Georgia State Goes Live On OneUSG Connect
Georgia State University went live on OneUSG Connect on Sunday, March 25 along with 12 other schools in the University System of Georgia (USG). The new Human Capital Management (HCM) platform replaces ADP as the university’s human resources management platform system and software.
“OneUSG Connect is a University System of Georgia initiative,” said Robert Elmore, assistant vice president of human resources at Georgia State. “Implementation will allow all institutions to be on a common platform with streamlined standardized business processes.”
Georgia State employees can now login and use OneUSG Connect to record and submit time, access, review and update personal information including direct deposit, pay checks and benefits. The new platform, which uses Peoplesoft software, allows employees to access the system at any time by computer, tablet and smartphones.
“The Employee Self-Service, Faculty Self-Service and Manager Self-Service functionality will empower the employees to manage the data within the HCM for themselves and their direct reports,” Elmore said. “Accountability will become a key factor for users going forward.”
The University System of Georgia has been planning to move all of the universities to one system since around 2015 in an effort to better manage and support its workforce and keep up with changing technology needs. By using the same software, standardizing policies and centralizing support, there is also a reduced net cost to the USG.
“Everyone involved with the project is excited and we think the university community will be as well,” Elmore said.
Next Steps:
–Review the Top Things To Do and View for Employees, which includes checking their OneUSG account to make sure personal information, payroll and direct deposit information are accurate. Employees that find any errors in their personal information should initiate an Employee Self Service transaction in OneUSG Connect to update.
–View the short, one- to three-minute training videos available for managers and employees, which explain how to perform different activities in the system. Find these videos at http://hr.gsu.edu/oneusg.
–For more information about OneUSG Connect, contact your manager, your HRAC representative or our team at GSUOneUSGConnect@gsu.edu. OneUSG Connect Support is accessible toll free at 877-251-2644 or by email at sscsupport@ssc.usg.edu. For more information, you can also visit our website at http://hr.gsu.edu/oneusg/.
Staff Council Releases Staff Climate Survey Results
The Georgia State Staff Council has released the results of the 2017 Staff Climate Survey.
The results presented in the report are based on responses from 942 university staff, which represents a response rate of about 29.2 percent.
“The 2017 Staff Climate Survey was an opportunity to glean insight into the perceptions of staff as it relates to functional aspects of their jobs, professional development and support, and the working environment within their respective units and departments,” said Sonda Abernathy, chair of Staff Council and a human resources officer in Perimeter College.
Respondents to the survey, which was conducted in June and July 2017, indicated moderately high overall satisfaction with their current job environment, the report stated. On average, respondents rated the highest score on the survey item of “having developed close relationships with their colleagues.”
Staff who had taken advantage of training or professional development opportunities had significantly higher scores than those who had not in all the satisfaction items and subscales, the report stated. One-fifth of the respondents indicated they had someone who mentored them in their professional workplace role.
“Survey findings reflected the majority of respondents were able to take advantage of training and professional development opportunities,” Abernathy said.
Consistent with 2013 and 2015 survey findings, the “inability to deal effectively with poor performance by staff” remained the lowest scoring item. Compared to the 2013 and 2015 survey results, staff employees gave significantly lower scores on items of “safe working environment” and “recommending department” as a good work place in the 2017 survey.
The results also indicated a significant decline in the university staff climate in the areas of functional aspects of the job, development and support and work environment within a department or unit, the report stated.
“Lack of budget, time issues and lack of support by management remain the top three barriers for those seeking to take advantage of training or professional development,” Abernathy said. “Staff Council considers these areas of significant concern and is working with Dr. (Mark) Becker and those in senior leadership to address these perceptions.”
The survey was administered in collaboration with the university’s Staff Council and the Office of Institutional Research. The Staff Council Survey committee presented the results this month to the Staff Council and university administration.
To read the report, click here.
Georgia State Receives Coca-Cola/Keep America Beautiful Bin Grant and EPA WasteWise Award Honorable Mention
Georgia State has received its second Coca-Cola/Keep America Beautiful bin grant for $8,000, to be used for 50 new recycling bins, further expanding its recycling program to the Perimeter campuses.
The $8,000 bin grant came almost four years after Georgia State applied for and received its first grant from Coca Cola and Keep America Beautiful. The grant allowed Georgia State to receive 90 bins for the downtown campus in 2014, greatly expanding the university’s recycling initiatives.
Recycling efforts on the downtown campus in 2017 saved the university more than $31,000, while generating roughly $13,000 of revenue.
The first grant assisted the university in expanding its recycling program to special material recycling, which includes batteries, electronic waste, clothing and textiles, scrap metal, appliances and furniture, scrap metal and now, styrofoam.
The styrofoam densifier Georgia State purchased crushes and shreds styrofoam waste into small bits, then heats and melts the waste into a variety of molds. The process reduces the foam to 1/90 of its original size. It would take three tractor trailer loads of loose styrofoam to create one 70-pound densified brick. The process is safe and cleanly processed with no harmful emissions.
