San Jose State University
 
 
 
June 2024 Edition
 
Volume 7 Issue 2
 
 
 
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Happy Almost Summer! Campus has slowed down now that the spring semester and 2023-24 academic year have come to an end. How exciting it was to see all of the students with their caps and gowns during the recent commencement ceremonies. Congratulations to all of our graduates, including those that are employees here. Working while earning a degree is definitely something to celebrate!

As I reflect back on the spring semester I am reminded of a few events that took place. We held our first annual Celebrating Spartans: Honoring Faculty and Staff event on March 28th. It was great to see faculty and staff recognized together for the first time for their many years of service and wonderful accomplishments with families, friends and colleagues looking on. It was especially inspiring to hear our award recipients speak of their work and dedication to SJSU. We had over 650 people in attendance and hope for an even better turnout next year.

University Personnel also held a town hall this semester on May 17th focused on retirement. We had some of our experts from the Benefits team as well as Faculty Services present on this topic and answer questions that came in. It is always great to have members of our campus community join us for our town halls. The town halls are just one method we utilize to ensure that our constituents are receiving valuable information about their SJSU employment. Of course feel free to reach out to our teams at any time with any questions you may have. More to come!

As you know, the university doesn’t close for the summer, but the population of the campus decreases and becomes a bit quieter. Summer can be a wonderful time for vacation, and I encourage you to take time if you can - make sure to clear it with your manager first! Remember you can check your vacation balance online through SJSU @ Work. Click the View My Leave Balances tile in one.SJSU (search: balance) to see your balances.

I hope you have a wonderful summer!

Please click View Entire Message at the bottom of this email to see the entire newsletter.
 
 
 
 
 
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UP Staffing Updates

Retirements
University Personnel said goodbye to Ken Guzzetta (HRIS) and Zeffie Bruce (Faculty Services) at the end of April, as they both headed off to new adventures in retirement. Later this month we will send Carrie Medders (Technology and Training) off to a well-deserved retirement after 26 years of service. We wish Ken, Zeffie and Carrie well in this new chapter of their lives.

New Staff
Allen Ly joined the department in February as the new Multistate Workforce Resource Manager.

Find us on the Web
Visit the Our Teams section of the UP Website for more detailed information about our staff or view our Org Chart to better see how we are structured.
 
 
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Julian Abreu
Nawai Ah Yen
Vanessa Aldaco
Angela Alvarado
Cambron Bice
Benjamin Bui
Christine Bui
Emma Rose Calhoun
Maria Chavez
Krystina DiRenzo
Nicolas Esqueda
Dolly Estrada
Kimberly Gallow
Mitzi Garcia Hernandez
Kianna Graves
Kimberly Gallow
 
Anthony Handy
Kednel Jean
Soniajit Kaur
Tyana Kendrick
Vanessa Lawson
Autumn Lee
Matthew Levin
Daniel Lockett
Miguel Lomeli
Allen Ly
Phillip Maggi
Samuel Martin
Marcos Oliveira
Minghui Pacheco
Caroline Parris
 
Adrian Perez
Ryan Phillips
Maria Piccone
Amy Prause
Jacquelyn Rabouin
Christian Ramirez Macias
Fernando Ruiz Hernandez
Amanda Shavers
Priti Singh
Michael Smith
Kara Stanley
Jonathan Stolan
Ben Stupay
Steven Sullivan
Sabrina Tanner
Kyle Wolff
 
 
Spartans Stepping Beyond
 
 
The Spartans Stepping Beyond program, a beacon of appreciation and recognition, continues to shine a light on the extraordinary efforts of Spartans. As we approach mid-year 2024, we reflect on the exceptional individuals who exemplify our community's spirit of excellence.

