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Health Science Center and Shands HealthCare facilities to go “Tobacco-Free Together” Nov. 1
UF’s main campus to follow in 2010

To promote the health and well-being of faculty, staff, and students, the University of Florida is going tobacco-free. Effective November 1, the use of cigarettes or other tobacco products in the Health Science Center, Shands, or UF Physicians buildings and parking lots—or in vehicles in these areas—will not be permitted. UF plans to implement the policy on its main campus in July 2010.

The decision to have tobacco-free campuses system-wide supports a commitment to provide a healthy environment and to improve health in UF’s communities. Tobacco dependence is the nation’s most preventable cause of death and disease.

If you would like to break the habit, a wide selection of counseling services, self-help materials, and medicines are available through the university to help smokers and tobacco users quit successfully. For information, visit the Tobacco-Free Together web site at tobaccofree.health.ufl.edu, contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at (352) 392-5787, or go to http://shcc.ufl.edu/occmed/esc.shtml.

Tobacco-Free Together is about making healthy choices for The Gator Nation. Please join us in taking this step toward a healthier tomorrow.

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Free smoking cessation program available to UF employees

In a joint effort, the UF’s Student Health Care Center, Employee Assistance Program, and Area Health Education Centers are offering UF employees a FREE smoking cessation program. All employees, including OPS, who are interested in quitting are encouraged to learn more about this program.

Participants are currently being enrolled for two groups.One will be offered at the College of Health Professions beginning on Friday, September 4, at 8:30 a.m. in room G111. The second group will meet at the Student Health Care Center (the Infirmary) on campus beginning on Tuesday, September 15, at 12 noon. The groups will meet for approximately 90 minutes on 6 consecutive weeks and will include education, group support, and medical oversight with pharmaceutical smoking-cessation medications. Medications will be available under the prescription and management of a skilled medical provider and offered to participants at a significant discount. Because success at quitting is more likely when partners quit together, spouses and partners are also invited to participate at no cost. 

Additional groups will be offered as demand requires. Since a brief medical screening is required, please call early to enroll. For more information, or to enroll, please contact the EAP program at (352) 392-5787or go to http://shcc.ufl.edu/occmed/esc.shtml. Attendance at smoking cessation programs during normal working hours is counted as time worked.

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Discover Your Leadership Potential: UF Academy accepting applications for 2009-2010

UF Training and Organizational Development is pleased to announce a call for applications to join the UF Academy for 2009-2010. Applications to participate are being accepted now through close of business on August 28. This year's program kicks off on September 23, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Human Resource Services Building, Room 120, with the program running from October through June 2010. 

Designed for emerging leaders at our institution, the UF Academy is a 9-month program that provides a UF-specific approach for up to 15 recognized star achievers who are “emerging leaders” at our institution. Participants are selected via a competitive application process. Entering its seventh year, the UF Academy (formerly the Finance and Administration Academy) focuses on immersion in the university culture and exposure to its organizational structure.  

To participate in the Academy, an employee must be exempt with at least two years of supervisory or decision-making responsibility at the University of Florida and meet the additional criteria described on the website. Employees at the assistant director level and above with fewer than two years at the university, as well as interested faculty members, may also apply to participate. 

For more information, including the application, please visit: http://www.hr.ufl.edu/training/leadership/default.asp.

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Do you know of someone deserving of recognition? 2010 Prudential-Davis Productivity Award nominations due September 30

Nomination forms for the 2010 Davis Productivity Awards program, which annually honors state government employees throughout Florida, are now available. In addition to honoring “innovation, creativity, and smart work,” the awards program recognizes individuals and work units that have adapted or implemented previous years’ award-winning achievements to create added value. Eligible for nomination are individuals, teams, and work units as well as entire state agencies or their divisions, regions, districts, and institutions. Nominations are accepted each year in the fall with the award winners announced in March.

The Davis Productivity Awards nomination forms must be completed and submitted online. Visit the Davis Awards section of the HRS website to begin the nomination process. Instructions are available to walk you through the online process.

Nominations for the 2010 Davis Productivity Awards must be submitted online to the Agency Coordinator by Wednesday, September 30, 2009. If you have questions, please contact Kenya Williams, awards coordinator, at (352) 273-1761 or kenya-williams@ufl.edu.

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Verify your address in the myUFL directory to ensure you receive important insurance mailings

In preparation for the fall Benefits Open Enrollment period, employees should use this opportunity to make sure their home and campus P.O. Box addresses are reflected correctly in the myUFL Directory. To help ensure important mailings are received — particularly those relating to Open Enrollment—home and work mailing addresses should be updated by no later than August 21 in the myUFL system.

To make sure mailing addresses are up-to-date in the myUFL system, please complete the following steps:

Log on to the myUFL portal with your GatorLink username and password. If you don’t know your username and password, call 392-HELP for assistance.