Georgia State is the only university in Georgia to have its own styrofoam densifier. Only two other colleges in the nation have their own densifiers.
The Keep America Beautiful bins recently arrived and will be outfitted for single stream and ink/toner recycling before distribution to high traffic areas at each Perimeter campus.
Grant proposals for Keep America Beautiful bin grants are evaluated based on overall need, likelihood to increase recycling initiatives, planning and organization, as well as metrics and data. The grant works to increase recycling participation among the university community by placing additional collection points across campus as research shows people are less likely to recycle if they don’t have a convenient opportunity to do so. The Keep America Beautiful grant is designed to help organizations overcome this barrier.
“We are so thankful for the support of Coca Cola and Keep America Beautiful,” said Jennifer Asman, sustainability initiatives program manager. “Great things are happening with waste diversion at Georgia State and the ability to add additional collection points on the Perimeter campuses will continue this momentum. The more convenient that we make recycling, the more folks will engage in ‘doing the right thing.'”
The university was also awarded an honorable mention from the the Enviromental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WasteWise initiative. EPA awards select WasteWise partners for their exemplary waste prevention and reduction activities. Partner awards are based on self-reported data in the categories of waste prevention, recycling and disposal. This is Georgia State’s first time being recognized by the EPA for its waste efforts. Last year, the university had an overall diversion rate of 49 percent, the highest diversion rate in university history.
Georgia State Graduate Schools Rise In U.S. News And World Report Rankings
Georgia State’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies broke into the top 20 public affairs graduate schools and the College of Education & Human Development continued its rapid ascent up the U.S. News & World Report magazine rankings of higher education graduate programs, placing 40th in this year’s survey.
The Andrew Young School rose seven spots to No. 18 overall in the public affairs degree programs, tying with Columbia, Duke, American and Ohio State universities.
The College of Education & Human Development ranked 59th two years ago and jumped to 48 last year.
Rankings of graduate schools are based on qualitative and quantitative measures. Rankings of individual programs are based on peer assessments. READ MORE…
Renick Wins Top Prize In Higher Education
Timothy Renick, senior vice president for student success, is the winner of the 2018 Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education for Higher Education. The award recognizes outstanding individuals who have dedicated themselves to improving education through successful, innovative approaches. McGraw Prize winners were recognized in three global categories: Higher Education, Learning Science Research and Pre-K-12 Education.
A prestigious award, the McGraw Prize is administered through a collaboration among The Harold W. McGraw Jr. Family Foundation, McGraw-Hill Education and Arizona State University. McGraw prizes were awarded in three categories. Renick won the higher education prize for using analytics to increase graduation rates and eliminating achievement gaps at Georgia State.
“This year’s winners exemplify the highest standards of educational leadership,” said Harold McGraw III, the former chairman and chief executive officer of The McGraw-Hill Companies. “They’ve also delivered outstanding and measurable results that have improved achievement and created opportunities for students in the classroom and beyond.”
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Tanya Washington, professor of law, has received the President’s Award for Excellence from the Gate City Bar Association for her commitment to developing future lawyers, to the advancement of justice and to equal access to the law.
Anthony F. Lemieux, director of the Global Studies Institute and professor of global studies and communication, has been named an American Council of Education Fellow for 2018-19. He is one of 45 fellows selected nationwide.
Timothy D. Lytton, associate dean for research and faculty development, Distinguished University Professor and professor of law, delivered the annual Robert and Florence Dreben Lecture at Harvard University on March 6. He discussed how the evolution of kosher certification in the United States demonstrates how American legal and economic institutions have shaped Jewish communal self-governance.
The College of Law’s Center For Access to Justice Pro Bono Program has been selected to receive the 2018 Carl V. Patton President’s Award for Community Service and Social Justice: Outstanding University Program Award. Lauren Sudeall Lucas, associate professor of law, is the center’s founding faculty director and Darcy Meals is its assistant director.
Terri Lewinson, associate professor of social work, has been named Alumnus of the Year by the University of Georgia School of Social Work.
Michael Pesko, assistant professor of economics, presented his work, “Nearly Half of Small Employers Using Tobacco Surcharges Do Not Provide Tobacco Cessation Wellness Programs” during a forum at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on March 6.
James Cox, the Noah Langdale Jr. Chair in Economics and director of the Experimental Economics Center, made the keynote address, “Rational Choice and Moral Monotonicity,” at the Asia-Pacific Meeting of the Economic Science Association at Queens University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, on Feb. 9. He also presented a seminar at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, “Point of Care Support for Hospital Discharge Decision Making,” on Feb. 12.
Fayron Epps, assistant professor of nursing, received an Alzheimer’s Association research grant for her project, “Dementia-Friendly Faith Villages to Support African American Families.”
Molly Bassett, associate professor and chair in religious studies, has joined the editorial boards of “Teaching Theology and Religion” and “Reading Religion,” publications of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion.
