ANR Update

UC seeks employee comments on policy updates

The University seeks comments from employees on four presidential policies that have been revised.

Employee Comment: Protection of Administrative Records Containing Personally Identifiable Information

The University invites comments on the Draft Revised Presidential Policy BFB-RMP-7, Protection of Administrative Records Containing Personally Identifiable Information, as described below:

The policy is proposed to be revised. The revised policy includes the following key issues:

• Combines and updates BFB-RMP-7, Privacy of and Access to Information Responsibilities; BFB-RMP-11, Student Applicant Records; and BFB-RMP-12, Guidelines for Assuring Privacy of Personal Information in Mailing Lists and Telephone Directories
• Incorporates the UC Statement of Privacy Principles and Values
• Clarifies the roles of Privacy Officials, Records Management Coordinators and Information Practices Coordinators

The policy proposal is posted here.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than Monday, Dec. 10, 2018.

Employee Comment: Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH)

The University invites comments on the Draft Revised Presidential Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment, as described below.

The policy is proposed to be revised and includes the following key revisions:

• A fuller explanation of what the policy covers, such as acts committed by and against third parties, and how the Title IX offices will evaluate reports to decide whether to initiate a resolution process;
• Changes to the definitions of conduct prohibited by the policy, including sexual assault, relationship violence, and retaliation;
• Enumeration of the specific procedures UC will use to investigate and adjudicate reports;
• A more detailed description of the informal (Alternative Resolution) process, and parties' rights in that process;
• Addition of a 30- to 60-day timeframe for Alternative Resolution, and extension of the timeframe for the Formal Investigation process from 60 days to 90 days;
• Provision for the Title IX officer to initiate investigations despite the absence of an identifiable, individual respondent or, alternatively, the lack of a specific complainant;
• Revisions to the Frequently Asked Questions, including the removal of certain questions; and
• References in several places to guidelines developed by the Systemwide Title IX Office. CSA recommended that we better define and codify some of our policy-related practices, and agreed that could be done in separate guidelines, if referenced in the policy.

The Policy proposal is posted here.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez atrgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than Monday, Dec. 10, 2018.

Employee Comment: Use of Vehicles and Driver Selection

The University invites comments on the Draft Revised Presidential Policy BFB-BUS-46. 

• The key issues addressed by the proposed revisions to the policy include:
• The inclusion of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS) as a standard for eligibility to drive on behalf of the University.
• Implementation will apply to all drivers on University business – not solely employees.
• Establishment of Vehicle Collision Review Committees to review collisions, determine preventability, and promote driver safety awareness.
• Establishment of guidelines for drivers involved in preventable collisions including training, suspension, and potential revocation of driving privileges.

The policy proposal is posted here.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. 

Employee Comment: Principles of Accountability with Respect to Financial Transactions

The University invites comments on the Draft Revised Presidential Policy on the Principles of Accountability with Respect to Financial Transactions. The policy is a codification of an existing UCOP financial policy that is currently posted on the Office of the Chief Financial Officer website.

The key issues are:

• Existing finance policy was rewritten to follow the 2013 Committee on Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) Integrated Control-Integrated Framework;
• Policy provides an overview of financial accountability, financial management, data integrity, and compliance associated with financial transactions throughout the University. Campuses in turn should develop policies and procedures to ensure these financial transaction accountability principles are met;
• There is a chart of functions and responsibilities for key areas and roles within the campus, and
• There are financial principles that all employees with financial transaction authority redelegated to them should adhere.

The policy proposal is posted here.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018.

 

Winter holiday closure schedule

To help with planning, I am writing to confirm this year's winter holiday closure schedule. ANR units – including Research and Extension Centers, BOC Kearney, UCCE county offices and the Second Street Building in Davis – will be closed from Monday, Dec. 24, 2018, through Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019, except for essential services. ANR offices will reopen on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. The closure schedule will be the same for ANR employees at UCOP.

UC holidays will be observed on:

Monday, Dec. 24 and Tuesday, Dec. 25;

Monday, Dec. 31, 2018; and Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. 

December 26, 27 and 28, 2018, will be curtailment (closure) days. Employees will be given the option of using accrued vacation, compensatory time off (CTO), or leave without pay for the curtailment days. In the event an employee has not accumulated a sufficient amount of vacation time before December to cover the three days, arrangements can be made to allow those individuals to borrow against future vacation time. 

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We understand some UCCE county offices and research and extension centers may need to adjust the closure schedule to accommodate local needs.  We ask that all UCCE County Offices and RECs confirm their local schedules by completing this short survey no later than Tuesday, Nov. 6. Please complete this survey even if your office is following the ANR closure schedule.

http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=21866

Vice Provost Mark Lagrimini has the authority to approve alternative schedules for offices or individual employees at UCCE offices or the RECs. Mark will review your survey submissions and contact you with any questions or concerns.  For administrative units, requests to work during the closure days will be reviewed by AVP Tu Tran.

