ü Opening address made by Elaine Poppell.
o Elaine has received a number of emails from USPA members requesting information on staff raises. Greg Catron, associate director of employee labor relations, is the USPA representative in Human Resources, and he invites anyone who has questions about employee raises to contact him by phone at ext. 2981 or by email at .
o Elaine congratulated the following USPA employees who will celebrate their 25th anniversary at UNF:
§ Donald Hicks, Physical Facilities
§ Bradley Richards, Physical Facilities
§ Marianne Roberts, History
§ Lois Scott, Music
§ Marcella Smith, Telephone Services
o Members are encouraged to visit the USPA website, www.unf.edu/uspa. There is information about the USPA, the latest meeting minutes, employee spotlights, and a place for members to provide feedback and suggestions.
o Members are also encouraged to follow the USPA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UNFUSPA. There are currently 84 Facebook followers on the USPA Facebook page. Special thanks to Sherry Hays for maintaining the USPA Facebook site.
ü Presidential Excellence Awards Program
o Lucy Croft, assistant vice president of Student Affairs and the chair of the Presidential Excellence Awards Committee, encouraged USPA members to nominate colleagues who provide notable contributions to the University that are significantly above and beyond the range of the job assignment and performance expectations for the Presidential Excellence Awards.
o The various awards and criteria for nomination for an award can be found here.
§ Monetary prizes accompany each award. The Presidential Excellence Award for USPS employees comes with a $2,000 prize for first place and $800 prize for second place. Spot Award recipients also receive a $100 prize.
o Lucy encourages anyone with questions, or who needs assistance in completing the nomination process to contact her at ext. 2569 or .
ü Center for Professional Development and Training
o Kelly Harrison, director of the Center for Professional Development and Training addressed the assembly.
§ There is a new employee orientation program called Welcome to the Nest that will be an all-day orientation program that includes a tour of campus.
§ Due to popular demand, CPDT has reinstated the Book Club program. More information can be found here.
§ CPDT received very good feedback from the University-wide survey sent out during summer 2013.
§ Planning has begun for the next Professional Development Forum for May 2014.
ü President Delaney’s Address
o President Delaney confirmed that USPS employees would receive a raise in October 2013
§ The Florida Legislature approved salary increases for university personnel who began their employment at UNF on or before June 30, and were continuously employed through Oct. 1.
§ Employees with a base rate of pay of $40,000 or less on Sept. 30 received a base pay increase of $1,400. Employees with a base rate of pay greater than $40,000 received a base pay increase of $1,000. The legislative increase was effective Oct. 1 and was reflected on the Oct. 18 pay date.
§ Additionally, the University has approved funding for USPS employees, who began employment on or before June 30 and were continuously employed through Oct. 2, to receive a 2 percent across-the-board pay increase. The 2 percent pay increase will be based on an employee’s base rate of pay as of June 30. The 2 percent pay increase will be effective Oct. 2 and will be reflected on the October 18 pay date.
o 2013 Winter Holiday/2014 Spring Break
§ The days off for the winter break holidays and spring break 2014 are set. All USPS employees will receive paid holiday leave for this winter break, beginning Monday, Dec. 23, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014. This is a total of 12 days off. Normal campus operations will resume Thursday, Jan. 2. In addition, the last two days of spring break, March 20, and March 21, 2014, will be paid holidays.
o Open Door Policy
§ President Delaney encouraged all USPS employees to contact him directly if they want to make him aware of a situation on campus that they don’t agree with, or if they feel there is something he should know about. President Delaney has an open door policy and wants all employees to feel comfortable contacting him for help and emphasized that he would keep conversations confidential. President Delaney can be contacted by email at or by phone at ext. 2500.
o Addressing President Delaney
§ President Delaney wants all employees to feel comfortable calling him by his given name, John, when he is about on campus. He doesn’t mind if employees call him “President,” or “President Delaney” as a sign of respect if they choose, but he prefers to be called John.
o President Delany thanks USPA member for their continued dedication to the University during economically difficult times. He is happy that the University could provide raises this year. President Delaney recognizes that the work USPS employees do on behalf of the University helps make the University run smoothly and look beautiful.