1. Click “My Account” in the myUFL systems menu.

2. Select “Update My Directory Profile.”

3. Scroll down to the “Local Home Data” section. IMPORTANT NOTE: Foreign nationals are required to maintain a foreign address for tax purposes and therefore should not modify the Permanent Home Data Address which is reserved for the foreign address. Instead, the Local Home Data Address field should be used for the local address. Questions regarding foreign addresses or tax implications should be directed to the Tax Services Office at 392-1324.

4. Fill in your updated address information in Address Line 1 and click “submit” at the bottom of the page to complete the address change. (click here to see a screen shot example).

Department administrators who enter mailing addresses for employees, graduate assistants, and pre-doc fellows should follow the format indicated above.

Contact your directory administrator or the UF Help Desk at 392-HELP or helpdesk@ufl.edu with questions pertaining to the UF Directory.

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Employee Education Program accepting applications for the fall semester

The Employee Education Program (EEP) is a popular benefit available to eligible UF faculty and staff. The program provides tuition assistance for up to six credit hours of eligible college-level courses per semester.
Employees interested in participating in the EEP during the fall semester should register and turn in applications to the institution they plan to attend by the following deadlines:

University of Florida:
EEP Registration Period: August 13 – 28
EEP Applications Due: 5 p.m. on September 1
Registration after August 28 is subject to a $100 late registration fee.

Santa Fe College:
EEP Applications Due: July 16. Registration is still permitted after July 16; however, the EEP application must be turned in by 4 p.m. the next business day after registering. If you registered on or before July 16, your EEP application was due to the SFC cashier’s office by 4 p.m. the next business day after registering.

Employees attending other institutions due to work location should register before the registration deadlines at their approved institutions. Completed EEP applications for the fall semester must have been turned in Friday, July 24, 2009, to Kenya Williams, Education Coordinator.  

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Fall registration for training now open
Computer application training available for a fee

Registration for UF Training and Organizational Development’s fall training schedule is now open in the myUFL system: my.ufl.edu> My Self Service> Training and Development> Request Training Enrollment. Available workshops include the Pro3 Series, Supervisory Challenge, Business Communication, myUFL System training, and others. View the course catalog for listings.

Due to the impact of this year’s budget, a $75 per day fee will now be charged for computer application workshops.   This fee will be for the all-day workshops on Microsoft applications—not for the myUFL systems (PeopleSoft) training, which will continue, along with our other workshops, to be offered free of charge.

Here’s how the new system of charging for computer application training will work:

• If a charge will be assessed for a workshop, the fee will be listed in the course title—for example, Microsoft Excel – Basic ($75). 

• An invoice will be sent at the end of each month to the appropriate college or division—or, in some cases, vice president’s office (depending upon the size of the work unit).   This invoice will request a ChartField combination that will be used to complete an Expense-to-Revenue (E2R) transaction by the Office of Human Resource Services.

• Charges will be assessed for completions (the employee attended the workshop as registered), “no shows” (the employee registered but did not attend), and last-minute cancellations (the person registered, then cancelled, but with fewer than three days’ notice).   There will be no charge for timely cancellations.

• Because there is a charge for the CCH courses, it is especially important that you discuss with your supervisor before attending.

Please contact UF Training and Org. Development at training@ufl.edu with your questions.  Please see www.hr.ufl.edu/training for details about training generally, this change in approach for computer application training, and our related cancellation policy.

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Start saving for retirement now

UF employees have several options to help meet long-term financial and retirement goals. Tax-deferred programs — 403(b) and 457 plans— are available, as well as a post-taxRoth 403(b) option.  Employees may enroll in these plans at any time by establishing a contract with a participating vendor and submitting salary reduction paperwork to University Retirement.  Additional information about each of these plans, including vendor lists and salary reduction forms, is available at http://www.hr.ufl.edu/retirement/voluntary.

Because these plans are designed for long-term savings and growth, employees should save for immediate and short-term expenses using other methods. However, the UF 403(b) Plan does allow for loans and hardship withdrawals under very specific circumstances.   In order to determine whether you are eligible for a loan or hardship withdrawal, visit the Retirement Manager and follow the prompts.  Your investment provider will require a Certificate of Eligibility before processing your request for a loan or hardship withdrawal.  The following documents should then be submitted to the UF Retirement Services office for final review and approval.

• Certificate of Eligibility generated through Retirement Manager

• Investment provider paperwork

• UF Employee Statement for Hardship Withdrawals

• Supporting documentation for hardship withdrawal requests, as described in the UF Employee Statement

If you need assistance, please refer to the Distribution Eligibility Guide for Employees.

Employees participating in a 457 Plan should contact the State of Florida Bureau of Deferred Compensation at (877) 299-8002 to discuss withdrawal options in the event of an unforeseeable emergency.

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©2009 University of Florida Office of Human Resource Services
The InfoGator is a monthly e-publication produced by the University of Florida’s Office of Human Resource Services. It is distributed electronically to UF faculty and staff and is available online. Please direct questions or comments to its editor, Angela Gould; Human Resource Services; P.O. Box 115006; (352) 392-4626; TDD 800-955-8771. The InfoGator is available in an alternative format upon request.