R&I Employee Handbook

Office of Research and Innovation Employee Handbook

Last updated February 18, 2025

Our success as a unit depends on your success and contributions as an individual. The information contained in the handbook will help you get an overall understanding of our team, programs, activities, organization, and policies and procedures.

Welcome to the Office of Research and Innovation (R&I) at the University of Nebraska! Our success as a unit depends on your success and contributions as an individual. The information contained in this handbook will help you get an overall understanding of our team, programs, activities, organization, and policies and procedures.

Human Resources (HR)/Payroll Primary Contacts:
Ember Welsch: ewelsch2@unl.edu, 301 ADMS, (402) 472-4563  
AJ Fabry: afabry2@unl.edu, 303 ADMS, (402) 472-3303

Absences

All planned absences must be approved by your direct supervisor and processed as a request through Firefly.  In the case of an unexpected absence (illness, childcare, weather, etc.), please notify your supervisor prior to your scheduled start time and follow up with a request through Firefly. 

Acronyms and Terminology

As with any organization, the Office of Research and Innovation, as well as any university research function, has its own language filled with acronyms and terms that may be different from common vernacular. To assist with your understanding of what others are saying or writing, please refer to our internal acronyms and terminology.

Administration

Dr. Jennifer Nelson serves as the Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (VCRI). The VCRI reports to the Chancellor for the University. The R&I Organizational Chart and photo directory shows the layout of the administration of the Vice Chancellor’s Office as well as its teams.

The vice chancellor is supported by the following people:

Building Hours, Door Access and Parking

Canfield Administration Building (ADMS), unlocked 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday – Friday
Prem S. Paul Research Center at Whittier School (WHIT), unlocked 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday – Friday
Mussehl Hall (MUSH), unlocked 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday – Friday
Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC), unlocked from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday

The doors are locked outside of these hours/days of the week and University holidays. If there are after-hours access issues that require immediate attention, contact the UNL Police Department at (402) 472-2222.

Door Access Permission
Contacts:

Parking at Canfield Administration Building and Service and Delivery Permits
Contact: Anna Lowe: alowe12@unl.edu, 301 ADMS, (402) 472-3123 

Each director can request R&I paper hang tags that allow employees/guests to park in one of three designated spots near Canfield, on a first come, first serve basis.  These cannot be reserved.

Service and Delivery Permits are available for occasional use by faculty, staff, and students for business purposes only. The Service and Delivery Permits are valid in the following University parking areas only if placed in a vehicle with a valid University of Nebraska – Lincoln parking permit (other than “P” permits): City and East Campus Area A, any Service and Delivery spaces and spaces marked for the use of our department.

Parking at Prem S. Paul Research Center at Whittier School
The parking lot on the south side of the Paul Research Center at Whittier School is a City Campus A lot and you must have either an Area “A” parking permit or another campus permit with a Service and Delivery Permit. Without these, please park on 22nd Street.

Parking for Guests
Contacts:
City Campus – Anna Lowe: alowe12@unl.edu, 301 ADMS, (402) 472-3123
Whittier – Connie Wieser: connie.wieser@unl.edu, 151 WHIT, (402) 472-3788
East Campus – Jessica Jones: jjones12@unl.edu, 110 MUSH, (402) 472-0765

If you need a temporary department hang tag or space for guest parking, please contact Anna. Otherwise refer all other inquiries to Parking and Transit Services.

Building Maintenance Reporter (BMR)

Contacts:
Canfield South – Brian Reetz: breetz2@unl.edu, (402) 472-4455
Canfield North – Jody Wood: jwood2@unl.edu, (402) 472-0085
Canfield Building Listserv: To sign up for the Canfield listserv (building notifications mostly), you can subscribe at https://listserv.unl.edu/signup-anon. Canfield is the name of the listserv.    

Whittier – Connie Wieser: connie.wieser@unl.edu, (402) 472-3788
            Susan Wesely: swesely4@unl.edu, (402) 472-6082

Mussehl – Megan Ebbers: mebbers2@unl.edu, (402) 472-4486
            Lindsay Shearer: lshearer2@unl.edu, (402) 472-9019

Nebraska Innovation Campus – Wilma Hanson-McCoy: whansonmccoy@goldenrodcompanies.com, (402) 434-9440

Each building on campus has a person assigned to report facility-related issues for repair and maintenance (e.g., door does not lock, window is broken, water leak, flickering light, occupancy sensor turns off when room is occupied, electrical circuit is out). BMR lookup: http://fmo.unl.edu/bmr/lookup.

If the problem is an after-hours emergency, dial 0 from a University phone for the University Operator and leave a call-back number where the service personnel can reach you for additional information.

Business Cards

Contacts:

Refer to the Printing Services website for pricing, and online order information: http://printing.unl.edu/print/products/businesscards.shtml. You will need to know the style, quantity, cost object to bill and provide your contact information.

Calendar of Events

Contacts:
Lisa Maupin:  lmaupin2@unl.edu, (402) 472-0030
Stephanie Vendetti: stephanie.vendetti@unl.edu, (402) 472-6566

Access the UNL Research calendar in Outlook to view all Research and Innovation-based events, training sessions and activities. Events listed on the calendar are current. Staff are encouraged to use the calendar as a reference for what’s happening when, and as a helpful tool for scheduling their own training opportunities and activities.

