By Jaimie Hutchison

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. valued equality, education, selflessness, and hope, among other things. One quote that has resonated with me throughout my life is, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" With this thought in mind, I helped to organize a few events for the week as a member of the MLK Day Planning Committee.

 Read about MLK events that happened across campus  

Maranda Holtsclaw named Regional Director of Michigan Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)

"I love working in higher education, and the prospect of bringing more people into this workforce is thrilling. Our institutions are good employers that need diverse, skilled workforces. I look forward to bringing these two pieces together and making Michigan higher ed a sought-after career option," says Holtsclaw.

HERC is a non-profit coalition of colleges, universities, hospitals, research labs, government agencies, and related non-profit and for-profit organizations, committed to diversifying the pipeline of faculty, staff, and executives in academia. Regional HERC member institutions work together to strategically address top recruitment priorities. HERC has developed leading regional and national higher education job websites, diverse job seeker pools, and a network of colleagues at nearby campuses who collaborate on dual-career hiring issues and convene regularly for professional development opportunities .

Learn more about Maranda and HERC

 

Watching your colleagues struggle up a fifty-foot tall wall can be great fun. And who doesn't love arguing about paddling strategies with their supervisor as they approach that boulder in the middle of the river on the company canoe trip? Team-building retreats have been celebrated as a way to blow off steam and get to know your coworkers for nearly a century--and just as often been the source of staff grumbling and dread.   

Learn how one team on campus is creative with team building

Cyber Security Webinar
February 13 noon - 1:00 p.m. 

Are you concerned about identity theft and your family's security online? Learn what cybercriminals are after and steps you can take to secure your identity and protect your finances.

Learn more and register to attend the webinar

Outstanding Supervisor Award Winner 

Bryce Henderson

RHS Payroll Supervisor Bryce Henderson's team clearly values his deadpan humor and the welcoming atmosphere he generates by simply walking into the room. During his Outstanding Supervisor Award celebration, dozens of people reveled in the fact that the humble Bryce will likely be uncomfortable as his team heaps praise upon him.  

"He is also very flexible about the work-life balance. He is very humorous, he is very easygoing, he never complains, he works very hard, and he's very flexible with his staff."
--Jennifer Newport, the RHS Payroll Lead who is one of Bryce's nominators.

MSU's WorkLife Office honors Michigan State University supervisors who have consistently demonstrated sensitivity to the intersection of their employees' work and personal lives. Employees from any MSU unit may nominate their supervisors. Four winners were selected this year, and one will be highlighted each month.

Read more about Bryce Henderson

Chadelle is currently a senior at MSU in the undergraduate program of Human Development and Family Studies and is obtaining a minor in Peace & Justice Studies. She is a member of Kappa Omega Alpha (KOA), a professional pre-law and public policy co-ed fraternity where she gains more knowledge about law and policies, provides service to the community, and increases her professionalism and social skills through brotherhood. Chadelle is graduating in May and plans to take a year off to work in a field using her degree, then she will go forward to law school and eventually practice and specialize in family law. Her passion is to provide legal services to families in all capacities. When she is not busy with class, interning, or with her fraternity; she loves to travel to new places and go to see new movies that are out, especially the marvel ones. 

" I wish I had known there's absolutely no way to prepare for having children. It's essential to be comfortable with ambiguity because there's no way to have all the answers. I found that it was critical to have a strong relationship with my spouse because we were going on an epic journey without a map." -  Jake Kasper, Academic Integrity Specialist in the Dean of Students Office, shares his view on fatherhood as experienced in parenting his four children:Claire (8), Jude (6), Evan (3), & Grant (18 months).

Spotlight Stories highlights the lives of Spartans. The goal is to build community at MSU, show people they are not alone, bring awareness to important stages of the lifespan, and promote family friendly policies and workplace.  Michael Zaborowski, Director of Student Affairs in the College of Nursing, shares his insight on being a father to his seven month old daughter.

Learn more from Jake

More Spotlight Stories along with resources and information for parents

Representatives of the Administrative Professional Supervisors Association (APSA) and Administrative Professional Association (APA) negotiated with Michigan State University to produce the 2019-2023 contracts. Both union contracts introduce a paid parental leave program, with an implementation date of January 1, 2021. 

  Learn more about parental leave through APA and APSA

MSU will be participating in this annual nationwide event  with a full schedule of activities on campus. 

Ways you can participate: 

• Host a tour of your office or department
• Present a career exploration program or other activity
• Donate unit-branded items for gift bags for the participants
• Encourage members of your unit to bring a child to participate 

It's easy to participate.

There are different timeframe choices and flexible options.

To host a tour or career exploration program, please fill out this form  no later than March 13, 2020. 

Sign up for your unit to host a tour or career exploration program

Learn more about MSU Take Your Child to Work Day

MARCH

Join WorkLife Listservs

The WorkLife Office manages several popular listservs. These email lists are an effective way for MSU faculty and staff to communicate directly with a group of people just like you!   Join a Listserv   

Request a Workshop for Your Team

Do you have a request for a workshop not already on the calendar? Is there something specific you'd like to have presented or discussed with your team? We've now made it even easier to connect with us for those requests.

Request a Workshop or check out the "Request a Workshop" button on our homepage.