Recent staff recognitions: Please join us in congratulating our AS&E colleagues on their recent staff recognitions!
Norman Burnett, assistant dean of the College and the director of the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), was recently recognized with the award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Learning. The award acknowledges his dedication to our students through his work administering programs and initiatives that contribute to the persistence and graduation rates of underrepresented AS&E students. Norm will be retiring this summer after 29 years of service to the University of Rochester.
Additionally, Marcy Kraus was the inaugural recipient of the award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Advising. Marcy, the assistant dean and executive director of the College Center for Advising Services, joined CCAS in 1999 and has been a wonderful advocate for our students over the years. Marcy is stepping down from her role leading CCAS and will be taking on new responsibilities at the University. Going forward, the award will be named in her honor, “The Marcy Kraus Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Advising.”
Several of our AS&E colleagues were also recognized with the President’s Staff Awards.
Eitan Freedenberg ’20 (PhD), associate director of the Rochester Education Justice Initiative (REJI), was recognized with the Meliora Award for his pioneering work for the University-affiliated initiative that provides higher education opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people.
Jim Alkins, senior laboratory engineer and Fabrication Shop manager for the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences; Berthenia Coltrane, who has also served as a workshop instructor for the Office of Minority Student Affairs’ Early Connection Opportunity program and David VanWey, HR/benefits representative and lead analyst/programmer at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, were all recognized with the Witmer Award, which is presented to staff members whose careers have been characterized by outstanding and sustained contributions to the University.
Congratulations and thank you all for your tremendous work and contributions to the Rochester and AS&E communities!
Welcome Rebecca Fletcher Roberts to CCAS: The College is excited to announce that Rebecca Fletcher Roberts will join the team as the new executive director for CCAS. She will start July 10.
Rebecca comes to us from the Rochester Institute of Technology where she serves as assistant dean for advising and student success in the College of Health Sciences and Technology.
As executive director for CCAS, Rebecca will play a critical role guiding the College’s advising activities and setting the direction for the program.
“Rebecca has a long and demonstrated history of developing and implementing student success initiatives,” said Dean of the College Jeffrey Runner. “We are thrilled to welcome someone with her skills, expertise, and passion for student success.”
Please welcome Rebecca to the College!
Well-Being for Life and Learning training program: This fall, the UHS Health Promotion Office is launching an inaugural Well-Being for Life and Learning training program for faculty and staff. The training program will provide faculty and staff participants with simple strategies to create supportive environments in which students can flourish and, in turn, thrive academically. This self-paced training includes a series of required and elective workshops led by campus experts as well as a comprehensive guidebook. All workshops will be offered in a hybrid format with virtual and in-person sessions throughout the semester. Once all components of the training program have been completed, participants will receive a certificate of completion, a sticker to place on their office door, an icon to place in their email signature, and recognition on the Well-Being for Life and Learning website. To receive more information and the registration once it is live, sign up for the UHS Health Promotion Office newsletter.
Education abroad faculty programs: This summer we have 10 faculty-led study abroad programs running. Check out the full list of summer 2023 programs at the center’s website and follow our Instagram for real time updates. Interested in running a 2024 study abroad program? Contact Ted Pagano, Associate Director, to discuss your ideas and answer questions.
In Focus newsletter on hiatus: Normally, an issue of In Focus, the newsletter for School of Arts & Sciences (SAS), would be hitting inboxes around this time. However, as the school is currently between deans, production on the newsletter—which includes a bimonthly message from the dean—will be paused. Nicole Sampson, the new Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, will step into the role on August 7. In this downtime, you can find SAS news and updates on the SAS website.
Limited access to AS&E Intranet: As of 1 p.m. on Friday, June 16 users of the AS&E Intranet application (https://www.rochester.edu/asei) will not have access to the system unless they are on VPN or the University network. For help with VPN, please contact the University IT Help Desk at +1 585-275-2000 or UnivITHelp@rochester.edu for assistance.
Update on myURHR project: As you may know, the University is currently undergoing a process to roll out a new, modernized Human Resources web portal, myURHR. The new system will help our teams move away from manual, time-consuming, and paper-driven tasks. You will be able to manage benefit elections, view your payslips, and update your personal information, as well as manage your time worked and time off. The project team is now looking for feedback from employees, who are encouraged to complete the myURHR Readiness Survey. Stay tuned for more updates and presentations from our AS&E project ambassadors!
Nominate a Colleague for an ACE Award: The University community is invited to nominate AS&E staff members who exemplify the University’s vision and values and go above and beyond their job to make AS&E and the University ever better. Successful nominations will highlight specific examples of tasks, projects, or activities where staff are exceeding their core functions. Staff can be nominated more than once and winners will be chosen on the first of each month.