To access the calendar and add it to your calendar list, follow these steps:
1. Open your calendar in Outlook.
2. Click on Add Calendar
3. Select From Address Book
4. Type UNL Research in the search box and highlight UNL Research from that list.
5. Double click on UNL Research.
6. Click OK. After taking these steps, the UNL Research Calendar should open and show R&I events.

Conference Rooms

The people listed below are your main contacts to reserve a conference room.

Contacts:

Dress Code

R&I offers employees flexibility in their clothing selection to help them be more comfortable in the completion of their daily activities and work assignments. It is understood that employees will use good taste and judgment when selecting their clothing and will avoid wearing garments that are damaged or revealing. The expectation is that employees will sport business casual attire to represent the department in a professional manner and may wear casual dress (including jeans) on designated days if their schedules allow.

Email Signature Template

You can create an email signature complete with the University logo and your contact information with a simple template created by University Communication. Because of security concerns, you must log on to the UNL website and then you can access the template at https://ucomm.unl.edu/signature-generator

Employee Resources (UNL)

Visit https://hr.unl.edu/employees// to learn about what the University offers employees. 

The following topics are included:

Work and life balance | Accommodations for Disability |  Benefits and Insurance  | Types of Leave Professional Organizations  |  Development Workshops  |  Employee and Dependent Scholarship Program  Discounts and Services  |  Career Opportunities  |  Plan for Retirement   

Human Resources and Payroll Policies (UNL)

UNL Policies for employees can be found at https://hr.unl.edu/policies/.  This includes policies on attendance, work schedule, work site, compensation and salary administration, corrective action and separation, employment relationship, leave/time off, payroll administration, performance evaluations, recruitment and selection, and other policies of interest.  For a complete list of policies, visit https://bf.unl.edu/policies. 

IT Support

For immediate assistance call Huskertech (UNL) Helpdesk at (402) 472-3970 or submit a support ticket by emailing support@nebraska.edu. For Central Administration Helpdesk (Firefly/ESS) call (402) 472-7373.  Check out https://its.unl.edu/helpcenter/support-team for more information.  You can get real-time information about the status of IT services at https://status.nebraska.edu/.

Keys and Key Cards

Contacts:

Your NCard serves as your key card to many office spaces, so you may not need a physical key.  For more information look under ‘Building Hours, Door Access and Parking’ in this document.

Mail

Mail is collected and distributed either even or odd numbered days. 
Even Numbered Days – Canfield    Odd Numbered Days – Whittier, Mussehl, NIC

Office Supplies

Contacts:

We want all employees to have the tools and resources necessary to perform their job functions. Please work with your manager to determine your needs and learn about nearby surplus areas (supply closets). A limited supply of select items is maintained. Additional supplies can be ordered through Office Depot at discount prices under the University contract. To order supplies through Office Depot, provide the item number, description, and a cost object and email this information to your building’s contact.

R&I Brand Resources (Logos, Letterhead, PowerPoint Templates)

Contact:  Ashley Washburn: awashburn2@unl.edu, 379 WHIT, (402) 472-3730

The Research Communications team has created and maintains a collection of basic Word and PowerPoint templates that simplifies and standardizes handouts, presentations and other materials you may use when presenting.  Please reach out to Ashley Washburn to be granted access.  Important note: These resources conform to the university’s publication and design requirements and are updated as requirements change. While it’s tempting to download these templates once and store them on your computer, please don’t. To ensure you are using up-to-date templates, please bookmark the link provided and simply download from SharePoint each time you need a template. Do not save templates on your computer for future use. 

This collection is stored in the Research Communications SharePoint folder.  

Specifics: 

R&I Internal Communication and Connection (OPEN)

Contact:  Becky Carter:  becky.carter@unl.edu, 301 ADMS, (402) 472-3136

OPEN is the Office of Research and Innovation’s intiative, designed to extend professional development opportunities to R&I staff members and foster community engagement among all office units. OPEN stands for the Organizational and Professional Enhancement iNitiative.

Pay Day

Hourly employees are paid every other Thursday, with two weeks in arrears. Salaried employees are paid on the last business day of each month. If the last day of the month is on a weekend or holiday, payday will be the first preceding workday. If the pay day occurs during the campus holiday closedown, those employees on direct deposit will receive their pay on payday.  Please refer to the payroll calendar to determine your next pay day. 

Performance Evaluations

Contact:  Becky Carter:  becky.carter@unl.edu, 301 ADMS, (402) 472-3136

Informal feedback to employees about their job performance should occur on a regular and ongoing basis.  A written performance evaluation is required at least annually from a supervisor for each of their team members, including regular managerial/professional, and regular office/service staff. Temporary managerial/professional and office/service staff should be evaluated at the discretion of the supervisor.

