Open Line Faculty-Staff Newsletter for the Week of Nov. 26, 2012

Campus News  •  Noteworthy  •  In the News

Campus News

Jazz in the Rotunda—tonight!
Enjoy an evening of jazz tonight, Nov. 26, beginning at 7:30 p.m., in Rasmussen Rotunda, WSC. Performers include student vocalists and jazz musicians playing everything from straight-up jazz to instrumental funk.

Campus visits for diversity and inclusion officer candidates continue this week and next
Puget Sound's search for a dean of diversity and inclusion/chief diversity officer has generated a very strong group of candidates. The top candidates will be coming to campus for interviews this week and the final week of classes. As part of the interview process, each candidate will participate in a one-hour session open to all members of the campus community. These sessions will take place as follows, and faculty and staff members are invited to attend.

• Monday, Nov. 26, 3 p.m., Murray Board Room
• Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2 p.m., Murray Board Room
• Friday, Nov. 30, 4 p.m., Murray Board Room
• Monday, Dec. 3, 3 p.m., Trimble Forum

Because all of our candidates' candidacies remain confidential at this time, their curriculum vitae and cover letters will be available for review on a password-secured site at 7 a.m. on the candidate visit day. You may log in with your Puget Sound user name and password. These materials will be removed the day following each visit. Please hold each candidate’s name in confidence, and do not print or distribute their materials.
 
Any confidential feedback you have about the candidates may be directed to acadvp@pugetsound.edu or to Associate Vice President for Human Resources Cindy Matern at cmatern@pugetsound.edu.

Slater Museum of Natural History to host Open House, Nov. 28
“It’s Wild Outside: Discover Backyard Biology and the Nature Next Door!” will be a free, family-friendly open house focused on connecting people to wildlife and wild places. The event will feature educational displays of museum specimens, hands-on natural history activities, animal visitors from the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, crafts for kids of all ages, and guest experts from organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation and Tacoma Nature Center. Come discover the biological wonders of your own backyard on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 6–8 p.m., in Thompson 295.

New Light Celebration recognizes fall and winter religious and spiritual holidays, Nov. 29
The Office of Spirituality, Service, and Social Justice (SSSJ) welcomes all to New Light Celebration, the annual interfaith celebration of fall and winter religious and spiritual holidays. Student leaders from a wide variety of religious/spiritual traditions will offer short presentations about their holidays. Light refreshments will be provided. In addition SSSJ will collect canned/dry foods for local food banks. For more information about the New Light Celebration, contact University Chaplain Dave Wright ’96 at dwright@pugetsound.edu.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus to make special appearance at Mistletoast 2012, Nov. 30
Where else can you find big band dancing to the 16-piece Swing Reunion Orchestra, horse carriage rides around campus, delicious food, holiday films, a chocolate fountain, and pictures with the Clauses—all for free? Associated Students of University of Puget Sound will host Mistletoast 2012, this Friday night, Nov. 30, from 8 to 11 p.m., in Wheelock Student Center. All faculty and staff members are invited to attend.

Alumna children's author Karen Robins M.Ed.'71 visits campus for story hour, Dec. 1
On Saturday, Dec. 1, Karen Robbins M.Ed.'71 will read her book Care for Our World in Collins Memorial Library, followed by snacks and a short art and music activity for children. Story hour will begin at 10 a.m., in the library's Rocking Chair Room. Faculty and staff members are invited to bring their children.

WinterFest features carols and readings from around the world, Dec. 1 and 2
The Adelphian Concert Choir and Voci d’Amici, led by conductor Steven Zopfi, will perform at WinterFest, an event of music, singalongs, and readings where everyone can share in the religious and cultural festivities of people around the world. Winterfest: Songs and Carols From Around the World will take place in Kilworth Memorial Chapel on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m., and again on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. University Chaplain David Wright ’96 will present complementary readings of poetry and prose from various cultures. Admission to the event is $4.50 for Puget Sound faculty and staff members, and tickets are available online and at Wheelock Information Center.

Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols to be held Dec. 2
Experience the holiday season as generations have at Puget Sound's annual Festival of Lessons and Carols. University Chaplain Dave Wright ’96 will lead a Christmas service that was developed in 1918 at King’s College, University of Cambridge, England, to bring together the community ahead of Christmas. Students, campus members, neighbors, and guests are invited to participate in readings, sing carols, and hear anthems performed by Adelphian Concert Choir and Voci d’Amici, Steven Zopfi, director. Admission is free, and the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Please bring a canned/dry food donation to benefit local food banks.

