Voice
Geoff Welch shares tips on personal branding with SW staff in Fairbanks and Anchorage during Staff Development and Appreciation Day. Photo by Monique Musick.

Announcements August 2017

  • Staff Development and Appreciation Day a success
  • September is College Savings Month
  • Security Awareness September 2017: Avoiding Ransomware Attacks
  • On the Fairbanks campus? Renew your parking permit for Fall
  • Healthyroads wellness program update
  • EDir decommissioning announcement and request for action
  • SAA August meeting highlights
  • Voice archives a beneficial resource

Statewide Staff Development and Appreciation Day a success

The Statewide Staff Development and Appreciation Day was an opportunity for Statewide staff members to explore new ideas in the workplace and strengthen their personal toolkits for success. Thank you to everyone who participated.

Below are links to recordings of the sessions. They will be available for the next 30 days.
The following handouts from the sessions are available for download:
If you have any feedback, we'd like to hear it so we can incorporate it into next year's event.
A big thanks goes out the the planning and execution team:
Cheyenne Anderson, Morgan Dufseth, Colby Freel, Katie Herzner, Shiva Hullavarad, Elaine Main, Nycolett Ripley, and Krista Scott

Healthyroads wellness program updates

FY18 has begun, which means two things for the wellness program:

1. If you and/or your spouse/FIP completed all required activities during FY17, the wellness rebate has started being paid out! You can verify this for yourself by checking your paystub and looking for the ‘WRB’ notation. The wellness rebate is applied to each pay period where standard healthcare deductions occur. Also remember, the rebate earned by spouses/FIPs will also be paid out to the employee who actually carries the insurance.

Notice any discrepancies? Please contact your local HR or Sara.

2. The FY18 wellness program has launched on the Healthyroads portal! Now when you log-in, you will be able to view the FY18 program requirements-and get started! Completing all required items will reward you with the wellness rebate over FY19. Same as previous years, there is a log-in link provided for both employees and spouses/FIPs for Healthyroads on the UA benefits/wellness page. Employees will be able to utilize their current UA username and password. Spouses/FIPs will be redirected over to Healthyroads to then log-in with the username and password that they chose during registration.�

The program requirements were updated slightly this year in that last year’s (FY17) biometric results will determine what is needed to complete for the program this year. Log-in to your account to view the information in-full, but you will fall within 1 of 3 categories:

  1. Completed biometrics during FY17 and met at least 3 of 5 healthy biometric metrics: You will ONLY need to complete a Personal Health Assessment (PHA)
  2. Completed biometrics during FY17 and did not meet at least 3 of 5 healthy biometric metrics: You will need to complete a PHA, Biometric Screening, and earn 5 points by 4/30/18
  3. Did not complete biometrics during FY17: You will need to complete a PHA, Biometric Screening, and earn 5 points by 4/30/18

UA's On-Site Wellness Program Manager, Sara Rodewald, is the person to contact if you have any questions or need additional clarification on the program and requirements.�

Phone: (907)450-8203
E-mail: sararo@ashn.com

August SAA Meeting Highlights

The Statewide Administration Assembly held a regular business meeting on Thursday, August 10. Below are highlights from the meeting.

August SAA Highlights

  1. Jeannette Okinczyc gave a presentation to SAA representatives on how to stay safe online. The presentation can be viewed�HERE.
  2. Representatives discussed the possibility of creating a break/recreation room in Butrovich. They formed an ad hoc committee to look into the idea further. �
  3. SAA representatives continued their discussion of safety training (CPR, AED) for SW employees. They will continue to workwith�Chief Risk Officer Tim Edwards and will notify SW staff when they can sign up for the training.
  4. SAA created a Safety Committee to address personal, physical, cyber and environmental safety issues/risk. They are developing their charge and goals, and will report back to SAA at its September 12 meeting.
  5. SAA is continuing to collect feedback on Strategic Pathways Phase 3 options. SW employees can share their feedback in a�Google Doc�monitored by SAA.
  6. SAA approved their FY18 event calendar. It can be viewed online�HERE.

SAA will meet next on Tuesday, September 12, in Butrovich 204 in Fairbanks and Bragaw 210 in Anchorage. All staff are encouraged and welcome to attend. Reach out to�SAA​ representatives to share your ideas and/or concerns. Additional information about SAA meetings is available on its�website.

September is College Savings Month

Governor Walker annually proclaims September as College Savings Month and encourages all families to evaluate their college savings needs and goals and to take advantage of Alaska’s highly rated 529 offering, the UA College Savings Plan!

Did you know that the UA College Savings Plan is the nation’s only 529 plan located within a university? This gives us a unique ability to help families with more than just their college savings plan needs. As a UA employee, you are able to supplement the Employee Tuition Waiver with savings in the UA College Savings Plan. Kids are much more likely to attend college when they grow up knowing their family is saving on their behalf.

Here’s how you can celebrate College Savings Month:

  • Grow your accounts�through systematic monthly contributions. Payroll deduction is a convenient way for UA employees to fund college savings accounts. To participate in payroll deduction, first set up an account in the UA College Savings Plan. Enroll online at�www.uacollegesavings.com�or by calling�1-800-478-0003. Then, fill out a Payroll Deduction Request form (FORM) and return it to the UA College Savings Plan�office. Alternatively, you can enroll in�Automatic Monthly Contributions.
  • Follow the UA College Savings Plan�(www.facebook.com/ak529) on Facebook and watch for updates about upcoming events and tips during the month of September.
  • Get to know the UA College Savings Plan staff. Drop into Suite 207 of the Butrovich Building (Fairbanks); or reach us at 474-5671 and�collegesavings@alaska.edu.�

We aim to make saving for college easy and help you make the most of your savings. Happy College Savings Month!

Security Awareness September 2017: Avoiding Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware is a type of malware designed to encrypt users’ files or lock their operating systems so attackers can demand a ransom payment. According to a�2016 Symantec report, the average ransom demand is almost $700 and “consumers are the most likely victims of ransomware, accounting for 57 percent of all infections between January 2015 and April 2016.”

Similar to a phishing attack, ransomware executes when a user is lured to click on an infected link or e-mail attachment or to download a file or software drive while visiting a rogue website. Sophisticated social engineering techniques are used to entice users to take the desired action...�MORE

EDir decommissioning announcement and request for action

EDir Decommissioning Announcement

EDir is the Enterprise Directory used by the University of Alaska Statewide and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The University of Alaska Statewide, Office of Information Technology, will decommission EDir by Februrary 1, 2018. The decommissioning project timeline involves having every EDIR-dependent service transferred, reconfigured, redesigned or retired by January 1, 2018.

Request for Action

If you know of an EDir-dependent service, please contact the project manager or project team member with whom you work to support your service. The team member table is provided on the project announcement�website linked below. Ensure that the team member has planned for the impact to your service and is prepared to implement or assist you in implementing changes to your service.

To learn more please visit the project announcement website: �https://www.alaska.edu/oit/edir/

On the Fairbanks campus? Renew your parking permit for Fall

Get your parking decal before you get a ticket! The current decal will expire August 31. New or sustainable (auto-renewing) permits are available through the UAF Office of the Bursar.

Remember, while the Butrovich parking lot is a mixed guest and decal lot ALL employees are expected to purchase a parking decal. Everything you need is right here.

Voice archives a beneficial resource

Looking for information on benefits, budget updates, employee news or past announcements? The "Search Articles" box in the left menu of Statewide Voice pages is an easy to use portal for accessing older publication content. Use the power of Google to instantly bring up past Statewide Voice publications by name, topic or other search term. After 125 issues you'd be amazed at all the information available for review!

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