12.12.22

Good morning, colleagues:

Campus certainly is quieter now that finals are over and students are making their way home for winter break. I hope you each are managing well through your own end-of-semester tasks and that you are preparing for some much-deserved downtime. With our university holidays and gift-days, we are off Dec. 23 through Jan. 2. This will be my last UIS Update newsletter of 2022; look for the next issue on Jan. 9.

New Information

Enjoy a Sweet Treat this Wednesday

Human Resources is hosting a cookie-decorating activity from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 14 on the first floor of the Student Union. Stop by to enjoy a sweet treat and visit with your coworkers! We will not be having an all-campus holiday party, opting instead for another end-of-academic-year outdoor bash in May, as we did this year.

Minimum Wage Compression Plan

Year 2 of the Minimum Wage Compression Plan takes effect Jan 1. Civil Service and Academic Professional employees who are on active payroll Dec. 31, 2022, and make less than $19 an hour will receive a $1 increase to their hourly rate. Those who make between $19 and $25.74 per hour will receive a 3% increase to their hourly rate. Full details on this program are posted online.

Executive Searches

The searches for our vice chancellor and dean openings are all proceeding well. The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dean of the College of Health, Science and Technology and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences positions are all posted and open to nominations/applications. The Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration position will be posted soon, and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs/Provost will be posted in early 2023. Please share these open positions with anyone you believe may be interested! Our goal is to have all positions filled by July 1. Additionally, we will be welcoming an interim provost to UIS for approximately January-June; an announcement regarding this appointment will be made soon.

COVID Testing: Winter Break Closure

The SHIELD COVID-19 testing site in the WUIS building is open Tuesday and Thursday this week and then will be closed for winter break. We are planning to reopen the site Jan. 3.

Information that Bears Repeating

Investiture Reminder

Please watch your email for upcoming information about the Feb. 8 chancellor investiture, which will take place in Sangamon Auditorium. Faculty received information last week about ordering regalia if they intend to participate. Please complete the required form no later than Jan. 5 if you need to rent regalia.

Skype for Business

ITS will be shutting down the UIS Skype for Business server Dec. 16. Microsoft has been migrating Skype for Business functionality to Microsoft Teams and plans to no longer support Skype for Business. This has no impact on Skype; Skype for Business is a separate service. Please reach out to ITS Client Services if you would like additional training on Zoom or Teams. 

Listening Sessions

For the remainder of the academic year, I will be hosting listening sessions for any faculty or staff member who wants to share their thoughts about our university climate and culture. Please complete this online form to express your interest in participating in a listening session. A member of the Chancellor’s Office will work to schedule you prior to May 2023. I am prioritizing sessions with College of Business and Management faculty and staff first.

Upload Job Descriptions in JDXpert 

To comply with State University Civil Service System rules and requirements, job descriptions for all Academic Professional and Civil Service employees must be uploaded in JDXpert by Dec. 20. The uploading of a job description may be done by the supervisor or the designated department contact.

Orbit Reminder

Don’t forget to check out Orbit, the new web hub for all things employee-related at UIS. 

Celebrating our Star Power

SECA Success

Congratulations on a very successful SECA (State and University Employees Combined Appeal) campaign! Our total giving ($35,365) was up 7 percent this year! Thank you to Erica Michael in the Chancellor’s Office for spearheading this important endeavor. UIS continuously rises above as a top contributor to the annual campaign.

Happy Holidays, UIS, and thank you for a wonderful fall semester! I wish you each a safe, healthy and happy 2023.

Janet

Janet L. Gooch, PhD

Chancellor

University of Illinois Springfield