May 27, 2021
Contact: Linda Fox  |   | More about Linda

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

To support the FACS Strategic Planning Goal (FACS Goal 1.1) to “Increase opportunities for FACS students to participate in the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) and other mentored undergraduate research opportunities and provide financial support for faculty mentoring FACS undergraduate students in research” FACS encourages involvement in the CURO Research Assistantship http://curo.uga.edu/students/curo_research_assistantship.html.

This is available to eligible UGA students. CURO provides 500 stipends of $1,000 each to outstanding undergraduate students to engage in faculty-mentored research.

Starting fall 2021, FACS undergraduate students and their FACS faculty mentor are eligible to apply for the FACS Fund for Excellence Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program ($2,000 per FACS student/ and faculty mentee awards, shared 50/50). See details and application here: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/ssac/facs-fund-for-excellence

PROJECT STATUS REPORT LITE – NEW REPORTING TOOL FOR PIs

Starting fall 2021, FACS undergraduate students and their FACS faculty mentor are eligible to apply for the FACS Fund for Excellence Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program ($2,000 per FACS student/ and faculty mentee awards, shared 50/50). See details and application here: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/ssac/facs-fund-for-excellence

Many of you have expressed a desire for simplified project balance reporting. We are pleased to announce the new, streamlined Project Status Report (PSR) Lite. If accessing off campus, you will need to be on VPN 02. 

This report Project Status Report (PSR) Lite was designed specifically for faculty, and it reads like a bank statement. Summary balances are on top, with recent transactions and payroll below. The info button in the top-right is a quick-start guide. There is also a link to the full-service Project Status Report (paper airplane icon) for more robust tools like burn rate charts and balance alerts. You can set “Views” to bookmark your projects and via “Subscriptions” arrange to have the report automatically emailed to you at the desired frequency.

Feedback from testers has been very positive. We hope you like it. 

Source: David, Vice President for Research

FY22 ANNUAL FACULTY CONTRACTS AVAILABLE FOR SIGNATURE ONLINE

Annual FY22 contracts for contract-eligible faculty who are on a fiscal or academic year appointment are now available online in the Faculty Data Self Service page in OneUSG Connect. 

To access your contract in OneUSG, please follow the step-by-step log-in, review, and signature instructions at this link and within the contract page in OneUSG. Listed below are a few important notes for your review before you log in to the contract system:

  1. Preliminary contract data was reviewed by each hiring unit last week. If errors were found in your FY22 compensation, job data, title, pay-group, or hiring unit, then your contract probably is not yet ready for signature. If your contract is not displayed when you log into the Faculty Data Self Service page, please contact your hiring unit’s HR representative as soon as possible for assistance. Limited-term and part-time faculty do not receive annual contracts.
  2. If your contract is displayed and you think it contains incorrect data, please contact the FACS College HR Liaison (Lynn Parham facsdean@uga.edu) as soon as possible to initiate the steps needed for correction.
  3. Faculty are expected to sign their contracts within 20 days of receipt.
  4. Please note that the FDSS module will not be accessible over the weekend of June 4 – 6, 2021, due to scheduled downtime for OneUSG Connect Release 6.24. Contracts will be accessible before and after that weekend.

Any remaining questions on FY22 annual contracts, including those related to logging into the system, should be directed to oneusgsupport@uga.edu.

RETURN TO CAMPUS – ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE FOR EMPLOYEES AND SUPERVISORS

As stated in the May 13 Archnews, in order to be ready for the fall, we must transition over the coming weeks to bring everyone back to pre-COVID normal operations. We appreciate that many faculty and staff members have been fully on campus since last fall and that a number of others have returned to campus since that time.


It is our goal to have everyone back in the workplace in their pre-pandemic work arrangements on June 14, 2021. However, it is also understood that some employees will face difficult circumstances related to childcare and other concerns in this transition period. Therefore, we urge all supervisors to be as flexible as possible with those returning from teleworking or rotational schedules through June 30, 2021, the date the University System of Georgia (USG) has set for all COVID-19-based work arrangements to expire.

As the University returns to normal operations, including a renewed focus on in-person instruction and community engagement, this guidance on the USG and UGA Teleworking/Flextime Policies is being provided as a reminder to promote consistency across UGA units. Because all COVID-19 related telework and rotational schedules will expire on June 30, 2021, department heads and supervisors may be asked to consider future requests for telework. When reviewing requests for teleworking or flextime for faculty and staff, unit managers should keep in mind the following key points:

  • The telework and flextime program is an employer option, not an employee right or entitlement.
  • A telework or flextime arrangement is appropriate only when it results in a benefit to the institution. It cannot be used for the sole benefit or convenience of the employee.
  • Telework to address a medical-related disability should be handled through the ADA process and not through the Teleworking/Flextime Policy.
  • Telework or flextime may not be suitable for all employees and/or positions. Requests must be reviewed individually to determine whether the arrangement best serves the institution and our faculty, staff, students, and visitors.
  • Teleworking is not a substitute for childcare or dependent care. An approved teleworker should continue to make arrangements for childcare or dependent care to the same extent as if the teleworker was working at their primary workplace. 
  • Duties of the requestor should be reviewed in the context of departmental operating and customer needs. This should include expectations for monitoring employee performance while teleworking.
  • If there is any change in circumstances, any agreement may be subject to revision.
  • Any agreement can be terminated at any point if the agreement is no longer beneficial to the institution or performance expectations are not being met.

Even though approval is delegated to the unit manager, Deans of schools and colleges are ultimately responsible for all teleworking, telecommuting, and flextime arrangements for employees working in their area(s) of responsibility.

I am working with the FACS College department and unit heads during this transition. Please refer to the full policies and materials linked below for more detailed information and work with your supervisor if you have questions.

Additional resources:

SCHEDULE (Dean’s travel and purpose during the next two weeks):

  • Remote work contact: 706-224-6086 (cell)
  • Have a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!
  • The next Dean’s Update will be week of June 7

Sincerely,

Linda Kirk Fox

Linda Kirk Fox

Dean

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia embraces a commitment to diversity by modeling for the state and nation a community of individuals and programs which seek to reduce prejudice, disparities, and discrimination and build a supportive environment for all.

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