NEWS AND EVENTS
Upcoming Deadlines and Events
ORED Listening Sessions, Feb. 1-March 8
ORED’s listening sessions kicked off last week and we are excited about the opportunity to hear from our stakeholders and constituents as we begin the strategic planning process. We encourage ORED staff to attend the listening sessions to hear the discussions. Click here to view the schedule.
These sessions are a chance for us to listen and absorb from faculty and staff across the university. Here are some helpful hints on how to make the experience beneficial to you, your work and the process:
- Sit at tables where there are no ORED staff or limited numbers of staff. Maybe choose a table of faculty and staff with whom you have yet to build a strong relationship.
- Listen closely. Take in what people are saying and process how it relates to the breadth of ORED’s work at the university.
- Take notes at your table. They will be used as we proceed further in the strategic planning process. This will also give other stakeholders the space to speak and not worry about being a “recorder” for the table.
- Try not to take anything personally or engage in correcting people’s comments. We are trying to create a space for our stakeholders to feel comfortable in sharing their ideas, concerns and hopes for the future.
ORED personnel will have the opportunity to participate in a listening session geared specifically for staff at the next Open Forum on March 5 (see below). This is an exciting time for ORED as we dream and plan for our future, as well as the future of research at the university. Thanks for being part of the process.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Charter Week, Feb. 11-15
Charter Week will celebrate UNL’s past, present and future with music, lively lectures and a grand unveiling of the fourth-floor expansion to the University of Nebraska State Museum at Morrill Hall.
The weeklong celebration includes Kay Logan-Peters’ Feb. 12 Nebraska Lecture, which will focus on the university’s early architectural history and include an NET-produced virtual reality tour of University Hall, the first building on campus. The lecture, “Building Nebraska U: The Saga of University Hall and the Origins of the Modern University,” is 4:30 p.m. at Nebraska Champions Club, 707 Stadium Drive.
Training Sessions on Giving and Receiving Feedback, Feb. 19-March 1
Preparing for annual performance reviews requires a two sets of skills, depending on what role you’re in. For leaders, it’s important to remember that there’s a skill to providing valuable feedback to improve performance or to encourage continued excellence. To hone this skill, attend a “Providing Feedback” training session on either Feb. 19, 2-3:30 p.m., or Feb. 21, 9-10:30 a.m. Register here to learn about positive ways to offer correction and encouragement not just at review time, but throughout the year.
Giving feedback is only half of the communication cycle; the other half is receiving feedback and doing so graciously. A Lunch and Learn, titled “I Hear You: Receiving Feedback,” will help all staff learn to truly hear the views of others and take appropriate actions. Bring your lunch and join in on either Feb. 25 or March 1, 12:15-1:15 p.m. in Room 152 of the Paul Research Center. Register here.
Contact Laurie Sampson with questions.
Spring 2019 NURAMP Series, Feb. 20-April 3
The NURAMP schedule for this spring is set. Participants will meet at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesdays in Room 152 of the Paul Research Center at Whittier School to learn the ins and outs of research administration. ORED staff are welcome to join and can register here.
The following sessions will be available:
Feb. 20: Preparing for Awards and Managing Contracts
Feb. 27: Research Responsibility
March 6: Award Administration
March 13: Preparing and Submitting Proposals
March 20: PARs and Effort Reporting
March 27: Cost Sharing
April 3: Budget Preparation and Development
Contact Laurie Sampson with questions.
March OPEN Forum: Internal Strategic Planning Listening Session Lunch, March 5
An important voice in ORED’s listening sessions is yours, a member of the ORED team.
That’s why the March OPEN Forum will be an internal strategic planning listening session lunch, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Nebraska Union Ballroom. Register here to attend.
Ultimately, ORED’s success depends on your participation and innovative ideas for enhancing the university’s research and economic development efforts. We want to hear your views.
If you have questions about this session, or any of the listening sessions, please contact Lisa Maupin.
Welcomes
Jennifer Mize Nelson joined ORED on Jan. 14 as director of research strategy and infrastructure. In this position, designed to boost the university’s efforts to achieve institutional research goals, she will focus on strategic planning strengthening research centers and core facilities, developing and administering internal funding opportunities, and serving on ORED’s senior leadership team. Nelson, a research associate professor of psychology, was director of administration for the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior from 2015-2019 and program site director of the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory from 2011-2015.
Dennis Shannon, Jr. will join the Office of Sponsored Programs’ pre-award team on Feb. 22. He comes to us from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, but some of you may remember that several years ago, Dennis was part of the IANR finance and personnel team. We look forward to his return “home.”
WATER COOLER CHAT
It’s February, which means Girl Scout cookie season is in full swing. Each year, more than 1 million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million boxes of cookies, generating around $800 million. The profits stay local and help fund the scouts’ activities and community projects. Nationally, Thin Mints account for about a quarter of all sales, followed by Samoas/Caramel deLites at 19 percent and Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs at 13 percent.
What’s your favorite flavor? Let us know here, and we’ll share the results in next month’s OPEN Book.
THE MONTH IN PICTURES
Abby Lien, Sponsored Programs, got engaged on January 2. She and her fiance Bob are planning a wedding for the spring of 2020. If anyone has wedding planning tips, Abby is very open to suggestions and words of wisdom!
