerate and use within a week. Stir it into vanilla yogurt—it’s bette Strawberry spread r than fruit on the bottom.

Ingredients

2 cups strawberries
1/4 cup sugar (or 3 tbsp. granulated sugar substitute)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions

Put berries in a small saucepan. Add sugar (or sweetener) and lemon juice. Cook on high just until the mixture starts to boil. Turn heat to medium and stir frequently, mashing berries with a spatula, to keep from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After about 15 minutes, most of the liquid should be cooked off. When you reach your desired consistency, let it cool and pour into a container to refrigerate.

Makes about 1 cup

Each tablespoon serving contains about 18 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g cholesterol, 0 g sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, less than 1 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugars, and 0 g protein.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Backyard Chickens Lunch ‘n Learn held April 30th

Thank you to Liz Biversie, Agricultural Educator with UW-Madison Division of Extension, for presenting the Backyard Chickens Lunch ‘n Learn on Tuesday, April 30th to 12 employees and students! She shared a wealth of information including things to think about when considering raising backyard chickens, types of chickens that are good for laying eggs or providing meat, how much space you would need for each chicken, potential predators and diseases, and helpful resources available on the UW-Madison Division of Extension website.

Dr. Ron Kean, UW-Madison Division of Extension Poultry Specialist, also provided knowledgeable answers to our questions. Monika Pynaker, UWGB Manager of Network Services, shared stories of her much-loved chickens, as well as helpful insight and pictures of her leghorns and their nice chicken coup! Thank you to everyone who attended as well as Liz, Ron and Monika!

Lecturer – Geoscience & Environmental Science (One-Year Appointment)

The Department of Natural and Applied Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay invites applications for a one-year Lecturer position in geoscience and environmental science.

For more information and full position responsibilities, please see the full position announcement.

To ensure consideration, please apply by Tuesday, May 21, 2019.

Area Coordinator

The Area Coordinator (AC) reports to the Assistant Director and assists in carrying out the mission and philosophy of the Office of Residence Life. The Office of Residence Life provides housing for 2,000 students during the academic year and 2,500 guests during the summer. The AC is responsible for overseeing a community of approximately 400 residents; and with the help of Resident Assistants (RAs), strives to develop and maintain a safe, enjoyable, supportive, and inclusive living environment for residents where they can achieve academic success, personal growth, and development. The AC is a member of the Residence Life team and holds administrative responsibilities, participates in committees and meetings, and serves students in a multitude of ways. The AC assumes additional responsibilities assigned by the Director and makes recommendations.

For more information and full position responsibilities, please see the full position announcement.

To ensure consideration, please apply by Thursday, May 9, 2019.

Lecturer – Mechanical Engineering (Sheboygan Campus)

The Resch School of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay invites applications for a non-tenure track Lecturer position in Engineering and Engineering Technology at the Sheboygan Campus.

For more information and full position responsibilities, please see the full position announcement.

To ensure consideration, please apply by Friday, May 31, 2019.