HUMAN RESOURCES KNOWLEDGE SHARING (HRKS) TAKES TO THE ROAD
During the month of June, representatives from the Division of Human Resources will travel to the Kent State Regional Campuses, the Â鶹´«Ã½ College of Podiatric Medicine and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg.
Human Resources Knowledge Sharing (HRKS) sessions are sponsored by the Division of Human Resources and provide an informal way for employees to ask questions or share interests or concerns with HR professionals and Kent State. Human Resources representatives from the following departments will be available:
- Benefits
- Compensation
- Employee Engagement and Outreach
- Employee Relations
- HR Communications
- Records
- Talent Acquisition
- Training and Development
Running concurrently with the HRKS visits will be two sessions that will include information regarding the Impact Employee Assistance Program, introduction of Be Well Solutions (Kent State’s newly contracted wellness provider), and an introduction of the new wellness coordinator. In addition, the Office of General Counsel will be doing a short presentation and overview. Sessions provided by University Benefits and General Counsel will run two times per visit to allow for appropriate coverage in the work areas.
HRKS sessions are designed to be informal and available to both faculty and staff and no appointment is necessary. Employees are welcome to attend any scheduled HR Knowledge Sharing session and a complete list of dates and times for all sessions is posted on the Human Resources website at .
For questions, contact Karen Watson, employee relations manager, at 330-672-4636 or kswatson@kent.edu.
HIGHER EDUCATION RECRUITMENT CONSORTIUM (HERC)
Effective May 1, 2014, the Division of Human Resources, Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Office of the Provost have entered into an agreement with the Higher Education Recruitment consortium (HERC).
HERC is a non-profit consortium of over 600 colleges, universities, hospitals, research labs, government agencies, and related non- and for-profit organizations. Consortium members share a commitment to hiring the most diverse and talented faculty, staff, and executives.
The first regional HERC was founded in 2000 by colleges and universities in Northern California. Since then, 17 more regional HERCs have formed across the U.S. representing 28 states and the District of Columbia. The Ohio/Western PA/WV HERC, available at , officially launched for jobseekers on May 14, 2014. With 31 institutions becoming part of the consortium, Kent State has been leading the way as one of the original founding institutions. Interim Vice President for Human Resources Joseph Vitale has been appointed as chairman of membership committee for 2014-15.
In addition to the cooperative job-posting service, HERC invests significantly in outreach through advertising, conference attendance, and partnerships with minority serving publications, societies and organizations that reach diverse constituents. With the additional resources and proven track record of jobseekers that significantly outpace national averages on race and gender, the HERC/Kent State partnership will enhance the university’s recruitment of dual-career couples and increase faculty and staff excellence through inclusive recruitment.
The Division of Human Resources has obtained an extra supply of information cards indicating the services HERC provides to dual career job seekers. To request a supply, please email Kim Hauge, communications and project manager, at khauge@kent.edu or call 330-672-7505.
DON'T FORGET THE FISCAL YEAR-END DEADLINES
Managers and supervisors should have received information from the Controller's office regarding the cutoff date for financial transactions for the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30. The deadlines for receipt of information can be found online. The Controller's office appreciates timely submissions of documents to ensure that a timely, year-end cutoff has occurred.
Expense Reimbursements
Information on fiscal year deadlines for submitting electronic expense reimbursements is also available at the above website. Travel and/or miscellaneous expenses incurred on or before June 30 are considered fiscal year 2014 activity. To ensure these expenses are recorded in the appropriate fiscal year, expense reimbursements must be approved by the final approver on or before June 27, 2014. Any expense reimbursements in draft status or submitted but not approved by this date will not be processed as fiscal year 2014 activity.
Travel and/or miscellaneous expenses that span both fiscal years and/or incurred after June 30 should be considered new fiscal year activity. Therefore, these expense reimbursements should be processed and approved after June 27, 2014.
If you have questions, contact the Accounts Payable department at payments@kent.edu.
KSU Foundation
The KSU Foundation reminds department heads that June 25 is the deadline to submit any funding requests for the current fiscal year. This will ensure that the transfer of Foundation funds to a university index will be recorded in FY 2014. All requests must be submitted using the Foundation Funding Request form and must have the appropriate signatures and documentation. For more information, contact Yvonne Lee at 330-672-1077 or Mary Kay Hluch at 330-672-0420.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFERS SUMMER TRAINING
Ensuring a safe work environment will be the focus of several training courses offered this summer through the Environmental Health and Safety department. The training will be available in two formats: online and in person. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to send their employees to any of these trainings that are applicable to their job.
