Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Nov. 2, 2021

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This week we kickoff our United Way campaign. I encourage you to support our community by participating in the campaign and giving to the United Way.

The United Way has made exciting changes this year in how they will invest our donations in the community. The new strategy focuses on health, education and financial stability needs of our community.

Under the new strategy:

  • 60% of undesignated funds will be allocated to upstream funding.
  • 30% to safety net funding.
  • 10% to innovation funding.

The option to designate your pledge to a specific nonprofit organization will still be available.

We all know that there are many organizations doing meaningful things to improve our community. However, it can be hard to know which organizations will maximize our funds to positively impact our community.

This is exactly why I give to the United Way. The United Way allocates funds to organizations through a competitive process that ensures our funds are achieving their highest possible use in the Springfield area.

Because of the changes United Way is implementing in their investment strategy, and because of the enormous leadership the United Way has shown as COVID-19 rocked our community over the past two years, I am increasing my financial commitment this year.  I hope you will join me by completing the packet you receive in campus mail or pledging online.

Make your pledge

You can find more information about the United Way and the campaign online.

Enroll in benefits plan now

Our open enrollment period for employee benefits began yesterday.

Open enrollment is the annual period during which you can elect, decline or make changes to your medical, dental, vision, and cafeteria/flexible spending plans for the coming calendar year.

Open enrollment for 2022 runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 1.

You can find more information about open enrollment, including instructions for how to complete open enrollment online or over the phone, on the open enrollment webpage.

I encourage everyone to complete the open enrollment process, regardless of whether you plan to make changes to your coverage.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Nov. 26, 2019

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I want to give our faculty and staff one last reminder: You must complete a biometric screening to save $30 per month on your health insurance premiums for calendar year 2020. The deadline to complete your screening is Dec. 1. More information can be found on the human resources Be Fit page.

Dec. 1 also marks the end of open enrollment for employment benefits. Information on enrolling in benefits and the cafeteria plan can be found online.

Mark your calendars

You are invited to two upcoming events.

First, the President’s Holiday Open House is from 2-4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9 in the PSU Ballroom. Please plan to drop in, socialize with your co-workers and colleagues, and eat a snack.

Second, the Staff Awards Luncheon is at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8 in Hammons Student Center. To the extent possible, I would encourage all supervisors to allow full-time staff to attend this event. And I would encourage everyone to don their favorite Bearwear for the event.

Three categories of staff will be honored:

  • Full-time staff who reached a five-year milestone in 2019
  • Those selected for the Staff Excellence in University Service Award
  • Those selected for the Staff Excellence in Community Service Award

Starting this year, we will recognize retirees at a special event later in the academic year.

Thank you for your giving spirits

I also wanted to take a moment to recognize the contributions by our university community as part of the United Way and Missouri State Way campaigns.

Through these campaigns, the university community raised $82,406 for the United Way and $434,348.31 for the Missouri State University Foundation.

I want to personally thank each of you who participated in the United Way campaign. Please join me in congratulating our employees who gave to the campaign at the Leadership Level.

  • Jodie Adams
  • Jim Baker
  • Charlene Berquist
  • Richard Biagioni
  • Bradley Bodenhausen
  • Lanette Cadle
  • William Cheek
  • Donna Christian
  • Jeffrey Coiner
  • Ryan DeBoef
  • Steven Dodge
  • Janice Duncan
  • Frank Einhellig
  • Tamaria Few
  • Steve Foucart
  • Terrel Gallaway
  • Kristan Gochenauer
  • Arthur Hains
  • David Hall
  • John Harms
  • Brian Heaton
  • Karen Horney
  • Tammy Jahnke
  • Grant Jones
  • Allen Kunkel
  • Julie and Gerald Masterson
  • Victor Matthews
  • Ken McClure
  • Theresa McCoy
  • Natalie McNish
  • David Meinert
  • Michael Merrigan
  • Kyle Moats
  • Matthew Morris
  • David Muegge
  • Sarah Nixon
  • Joye Norris
  • Tom Peters
  • Wes Pratt
  • Tami Reed
  • Robert Thurman
  • Barbara Robinson
  • Jennifer Severson
  • Suzanne Shaw
  • Priscilla Skeeters
  • Clif Smart
  • Elizabeth Strong
  • Rebecca Swearingen
  • Paula Wilhelm
  • Ying Zhang

I also want to personally thank each of you who participated in the Missouri State Way campaign. Please join me in congratulating our current employees who are members of the Founders Club.