The Department of Physics & Astronomy has been named a “5+ Club Awardee” by PhysTEC, a partnership between the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers. The award recognizes institutions who graduate five or more well-qualified physics teachers in a given year. Georgia State was one of nine universities nationwide to win the award.
Ricardo Nogueira, lecturer in geosciences, has authored an online interactive textbook, “Weather, Climate and Beyond: An Introduction to Physical Geography.”
David Ashley, professor of environmental health, has been recognized by the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) for his lifetime of work in tobacco control. Ashley received the 2018 John Slade Award during the recent SRNT annual meeting in Baltimore.
The “My Voice. My Participation. My Board” program, operated by the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD), has been recognized in the blog of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. For five years, CLD has offered this program which trains people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in self-advocacy.
The College of the Arts welcomes Fatoumata “Fatou” Egegbara as its new human resources officer.
Cynthia Farnell, director of the Welch Gallery, is in the group exhibition, “Sentiments & Origins,” at Westobou in Augusta, Ga. “Sentiments and Origins” features the flora and fauna of contemporary artists Frances de La Rosa, Cynthia Farnell, Juan Alberto Negroni and Pandra Williams. The exhibition is curated by Shannon Morris.
Hope Cohen, instructor in art and design, curated “Beyond Words” at the Swan Coach House Gallery. The group exhibition includes Welch-affiliated artists Craig Drennen and Professor Emeritus Larry Walker.
Stephanie Kolpy, printmaking instructor, led the curatorial vision for a cross collaboration project between the Welch School of Art & Design and the National Science Department for the “Art, Reaction, Science” exhibition at the Fusion Gallery during the Atlanta Science Festival.
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Pam Leintz, administrative secretary in the School of Music, has retired after a decade of outstanding service.
Chip Zimmerman, clinical assistant professor of respiratory therapy, has received the Governor’s Teaching Fellowship. He is the second fellowship recipient in the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions and the seventh from Georgia State.
Karis Casseus, clinical assistant professor of nursing and Sigma Theta Tau International’s Epsilon Alpha Chapter president, along with the Georgia State chapter, has received two Showcase of Regional Excellence certificates, including the “Presidential Call to Action-Lifelong Learning” and the “Presidential Call to Action-Philanthropy.”
Mei-Lan Chen, assistant professor of nursing, is a manuscript reviewer for the refereed journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. She also served as a committee chair of the Early Career Scholar committee in the Chinese-American Academic and Professional Association in Southeastern United States.
Joan Cranford, clinical professor of nursing, has been elected to the board of directors to the Southern Regional Education Board, Council on Collegiate Education.
Anita Nucci, associate professor of nutrition, has been selected as chair-elect of the Pediatric Intestinal Failure Section of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.
Regena Spratling, assistant professor of nursing, has been elected to the Southern Nursing Research Society Board of Directors as member at large/director of communications.
Walt Thompson, associate dean in the College of Education and Human Development, spent two weeks in South Korea for the PyeongChang Paralympic Games, where he conducted research and observed several events. He was also interviewed on StarTalk Playing with Science, a science and sports podcast, about the criteria used to classify athletes for the Paralympics and how to make the games as fair as possible.
Lauren Margulieux, assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development’s Learning Technology Division, had research featured in a story written by Georgia Tech about smarter ways to learn procedures and solve problems.
More than 30 students, faculty and staff from the Department of Kinesiology and Health volunteered at the March 18 Publix Georgia Marathon, cheering on the runners and providing participants with bananas, water and Powerade.
The Atlanta City Council presented a proclamation about the College of Education & Human Development’s Early College program to its students and alumni on March 19 ahead of the program’s Early College Week celebrations, scheduled for March 26-30.
Aaron M. Baird, assistant professor in the Institute of Health Administration with a secondary appointment in the Department of Computer Information Systems, received the 2017 Association for Information Systems Early Career Award. The award recognizes individuals in the early stages of their careers who have already made outstanding research, teaching and/or service contributions to the field of information systems.
Rajeev Dhawan, the Carl R. Zwerner Chair of Economic Forecasting and director of the Economic Forecasting Center, has received the 2017 Pulsenomics Crystal Ball Award for forecasting accuracy in the quarterly Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey. Dhawan previously received the Crystal Ball Award in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
For the fourth consecutive year, the American Marketing Association has announced Dr. V Kumar, Regents Professor, the Richard and Susan Lenny Distinguished Chair in Marketing and executive director of the Center for Excellence in Brand and Customer Management, is the world’s most productive researcher in premier marketing journals over the past 10 years, covering 2008-2017.
The Journal of Real Estate Literature recently published its Real Estate Academic Leadership rankings of articles published in the discipline’s three premier journals from 2013 through 2017. Jon Wiley, associate professor of real estate and holder of the Richard E. Bowers Professorship in Real Estate, is No. 2 worldwide in the author rankings. Georgia State’s Department of Real Estate is No. 9 worldwide in institution rankings.
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