SC President's Monthly Communication: Happy Holidays

Good morning, Staff! I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a good winter break. You’ve earned it. After this tough year, I hope you have plenty of time to rest, rejuvenate, connect with friends and family, and leave UNM behind. Your work will be waiting for you in January. If you’ve forgone the travel or are hosting fewer people at your table this year, may you find rewards in the stillness. And if you and your loved ones are dealing with illness or other hardships, please be especially easy with yourself.

Gerald W. May Staff Awards

This month we recognized the winners of the Gerald W. May Staff Awards -Antoinette Rael, Corine Gonzales, Gary Harrison, Mitzi Vigil, and OC Black Elk. It was a treat to hear stories from the winners’ supervisors, co-workers, and awardees themselves. I especially wanted to share with you an excerpt from Provost Holloway’s meaningful closing remarks. The sentiments are applicable to all of us.

Our staff, creative contributors in the best of times, have this year developed whole new ways to make a difference in their support of our faculty and students. When we decided we had to go remote last March, I’ll be frank – I was not sure we could do it. It looked like a really heavy lift, and UNM is a large beast, known more for its heft than its nimbleness.

But the staff of UNM stepped up, and found amazing ways to make it work. They have figured out ways to work safely on campus, and to work remotely. For most, gone are the little cubicles, only to be replaced by these little Zoom boxes!  The creativity and resilience that our staff has shown is truly remarkable.  

Lunch is On Us

I hope you have now heard that the $7 imbursements have been loaded onto all staffLobocards/HSC badges! There are a number of venues where you might use it; and there’s no expiration date.

Academic Support Scholarships

The Provost Committee for Staff is now accepting applications for the Spring 2021 Staff Scholarships. The scholarships supplement tuition remission by helping to cover the costs of books, course fees, and supplies. The scholarship covers courses used toward a degree/certificate or for professional development. Please find more information and the application here, due Friday, January 8^th.

Be Well!

When you have a moment, check out the wealth of interesting articles, ideas, newsletters, workouts, nutrition tips, and projects you’ll find here:

• Human Resources Employee Wellness Website
• Sign-ups for Zoom Fitness Classes and Nutrition and Fitness Listervs
• The Positive Psychology Challenge Workbook by Dr. Bruce Smith, from the most popular course on campus