Staff and faculty are encouraged to review current elections and consider future options and changes. This year, University System of Georgia (USG) health care options are the same, and there are minimal changes to plans. However, premiums have increased again as the USG attains an equal, defined employer contribution across all plans — the result of a gradual move toward this model over the past several years.
USG will offer the following benefit choices for 2017:
To take advantage of any of these benefits, you must enroll during Open Enrollment. If you don’t enroll for 2017 benefits, your 2016 coverage will continue at 2017 rates. Also, if you would like to have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for 2017, you must enroll during Open Enrollment — even if you had one the previous year.
More complete information about plan designs, premiums, and voluntary benefit options will be available on or around Oct. 3 at ohr.gatech.edu or usg.edu/hr/benefits. A detailed summary booklet will also be mailed to each employee’s home in late October.
The benefits team has scheduled information sessions (see timeline below) for those with questions or in need of in-person assistance. The annual Benefits Fair is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Employees are also welcome to attend benefits fairs at any other USG institution. See usg.edu for upcoming dates.
Georgia Tech is again partnering with the USG’s Shared Services Center to provide individualized support to employees by phone, including expanded hours. Representatives will be available Oct. 31 – Nov. 11 between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. The Call Center will also remain open until 8 p.m. on the last two days of Open Enrollment.
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Tech employees have proven to be a powerhouse when giving to others around the state. This year’s fundraising effort is now underway.
The annual campaign collects donations for nonprofits and charitable organizations that serve communities all over Georgia and beyond. All state entities participate in the annual campaign, including University System of Georgia (USG) schools.
During the 2016 campaign, more than 1,100 employees pledged more than $351,000 to 390 charitable organizations, earning Tech the Governor’s Cup for the ninth consecutive year. The Governor’s Cup is awarded to the state institution with the highest average contribution per employee. Those organizing this year’s campus campaign hope to earn the Cup for a 10th consecutive year (15th total) and build on last year’s success.
Donations are accepted via payroll deduction on an ongoing basis, or as a one-time donation. For those who choose to give through payroll deduction, the contributions will begin in January 2017. Employees can give to a general fund or choose specific organizations to which they would like to direct their donations. The list of charities is managed by the state of Georgia and changes annually, so new options may be available this year.
This year’s goal is for 1,500 employees to give a total of $350,000. Employees can give via TechWorks, which is recommended, or a paper pledge form through Tuesday, Nov. 15. To learn more or to set up a donation, visit charitable.gatech.edu.
For those pledging via TechWorks, the Office of Information Technology advises that TechWorks operates best in Mozilla Firefox (version 47 or earlier), Safari (version 8 or later), and Internet Explorer (version 10 or 11). Users who have issues can review Frequently Asked Questions at charitable.gatech.edu.
]]>Acting on feedback from Resilience ERG members interested in programs that focused on happiness and gratitude, the campaign was initiated by Carol Subiño Sullivan, faculty development specialist with the Center for Teaching and Learning and a member of the Resilience ERG leadership team.
Sullivan took inspiration from friends who recently participated in a social media campaign. Each day for a month, they posted a sentence or two about something they were happy about or grateful for.
“Whether a small moment in their day or a deeper tribute to an important person in their lives, no entry was too big or too small,” she said. Sullivan also drew inspiration from The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. In it, Rubin recounts how she spent a year focusing on ways to make her life happier. Each month, she focused on a different area of happiness, including energy, marriage, work, parenting, leisure, friendship, money, eternity, books, mindfulness, and attitude. She created a list of actions she would take to work toward becoming happier, and she spent time each day blogging about her experiences.
Both Rubin and Sullivan’s friends found that they gained a lot from going through the process.
“Because they were sharing their experiences with others, they also benefited from the support of community,” Sullivan said. “Whether you focus on one area or simply notice small, happy moments as they come up each day, commit to checking in daily and sharing your thoughts.”
Then, participants can mark their calendars for Oct. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., when employees will gather for a wrap-up event to celebrate the happiness created.
