A dozen campus units are coming together on Conflict Resolution Day this Thursday (Oct. 15) for the first UC Davis Resolution Resource Fair, providing information to staff, faculty and students to help them resolve problems or conflicts.

The event flier states: “We’re gathering together under one big tent at the Memorial Union to provide you free information, free goodies, free popcorn! And the security of knowing where you can go if you need help.”

The fair is scheduled from 11 a/m. to 2 p.m. on the Memorial Union’s South Patio.

The Davis campus celebrated Conflict Resolution Day for the first time last year, when the Office of the Ombuds passed out special fortune cookies — special because every fortune was a quote about conflict resolution.

This year the ombuds office recruited 11 other units to join the Resolution Resource Fair: Academic Federation, Academic Staff Assistance Program, Campus Dialogue and Deliberation, Center for Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE), Disability Management Services, Graduate Studies, Harassment and Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program, Office of Campus Community Relations, Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs, Staff Assembly, and Student Health and Counseling Services.

ADMAN, Staff Assembly present ProShare

The Administrative Management Group, or ADMAN, and Staff Assembly announced that they are jointly organizing a new professional growth and networking opportunity for staff: ProShare.

“The program aims to help managers, aspiring managers and staff at all levels expand their network of campus and medical center colleagues for the benefit of mutual guidance and support,” organizers said in a news release.

Enrollment applications are due by Nov. 13. The program will run from January through May.

Participants will be placed in groups of five, to meet monthly for about an hour and a half each time. Each member will take a turn hosting a meeting that could include a department tour, a presentation to the group and discussions of key management issues.

All participants will be invited to come together three times during the program: kickoff event, mid‐program networking and a wrap‐up get‐together.

“Any staff member who is interested in learning more about administrative and business functions for their own professional growth, and who is interested in sharing their knowledge as a subject matter expert with colleagues, is invited to enroll in the program.”

The enrollment form is available online.  Questions? Send an email to Tracy Lade.

Invite to faculty: Entrée to Education

Student Housing invites faculty members to dine with students in the dining commons, in a new program called Entrée to Education. The invitation is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner, any weekday — and faculty will eat for free!

The program is designed to give faculty the opportunity to engage with students in an informal setting about their classroom education, field of study or internship or research opportunities.

Here’s who students can expect to see this Friday (Oct. 16):

• Flagg Miller, associate professor, religious studies, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. — For suggested topics, he listed life, fun, travel, religion and international relations.
• Javier Arsuaga, professor, molecular and cellular biology, 1-2 p.m., Tercero DC — His suggested topics are interdisciplinary research, life in academia and student diversity.

More information, including a link for faculty sign-ups.

Quarter Century Club sets 76th annual dinner meeting

The UC Davis Quarter Century Club holds its 76th annual dinner meeting next week, initiating 141 new members who have completed 25 years of service to the campus and honoring 116 members who have reached the 50-year milestone.

Names of all the new members and the new 50-year members are listed here. Returning members are encouraged to join up with a “newbie” to attend the dinner.

The dinner is scheduled for Thursday (Oct. 22) in the ARC Ballroom. A reception starts at 6:15 p.m., and the dinner and program will begin at 7. There is no charge for new or returning QCC members.

This year's new 25-year members were hired between July 1, 1989, and June 30, 1990.

“Collectively, this year’s initiates and honorees represent more than 9,000 years of service to UC Davis,” said Randy Dahlgren, president of the Quarter Century Club. See all their names here.

Invitations have been mailed to all QCC members, including those who are being initiated. RSVP by email or by calling (530) 754-2011. If your name is on the list, but you have not received an invitation, contact Bill Kuhlman, event manager with Ceremonies and Special Events, (530) 754-2011.

‘Transitioning to Retirement’ workshops

Registration is open for the Retiree Center’s workshop series “Transitioning to Retirement” to be held on the Davis campus.

One set of workshops is for staff, another set is for faculty and other academics; the dates are the same: four consecutive Fridays in January and February. Space is limited, so, if you’re interested, you should consider registering soon. (The classes also will be offered on the Sacramento campus, but the dates are not yet final.)

The workshops are for people who are considering retirement within five years. The life changes that accompany retirement can be unexpectedly challenging, and these workshops can help ease the transition, organizers said.

There are two registration pages for the Davis campus workshops: staff and academics. Each page includes class  descriptions and details (time, date, location). Organizers recommend attending all four workshops, however, you may also register for one, two or three. Supervisors will not be automatically notified when an employee registers for any of these workshops.

More information is available on the Retiree Center’s retirement planning web page. Or, contact the center by phone, (530) 752-5182, or email.

Customized calendars, for free!

Repro Graphics is once again printing the best calendars ever, free of charge! They’re the best ever because each one is customized for the person who orders it.

You get to designate four days, every month, any way you wish — university holidays, if you like, or your birthday, your dog’s birthday or your anniversary. Or perhaps you want to highlight the date of a big conference or other academic event. Or maybe you want a calendar that highlights the date of Thank Goodness for Staff.

These are wall calendars, marked “Twenty 16,” and each comes with a photo of your choosing from among 10 UC Davis-related images (think animals and arboretum, bikes and basketball).

Repro Graphics provides this service annually as a way to demonstrate the variable data capability of the shop’s HP Indigo 5500 digital color press.

The calendar offer is for students, staff and faculty — everyone with a Kerberos ID — with a limit of one per person. Orders are being taken via an online form; the deadline is Friday, Oct. 30.

Oh, and don’t forget, Repro Graphics can also make customized calendars for your department, with prices starting at just $1 each.

UC announces agreement with postdocs

The UC Office of the President this week announced an agreement between the university and the United Auto Workers to extend their 2010 contract for UC’s more than 6,500 postdoctoral scholars for an additional year. The parties also agreed to a few modifications to the contract.

UCOP issued a news release Oct. 12 attributing the contract extension to the U.S. Department of Labor’s pending proposal to increase the minimum salary threshold for professional exempt employees, a category that at this time includes postdocs.

“Given the uncertainty of the proposed change, timing and final dollar amount … the university and union settled on a deal through Sept. 30, 2016,” UC officials said in the news release. It added that union members will vote on the tentative agreement within the next couple of weeks.

Read the complete UCOP news release, including highlights of the agreement.

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