  • Jodie Adams
  • Gib Adkins
  • Rickey Albaugh
  • Nancy Allen
  • Cynthia Aurentz
  • Jim Baker
  • Randy Bass
  • Samuel Bass
  • Tracy Beckham
  • Stephen Berkwitz
  • Charlene Berquist
  • Theresa Bettmann
  • Richard Biagioni
  • Tara Boehne
  • Eric Bosch
  • John Stanley Bourhis
  • Chuck Busby
  • Cindy Busby
  • Lisa Casey
  • John Catau
  • Bill Cheek
  • John Chuchiak IV
  • Lisa Dewoody Clark
  • Angie Cockrum
  • Julie Combs
  • David Mark Cornelison
  • Kathy Davis
  • Ryan DeBoef
  • Rachael Dockery
  • Steven Dodge
  • Toby Dogwiler
  • Janice Duncan
  • Brent Dunn
  • Frank Einhellig
  • Susan Essman
  • Lori Fan
  • Monika Feeney
  • Wendy Ferguson
  • Steve Foucart
  • Julie Gallaway
  • Terrel Gallaway
  • Douglas Gouzie
  • Brian Greene
  • Janice Greene
  • Stephanie Hein
  • Jill Heyboer
  • Marcia Himes
  • Cynthia Howell
  • Michelle Hulett
  • Tammy Jahnke
  • Cheryl Jones
  • Kurt Killion
  • Allen Kunkel
  • Cameron LaBarr
  • Dennis Lancaster
  • Shirley Lawler
  • Jill Layman
  • Diane Leamy
  • Jon Leamy
  • Day Ligon
  • JE Llewellyn
  • Jill Martin
  • Robert Martin
  • Marty Marty
  • Gerald Masterson
  • Julie Masterson
  • Victor Matthews
  • David Meinert
  • Carol Miller
  • Worth Robert Miller
  • Eric Morris
  • Matthew Morris
  • Taleyna Morris
  • David Muegge
  • Eric Nelson
  • Tom Peters
  • Sophie Pierpoint
  • Angela Pinegar
  • John Prescott
  • Kathy Pulley
  • Gay Ann Ragan
  • Kent Ragan
  • Jason Ray
  • Helen Reid
  • Deborah Rollinson
  • Paul Rollinson
  • Philip Rothschild
  • Elizabeth Rozell
  • Christina Ryder
  • Alan Schick
  • Karl Schmidt
  • Kishor Shah
  • Suzanne Shaw
  • Susan Sims-Giddens
  • Dee Siscoe
  • Jeanie Skibiski
  • Kevin Skibiski
  • Clif Smart
  • John Strong
  • Becky Swearingen
  • Mark Templeton
  • Gary Ward
  • Annette Wardell
  • Rick Westphal
  • Tammy Wiley
  • Dick Williams

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

 

Clif’s Notes for Nov. 12, 2019

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Open enrollment began on Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 1.

Open enrollment is the period when employees can review, elect, decline or make changes to their benefits for the upcoming calendar year.

Once elections or changes have been made, no changes can be made during the year unless they are due to a qualifying, life-changing event, such as marriage, divorce, birth, etc. All elections and changes you select during the open enrollment period will be effective Jan. 1, 2020.

How to enroll

You have three options to enroll in benefits for the year:

  • Online – Log in to My Missouri State. Select the Profile tab. In the Employment Details channel, select Online Benefits Enrollment. Disregard any references to a personal identification number as you go through the process. If you receive a login screen asking for credentials, please contact human resources.
  • Phone – Call 417-836-3000 between 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday to speak to a benefits specialist.
  • In Person – Stop by the office of human resources in Carrington 315 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday.

All employees are encouraged to go through the benefits enrollment process even if you plan to keep what you currently have.

Schedule your biometric screening

The open enrollment period is also the time to complete your biometrics to save $30 per month on your health insurance premiums. You may also enroll in the flexible benefit (i.e., cafeteria) plan. I completed mine last week and it took less than 15 minutes.

You can find more information about biometrics and schedule an appointment for your free biometric screening online.

You can also enroll in the cafeteria plan for 2020 online.

Give to the United Way and MSU Way

Please finalize your gifts and pledges to the United Way and MSU Way campaigns and plan to attend the Celebration Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 15 in the PSU Ballroom. You can RSVP to the luncheon by emailing Monica Sharpe.

If you have misplaced your pledge form, it is still not too late to give:

The United Way and the Missouri State University Foundation are both worthy causes, and our community benefits from their work.

I elected to increase my contributions to both campaigns this year. I would encourage each of you to do the same.