We extend a sincere thank you to all who participated in recognizing and honoring their fellow Spartans. Your thoughtful nominations are the foundation of this celebration, and they highlight the incredible spirit that defines our community. Here are the exceptional individuals who have been honored so far this year as part of the Spartans Stepping Beyond Program.
  • Cristian Acevedo
  • Marco Antonio Cruz
  • Brian Gothberg
  • Tony Jaconette
  • Marisela Milan
  • Chi Nguyen
  • Michael Pyrch
  • Vidalino Raatior
  • Jennifer Redd
  • Dung Tran
  • Seher Vora
  • Lok Yu
  • Jane Zamora
As we move forward, let's continue to celebrate the exceptional individuals who make our community shine. If you know someone who embodies the spirit of Spartans Stepping Beyond, recognize them! Your recognition can make a significant impact on their day and inspire others to celebrate the excellence within our community
 
 
 
 
Celebrating Spartans
 
Thank you for attending the Celebrating Spartans: Honoring Faculty and Staff event this past March. Coming together as one contributed significantly to the success of the event, and we are truly grateful for your participation.

We hope you enjoyed your experience as we celebrated the dedication and commitment of our honorees and award recipients.

Thank you to all faculty and staff for your exemplary contribution, hard work, and dedication to San José State University.
 
 
 
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Save the Date for San José State University's Annual Employee Benefits and Services Fair.
  • Date: Thursday, September 26th, 2024
  • Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  • Location: Student Union Ballroom
This event is designed to provide our employees with information about the various health benefits and community resources available to them.

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this informative and engaging event. More details will be sent soon.

The open enrollment period will be September 16, 2024 through October 11,2024. All changes made during this time period will take effect on January 1, 2025.

If you have any questions, contact Tamela Sullivan or Bernadette Fernandez at up-org-development@sjsu.edu.

We look forward to seeing you there!
 
 
 
 
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Support Your Fellow Spartans
 
 
The Staff & Faculty Emergency Fund
(SFEF) has been created to provide support for SJSU staff and faculty (instructional and non-instructional) in need. The SFEF provides limited financial assistance to eligible staff and faculty who are experiencing a temporary hardship due to a significant unforeseen life event. Awards in the form of grants will vary according to the needs of the individuals, but will not exceed $1000. Grants do not need to be repaid. The SFEF is only possible due to the generous donations of caring San José State colleagues and community members.

To donate, visit Give SJSU, click Choose a Giving Opportunity, then search for Emergency Fund under Office of the President.
 
The Support Our Staff Scholarship is available for SJSU and auxiliary undergraduate or graduate staff members (excluding MPPs) who are continuing their education while working for SJSU, with preference to full-time employees. Preference will also be given to staff members with a commitment to community service. GPA minimum is 3.0. Scholarships may be used for tuition and/or books.

To donate, visit Give SJSU, click Choose a Giving Opportunity, then search for Support Our Staff under Scholarships.

Contributions to both of these funds are critical and appreciated! Awards cannot be made unless we have funds.
 
 
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Employee Reference Request Policy

We recently sent an email reminding our employees of the CSU Employment Policy Governing the Provision of Employee References (“Policy”). This Policy applies to all SJSU employees (faculty, staff, administrators, student employees) who are requested to provide a reference via phone, email, letter or other means (e.g. social media) concerning a current or former SJSU/CSU employee. The Policy addresses requests for references for SJSU/CSU employees only. It does not address requests for references for SJSU/CSU students in their capacity as students, outside of any student-employment context.

See the following resources for more information:
Questions about this policy should be directed to:
 
 
 
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Employee Discounts

Faculty and staff have access to a variety of discounts. Visit Employee Discounts for more information.
 
 
 
UP Group Emails

UP has a variety of group emails that you can use to contact various units.
 
 
 
 
UP is on Social Media!

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Where to Find Past Newsletters

You can find past issues of The UP Side newsletter on the UP website under Resources.
 
 
 
 
Unless otherwise indicated, all newsletter images were designed in Canva.
 
 

Contact University Personnel via Phone or Email

408.924.2250 or university-personnel@sjsu.edu

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San Jose State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192

 
Last Updated Dec 19, 2024