A performance evaluation is a part of performance management.  Performance management is a partnership between an employee and his/her/their supervisor to optimize performance; build effective feedback and communication; enhance employee growth and development; and develop goals that are consistent with team and organization’s strategic plan. Research and Innovation’s process for performance evaluation is a conversation model.  All regular and temporary staff, and faculty in IACP, NUtech and MERC, and their managers meet twice per year to discuss and document seven open-ended questions, focusing on employee accomplishments, goals, challenges and opportunities for growth, development, and improvement.  We encourage supervisors to use this process with temporary employees.  On-call and student workers are excluded.  An online system will be utilized for summarizing the conversation, tracking the process, pushing notifications, accessing, and archiving the performance review.  More information on the process and training can be found at https://research.unl.edu/open/performance-management/.

Phones/Phone System

Contact: 
Canfield – AJ Fabry: afabry2@unl.edu, 303 ADMS, (402) 472-3303
Canfield – Ember Welsch: ewelsch2@unl.edu, 301 ADMS, (402) 472-4563
Whittier – Connie Wieser: connie.wieser@unl.edu, 151 WHIT, (402) 472-3788

If you have technical issues with your desk phone or need to move a phone to another location, contact the appropriate person above. To learn more about your phone’s functions, https://its.unl.edu/services/phone-service/manuals-downloads/ to find a manual for your specific phone.

Voice Mail Setup:  Please use this Voice Mail Quick Reference Guide.

Dialing Instructions:  Your desk phone is connected to the University phone system. Your internal extension is 2+the last four digits of your telephone number, i.e. 2-XXXX. You can use this 5-digit extension to reach others on campus.

To dial a local number or a toll-free number, you must first press 9 + (area code) + phone number. To dial long distance, press 9 + 1 + (area code) + phone number.

Cisco Jabber softphone:  With employees working remotely, often times people do not want to use personal phones to call people and Jabber is a good solution. A Cisco Jabber softphone is an application or program that can be installed on your computer. It allows you to make and receive calls with your computer, using your office phone number. A Jabber softphone can be used in place of, or together with, a physical phone set. You receive a prompt on your computer screen when you receive a call (with options to Answer or Decline) and you make calls out using the application/program. Contact Telecom for instructions at telecom@nebraska.edu or (402) 472-3434.

Professional Development

R&I as an organization supports and encourages professional development for our employees.  Please have a conversation with your supervisor regarding participation in professional development and professional associations. 

Safety Plans (Emergency Preparedness)

Each suite in each building is responsible for creating a safety plan that makes sense for their location.  Become familiar with the safety protocols for the building where you are working, including knowing where the exits, AED (Defibrillators), panic buttons, are located.  Ask your supervisor where the team meets if you need to evacuate the building.  For more information and ideas, https://safety.unl.edu/.

Trash and Recyclables

Depending on the building, trash and recyclables may be picked up from individual offices or you may be responsible for taking out your own trash/recycling to the appropriate bins.  You are encouraged to recycle.  Usually, each office has a secure bin for any documents that should be disposed of by shredding.  Custodial staff, if notified in advance, will provide extra trash cans for food trash associated with special events in public areas of the building.

Travel for Work

Fox World Travel, the University’s travel agency, uses Concur as its web-based booking system for airline tickets, and hotel and car rental reservations. You can access Concur by logging into Firefly (firefly.nebraska.edu) and selecting the Concur Request, Booking and Expense tile under “Business Applications.”  There is a SAP Concur mobile app and a NU Travel listserv for more information https://travel.unl.edu or use the contact information below. 

Contacts: 

Travel Checklist from NU Travel Office:

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A virtual private network (VPN) creates a secure connection to NU networks. Once you connect through the VPN, you will be able to access your campus resources remotely in the same manner as if your device was physically on campus.  Before you connect to the NU VPN, you must be enrolled in TrueYou Two-Factor Authentication. For instructions to login, https://services.unl.edu/service/virtual-private-network-vpn-global-protect.

Work Hours

The University’s core work hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Full-time employees are expected to work these hours and are allowed a 1-hour unpaid lunch period and two 15-minute paid breaks each workday – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Breaks cannot be combined with lunch, cannot be accumulated, and cannot shorten the workday. Full-time salaried managerial/professional employees may be required to work hours beyond 40 hours per week. Please work with your manager to determine your work hours and common practice within your department.

In order to promote wellness, employees are encouraged to take their allowable breaks, including their lunch period, away from their desks.

Working Remotely

R&I leadership continues to believe that the majority of our time should be spent working on-campus to best serve the needs of the university. Unless a staff member has received approval for unique circumstances, the expectation is that at least 50% of work time is expected to occur on-campus.

Please keep in mind the flexibility offered by an Alternate Work Site (AWS) agreement is a privilege and should be treated as such. If individuals or teams have not been successful under their current AWS arrangements, R&I has the authority to decline an ongoing AWS arrangement or request revisions.

Employees wishing to renew or start a new AWS agreement can utilize this link https://go.unl.edu/ored_aws_form to complete the form and start the routing.

New or significantly revised AWS requests will continue to be received and reviewed on a rolling basis for a period of up to 6 months. AWS requests will be reviewed by leadership to ensure equity across our organization.

For more guidelines and best practice information about alternate work sites, go to https://hr.unl.edu/alternative-work-sites/.