|
EVP Newsletter
Winter 2024
News from Across the Division
| |
|
Message from Craig
Seasons Greetings!
As we embark on the holiday season, I want to extend warm wishes to all of you. The end of the year is a time to reflect, express gratitude, and experience joy. It also gives us an opportunity to appreciate the good that exists in our individual lives, on and near campus, and in the world around us.
In the face of challenges, let us remember the importance of kindness, compassion, generosity, and helping others. This season is a chance for us to strengthen our bonds as a community and support one another. May we use the breaks we are being afforded from our routines to contribute to the well-being of those less fortunate. Small acts of kindness can have a ripple effect, creating a positive impact far beyond our immediate surroundings. I am confident that by working together, we can make a meaningful and heartfelt difference for the people we cross paths with.
Wishing you a joyful holiday season filled with gratitude, peace, kindness, and the warmth of shared moments with your loved ones.
Best,
Craig
| |
|
FRES Gives Back to the Community
- In November, the FRES Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC) brought back the popular Chili Cook-Off competition where staff shared their recipes ranging from regional favorites to vegetarian options. A tasting allowed attendees to vote on the best chili in each category, while participation raised $850 donated to Philabundance.
-
For the fifth year in a row, FRES Residential Trades staff led an effort this fall to collect non-perishable food donations for Philabundance through WMMR’s Camp Out For Hunger drive by working with CHAS as well as Schools and Centers to organize collection bins throughout campus. They gathered a record-high 1,100 pounds and provided healthy meals to local communities facing food insecurity.
- This holiday season, the FRES Women’s Group led an annual Adopt-A-Family effort in collaboration with the Netter Center and our department staff to grant holiday wishes for many local children in need!
| |
|
Career and Job Fair Connects
Talent with Opportunities
-
The 2023 University of Pennsylvania Career and Job Fair held on November 6 attracted 432 Philadelphia-area job seekers to Houston Hall. Attendees could schedule appointments with Human Resources Talent Acquisitions professionals for one-on-one resume and cover letter reviews. At the fair, HRIM also introduced the Resume Café, a new initiative designed to provide another opportunity for personalized support to potential candidates using AI technology.
| |
Penn Projects Honored at AIA's
Architectural Excellence Awards
| | |
Each year, the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) celebrates the best architecture in the state with its Architectural Excellence Awards. In November, three Penn projects received one of the prestigious awards: Fisher Fine Arts Library won the 50 Year/Timeless Architecture award (pictured above); the Burk-Bergman Boathouse won the Honor Award for Preservation Architecture; and Gutmann College House won both the Merit Award and the Committee on the Environment (COTE) Design Award. Read more about the awards, and the buildings honored, on the FRES website. | |
|
Solution Center Pride for the Phillies!
Penn Employee Solution Center staff members show their support for the Phillies this past Fall during Red October. We didn't get the outcome that we wanted, but it was still fun!
↓
| |
J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Run
The EVP was pleased to helped support this year's Penn team that participated in the 2023 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge race this Fall. Pictured here are a few team members from departments all across the University. Congrats to all of the runners!
↓
| |
|
Craig's List
Here are some headlines worth checking out...
-
Searching for the perfect present? Check out the SHOP PENN Gift Guide to find the best holiday presents to purchase locally for the cooks, fashionistas, readers, runners, and more in your life.
-
In November, myHR invited faculty and staff members to fill out our coworker gratitude questionnaire to share what they're grateful for. Thanks for the dozens of submissions we received from myHR readers! The results were inspiring. You can read Penn staff thank-you's and gratitude sharing tips on the HR gratitude webpage.
-
Student Registration and Financial Services (SRFS) hosted a Student Veteran luncheon on November 9th in the Student Service Center. Read all the details and check out photos in this Penn Today story.
-
It’s winter at Morris Arboretum & Gardens! Beat the cold by joining an invigorating Winter Wellness Walk on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 a.m., now through March. Follow a Garden Highlights Tour, available Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. now through March, where guides will design a new experience around the interests of attendees. For more information, visit morrisaboretum.org. Admission is free with a PennCard.
-
Human Resources will be closed for Penn’s Special Winter Vacation from Monday, December 25, 2023, through Monday, January 1, 2024. However, many of our resources will still be available to University faculty and staff during the break. Access to Penn’s Employee Assistance Program will continue 24/7. Other services may be closed, limited, or operating on modified schedules. See the online schedule for details.
-
Human Resources continues its retiree podcast series! In Episode 3, Wendy Harris, Senior HR Communications Specialist, interviews Susan Curran, a former Senior Director of HR for the Provost Centers, and Kathy Swartz, a former Associate Director of HR. In Part 1, Curran and Swartz talk about their favorite Penn memories and what they’ve been up to since retiring; in Part 2, they share advice on the importance of networking and developing relationships.
-
Healthy Competition! The Division of Human Resources team, Straight Out of HR, had a blast at this year’s Campus Cup dodgeball tournament. Check out photos here.
| |
|
Environmental Justice Panel and Cobbs Creek
Clean Up in Honor of MLK Day of Service
| |
|
In honor of the memory of Martin Luther King Jr and the MLK Day of Service, the Penn Sustainability Office and the Environmental Innovations Initiative are jointly hosting a joint panel discussion on environmental justice research at Penn.
Register to attend the January 31 panel, which will bring together leading researchers across disciplines such as planning, health, engineering and more. It will highlight their work in the field of environmental justice and provide a platform for them to share their insights and foster dialogue on the state of current knowledge and how it affects our ability to reach a sustainable, resilient, and just future. In addition, students, staff, and faculty are invited to join a community clean-up of Cobbs Creek on Saturday, January 27 and work alongside the Cobbs Creek Community Ambassadors who coordinate grassroots initiatives to keep the creek and surrounding environment free of litter and pollution.
| |
Join Winterfest at the Penn Class of 1923 Ice Rink | |
The Penn Class of 1923 Ice Rink is hosting a Winterfest Skating Event on January 27, 2024 from 6 to 7 pm. Admission is $5 which includes skate rental. For more information, visit the rink's new website!
| |
|
|
Spread Joy with a FREE Penn e-Card!
Celebrate the spirit of the season sustainably by sending a tree-free greeting through Penn’s eCard website. Browse a wide selection of cheerful cards, including a brand new animated card for 2023 that features a snowy College Hall. In addition to winter-themed greetings, we invite you to explore a robust selection of designs for other special occasions and celebrations. Personalize your message and send to up to 100 recipients at a time.
| | | | | | |
