Take a moment to see what’s happening this week in the Division of Student Affairs.
1. Lunch and Learn – FLSA Discussion – Join us for a Lunch and Learn discussion on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) with Director of Human Resources Scot Scobee on November 6th at 12 noon in PSU 317. There will be time for questions. To reserve a spot, reach out to Peggy Jones at peggyjones@missouristate.edu.
2. HR and Payroll Live Sessions on FLSA – HR and Payroll will offer live discussions on FLSA this month and in December. You can register for one of these sessions in your My Learning Connection starting November 5th. HR and Payroll teams will be presenting to provide information and answer questions. The recorded sessions will be available in December. The dates are:
November 12, 2024 – 10am-11am
December 9, 2024 – 3pm-4pm
3, Missouri State to Honor Veterans on November 8th – Missouri State will honor Veterans in the local Springfield area on November 8th. Breakfast will be provided. The Missouri State Pride Band will provide music and service songs. There will also be the Color Guard service song presented by the MSU Pershing Rifles Company and a musical performance of the national anthem. Breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. with the program to follow at 9 a.m. in the Plaster Student Union (PSU) Ballroom. Doors open at 8 a.m. The national anthem will play at 10:55 a.m. outside of McDonald Arena. After that, Taps will be played across campus (beginning and ending at McDonald Arena) at 11:11 a.m. by Missouri State trumpeters. The Missouri State Bear Battalion will accompany them.
4. Voting Leave Benefit Section – Policy 7.12 Voting Leave – If an employee is eligible to vote in any local, state or national election in the state of Missouri, the employee will normally be able to vote before or after work. If an employee does not have three successive hours between the opening and closing of the polls on election day when he/she is not scheduled to work, the employee will be excused from work with pay for up to three consecutive hours between the time of opening and the time of closing the polls for the purpose of voting. If the employee plans to take time off for voting, arrangements must be made with the supervisor prior to election day, and the university may specify any three hours between the time of opening and closing of the polls during which the employee may be absent to vote.
5. Strategic Planning Work Groups – The Strategic Planning Committee has finalized the goal areas around which the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan will be organized. The goal areas are:
- Academic innovation and opportunities
- Branding and identity
- Economic development and community partnerships
- Institution of choice for employees and students
- Student and alumni experience
The Strategic Planning Committee will establish work groups for each goal area. The work groups are a crucial part of the overall planning process. They will set goals and identify strategies aligned with those goals. They will include people who work directly with each goal area and people who are interested but not necessarily involved in the day-to-day work of the goal area. Work groups will meet regularly between November and March/April (with breaks for holidays).
If you are interested in being considered to serve a work group, submit the form linked here: LINK. The deadline to complete the form is noon on Wednesday, November 6.
6. Dinner with Eight Bears – Encourage students you work with to register for the Dinner with Eight Bears Program hosted by the Student Alumni Association and the MSU Alumni Association. Dinner with 8 Bears is an annual fall program, dedicated to helping students build meaningful, professional connections, with alumni, faculty, and staff, over a delicious meal. Hosts are expected to choose the date, time, location, an interesting topic of conversation, and a meal. This year, dinners will be held from Sat., November 9 through Sat., November 16. The deadline to register is today, November 4th. Registration information can be found here.
7. Open Enrollment Period for Health Insurance and More – The time is here to choose or change your medical, dental, vision, and flexible spending plans. For the 2025 plan year, open enrollment is from Nov. 1, 2024, to Dec. 1, 2024. To find out how to enroll and to get your questions answered, visit the Open Enrollment webpage.
8. First Gen Student Celebration Week – November 4th – November 9th – Missouri State is celebrating First Gen Student Celebration Week with lots of activities. These include scholarship sessions, button making, First Gen Student Spotlights, First Gen Faculty and Staff Spotlights, a Self-Care Workshop and more. Share the information about this fun week with your students. Download the flyer.