News

Over the past couple of weeks, several local school districts have elected to move to 4-day school weeks starting as early as Fall 2023. We recognize that shortened school weeks may have implications for faculty and staff who are parents or guardians of K-12 students.  Click on this article to learn more.

Did you know May is Mental Health Awareness month? Learn how you can be trained in Mental Health First Aid for FREE at Baylor. In this training, you will learn how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge which can help you help yourself or others tackle goals and challenges. Enroll in this one-day course through Ignite. Learn more about the value of this course offering by reading these Baylor faculty & staff testimonials.

Want to easily find what's being offered currently for professional or leadership development courses by HR? Bookmark this link to our regularly updated webpage with all the courses, descriptions, dates, times, and locations. Once you find a course that's right for you, click on the course name to enroll in Ignite. Upcoming classes are "Getting Things Done" on May 19 and "The Power of Habit" on May 24.

Looking to focus on your wellbeing this summer? Baylor Wellbeing is designed to support the Baylor community by promoting five interrelated areas: physical, financial, spiritual, emotional/social and professional. Visit wellbeing.web.baylor.edu to learn more and gain access to resources for each of the five dimensions of wellbeing.

Feel like you could use a helping hand? Baylor offers faculty and staff access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This EAP offers free and confidential resources, assessments, counseling, referrals and follow-up services to full time faculty and staff employees to support their personal and professional life. Learn more how you can benefit from this program.

This informational session will cover the basics of both Pre-tax and Roth contributions, their similarities and differences, the benefits of each and when one makes more sense than the other. This session will take place 3:00pm till 4:00pm on May 17 in Foster, Room 107. The session will also be available virtually. Register today! Unable to make this session? Make an appointment to meet with CAPTRUST individually.

Come celebrate the end of another great year on the banks of the Brazos with Baylor Baseball! Faculty and staff that present a valid ID at the ticket office receive free admission and will get a free Baylor Baseball t-shirt inside while supplies last!

Baylor partners with TIAA for helpful retirement and financial resources. Learn how you can take action for a more secure future. Reserve your spot now or visit TIAA.org/webinars at any time to register. These webinars are part of your retirement plan benefits. Remaining webinars this month are "Attention to Detail: Financial Finishing Touches for Women" and "Write Your Next Chapter: 5 Steps to Setting Your Retirement Date."

See which of your peers have been nominated for their "above and beyond" service in the month of April!  Salutes may be submitted by colleagues, students or parents throughout the year.  Nominate someone today!

Baylor will bring the spring semester to a close with the annual Lift Up Your Hearts service of prayer and worship for the Baylor Family at 11:00am Friday, May 5, 2023, in Paul W. Powell Chapel at Truett Seminary. A complimentary luncheon will follow at noon in the Paul and Katy Piper Great Hall. Registration for this event will open soon. Read this Baylor staff member's testimonial to learn more about what it's like to attend this service.

College food insecurity is a growing national health crisis making its way onto college campuses across the US, and Baylor University is no exception. You can make a difference by learning more about opportunities at The Sore and getting involved today!

Join the Baylor Campus Diversity Committee to celebrate the Diversity Enhancement Award winner at our annual Cultural Connections Event on May 9. Small bites and refreshments to begin at 1:30pm and program of initiatives, accomplishments, and winner to begin at 2:00pm. Register today!

On Tuesday, May 16 from 6:00pm till 8:00pm in the Baylor Sciences Building, Room E.234 an informative seminar will be presented by Baylor Human Resources along with local adoption and foster care providers. Register today. Learn about the adoption and foster care processes and the adoption assistance benefits Baylor offers to eligible Baylor faculty and staff. Click on the headline of this article to learn more.

Student Employment rehire or hiring forms for summer term(s) must be completed soon.

Join us on April 26 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. for an annual refresher on the Staff Merit process. Please register for the course in Ignite. The course will be held via Microsoft Teams.

We are in the last step of the Staff Performance Review process.  Discussions and Sign-offs are due April 28.  While the process is very similar to last year's, there have been a few changes.

Baylor University has attained Gold Level recognition in the American Heart Association Workplace Health Achievement for its 3rd year! Engage in your Wellbeing today by enrolling into the Physical Wellbeing program through umr.com. Click on the headline of this article to learn more.

