Institute for Excellence Application Deadline Approaching
The Institute for Excellence is seeking applications for its sixth class. Submissions will be accepted until May 21 for Â鶹ÊÓƵ's award-winning leadership development initiative led by the Division of Human Resources.
The mission of the Institute for Excellence is to develop and promote a culture of excellence for faculty and staff. Research has shown that while many important qualities associated with excellence - collaboration, agility, foresight and strategic thinking - are inherent, these are traits that also can be learned. When that learning takes place, the result is improved performance for individuals and their work unit.
The Institute for Excellence will begin in September 2016, with the Administrator and Individual Contributor tracks meeting monthly for either a full- or half-day session. The Administrator track is for faculty or staff who manage or chair a department or unit or supervise others. The Individual Contributor track is for employees not currently in a managerial role. Both tracks are for high performers who display leadership now and want to improve their ability to lead change for Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
The focus for the Administrator and Individual Contributor versions are different even though they are designed to facilitate development around many of the same qualities associated with excellence - such as collaboration, execution, agility, strategic thinking, foresight and communication.
The two tracks will meet separately, with some opportunities for joint sessions. A partial list of session topics includes discussions with Â鶹ÊÓƵ President Beverly Warren and other Â鶹ÊÓƵ officers, increased financial literacy, emotional intelligence, two 360° assessments to benchmark skills, using neuroscience and physiology to improve leadership performance, diversity in higher education and understanding team dynamics. The sessions will combine in-class discussions, self-development tools and opportunities for hands-on application.
Eligibility requirements must be met and the application process completed for each Institute for Excellence track. All participants must be employed full-time by the university for a minimum of one year and must have received a rating of Meets Expectations or higher on their most recent performance evaluation. The Institute for Excellence website includes a complete list of criteria and other important information.
Interested faculty and staff should read the online application worksheet and complete the online application form. Applicants selected for the Institute for Excellence will be notified by the Training and Development Office in early June.
For more information, contact Renee Romine at 330-672-0894 or mromine@kent.edu.
Performance Evaluations
Online performance evaluations for classified employees are taking place through May 30.
Unclassified managers and supervisors will conduct evaluations through June 13.
Managers and supervisors please contact employee relations if you have not received an email with detailed instructions. As a reminder, access is available to the performance log; employees and supervisors are able to utilize this log throughout the year to record employee accomplishments, training and discussions.
More information is available on the .
If your department is interested in having a Human Resources representative present an overview of the evaluation process in person, please call Karen Watson at 330-672-4636 or kswatson@kent.edu.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ Website Redesign Underway - to Launch in August
This summer, Â鶹ÊÓƵ's institutional website, as well as all Regional Campus and departmental websites, will undergo a redesign to align our online presence with the university's new brand. A series of meetings is underway to inform the university community about this effort and the roles and responsibilities of all of the redesign partners, including 160/90, University Communications and Marketing, Information Services and university wide department webmasters and owners. Each and every partner will play an important role in advancing this initiative.
Please advise your department webmasters to watch the Drupal listserv for project-critical updates and work requirements, to include:
- Mid-May through early June: Department webmasters will make home page variation/element selection online.
- June to July (as home pages are rebuilt): Department webmasters review home page and landing pages, as contacted by University Communications and Marketing.
- Late July to August: Department webmasters provide final review and approval
- Aug. 1-21: Content freeze.
- Note: Webmasters will be able to edit; however, edits should be minimal to prevent duplicate work.
- Aug. 21: Launch of all websites.
- August+: Department webmasters attend future Drupal training as necessary.
Questions? Please contact Lin Danes, director of Web services in University Communications and Marketing, at ldanes@kent.edu, or Sameer Jaleel , director of systems development, Information Services, at 330-672-1388 or sjaleel1@kent.edu.
It's time for Cellular Device Authorization Renewals
All employees authorized to have a university-owned cellular device or receive a stipend must complete the Cellular Device Authorization workflow for the 2017 fiscal year (see ). The workflow is available in FlashLine, in the Workflow & Utilities channel on the My Action Items tab.
The workflow must be completed, including all required approvals, by Monday, June 27. The workflow must be used for cellular device or stipend authorizations. The payroll effective date for stipend renewals is July 1.
General questions regarding cellular device authorization should be directed to Procurement at 330-672-2276 or procurement@kent.edu. Questions regarding authorization for employees paid from a sponsored project should be directed to Debra Leonard at 330-672-0988 or dleonard@kent.edu.
Several Parking Lots Closed for Renovations This Summer
Please be aware that the Schwartz Center (R12) lot and the Kent Student Center Visitor Parking lot will be closed for renovations beginning May 16 through mid-August. Additionally, the R10 parking lot between Lake Hall and the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center will be closed to all vehicles, except those with disability permits, during the same time period.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Board of Trustees in March approved a $2.5-million project to reconstruct the Schwartz Center parking lot in conjunction with the Summit Street renovation project. The lot renovations are funded by Â鶹ÊÓƵ Parking Services' reserves. As part of a campuswide parking capacity study, Â鶹ÊÓƵ and Graelic LLC, a parking design and consulting organization, evaluated the parking configuration of the Kent Campus and determined that these improvements will best address the needs of a growing campus with limited parking.
For details on the renovations and information on alternative parking in these areas, please see the .
Questions about parking on campus should be directed to Larry Emling at lemling@kent.edu. For more information about campus construction this summer, contact Michael Bruder at mbruder@kent.edu.
Dates to Remember
National Asian-Pacific Heritage Month
National Older Peoples Month
May 8
Mother's Day
May 13
Spring Advanced Degree Commencement, 6 -7:30 p.m., Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, Kent Campus. Visit the . Spring Commencement at Regional Campuses; contact individual campuses for times and locations.
May 14
Spring Baccalaureate Commencement, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, Kent Campus. Visit the Commencement website above for more information.
May 15-22
Campus Steam Shutdown (6 p.m. on May 15 to 6 p.m. on May 22)
May 20
College of Podiatric Medicine Commencement Ceremony
May 21
Armed Forces Day
May 30
Memorial Day (university closed)
Tell Us What You Think
This e-newsletter is designed to keep you, the managers and supervisors, informed. Please take a few minutes to let us know what you think of it, along with any comments or suggestions. You may contact us at managersfeedback@kent.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.