To join the campus happiness project:
The Resilience ERG is intended to be a peer empowerment group for employees who want to proactively pursue “wholehearted living” and/or give attention to the complexities of their experiences; manage the impact of adversity; turn adversity into opportunity; and effectively adapt to change. It is one of six ERGs at Georgia Tech designed to support the Institute’s goal of ensuring like-minded employees can enhance their employment experience and have a greater sense of belonging.
The six ERGs are GRIOT (African Heritage), HOLA (Hispanics/Latinos), Web of Brilliance (Introverts), PRIDE (LGBTQIA), Resilience, and Women of Georgia Tech. To learn more about ERGs, visit diversity.gatech.edu/erg.
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]]>Stansbury has served as Oregon State’s athletic director since June 2015 following a nine-year stint as the university’s executive associate athletic director from 2003-2012. During his time at Oregon State, Stansbury was part of a senior management team that raised $150 million for a football stadium expansion, in addition to fundraising for the construction of a sports performing center. He also was part of a team that established several career development initiatives for student-athletes.
“Todd Stansbury is committed to athletes’ success both on and off the field,” Peterson said. “His global perspective and leadership experience in athletics and development, combined with a lifelong passion for Georgia Tech, make him the ideal candidate. I believe this is one of those rare golden moments in life where opportunity meets ambition. We welcome him home.”
Stansbury’s resume also includes roles as athletic director at the University of Central Florida (2012-2015) and East Tennessee State University (2000-2003). He was Georgia Tech’s assistant athletic director for academics from 1988-1995 under Homer Rice. Now he returns to campus to guide a department that features 15 teams in 17 NCAA Division I varsity sports. He will be introduced during tonight’s home football game against Clemson.
“I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to return to Georgia Tech, a place that has played such a large role in my life and the place responsible for opening up a world to me that I didn't even know existed,” Stansbury said. “I am thankful to President Peterson and the selection committee for providing me this opportunity.”
Stansbury grew up in Canada. When he was 10 years old and on vacation with his family in Florida, he befriended several Georgia Tech football players staying at the same hotel. During the drive back home to Ontario, his family stopped on campus to see a practice. That’s when Stansbury knew he wanted to play football on The Flats. He earned varsity letters while at Georgia Tech from 1980-1984 as a middle linebacker and on special teams for head coach Bill Curry. He was a third-round draft pick of the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1984.
Stansbury is only the ninth director of athletics in Georgia Tech history. He will follow in the footsteps of storied names such as Rice, John Heisman, and Bobby Dodd. He was hired following a national search that began in August when Mike Bobinski accepted the athletics director position at Purdue University. A nine-member search committee led by Georgia Tech Foundation President Al Trujillo identified candidates. The search process was assisted by Turnkey Search.
Paul Griffin, who is serving as interim director of athletics, will assist with the transition through the end of the year.
“I want to thank Al and the search committee for their outstanding guidance in evaluating candidates,” Peterson said. “I’m also personally grateful for the leadership and Paul, who interrupted his retirement to return to campus to lead our Athletics Association. He will continue to be a great asset during the transition period for the remainder of 2016.”
Georgia Tech has achieved a school-record Graduation Success Rate (84 percent according to the most recent NCAA figures from November 2015) in each of the past three years. The Institute also recorded outstanding scores in the Academic Progress Rate (APR), which provides a real-time NCAA metric to measure the success of institutions in moving student-athletes toward graduation. The latest APR statistics, released in April, reported that 13 of Georgia Tech’s 15 teams scored 980 or better out of a possible 1,000 points.
The new reconciliation and approval process will provide PCard users with monthly online PCard statements, receipt imaging capabilities, and seamless approval workflows. Cardholders, approvers, and auditors will benefit from the improved process, and four groups on campus will now be required to attend both online and in-person training tailored to their respective PCard roles:
If you would like to know more about the new reconciliation and approval process, visit the Procurement & Business Services website.
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