Dialog, UA Faculty and Staff News

HRD Training

Building Community
Communication
Computer Information Technology
Continuous Quality Improvement
The Management Project
Policy and Procedures
New Employee Orientation and Benefits Enrollment
Job Openings
Miscellaneous

Benefits Update -- RSA Sends Monthly Newsletter and Handbook

Family Weekend 2002 is Sept. 27-29

Building Community -- Human Relations for the 21st Century.

Human Relations for the 21st Century is designed to develop human relations skills, heighten awareness of others and foster a sense of community throughout the UA campus. Workshops that bear the Building Community logo are available to UA employees.

The Diversity Experience -- HRD Team, date TBA
"Who Moved My Cheese?" -- HRD Team, Sept. 16, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Customer Service and The University of Alabama -- HRD Team, Sept. 30, 2-4 p.m.

Communication

Advanced Connections -- Moving Quality Service Beyond the Basics -- HRD Team, scheduled by request
Business Communications -- HRD Team, Sept. 18, 2-4 p.m.

Computer Information Technology

E-Course for Word, Excel, Access, and Powerpoint -- HRD Team, Sept. 9-11, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
E-Course for Windows -- HRD Team, Sept. 9-11, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Exploring the University Libraries -- Brett Spencer, Sept. 20, 3-4:30 p.m.

Continuous Quality Improvement

CQI Leadership Seminar Series. CQI workshops are part of the Leadership Seminar Series designed for people in academic and administrative organizations, such as deans, department chairs, directors, managers, assistant and associate directors and faculty who lead projects, or plan on moving into leadership roles. All workshops will be facilitated by John Dew, director for Continuous Quality Improvement. Contact the CQI Office at 348-9831 to schedule workshops, which are designed for 2-4 hours.

TRIZ: Theory of Creative Problem Solving, Sept. 26, 1-4 p.m.

The Management Project

Practical Leadership -- HRD Team, Sept. 9, 8:30-4:30 p.m.
UA Policy and Employment Law -- HRD Team, Sept. 25, 8:30-4:30 p.m.

Policy and Procedures

Supervising Students -- HRD Team, Sept. 17, 1:30-3:30 p.m., and Sept. 24, 9-11 a.m.
Effective Affirmative Action and Recruiting Strategies -- Shirley Darr, Auxiliary Services, contact 348-7125 to schedule
Independent Contractor Procedures -- HRD Team, Sept. 26, 9-11 a.m.

New Employee Orientation and Benefits Enrollment

HRD Team, Sept. 16-17, 8 a.m.-noon

Job Openings

The University of Alabama is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. For the latest employment information, call the UA job line at 348-7780 or visit the Employment Office web site. Remember that office, technical, clerical, maintenance and service positions stay on the Job Line only five days. Faculty positions are listed under the appropriate college or school.

Miscellaneous

New Employee Orientation introduces all new UA employees to campus life and provides them and employees with a status change (regular, part-time or temporary) an opportunity for benefits advisement and enrollment. New employees and employees with status change must pre-register and attend a New Employee Orientation session within the first 30 days of employment to be eligible for health insurance. Sessions are offered every Monday.

Three ways to register and to check out training manual:

Call 348-7125
Fax to 348-2072
Email mkarrh@fan.ua.edu

Human Resources Development training sessions will be conducted at G54 Rose Administration building unless otherwise stated. Persons with special needs should contact Margie Karrh.

The Training Resource Center (TRC) offers videos for a staff development "lunch and learn" program. The TRC accommodates six to eight people.

Benefits Update -- RSA Sends Monthly Newsletter and Handbook

The August 2002 issue of The Retirement System of Alabama's newsletter, The Advisor, addresses the effect of recent business scandals on the RSA's investment portfolio, which funds RSA members' retirement incomes. WorldCom's misrepresented profits and subsequent downfall meant a "realized and unrealized loss to the RSA of $210.6 million." It goes on to point out that the loss in stocks and bonds is less than 1 percent of RSA's total portfolio and compares the loss to California's plans, which are approximately $828 million. The loss, whatever the amount, says the article, does not affect retired members' retirement benefits, as the RSA "is a defined benefit plan guaranteed by law, not a 401-K type plan."

The March issue of The Advisor addresses affects of the Enron scandal. Back issues of The Advisor are available on line at www.rsa.state.al.us.

The Retirement System of Alabama sends The Advisor to the home address of each member. Membership in the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama applies to all regular UA employees working at least 50 percent FTE.

Members of TRSA contribute 5 percent of their gross salary through payroll deduction. If your address has changed since you began contributing to RSA and you have not received The Advisor, you should provide a current address. On the Web site at www.rsa.state.al.us, RSA members can read the latest issue and get instructions and a form for notifying RSA of your address change. Members may also submit a written request, including full name, current home mailing address, Social Security number, employer, and home phone, to P.O. Box 302150, Montgomery, AL 36130-2150. For more information, call 1-800-214-2158.

The TRS has published its first member handbook, which may aid in making informed decisions about retirement. The handbook contains information on such topics as types of creditable service, vesting, member's death before retirement, deferred retirement (DROP), taxes, computing retirement benefits and more. Active members of the TRS should have received this handbook by mail. If it has not been received, members may get a copy from UA's Benefits Office, which has moved to G-69 Rose Administration Building. The TRS must have members' current address in order to send current information, such as the handbook and the monthly newsletter, The Advisor. More information is available on the Web site at www.rsa.state.al.us.

Family Weekend 2002 is Sept. 27-29

Participants enjoying Family Weekend at UA UA faculty and staff can help make this third annual Family Weekend another huge success. Students and their families will be all across campus, where they will be in contact with people, places and events. Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend some of the events. A special feature of this year's Family Weekend is a dance rehearsal by professor of dance Cornelius Carter, named National Professor of the Year for 2001-02 by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. To join events requiring reservations and a fee, contact Becky Alderman at 348-3277 or visit our Web site at familyweekend.ua.edu.