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Natalie Mireles

Author: Natalie Mireles

Schedule your Appointment Now – Virtual Meetings with a Transamerica Representative

Due to COVID-19, a Transamerica Retirement Planning Consultant is unable to come to campus. In lieu of in-person meetings, they are offering individual virtual appointments during a variety of shifts from May 20th – June 19th.

The consultant is available to answer any questions regarding the WAICU Retirement Readiness Plan or assist with the rollover of retirement plan from a prior employer. Click here to schedule your virtual appointment.

New Hires and Promotions

The following colleagues have been hired or rehired within the last weeks. If you see them on campus, please welcome them to Lawrence!

Larry Cain – Campus Apiarist (Biology)

Keira Frehse – Custodian (Custodial)

Braydon King – Fire Safety Assistant (Facility Services)

Garrett Singer – Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Social Change (Career Center)

Free Webinars and Monthly Live Talks Provided by ERC

Did you know our Employee Assistance Program, ERC, provides free webinars and live talks on various topics? Here is what’s coming up this month:

  • Resiliency Today: Building Self Confidence – June 3rd from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Self-confidence is one of your greatest personal resources, it allows you to face any situation and ultimately reach your goals. This month’s talk is very motivational. It will offer ideas about how to boost self-confidence and show participants how to believe in themselves and overcome complacency.
  • Parenting a Child with Special Needs: Parenting a Child with ADD/ADHD – June 8th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Provides a general overview of ADD/ADHD, including testing and diagnosis. Participants will also learn about treatment options for ADD/ADHD as well as strategies for success.
  • Financial Wellness: Retirement & Estate Planning – June 9th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Learn strategies for creating a successful retirement and estate plan. The information will help you to assess your current financial situation, set retirement goals and provide helpful resources for investment. 
  • Parenting Your Teen: Teen Driving – June 10th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Review statistics on teen driving, learn the major cause of accidents and how to prevent them. We will also help you understand the factors to determine driving readiness, and discuss proven strategies to manage and guide your teen with this new independence.
  • Caregivers Network: Alzheimer’s & Brain Health – June 16th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • This month’s talk provides a comprehensive look at dementia and Alzheimer’s, including the latest resources and research. In addition, it takes a look at brain health and ways to possible prevent Alzheimer’s.
  • Succeed at Work: Best Practices for Working Remotely – June 17th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Explore how to work around children, how to manage distractions and how to cope with the unique emotional pressures of working away from the office.
  • Strong Parents, Strong Families: Help Your Child Get Active – June 23rd from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Explore tips and strategies to help get children on the right track to health. Participants will discuss the implications of an inactive lifestyle, benefits of an active lifestyle, tips on diet, meals, snacks and how to get children moving.
  • Your Healthy Lifestyle: Exercise – June 24th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • This month’s talk looks at the benefits of fitness and exercise. Participants will learn strategies to incorporate exercise into a busy lifestyle and how to enjoy exercise at home, at work and when traveling.

Click here to register for any of the upcoming monthly talks. To log in to their website and view more resources, use the following credentials:

  • Username: ERC
  • Password: ERC

Upcoming Retirement Plan Webinar

The WAICU Retirement Readiness Plan in partnership with Transamerica is pleased to offer a series of live webinars designed to help you take full advantage of everything the Retirement Readiness Plan has to offer. To register, please click on the title of the webinar and follow the on-screen prompts to register for the live webinar of your choice.

Upcoming webinars are as followed:

Retirement Plan Essentials
Date: May 19, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM CST

Encourages employees to enroll in their workplace retirement plan or longtime participants to re-engage and learn about its latest features. Includes information about available investment services and a detailed description of Your Retirement Outlook®.

Life and Legacy
Date: August 18, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM CST

Explains estate planning best practices and how to put a plan in place.

Get Ready to Retire
Date: November 17, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM CST

A review of five key areas to consider as retirement approaches: Lifestyle, Investments, Income, Healthcare, and Legacy.

Free Webinars and Monthly Live Talks Provided by ERC

Did you know our Employee Assistance Program, ERC, provides free webinars and live talks on various topics? Here is what’s coming up this month:

  • Resiliency Today: Managing Strong Emotions – May 6th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Participants go beyond identifying emotions and learn state-of-the art techniques and real strategies to help stay cool when in the grip of strong emotions.
  • Parenting a Child with Special Needs: Balancing Full Family Needs – May 11th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Focuses on Work-Life satisfaction and how to make this happen in your life.
  • Financial Wellness: All Things Insurance – May 12th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • It’s crucial to protect what you have. Will you be able to pay your bills if you’re temporarily (or permanently) disabled? How can you save on home and auto insurance and still be adequately protected? Learn about these issues and more in this enlightening talk.
  • Parenting Your Teen: At-Risk Behaviors – May 13th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Explore the essential facts of at-risk behaviors and parents will have an opportunity to frankly discuss their fears. Learn what you really need to know, what to do and what NOT to do.
  • Caregivers Network: Give and Get Gratitude – May 19th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Participants will learn how to find the silver linings in caregiving, how to practice gratitude and how to use the Gratitude Assessment Tool to see how they score on the gratitude scale.
  • Succeed at Work: The Positive Effects of Self Esteem on Performance – May 20th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Outline a way to rewire your brain to be more optimistic and increase self-confidence. Participants will also discuss ways to build self-esteem and how to control negative thoughts.
  • Strong Parents, Strong Families: Resiliency for Working Parents – May 26th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • This will give you the tools to manage stress while maintaining a sense of work and family life balance.
  • Your Healthy Lifestyle: Relaxation Techniques – May 27th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • Meditation workshop that will teach relaxation exercises that reduce tension and stress. Participants will better understand stress and how it affects the body, learn the benefits of relaxation practices, and introduce stress management techniques.

Click here to register for any of the upcoming monthly talks. To log in to their website and view more resources, use the following credentials:

  • Username: ERC
  • Password: ERC

New Hires and Promotions

The following colleagues have been hired or rehired within the last weeks. If you see them on campus, please welcome them to Lawrence!

Martha Compton – Interim Title IX Coordinator (Office of Diversity and Inclusion)

Natali Herrera Pacheco – Coordinator of the Lawrence University/Sphinx
Organization Interns and Outreach (Conservatory of Music)

Anne Jones – Process Improvement Specialist (Human Resources)

Free Webinars and Monthly Live Talks Provided by ERC

Did you know our Employee Assistance Program, ERC, provides free webinars and live talks on various topics? Here is what’s coming up this month:

  • Resiliency Today: Manage Your Stress – April 1st from 12:00 – 1:00pm
    • This month’s talk covers common causes of stress, how to recognize your stress signals, and successful strategies for managing stress when it occurs.
  • Parenting Your Teen: Finances – April 8th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
    • As a parent, you can teach your teen about finances by determining how your money values impact your teen. This talk will teach them how to create financial goals and develop autonomy with money.
  • Parenting a Child with Special Needs: Balancing Act for Autism Families – April 13th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
    • Participants will discuss how to create balance in the home and quality time for each family member, explore tools for mastering your family schedule and learn how to avoid burnout.
  • Financial Wellness: Investment Basics – April 14th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
    • Participants will learn the principles of basic investing to make sure their earnings are there when they need them.
  • Succeed at Work: Juggling Act, the 5 Buckets – April 15th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
    • Learn practical strategies for an integrated approach to find balance in the five key areas of life: health, career, spirituality, finances, and relationships.
  • Caregivers Network: The Art of Letting Go – April 21st from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
    • How to avoid guilt often associated with caregiving and the spiritual support of hospice care.
  • Your Healthy Lifestyle: Eating Right on the Run and on a Budget – April 22nd from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
    • Review real strategies for quick, inexpensive meals that are good choices for their health and their wealth. Learn the basics of eating healthy within your financial means as well as when to select organic foods.
  • Strong Parents, Strong Families: Internet Information for Parents – April 28th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
    • Review language, identify concerns and risks, and teach strategies to increase safety online; discuss instant messaging, texting, social networking, and chat rooms; and identify resources and monitoring software.

Click here to register for any of the upcoming monthly talks. To log in to their website and view more resources, use the following credentials:

  • Username: ERC
  • Password: ERC

Service Award Milestones and President’s Award of Excellence Recipients

In the continuing efforts of keeping our campus safe from COVID-19, we will be postponing the 2020 Service Award Luncheon. While it was an extremely difficult decision to postpone the luncheon, we do not want to wait any longer to recognize those who achieved a service award milestone in 2020 and celebrate the recipients of our President’s Award of Excellence.

