Travis Albrecht was hired in Information Services as an IT Security Officer and Network Administrator on June 15, 2017.
Welcome, Travis!
Justin Mueller was hired as a Police Officer in Public Safety on June 14, 2017. Prior to his current role, he worked for the DNR as a Conservation Warden.
Justin graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a Bachelor’s Degree in Resource Management-Law Enforcement. He also completed two basic law enforcement training academies–Mid-State Technical College and Fort McCoy.
Justin is actively educating youth about the natural resources and teaching DNR safety courses. He is currently the president of the Conservation Leadership Corps, which is part of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. Justin enjoys many outdoor activities, such as boating, hunting, fishing, and camping. He likes to explore new places around the state and the world.
Justin is from Kewaunee, WI.
Welcome, Justin!
Morgan Hansen was hired as the Manager of Events and Annual Giving in the University Advancement Department on June 12, 2017. Prior to starting at UWGB, she worked for the Girl Scouts for over two years.
Morgan graduated in 2014 from UWGB, majoring in Public Administration. She is currently involved with Current-Young Professionals and loves hiking, taking her dogs for walks, gardening, and enjoying the outdoors.
Morgan is engaged and has two dogs–Cooper and Chester. She is from Spring Grove, Minnesota.
Welcome, Morgan!
On May 22, 2017, Tory Ortscheid was hired as a Procurement Specialist in the Purchasing Department. Prior to his current role, he worked at Morton Salt for two years and Pepsico for 20 years.
Tory received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Miami. He enjoys bicycling, dog training, and being a certified yoga instructor. He was living in Chicago for 25 years and then moved back to his hometown of Green bay.
Welcome, Tory!
Sara Chaloupka recently began her new role of Financial Specialist Senior for the University Union on May 15, 2017. She had previously worked as a Financial Specialist in the Bursar’s office.
Congratulations Sara!
Sick leave is an important fringe benefit available to employees. Most employees earn and, depending on usage, will accumulate hours of unused sick leave while they are employed. If eligible, upon retirement, layoff, death or with more than 20 years of adjusted continuous service, you can use your unused sick leave credits to pay post-termination state group health insurance premiums for you, your spouse or domestic partner and/or dependents.
Sick leave can be used for the following reasons:
To review the complete sick leave policy, please see: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/download/policies/ops/bn3.pdf
Employees have the right to use other accrued leave (personal holiday, floating legal holiday or vacation) in lieu of sick leave in order to preserve sick leave balances.
Sick Leave Credits Program
ETF Fact Sheet: http://etf.wi.gov/publications/et8929.pdf
ETF Sick Leave Conversion Credit Program Brochure: http://etf.wi.gov/publications/et4132.pdf
There are two sick leave credit programs for State of Wisconsin employees:
Sick Leave Credits Example
A state employee retires with 28 full years of adjusted continuous service, with a sick leave balance of 2,150 hours and had a highest base rate of pay of $22.50/hour.
ASLCC (2,150 x $22.50) = $48,375
SHICC (24 years x 52 hours) = 1,248 hours
(4 years x 104 hours) = 416 hours
1,664 SHICC hours
SHICC (1,664 x $22.50) = $37,440
Total ($48,375 + $37,440) = $85,815
Please contact Human Resources at (920) 465-2390 or payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu with any questions regarding sick leave benefits. The Sick Leave Fact Sheet may also be found here.
The Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) announced changes to the definition of ‘dependent’ for the State Group Life Insurance program. The changes were effective May 1, 2017 and broaden the definition of ‘dependent’ to expand coverage. Changes include:
In summary, a dependent can be covered until they attain age 26 regardless of their marital, educational or financial status. The definition of ‘dependent’ can be found in Wis. Admin. Code § ETF 10.01(2)(a).
Bicycle Benefits teams up with area businesses to offer discounts for biking around the United States. Purchase a $5 sticker and take advantage of great discounts, including 20% off at The Phoenix Bookstore (see store for details). During June, participates may also play Bike Bingo. Get your card at the store, ride around collecting stamps at area businesses and win great prizes!
Mindfulness is defined as being present in the moment in a nonjudgmental way. Becoming mindful in our lives expresses itself in multiple ways:
You can practice mindfulness in almost everything you do.
Informal Practice – involves reminding ourselves throughout the day to focus our attention on whatever is happening in the moment, which increases our ability to respond effectively. A simple example is becoming more mindful of our movement, which may lead to taking the stairs instead of the elevator or bicycling instead of driving. Practicing mindfulness in this way involves experiences like:
Opportunities for informal mindfulness practice are infinite. At every moment, when it’s not necessary to be planning or thinking, we can simply bring our attention to what is happening in our sensory awareness.
Formal Practice – involves setting aside time to go to the mental “gym.” Unlike informal practice, in which we’re accomplishing another task while practicing mindfulness, formal practice means dedicating a period of time entirely to cultivating mindfulness per se. Mindfulness meditation is a formal practice that has been studied scientifically. This practice involves choosing an object of attention such as the breath or another sensation and returning our attention to that object each time the mind wanders. Through this formal practice we develop a degree of concentration that allows us to focus closer attention to any physical or emotional sensation, such as an itch, ache, sound or feeling. Regardless of the object of attention, we practice being aware of the present experience with acceptance.
Why Practice Mindfulness?
Do you ever find yourself worrying about the future, feeling angry or sad, feeling guilty or ashamed, getting upset about physical pain, or just feeling bored or stressed? Sometimes the feeling is more subtle and you may just feel “out of sorts.” There may be times when you get taken over by anxiety, depression, addictions, pain or other stress-related symptoms that make it difficult to function. Emotional suffering comes in all forms. Mindfulness is a way of relating to life that holds the promise of both alleviating our suffering and making our lives richer and more meaningful.
The point of being mindful is to develop a close relationship with your own mind. You become more familiar with what you are thinking and feeling, and less reactive to the thoughts, emotions and cravings you have. Mindfulness is a practical way to develop our ability to see the world around us more clearly and understand ourselves and others better, so that we might live a more joyful and fulfilling life.
Mindfulness practices have been around for thousands of years. Research in the past twenty-five years has proven that mindfulness can help people with a vast range of emotional and physical disorders, which has led many people from all walks of life to be more open to the practice including hospitals, businesses, governments, athletes, schools and the military.
Stress has been cited as a cause of more than 70% of all family doctor visits for illness and 66% of Americans report having trouble focusing at work because of stress. Job stress costs U.S. industries more than $300 billion per year. These costs include missed work, employee turnover, decreased productivity, and medical, legal and insurance costs. Mindfulness programs have been shown to help reduce many stress-related symptoms and improve overall health, including outcomes such as the following:
Benefits of Mindfulness
Meditation practice can yield all of the following benefits:
Just how can the simple practice of mindfulness provide all of these positive benefits? Paying attention to the present moment can improve the functioning of the body and brain in two specific ways. Mindfulness:
Article from The StayWell Company, LLC