President’s letter
Happy Halloween! That also means the national election is only days away. I hope everyone has a plan to vote this year. That may mean early voting, absentee or in-person. It’s important to choose the leaders of our nation that represent the values we admire in leadership.
That brings to mind the question, What is leadership, and who is a leader? In the article, Jacob Morgan writes that a “leader is someone who can see how things can be improved and who rallies people to move toward that better vision.” Notice that this definition does not say a person with a title or job position of leader. Leaders can come in all forms and people can lead from any position. Leaders rally others to move toward a better vision.
We can all be leaders in different aspects of our work and lives. We can find better ways of doing business processes. We work to be more inclusive. We can improve our work culture. I encourage you to look for ways your workplace can be improved and rally others around you to move to the better vision.
-Ranelle Maltas
Grow Your Power and Impact, November 5
Join us in a sneak peek of a session to be featured at the May 2021 All-Staff Empowerment conference.
In this virtual session, “Empowerment at all Levels: Engaging Staff through Connection and Opportunities,” learn how College of Engineering staff leveraged their power for greater growth and development. The CoE Staff Development Council formed in fall 2018 with a primary goal of personal improvement and engagement. Three task forces emerged: onboarding, professional development, and wellness. These task forces focused on initiatives for building new employee engagement and community, creating and funding professional development opportunities, and improving overall staff wellness. Take part in this session to learn and build on their experience in your own sphere of influence.
Presented by Melissa Hoffman, Associate Director of Operations, Assessment and Continuous Improvement; Patricia Lena, Administrative Technician, Civil & Environmental Engineering; and Markeya Peteranetz Learning Assessment Coordinator, College of Engineering.
Hosted by UNOPA and UAAD
Registration: Free to UNOPA and UAAD members; registration link to come, or check the UNOPA or UAAD web site.
Register by October 30 to hold your space!
Watch for another Conference “sneak peek” in December, with Connie Boehm and “Enhancing a Culture of Well-being.”
UAAD Article Club
Beginning in November, UAAD will host another opportunity for members to engage with one another and discuss relevant topics. All members will be invited to join the “article club”; similar to a book club, but with short articles instead of books. This event will occur once a month on a Friday afternoon between 12:00 and 1:00 PM. The article to be discussed will be shared with all on Monday of the same week.
The first “article club” will be on Friday, November 20. If you are interested in participating, please contact Marnie Nelson at mnelson38@unl.edu no later than Friday, November 13.
UAAD Member Service Awards
Congratulations to our UAAD members celebrating their service awards this year! Thank you for all you have done for the university and UAAD.
- Lorraine Moon - Research - 45 years
- Tammie Herrington - College of Education & Human Sciences - 30 years
- Ranelle Maltas - Human Resources - 20 years
- Jenny Gilmore - College of Education & Human Sciences - 15 years
- Elizabeth (Betsy) Howe - Environmental Health & Safety - 15 years
- Tony Lazarowicz - College of Arts & Sciences - 10 years
- Shea Svoboda - Computer Science & Engineering - 10 years
- Ryan Fette - Institutional Equity and Compliance - 5 years
- Brooke Goedert - Nebraska Innovation Campus - 5 years
- Patricia Lena - Civil & Environmental Engr-Lincoln - 5 years
- Robert Vavala - Center for Transformative Teaching - 5 years
Updated Award Nomination Deadline
The University Association for Administrative Development (UAAD) is accepting nominations for the 2021 Carl A. Donaldson Award for Excellence in Management and the 2021 Floyd S. Oldt Award for Exceptional Service to the University. The nomination deadline for both awards has been updated to Monday, March 15, 2021.
The Carl A. Donaldson Award for Excellence in Management recognizes campus managers in non-faculty positions. The award has been presented since 1972 and honors Donaldson, a University of Nebraska graduate who worked for the university for 43 years. Donaldson founded UAAD in 1961.
The Floyd S. Oldt Award for Exceptional Service to the University honors a UNL employee in a managerial/professional position. The award was created in 1992 from a bequest by Oldt, a 1920 University of Nebraska graduate. Oldt was a superintendent of Abel Construction Company in Lincoln before moving to Dallas. Oldt was a contributor to many humanitarian and civic organizations.
For more information, please visit https://uaad.unl.edu/awards or e-mail uaad@unl.edu.
Please spread the word with coworkers at departmental meetings, socially distant luncheons, etc. to get the word out and nominate your colleagues!
Save the Dates - Upcoming Meetings and Events
Meetings
U2 Meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, from noon to 1PM. For the foreseeable future, meetings will be held via Zoom.
November 18 - Topic to be announced
December 16 - Networking
January 21 - Topic to be announced
February 17 - Networking
March 17 - Topic to be announced
April 21 - Networking
For more information, see the UAAD Calendar at https://events.unl.edu/uaad/upcoming/.