************************************************************** ** To submit an announcement to E-News or to read this ** ** issue or past issues on the web go to: ** ** ** ** http://www.unl.edu/e-news ** ************************************************************** In this Issue of UNL E-News: Dec 18, 2007 ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1. December 24 Holiday Announcement 2. Holiday Shutdown Notification 3. Holiday Shutdown Procedures 4. Holiday Mail Collection and Delivery 5. 2007 W2's-Permanent Address Information 6. Blackboard Downtime 7. NSave Backs up Servers 8. Credit Union Holiday Hours 9. Request for Proposals - Nebraska Research Initiative (NRI) 10. Register now for the N-Lighten Nebraska UNL Challenge 11. Support the efforts of the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership EVENTS TO ATTEND: 12. Dick Wood retirement reception ARTS AND MEDIA: 13. Lied Center events: Dec. 18-22 14. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Joe Strummer at the Ross 15. NET Radio's "Friday Live" on Dec. 21 16. LSO Holiday Concert on NET Radio's "Nebraska Concerts" Dec. 23 17. State of the Arts in Nebraska Special on NET Television ************************************************************************* 1. December 24 Holiday Announcement President Bush has declared Dec. 24 as a Federal Holiday. In observance of this Federal Holiday, Governor Heineman has declared that all Nebraska State Offices observe Dec. 24 as a State Holiday. With these declarations, all University of Nebraska-Lincoln employees will receive Dec. 24 as a State Holiday. Most UNL employees had planned to use a floating holiday for Dec. 24 and take Dec. 31 as a day of vacation. UNL will move the floating holiday to Dec. 31, so employees do not need to take a vacation day for the UNL holiday closedown. For further information, contact Human Resources at 472-3101 or hroffice2@unl.edu. Detailed information on payroll processing for holiday closedown is available online at: http://hr.unl.edu/new/whatsnew.shtml ************************************************************************* 2. Holiday Shutdown Notification During the Holiday Shutdown (Dec. 22 to Jan. 1) most UNL buildings will have reduced temperature control to save energy. Expect your room to be uncomfortable, beginning the evening of Dec 21. This does not apply to buildings that are normally exempt from the Ventilation Curtailment Policy. http://www.unl.edu/unlpub/special/energy/ ************************************************************************* 3. Holiday Shutdown Procedures When leaving your room for the holidays, turn off all lights, computers and peripherals, office equipment and appliances. Make sure windows and doors are locked, and close any drapes or blinds. Set your thermostat at 68 degrees or less. Turn off all lab equipment and close fume hood doors. http://www.unl.edu/unlpub/special/energy/ ************************************************************************* 4. Holiday Mail Collection and Delivery Mail and Distribution Services will be open Dec. 27 and 28 until 11 a.m. Mail will be delivered on Dec. 28 between 8 and 11 a.m. to some City and East Campus locations. The list of those locations can be found on the Web site listed below. Faculty and staff in buildings with no mail service can pick up mail at 1100 North 17th Street, West Dock, from 7:30 to 11 a.m. on Dec. 27 and 28. A University ID card must be presented. Off-campus mail, excluding single-piece mail, will be processed during the holiday closedown by prior arrangement only Regular campus mail service will resume Jan. 2. If you have any questions concerning this schedule, call Karen Ouellette at 472-2533 or Ken Reining at 472-7029. http://usmail.unl.edu ************************************************************************* 5. 2007 W2's-Permanent Address Information The 2007 W2's are scheduled to be mailed via the US Postal Service during the week of Jan. 21. Take a moment to confirm that your permanent address information is correct. You may update your address information through the Employee Self Service (ESS) website or through your Payroll office. The deadline for address corrections will be Jan. 7. If you have any questions, contact the City Campus Payroll Services Office, 472-2010, payrolldept2@unl.edu or the IANR Finance and Personnel Office, 472-1421, financeandpersonnel@unl.edu. ************************************************************************* 6. Blackboard Downtime Blackboard will be unavailable starting at 4 p.m. Dec. 28, and will remain unavailable until Midnight, Jan. 4. Your My.UNL team will use this time for server maintenance. Contact Heath Tuttle, htuttle2@unl.edu for questions. ************************************************************************* 7. NSave Backs up Servers If your computer or server crashed could you recover your data? NSave has been backing up UNL desktops since 2000-and now backs up department servers. NSave is available 24/7, with offsite storage, no external devices and one low monthly charge. For more information go to the site below or call your NSave support specialist at 472-6843. http://nsave.unl.edu ************************************************************************* 8. Credit Union Holiday Hours The University of Nebraska Federal Credit Union lobbies will be open on Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the drive ups will be open 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., but all locations will be closed on Dec. 25 for Christmas Day. The Credit Union will also be closed Jan. 1 for New Year's Day. Account access is available 24-hours a day with free online banking, the automated telephone teller system, or at one of 25,000 free ATMs. For more information about any of these services call 472-2087. http://www.nufcu.org ************************************************************************* 9. Request for Proposals - Nebraska Research Initiative (NRI) Faculty are