Join us in congratulating these outstanding and distinguished members of our Baylor Family for going above and beyond in their service to the University. This year includes our inaugural Student Employment Award Winners. Click on the headline of this article for a list of winners.

The 2023 Baylor University Great Colleges to Work For Survey is now live and the last day to complete the survey is Friday, April 7. Your participation in this survey is critical to the program. The survey is easy, quick, anonymous, and confidential. Please take a few minutes to share your opinion. Check your Baylor email for survey login information.

Staff performance reviews kicked off March 1. While the process is very similar to last year's, there have been a few changes. Click on the headline of this article to learn more.

Have you met with CAPTRUST yet? CAPTRUST Participant Advisory Services offers FREE financial planning services to Baylor faculty and staff. Make an appointment to meet with CAPTRUST individually. Meet with an advisor today to prepare for your future.

The University's Easter break will occur Friday, April 7 - Monday, April 10. Pay special attention to timecard entries and submissions during this period. Review the University holiday timecard guidelines for assistance.

See which of your peers have been nominated for their "above and beyond" service in the months of February and March! Salutes may be submitted by colleagues, students or parents throughout the year. Nominate someone today!

Staff Council is comprised of a group of dedicated individuals who work to provide a forum for staff to make recommendations, present new ideas, and voice concerns. Are you interested in serving or know of an outstanding colleague who would be interested in serving on Staff Council? Nominations are now open until noon April 12. Reach out to Crystal_Diaz-Espinoza@baylor.edu with any questions.

Today (4/4) at 1:30pm, the Baylor Family will gather in front of Tidwell Bible Building to unveil and dedicate statues honoring Baylor's first Black graduates, Rev. Robert Gilbert and Mrs. Barbara Walker.
Please join us as we celebrate these remarkable alumni. A reception at McMullen Connally Faculty Center will follow the ceremony.

BFSA congratulates the 2022-2023 cohort of the AIM Leadership Collective. This program was developed by the BFSA to help current or aspiring staff and faculty leaders from underrepresented groups at Baylor develop and strengthen their leadership and communication skills while broadening their network. Click on the headline of this article for more information.

The Bearathon is known regionally as the "Toughest Half in Texas," where all proceeds from the race go directly to Baylor University scholarships. Thank you and congratulations to all the Baylor faculty and staff who ran the 20th Anniversary Bearathon this year in one of the most challenging courses yet. Click on the headline of this article for a list of faculty and staff finishers.

A Performance Improvement Plan ("PIP") is a tool used by managers to identify and create a corrective action plan for employees when there are performance deficiencies. The performance improvement plan communicates to an employee that their work or conduct does not meet expectations, explains the need for improvement, and provides guidance towards the expected performance or behavior. This step is taken when initial coaching efforts and regular feedback prove unsuccessful in soliciting improvement. Click on the headline to read a few key takeaways when drafting a PIP.

Baylor Round Table Presents "Inspired Gifts" Annual Anniversary Scholarship Luncheon & Style Show featuring designs by Baylor Senior Apparel Design Students on April 20. Doors open at 11:00am. For more info, please contact Sheri_Dragoo@baylor.edu or Victoria_Crenshaw@baylor.edu.

The members of Kappa Kappa Gamma invite all faculty, staff, their children, and grandchildren to their Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Mayborn Museum Historic Village on Wednesday, April 5! Please arrive no later than 5:00pm for a fun egg hunt. Children of all ages are welcome. For questions, please email Bryn_Owens1@baylor.edu. Click on the headline of this article to learn more.

In past issues of Leading @ BU, we encouraged you to check out the five-part RightNowMedia series, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. We've learned about why you should eliminate hurry in order to restore your spiritual, physical and emotional wellbeing. We've also learned how to do this by understanding more about why slowing down is important, focusing on silence and solitude and keeping the sabbath. This month we continue the series with the topic of Simplicity. Feel free to share these resources with your team(s) during a staff meeting or even in one-on-one meetings with direct reports. Click the headline of this article to learn more.

Writing performance reviews is a big task for any manager. We have compiled a list of tips that will help you during this process. Click on the headline of this article to learn more.

Do you know a current Baylor student worker who goes "above and beyond" expectations and wish they could be recognized university-wide? The deadline to submit nominations for the Student Employment Award is March 22. Visit our new Student Employment Recognition webpage to learn more.