Call for donations for Staff Senate Book and Bake Sale
The Staff Senate Special Events Committee is looking for your help. The annual Staff Senate Book and Bake Sale will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 4, and Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Wheelock Student Center. Donations of gently used books, CDs, and DVDs are badly needed.

Please bring donated items to Laura Edgar in Kittredge 117, Lisa Beritich in McIntyre 011, or Katharine Appleyard in Howarth 209. If you have any questions or would like your items picked up from another location on campus, please contact Laura Edgar at ledgar@pugetsound.edu. Proceeds from the Book and Bake Sale fund the Rosa Beth Gibson Book Scholarship. Thank you for your help!

Banff Film Festival World Tour stops in Tacoma, Dec. 3 and 4
Puget Sound's Outdoor Programs will help bring the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour to downtown Tacoma Dec. 3–4. Each year the best outdoor, mountain, and cultural films from the festival go on the road. These films go beyond adrenaline films and show the story behind the adventure. Showtime is 7 p.m. both nights at the Rialto Theater.

Discounted tickets are available for campus community members at the Expeditionary, Monday–Friday, 4 p.m.–7 p.m., or call x3403. Tickets are also available by calling the Broadway Center box office at 800.291.7593. Regularly priced tickets are available online.

Optimize Puget Sound: Changes coming to payroll and timekeeping processes
The human resources module and payroll changes will take effect in PeopleSoft on Jan. 1, 2013. To prepare for this migration, please note the following:

• Timesheet approvals in Kronos are due Dec. 21, by 5 p.m. Staff members and supervisors must complete and approve timesheets by this deadline to ensure a smooth transition to PeopleSoft and accuracte paychecks on Dec. 31.
• Approvals of student timesheets for the time worked Dec. 1–21 are due Dec. 21, by 5 p.m. To facilitate the transition to PeopleSoft, student staff members will be paid on Dec. 31 for time worked Dec. 1–21.
• PeopleSoft Time and Labor will replace Kronos for staff members and the timekeeping portion of the Student Employment Time Entry (SETE) system. Register now to participate in a training session to learn how to enter time and how to approve time, if you are a staff or student supervisor. Trainings sessions will begin in early December and run through the end of January. Learn more at https://soundnet.pugetsound.edu/optimizetraining.

Nominate worthy Loggers for Alumni Awards
The Puget Sound Alumni Council Awards and Nominating Committee invites you to nominate outstanding alumni for one of the Alumni Association’s four distinguished alumni awards: Professional Achievement, Service to the Community, Service to Puget Sound, and Young Logger Service. You may know of former students who have done outstanding things; therefore, you play an important role in helping to ensure that the accomplishments of these distinguished alumni are recognized.
 
Award recipients will be profiled in the spring 2013 issue of Arches magazine and will be honored during Summer Reunion Weekend, June 7–9, 2013, when classes ending in 3 and 8 will celebrate their quinquennial reunions. Nominations of alumni celebrating a reunion year are encouraged. Nominations should be submitted no later than Dec. 31, 2012, and contain as much information as possible about the nominee’s qualifications. Visit the Alumni Awards nomination page to submit your nomination.

Noteworthy

Senior Kelsey McKinnis made the most of her hometown visit with a career-high 36 points in a 93-81 win for the Puget Sound women’s basketball team. The Loggers (4-1) defeated Southern Oregon in McKinnis’ hometown of Ashland, Ore., on Sunday to run their winning streak to four games. The team's 93 points also tied its highest scoring total under third-year head coach Loree Payne.

In the News

Karl Fields, 2012 Washington Professor of the Year and professor of politics and government, was profiled, with a photo, in The News Tribune and Bellingham Herald. A photo story also ran in Tacoma Weekly; the news was reported on KPLU Public Radio (1 min.; three spots); and in the World Trade Center Tacoma newsletter, in its “Members in the News” section.

Legendary comedian Bill Cosby will appear at Puget Sound on Feb. 10, 2013, as part of the university’s 125th anniversary celebrations, wrote The News Tribune in its online “Get Out” blog.

Sign up to receive "In the News," a weekly digest of Puget Sound press coverage, by contacting our media relations office at mediarelations@pugetsound.edu or x2611.