The in-person sessions will be offered in a classroom format led by Donald Head, Kent State occupational health and safety coordinator. The classes will cover five topics and each topic will be offered on two different dates and times to better accommodate employees’ work schedules. Any Â鶹´«Ã½ employee may attend although attendance is limited to no more than 10 employees per class.
FlashTrain can be accessed by selecting Employee / Resources / Training and Development from the main menu in FlashLine or via .
The schedule for the classroom topics is listed below. Morning classes will be held on Tuesdays from 8-9 a.m. and afternoon classes will be held on Wednesdays from 3-4 p.m. All classes will be held in Room 331 Harbourt Hall. Registration is required and can be done online at the FlashTrain website listed above.
Respiratory Protection – Tuesday, June 3, and Wednesday, June 4
The class will cover job hazard assessments, how to identify the hazards of airborne contaminants, proper use of appropriate respiratory protection, and inspection, maintenance and storage of respirators. This class is recommended for employees at University Facilities Management (UFM), the Â鶹´«Ã½ Museum and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC).
Back Safety – Tuesday, June 17, and Wednesday, June 18
This class will emphasize safe lifting techniques.
Ladder Safety – Tuesday, July 15, and Wednesday, July 16
This class will cover all aspects of ladder safety from selection of the proper ladder to usage.
Permit Required Confined Spaces – Tuesday, July 29, and Wednesday, July 30
This training will introduce employees to the new requirements under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Hazard Communications Standard. This class is recommended for UFM and SRWC employees.
Asbestos Awareness – Tuesday, Aug. 12, and Wednesday, Aug. 13
For questions, contact Head at 330-672-9565 or dehead@kent.edu.
NEW POLICIES COMING JULY 1 WILL IMPACT PROCEDURES FOR PURCHASING AND UNIVERSITY CONTRACTS
Two new policies take effect July 1 and will result in changes for approval of large-scale purchases and changes in the administration of university contracts. A summary of each policy is listed below; the policies will be available on the University Policy Register after the effective date. Prior to that, you can view both policies on the Business and Finance Guidelines, Policies and Procedures website. Questions on either policy should be directed to: Anne Brown, associate vice president for Business and Administration Services, at 330-672-0984 or abrow116@kent.edu.
Administrative policy 3342-5-04.1, for contract administration
Presented to the Board of Trustees at its March 2014 meeting, this policy provides a centralized approach to contract administration including stipulations regarding the delegation of authority. This policy also details the appropriate steps for initiating, reviewing, and storing contracts, and for reporting any conflicts of interest. The policy applies to all Kent State employees and includes the following requirements:
- The Board of Trustees, the president, and each vice president are the only individuals with authority to sign contracts for the university.
- Delegation of the authority to sign contracts can be done only through a resolution from the Board of Trustees ora written delegation from either the president or appropriate vice president.
- Delegations of the authority to sign contracts must follow the guidelines of this policy, which includes limitations on positions to which authority may be delegated.
- Authority to approve purchases of $100,000 or more may not be delegated beyond the vice president level.
University policy 3342-7-12 regarding authorization of agreements to purchase goods and/or services and the reporting of purchasing activity
Approved at the May 28 Board of Trustees meeting, this policy establishes dollar amounts at which board or executive officer approval of agreements is required to purchase goods and/or services; establishes dollar thresholds on purchases of goods or services requiring formal bidding requirements; and details the requirements for reporting purchasing activity to the Board of Trustees. The policy applies to anyone who engages in purchasing goods or services for the university and includes the following requirements:
- Agreements to purchase goods in excess of $25,000 or services in excess of $50,000 will require a formal bidding process that is coordinated through the Procurement department.
- The director of Procurement must approve a single purchase agreement for goods in excess of $25,000 but less than $100,000. The same approval is necessary for a purchase agreement of services in excess of $50,000 but less than $100,000. Divisional leadership may adopt more stringent approval requirements.
- A single agreement to purchase goods and/or services of $100,000 or more must be approved by the vice president of the division making the purchase and the senior vice president for Finance and Administration. This approval must be done prior to awarding a contract or other commitment to purchase, and this authority is non-delegable.
- Any single agreement to purchase goods and/or services with an estimated total cost of $1 million or more, including any optional renewals, must be approved by the Board of Trustees. The approval must be given prior to the awarding of a contract or any other commitment to purchase.
Dates to Remember:
National Caribbean American Heritage Month
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month
June 4-5 Shavuot
June 6 D-Day
June 6 Summer intersession classes end
June 9 Summer I and Summer II classes begin
June 14 Flag Day
June 15 Father’s Day
June 21 First day of summer (summer solstice)
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 atmanagersfeedback@kent.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.
For information about events and programs for university employees, please check out the Faculty and Staff calendar and share the information with your staff.