ü Prizes
o The following items were raffled to USPA members in attendance:
§ $25 Gift Card for Mellow Mushroom: Heather Johnston, Office Manager, Honors
§ UNF Super Prize Bag: Martha Solomon, Senior Library Services Associate, Library
§ Dinner/Comedy Show for Two at the Comedy Club: Mary Evelyn Brown, Registered Nurse, Student Health Services
§ $25 Gift Card for Vino's Pizza: Cheré Morella, Accounting Associate, Student Affairs
§ $20 Gift Card for Car Wash at CarBux: Gerald Smith, Irrigation Technician, Physical Facilities
§ Family Four-Pack Tickets to UNF Basketball: Maria Cartolano, Executive Secretary, Administration and Finance
§ Bowling Party for Six: Chelie Jones-Harris, Office Manager, Arts and Sciences
§ $25 VyStar Visa Gift Card: Paul Bushmann, Groundskeeper, Physical Facilities
§ $50 Spa Gift Card at Natural Body & Spa: Raymond Drayton, Assistant Landscaping/Grounds Superintendent, Physical Facilities
§ $25 Gift Card for European Street: Stefanie Levine, Human Resources Associate, Human Resources
§ UNF Spirit Bag: Cathy Harris, Senior Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities
§ Jacksonville Sharks Autographed Football & Poster: Padre Beachem, Furniture Equipment Mover, Physical Facilities
§ $20 Gift Card for Smoothie King: Shambria Simmons, Student Assistant, Foundation Accounting
§ $25 Gift Card for Cheesecake Factory: Donna Carlson, Accounting Associate, Teaching Gymnasium
§ Dinner/Comedy Show for Two at the Comedy Club: Caitlin Dennis, Office Manager, Sociology & Anthropology
§ Natural Body & Spa Gift Basket: Rosalyn Gilbert, Office Manager, Research and Sponsored Programs
§ UNF Super Prize Bag: Susie Parks, Executive Secretary, Library
§ One Hour Massage Session at Massage Envy: Latasha Scott, Program Assistant, Student Health Services
§ $20 Gift Card for Car Wash at CarBux: James Hancock, Pest Control Technician, Physical Facilities
§ $50 Gift Certificate and Gift Basket for Silpada Jewelry: Karen Freitag, Document Scanning Associate, Admissions
§ UNF Legacy Paver: Mark Crisp, Maintenance Mechanic, Physical Facilities
§ $20 Gift Card for Rosina's Italian Bistro: Flora Coleman, Executive Secretary, Equal Opportunity & Diversity
§ Overnight Stay w/Breakfast for two at the Luxurious Courtyard Marriott: Sheryl Elias, Program Assistant, Student Health Services
§ Four Free Passes to Comedy Zone: Brandon Smith, Admissions Evaluator, Enrollment Services
§ $20 Gift Card for Car Wash at CarBux: Shelley Anderson, Library Services Specialist, Library
§ $10 Gift Card for Olive Garden: Margaret Terrell, Library Services Specialist, Library
§ UNF Spirit Bag: Candace Ford, Program Assistant, Student Health Services
§ One Dozen Mini Gourmet Cupcakes: Alisa Craddock, Library Services Specialist, Library
§ Dinner/Comedy Show for Two at the Comedy Club: Brian Sherwood, Maintenance Mechanic, Physical Facilities
§ Two-Pack Tickets to Specially Selected UNF Great American Jazz Series: Lacy Rueschenberg, Senior Library Services Associate, Library
§ Hand-Carved Copper Starfish: Joe Schermann, Maintenance Mechanic, Physical Facilities
§ $150 Gift Certificate for Continuing Education Course: Stacy Derleth, Senior Library Services Associate, Library
§ UNF T-Shirt: Julia Behler, Senior Library Services Associate, Library
§ UNF T-Shirt: Adonna Gattis, Police Records Clerk, University Police Department
§ UNF T-Shirt: Howaida Mousa, Senior Grants Specialist, Florida Institute of Education
§ UNF T-Shirt: LaVonne Frison, Office Manager, Human Resources
§ UNF T-Shirt: Theresa Buchs, Office Manager, Military and Veterans Resource Center
§ Two Passes to the Florida Theatre's India Arie Performance: Susan Watts, Executive Secretary, Budget Office
§ Two Passes to the Jacksonville Jaguars San Diego Chargers Game: Christy Linster, Executive Secretary, Physical Facilities