We will publish a list of United Way leadership level givers and Missouri State University Foundation Founders Club members in a Clif’s Notes following the campaign.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 29, 2019

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Our new employee benefits year began Jan. 1. Below are a few highlights:

  • Employee choice of two plan options for medical and vision
  • Preventive care is free under the new plan. Your annual check-up, colonoscopy, mammogram, prostate exam, Pap smear, bone density test, screening for STDs and immunizations for adults/children will be 100 percent covered if coded as preventive.
  • Employee assistance program (EAP) services expanded into the overall care of full-time and part-time university employees and their dependents. Call 877-254-0781 (answered 24/7) or log on to the EAP website (password is MSU).
  • eCare through MyMercy provided to employees and dependents
  • Magers Health and Wellness Center has access to Mercy’s electronic medical record system, Epic, to easily review your overall health record when you come in for an appointment.
  • Nurse On Call services
  • Disease management, case management and wellness services, including: biometric screenings, referral to Mercy Tobacco Cessation Program and access to programming through Mercy Health and Wellness Connection (Mercy HAWC) program

Mercy HAWC, previously only available to Mercy employees and dependents, is now being offered to MSU benefits-covered employees and covered dependents (age 18 and older). This includes:

  • Functional movement training sessions with coach supervision
  • Fitness classes
  • 24/7 access to the facility
  • Lunch and learns
  • Book clubs
  • Spiritual wellness resources
  • Financial wellness resources
  • Nutrition resources
  • Onsite wellness educational classes in collaboration with Magers Health and Wellness Center

For more information, contact Aaron Tribby, Mercy’s health and wellness coordinator, at Aaron.Tribby@Mercy.net.

If you have not received your new ID cards, contact human resources at 417-836-5102 or via email at HRBenefits@missouristate.edu. Subscribe to the Human Resources blog to receive updates on your benefits and other HR news.

Call for Wall of Fame nominations

Missouri State University has a history of outstanding faculty and staff. We honor employees who have excelled at Missouri State and significantly contributed to the success and positive experiences of students by recognizing them on the Wall of Fame located outside the Plaster Student Union Ballroom.

Nominations are being accepted for next year’s Wall of Fame honorees through March 8. I encourage you to nominate former Missouri State University employees who you believe should be recognized with this honor. You can complete the nomination form online.

You can find more information about the Wall of Fame (including selection criteria and names of prior honorees) on the Alumni Association webpage.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Oct. 23, 2018

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The Board of Governors met last week.

Pay increase

The board approved the pay increase recommended by the Executive Budget Committee. Accordingly, full-time faculty and staff hired on or before Sept. 30, 2018, will receive an ongoing across-the-board compensation increase of one percent plus $600.

The proposed increase will be added to base pay starting on Jan. 1, 2019, for 12-month employees and on Feb. 1, 2019, for 9- and 10-month employees. Additional details can be found in my Oct. 9 note.

Medical plan approved

The board also approved changes to the medical plan. Earlier this month, we held a town hall meeting to discuss the medical plan, and we solicited feedback through survey responses. We received more than 700 responses to the survey.

The survey results indicate that respondents’ primary concern is having good coverage for preventive services. The second most cited concern is the cost of insurance premiums. Deductibles, co-pays and other issues rated below these top two concerns.

These responses indicate a preference for moving to a new plan that would provide 100 percent coverage for preventive services and a lower premium option. Accordingly, that is what I recommended to the board and the board approved.

Because of the feedback we received regarding premium increases, the final version of the new plan contains one change from the version I presented at the town hall meeting — it reduces the premium by $5 for the “employee only” option under both the base plan and the buy-up plan.

Open enrollment begins on Nov. 1. You can find more details about the new medical plan in your open enrollment materials.

Board approves budget, purchases, recognitions

The board also took action on other important matters.

The board approved changes to the university’s FY19 budget to account for increased anticipated revenue from the state, decreased anticipated revenue through tuition and fees due to a decline in credit hour enrollment, and the compensation increase described above.

The board also resolved to exercise the university’s option to purchase Brick City. This is a cost-neutral decision because the bond payments on the purchase will replace rent payments we had been paying to the owner under a lease arrangement.

The board approved the naming of the McQueary College of Health and Human Services in recognition of the extraordinary interest and involvement of the McQueary family in Missouri State University. This naming follows a recent major gift from the McQueary family that will be used for the expansion of the McQueary Family Health Sciences Hall, scholarships for students in the McQueary College of Health and Human Services, and faculty support.

The board approved Matt Blunt as the recipient of this year’s Bronze Bear Award. During his time as governor of the state of Missouri, Blunt championed efforts to change the university’s name to Missouri State University and advocated for Missouri State in other critical ways.

The board approved Sen. Jay Wasson as the recipient of this year’s Government Excellence Award. Throughout his career in public service, Sen. Wasson has worked to advance the interests of Missouri State University. Sen. Wasson sponsored legislation removing statutory language that severely restricted Missouri State’s ability to offer professional and doctoral programs.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!