By Seth Goren
We hope you all are doing well and looking forward to the impending onset of spring. We’re delighted to inform you about a number of staff-related events on behalf of the Employee Relations Advisory Council.
Nominations are now open for ERAC’s Distinguished Service Award. The award will be presented at the annual Lehigh Appreciation Dinner on April 30, 2013, where the winning nominee will receive a cash award and plaque recognizing his/her achievement. Please click here to learn more about the award and nominate someone.
ERAC has spent much of the start of 2013 focusing on administrative and structural matters. The Bylaws Committee examined and updated ERAC’s membership rules to ensure smoother transitions and continuity from year to year. We are also reviewing relationships with various parts of the university and considering ways to fortify staff connections and relationships with departments and groups across campus. These plans will be implemented later this spring. In addition, ERAC met with the Provost and the Vice President for Finance and Administration for a productive and informative conversation about the University's budget planning process and the annual merit and tuition increase process.
Our brown bag lunch series will continue with presentations on the undergraduate admissions process and the role staff play in student success and retention. We’ll look forward to providing times, dates and location as information becomes available.
Looking further ahead, as has become tradition, ERAC is sponsoring the attendance at an Iron Pigs baseball game. We invite all members of the Lehigh family to join us on Saturday, June 15th at 6:35 p.m. (the day before Father's Day). Tickets are $10 and make excellent holiday and birthday gifts! To purchase your ticket, please use the form on the ERAC website.
Ethics Hotline: Lehigh has a university-wide ethics hotline, instituted at the recommendation of our trustee audit committee. Employees and others who have serious concerns about potential misconduct are encouraged to raise them with the university via the Ethics Hotline before seeking external resolution. To learn more or submit a confidential report, visit the Ethics and Compliance Hotline page.
Campus Master Plan: On March 22nd, there will be two sessions to promote awareness of the university’s campus master plan. Each session (one in the morning and a second in the afternoon) will provide two and a half hours for faculty, staff and students to have their questions answered. Please contact Van Dobson in Facilities Services and Campus Planning or Vince Munley in the Provost's Officefor more information.
To those who are marking spring holidays over the next couple of weeks, we wish you all the best for your celebrations! Happy spring, everyone!