encouraged to submit an online Intent to Submit form for the 2008 Nebraska Research Initiative Competition, administered by the NU Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. The purpose of this program is to foster new research opportunities that are high in innovation and risk, in order to better leverage external funding and to stimulate economic growth. If you are interested in developing a proposal, complete a notification of intent to submit form found at the website below no later than Jan. 18. Include the names of all faculty investigators in the comment box. Complete details are available from the Office of Research website. For more information, contact Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy, 472-2851. http://research.unl.edu/limitedsub/limited_intent.shtml ************************************************************************* 10. Register now for the N-Lighten Nebraska UNL Challenge Registration is now open for the annual N-Lighten Nebraska Team Wellness Program. This three-month endeavor (Feb. 1-May 1) encourages Nebraskans to develop sustainable healthy physical activity and eating habits. The entry fee is $15 per person for online entries. All UNL employees are encouraged to register are eligible for additional incentives, including a membership to UNL Campus Recreation Centers for the month of February. Follow the link below and use the UNL code "UNLNLN08" when registering. For more details or for office presentations, call Teresa Grosserode at 472-0738. http://www.n-lightennebraska.com/corporate/UNL ************************************************************************* 11. Support the efforts of the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership studies and protects the endangered Least Tern and the threatened Piping Plover birds. Their efforts have increased population numbers and now you can support these efforts while enjoying the art of Julie Zickefoose on t-shirts, caps, bags and travel mugs at the Nebraska Maps and More Store located at the URL below. http://nebraskamaps.unl.edu/viewCategories.asp?idCategory ************************************************************************* 12. Dick Wood retirement reception A retirement reception in honor of Dick Wood, NU vice president and general counsel, will be held at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege St. RSVP to lhollertz@nebraska.edu. ************************************************************************* 13. Lied Center events: Dec. 18-22 * Dec. 18: PianoFOURte will perform a free concert at 6 p.m. as part of the Lied's 'Free at 6' series. * Dec. 19-22: "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" - a retelling of the classic Dicken's tale, written by and starring Tom Mula. Lied Center tickets make great holiday gifts. Buy tickets or gift certificates on the Lied Center Web site. http://www.unl.edu/lied ************************************************************************* 14. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Joe Strummer at the Ross Playing through Dec. 23: * Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten: As the front man of the Clash from 1977 onwards, Joe Strummer changed people's lives forever. Four years after his death, his influence reaches out around the world, more strongly now than ever before. In "The Future Is Unwritten," from British film director Julien Temple, Strummer is revealed not just as a legend or musician, but as a true communicator of our times. * Before the Devil Knows You're Dead: Needing extra cash, two brothers conspire to pull off the perfect, victimless crime. No guns, no violence, no problem. But when an accomplice ignores the rules and crosses the line, his actions trigger a series of events in which no one is left unscathed. Directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. http://www.theross.org ************************************************************************* 15. NET Radio's "Friday Live" on Dec. 21 Join host William Stibor Friday at 9 a.m. for a preview of the annual Keelan Family and Friends Christmas Concert Saturday with guests including harpist Maggie Keelan and NET Radio's Lora Black. Pat Leach and Vicki Wood drop by with book ideas for kids. Tune in at 91.1 FM in Lincoln or listen live on the Web by going to the site below and clicking on Listen Now! http://www.netNebraska.org/radio ************************************************************************* 16. LSO Holiday Concert on NET Radio's "Nebraska Concerts" Dec. 23 Tune in to 91.1 FM for NET Radio's "Nebraska Concerts" at 2 p.m. on Dec. 23, for this year's holiday concert from Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra featuring the LSO Honor Choir of selected high school students. The concert will include Bach's "Magnificat" and other holiday favorites from Rimsky-Korsakov's "Dance of the Tumblers" to Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas." http://www.netNebraska.org/radio ************************************************************************* 17. State of the Arts in Nebraska Special on NET Television Omaha has the Holland Performing Arts Center. In Lincoln there is the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Even the south-central Nebraska community of Minden has a newly restored opera house. To the casual observer, the arts scene in Nebraska seems to be thriving. But there is a dark side. Over the past decade the number of arts organizations has increased far faster than available funding, leaving numerous nonprofit arts entities struggling to survive. "State of the Arts: A Nebraska Connects Special," airing Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. on NET1, takes a look at the current state of the arts in Nebraska, immediately followed by a round-table discussion touching on topics like public vs. private funding of arts organizations and who controls what we get to see and hear in Nebraska. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *