Human Resources

Each year Lawrence University offers all employees as well as spouses/domestic partners on the medical plan the opportunity to participate in the Personal Health Assessment (PHA) process. The PHA process is part of a large initiative to assist participants in managing their overall health and wellness. Since 2016, Lawrence has partnered with local health care system, ThedaCare, to provide this benefit.

This year, given the current pandemic, ThedaCare announced that for the safety of their medical team, they will not be conducting onsite health assessments. In consultation with the Benefits Advisory Committee, we will evaluate the options available to our employees and how to proceed for the upcoming plan year. Please watch for additional communication to come on this topic.      

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

• Parenting your Teen: Success in School – August 13^th  from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • Learn which health habits are important to school success, how to help your teen deal with teachers and academics and how to help them get organized.
• Caregivers Network: Let’s Go Shopping – August 19^th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • Explore the many changes and trends happening in support of caregivers and an aging nation and will learn how to get steals and deals within pharmacies, grocery stores, consumer electronics retailers.
• Succeed at Work: Overcoming Procrastination – August 20^th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • Learn how we procrastinate, reasons for, and the impact of, procrastination and radical tips to overcome it.
• Strong Parents, Strong Families: Children’s Nutrition – August 26^th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • Learn the basics of nutritional requirements for growing children, tips for healthy eating, health risks of obesity in children, recognizing when weight is a problem and building self-esteem.
• Your Healthy Lifestyle: Nutrition Navigator – August 27^th from 12:00pm – 1:00p,
  • Looking to better understand components like nutrition labels, blood sugar levels, and fiber? This month’s talk is a nutrition navigator that will help you plan healthy meals and introduce nutrition basics on your journey to a healthier you.

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

• Username: ERC
• Password: ERC

For those who were unable to attend the Q&A session with Mark on Thursday, July 30^th, a recording of this meeting is now available here. Employees will be required to log in with their username (username@lawrence.edu) and normal password.

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

Keith Hansen – Assistant to the Registrar’s Office (Registrar’s Office)

Paja Vang – Financial Aid Counselor (Financial Aid Office)

A reminder of the upcoming Q&A with Mark meeting for faculty and staff. 

Meeting Date & Time

• Thursday, July 30 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
  • Click the following link to join the July 30 meeting –https://lawrence.zoom.us/j/94603913607?pwd=Wi84RzdiQUpXcklVRUNFT2JiQWpPZz09

If you are unable to attend, we will be recording the meeting and will share a link after.

Submitting your Questions

You are encouraged to submit questions ahead of the meeting here. The meeting will have an active chat function and questions can be submitted using this feature as well. We will cover as many questions as possible during the allotted time.

Thank you all for your dedication and work to support Lawrence. Please continue to take care of yourselves.

For those who were unable to attend the Q&A session with Mark, on Thursday, July 16^th, a recording of this meeting is now available here. Employees will be required to log in with their username (username@lawrence.edu) and normal password.

With our FISCAL YEAR END JUNE 30, 2020 in the rear view mirror, please be reminded of the following:

• INVOICES:
  In order to allow the Financial Services office to prepare for Lawrence University’s annual audit, we ask that you approve invoices for the fiscal year ending 06/30/20and have them to the Financial Services office by Friday, July 17^th

• Unless there has been a consistent alternate posting method for a routine vendor invoice that Financial Services is aware of, invoices will be entered in the fiscal period for which the delivery of the product or service relates.  For example, if an invoices is dated June 25^th, 2020 but is for services that will be provided after July 1^st, the invoice will be posted to next fiscal year. Conversely, if the invoice has a date of July 5^th, 2020 but was for services provided prior to June 30^th, that invoice will be posted back to the 2019-20 fiscal year. 

• It is NOT necessary that the invoice be in hand by June 30, 2020; however, Financial Services needs to be made aware that the expense is to be dated for fiscal year June 30, 2020 if it will not be clear on the invoice when the invoice is received after fiscal year end.  Any invoice received in our office after July 17^th ,unless a material $ as determined by Financial Services, will be entered into the 2020-21 fiscal year regardless of the date on the invoice or the date of the delivery of the product or service. If you are expecting an invoice that needs to be posted to the 2019-20 fiscal year, but have not received it by the deadline of July 17, please contact Financial Services to work out a solution.

• LU PURCHASING CARD:
  Purchases WILL be considered made/paid by June 30, 2020 if they are purchased on an LU purchasing credit card, regardless of whether the item/service has been received by June 30. Material  down payments, as determined by Financial Services, even if made with an LU purchasing card, will not be considered an expense as of June 30, 2020. 

• PLEASE NOTE:  Purchases that are made with an LU purchasing card that are posted to the card in early July will be posted in the next fiscal year.  PLEASE be sure to make your year-end credit card purchases AT LEAST 3 BUSINESS days in advance of June 30 to allow for your transactions to post by June 30.

• Please have any outstanding credit card reports and your June 1 – June 15, 2020 Comdata transaction reports to Financial Services by June 30,2020.

• If you have a specific invoice or credit card transaction for which you would like to make an exception to the above guidelines, please contact Brandie Jewett X6542 or Amy Price X7164 with any questions.