2020 Service Award Recipients

The following individuals celebrated a Service Award milestone in 2020:

5 Years

Rochelle Andrew – Custodian (Custodial)

Kate Bittner – Associate Director of Admissions & Director of Conservatory Admissions (Admissions)

Emily Bowles – Coordinator, Experiential Funding and Professional Networking (Career Center)

Stacy Dercks – Custodian (Custodial)

Jillian Drier – Director of Health Services (Wellness Services)

Andrea Guenther-Pal – Staff Counselor (Wellness Services)

Brandie Jewett – Accounts Payable Specialist (Financial Services)

Holly Laird – Custodian (Custodial)

Joshua Nolan – Electrician (Facility Services)

Patricia Schmidt – Custodian (Custodial)

Katie Seidel – Associate Director of Admissions (Admissions)

Toni Weijola – Conductor of Capriccio Girl Choir (Lawrence Community Music School)

10 Years

Becky Barthelmess – Associate Registrar (Registrar’s Office)

Scott Breyer – General Maintenance, Flooring and Tiles (Facility Services)

Kelly Coenen – Administrative Assistant (Communications)

Bernard Harvath – Boiler Operator/General Maintenance Mechanic (Facility Services)

Kristin McKinley – Director of Research Administration (Research Administration)

Crista Rettler – Student Accounts Specialist (Financial Services)

Shana Shallue – Associate Director of Alumni and Constituency Engagement (Alumni and Constituency Engagement)

Amy Tesch – Executive Assistant (Development)

Jill Thomas – Director of Technical Services and Assistant Professor (Library and Media Center)

Lisa Van Zeeland – Human Resources Manager (Human Resources)

15 Years

Lucas Brown – Assistant Vice President of Development & Campaign Director (Development)

Kim Eckstein – Bjorklunden Operations Manager (Bjorklunden)

Julie Haurykiewicz – Associate Dean of Academic Success and Instructor of the Freshman Academic Institute (Center for Academic Success)

Susan Sullivan – Teacher of String Bass (Lawrence Community Music School)

Laurie Yingling – Assistant Director of Planned Giving (Development)

Jenny Ziegler – Director of Development Analytics (Development)

20 Years

Jodie Bonikowske – Assistant Director of Campus Services – Warch Campus Center (Warch Campus Center)

Erin Buenzli – Assistant Dean of Wellness Services (Wellness Services)

Julia Jackson – Administrative Assistant (Conservatory of Music)

Leslie Outland Michelic – Lecturer of Music and Teacher of Oboe (Lawrence Community Music School)

Charity Rasmussen – Assistant Director of Student Activities (Office of Student Activities)

Steven Schommer – Carpenter (Facility Services)

Nicole Schultz – Custodian (Custodial)

Rodney Watkins – Custodian (Custodial)

25 Years

Sherri Immel – Senior Development Coordinator (Development)

Larisa Topolkaraeva – Teacher of Piano (Lawrence Community Music School)

Amy Van Schyndel – Assistant to the Director of Facility Services (Facility Services)

30 Years

Janet Bond-Sutter – Teacher of Violin and ASTRO Conductor (Lawrence Community Music School)

Peter Gilbert – Alice G. Chapman Director of the Library (Library and Media Center)

Cynthia Patterson – Circulation Services Supervisor (Library and Media Center)

Gregory Volk – Principal Gifts Officer (Development)

45 Years

LeRoy Frahm – Electronics Technician (Physics)

President’s Award of Excellence

President Burstein along with the President’s Award of Excellence Selection Committee are pleased to announce the 2020 President’s Award of Excellence recipients. The awards are based on the following criteria: innovation and enhancement to the university, support of individuals, stewardship of campus resources and facilities, teamwork and collaboration, and fostering a diverse and welcoming community.

The 2020 President’s Award of Excellence recipients are Jon Meyer, Director of Campus Services, and Jillian Drier, Director of Health Services. Take a moment to congratulate Jon and Jillian and watch their nominators here highlight a few of the countless reasons they are so deserving of this recognition. 

Schedule your Appointment Now – Virtual Meetings with a Transamerica Representative

Due to COVID-19, a Transamerica Retirement Planning Consultant is unable to come to campus. In lieu of in person meetings, they are offering individual virtual appointments during a variety of shifts from February 18th – March 19th.  

The consultant is available to answer any questions regarding the WAICU Retirement Readiness Plan or assist with the rollover of retirement plan from a prior employer. Click here to schedule your virtual appointment.