Leadership can be difficult, and the first leadership role is often one of the most challenging career transitions. We are collecting and compiling real-world advice from Baylor's leaders to share with new managers. Click on the headline of this article to learn more.

As a manager you may find yourself contacting Human Resources for several reasons. Teams within HR partner closely together to support managers and their business needs but this can make it difficult to understand which team you need to contact depending on your question. Click on the headline of this article for a resource that describes some HR Teams, provides examples of their duties, and how to contact that team when you need assistance.

Join your colleagues for the relevant, practical, and easy-to-understand awardwinning Retirewise workshop series. It doesn't matter how much or how little financial or retirement planning you've done, at the Retirewise workshops there's something for everyone to learn. Sign up today. Workshop sessions will begin April 4, 2023.

Baylor University offers a variety of wellbeing resources for faculty and staff. Ensure your teams know what opportunities are available to them by highlighting a few each month at your staff meeting or 1-on-1 meetings when you can. Click on the headline of this article for our top 3 this semester.

As we think about topics for future issues, we want to know what leadership challenges are keeping you up at night. Hiring? Retention? Employee engagement? Or…? Let us know by filling out this Qualtrics Form.

Join us for a special update on the Hurd Welcome Center. This session will cover construction progress, details on the building and how the center will serve as a gateway to the university. It will also feature a sneak peek look inside our newest building. All Baylor 101 sessions are held virtually with live chat Q&A and recorded for your convenience.

Are you interested in the creation of an Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Association? If so, please join the Vice Provost of Faculty Diversity & Belonging, Dr. Stephen Breck Reid, for a gathering on April 26.

All Baylor faculty and staff members along with their spouse and dependent children are invited to enjoy Diadeloso Lunch beginning at 11:00am on March 28 at Fountain Mall compliments of Baylor Dining Services and Baylor Human Resources. Please bring your Baylor ID card. We encourage casual dress (jeans) and Baylor spirit gear. For more details click on the headline of this article.

Join Special Guest Coach Aranda, Staff Council, and The Store on Wednesday, March 29 from 10:30am – noon in Cashion 506 to pack meals with kindness, thoughtfulness, and food, to help make sure that food insecurity doesn't dampen the Easter holiday for any Baylor students.

Baylor Faculty & Staff are invited out to Baylor Ballpark for a tailgate hosted by SACE on April 1 at 3:30pm. The Baylor Family is encouraged to come to the Baylor Softball game, fuel up in the ballpark, then head to the Ferrell Center for some Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling. Bring your Baylor ID for free admission and RSVP for the tailgate today!

Earlier this month we gathered to honor our faculty and staff that met a service milestone during the 2022 year at our annual celebration. Thank you to these faculty and staff for their dedication to our students and the operation of the University. View the Recognition List to see the names of all honorees.

Truett Seminary has blessed us with daily Lenten devotionals for our journey with Jesus as we prepare for Easter. Download the daily devotional guide on the Truett website.

The professional development class Crucial Conversations: Tool for Talking When the Stakes are High is being offered March 22 & 29. This popular two-day course focuses on learning how to approach high-stakes and difficult conversations, speak persuasively, foster teamwork, build acceptance, and resolve differences. Enroll in Ignite.

If You're Breathing, You're Biased is an introductory workshop to the course Building an Inclusive Community. This workshop will be offered in-person and take a look at defining bias, identifying personal and potential biases, and considering the effect(s) of biases in the workplace as well as within the Baylor community. If You're Breathing, You're Biased will be offered March 17 and April 3. Register Today.

Register your children today for Baylor REC Camp! Located conveniently on Baylor campus, REC Camp is offered in eight, one-week terms that engage campers ages 6-12 with recreation, active learning, specialty activities, and faith and character development.

Annual Staff Performance Reviews will kick off on March 1 (more info to come). In preparation, please update any current goals you already have in Ignite before February 28. Review the full details and instructions for staff. Managers can review this document for instructions.

Baylor University has added features to the Baylor Retirement Plan and Baylor 457(b) Plan to give you more flexibility when making contributions to your retirement account, effective Feb. 20. If you are happy with your current retirement plan salary deferral amounts, no action is needed. An email to all Baylor faculty and staff on the morning of Feb. 21 details these new features. To start making or change your employee salary deferral contributions, please visit TIAA.org/baylor.