Category: Faculty and Staff Resources

Watermark has introduced a new results home option in the “Results” drop-down menu in CES. It is easy to use, interactive and a centralized place for your reporting needs.

This new option gives instructors access to visual representations and information on each report, which will help them decide which report(s) they should run. There is also a “Project Spotlight” section where instructors can choose to view results for a specific semester’s project, course(s) and even by question on the “Main Course Evaluation.”

If CES course evaluations were administered to your fall 2024 courses, you can sign in to your Watermark CES dashboard through Blackboard or use the link in the email sent from WSU Evaluations to access your results and try out the new feature.

Additional information can be found on the CES website.

Human Resources and Staff Senate are excited to continue to offer faculty and staff a professional development opportunity made possible through a grant they wrote and were awarded by the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC). The grant provides a select number of seats for their leadership development path that consists of three steps and starts with step one, When Everyone Leads.

Based on KLC’s bestselling book, “When Everyone Leads,” this six-hour course makes leadership radically accessible and inclusive, unleashing capacity for collective leadership in teams, organizations, coalitions and communities.

All faculty and staff are invited to go to the HR professional development website to learn more and find instructions for submitting an interest form.

Traveling internationally? Pursuant to university policy, when travelling internationally, either for university-affiliated or personal travel, you may be required to receive approval and/or submit paperwork prior to your departure. This is in addition to your ChromeRiver requirements if traveling on business.

Traveling for personal reasons? If you access WSU services or take WSU owned hardware, you still need a simplified travel form. Find out what you need to submit.

The Office of Strategic Communications will offer headshot photos to WSU faculty and staff at no additional charge. These opportunities are quick and walk-in only without needing to schedule an appointment.

The next headshot photo event is from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 5 in 266 Rhatigan Student Center, Pike Room.

Additional dates will be announced in the future. Learn more about headshots and what to expect at wichita.edu/headshots.

Jeremy Kohn, ChFC, TIAA financial consultant, will be available for in-person meetings at Wichita State Dec. 3 and 4. At these meetings, Jeremy can help you confirm that you are on track for retirement and provide specific investment recommendations for your TIAA accounts.

If you are interested in meeting with Jeremy, schedule a time to meet, and have your TIAA login credentials handy. If you need scheduling assistance, you can call the TIAA scheduling team at 800-732-8353.

If you are not able to schedule a meeting with Jeremy because appointments have filled and you do not see a virtual option on another day, you can email Jeremy directly at jeremy.kohn@tiaa.org to schedule another appointment and his team will assist you.

A few reminders about your SEHP accounts to wrap up 2024. You may have funds expiring at the end of this year.

SEHP HRA/FSA 2024 deadlines:

• HRA funds must be used on eligible expenses incurred on or before Dec. 31.
• For FSA funds, there is a maximum rollover amount of $640, so if you have funds in excess of that amount, those funds must also be used on eligible expenses incurred on or before Dec. 31 or they will be forfeited.
• Dependent Care FSA expenses have a 75-day grace period where you can incur expenses up until March 16, 2025, and must file claims against your 2024 balance by April 30, 2025. Any funds remaining after this date are forfeited.

HealthQuest 2024 deadlines:

• You have until Dec. 31 to earn credits towards the premium discount.

Also, your medical plan deductible and out-of-pocket maximums reset on Jan. 1, 2025 and you will also start fresh earning HealthQuest credits for reward dollars in 2025 and to earn your premium discount for 2026.

If you have questions about any of these deadlines, contact TotalRewards@wichita.edu.

Attend these come-and-go events where you can work on entering Faculty Annual Activity Report (FAAR) activities or ask questions and learn more about the new Watermark Faculty Success program.

Each event is held in 217 Ablah Library:

• 1:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26
• 1-4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2
• 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, Dec. 12

Questions in the meantime? See the Faculty Success webpage and the newly compiled sets of instructions. Get help with:

• Working with Activities
• Submitting Your FAAR

Email notification to begin the submission process coming soon.

The University Staff Senate has established a scholarship to help in the advancement of WSU staff and their dependents. Staff members or their dependents beginning or continuing their first bachelor’s degree are eligible to apply. This scholarship can be combined with the university’s Tuition Assistance and other awards and can be used for tuition, books and fees.

Applications for the University Staff Senate scholarship open Friday, Nov. 15 and close Feb. 1, 2025 for the fall 2025 award. For more information and to apply, visit the Staff Senate Scholarship webpage.

Tuition Assistance applications for spring 2025 are now being accepted through the Online Application Form. The online application will be available through the end of the business day on Jan. 6, 2025, and will close at the end of this application period. Also, with the recent changes to the tuition assistance program, applications can now be submitted for both spring and summer 2025.

Due to the volume of applications received each semester, requests to submit late applications will be automatically denied. There will be no exceptions.

Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.

Administrative support staff have a valuable resource for connecting with one another through the Admins Coming Together (ACT) initiative, sponsored by the University Staff Senate and led by Angela Linder, office manager in the Office of Financial Aid.

The group’s October meeting focused on Breast Cancer Awareness Month and featured a discussion led by Renée Means, a support group coordinator, who shared her experiences and the support available through Victory in the Valley. You can read more about the October meeting of the group in the Sunflower.

The next ACT meeting will take place in January 2025, with the date and topic to be announced. Staff who are interested in attending or would like to suggest a topic for ACT meetings can contact Angela Linder at angela.linder@wichita.edu. Learn more about the Admins Coming Together initiative on the Admins Coming Together webpage.