Thank you for your cooperation. I hope you enjoy the winter break.

John Fox
Executive Director, Human Resources

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

ANR funding support update

Colleagues,

As mandated costs continue to outpace available funds, UC ANR is taking action to ensure financial prudence while continuing to devote our limited resources to our priorities. These include the approved systemwide merit program and the two UC ANR equity programs designed to improve the competitiveness of salaries for academics and staff, among other goals. As Vice President Humiston recently said, “People are our greatest asset; without you, we cannot achieve our research and extension mission.” Please see related programmatic funding updates below.

Program Team funding

• For FY2018-19, UC ANR is providing funding for Program Team meetings, during which related Workgroups can also meet. These meetings provide the opportunity to network, share, and learn. To find out about the meetings check the Program Team meetings web page.
• Over this coming year, UC ANR program leadership will continue to solicit input on opportunities to improve our Strategic Initiative, Program Team, and Workgroup structure and roles. Thanks to Program Team Leaders and Workgroup Chairs who provided input through the August survey.

CE specialist and AES travel funds to work with CE advisors or at the RECs

• Continuing in FY 2018-19, UC ANR is making travel support available for CE specialists to collaborate with UC ANR academics off-campus, including CE advisors in the counties and UC ANR academics at the research and extension centers. Each specialist may apply for up to $2,500. These travel funds must be expended by June 30, 2019, and used by the UCCE specialists only, and cannot be used for out-of-state travel.
• UC ANR continues to support travel by AES faculty to meet and work with UC ANR county-based or REC-based academics. Support is limited to $1,000 per AES faculty member with a cap on the total pool of funds available set at $25,000 for FY 2018-19. This travel support must be used by the AES faculty member for his/her own travel to plan and execute research or present research findings at meetings hosted by UC ANR academics. Additional support may be available through the campuses; AES faculty should consult their departments or colleges.
• Completing a short online survey is the only step in accessing these funds.

ANR funding opportunities/grants 

• For 2018-2020, UCANR will not be issuing a call for proposals for the ANR Competitive Grants Program nor the High-Risk/High-Reward Program, and the Matching Program is on hold. These funds are being redirected given the current budget situation.  
• UC ANR continues to accept submissions for the Opportunity Grants Program, which provides small amounts of funding to initiate and complete critical short-term research, outreach, or training efforts. Proposals are accepted at any time. For more information, see the web page. 

Sincerely,

Wendy Powers
Associate Vice President

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

2018 CE Position Call process to submit proposals ends Sept. 15

Colleagues,

The 2018 CE Position Call process to develop and submit proposals ends tomorrow. The proposals are posted on the call web page: http://ucanr.edu/2018callforpositions. Internal stakeholders across the ANR network and external stakeholders were engaged, throughout the seven-month process, in the development of these proposals.

To recap:

• Phase 1 – UCCE county directors and REC directors submitted 20 CE advisor position proposals and the executive associate deans, working with campus departments, submitted 20 CE specialist position proposals.
• Phase 2 – Program Teams reviewed the 40 phase 1 proposals and submitted six additional proposals that they identified as higher priority than the 40 already submitted.
• Phase 3 – Statewide Programs and Institutes reviewed all 46 proposed positions, and as a group agreed there are not any additional positions they believe to be of higher priority.

To clarify Comments:

• The process was designed to engage stakeholders in the development of the proposals rather than to provide feedback after the fact. Thus, this process does not include a formal public comment period.
• Comments submitted in the comments box on each proposal web page are for feedback to the authors, for their review. These comments are not part of Program Council's review.

Next steps:

• Program Council will discuss the proposals during their October and November meetings, and will provide recommendations to VP Humiston.
• By Jan. 5, VP Humiston plans to release information on support and release of positions put forth as a result of this call.

Once again, we thank the ANR network for actively engaging in this participatory process to strengthen and rebuild CE positions statewide – which remains an ANR priority.

Sincerely,

Wendy Powers
Associate Vice President

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

Learn how to conduct a needs assessment to shape research and outreach

UCCE advisors, UCCE specialists and academic coordinators are invited to attend a training workshop on conducting a needs assessment.

Vikram Koundinya, UCCE evaluation specialist in the Department of Human Ecology (Community and Regional Development) at UC Davis; Chris Greer, IPM area advisor in UCCE San Luis Obispo County; and Katherine Webb-Martinez, associate director of UC ANR Program Planning and Evaluation are hosting training workshops in two locations – Davis and Parlier.

Friday, September 7, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the UC ANR Building, 2801 Second Street, Davis

Featuring roundtable discussion sharing UCCE examples with:

• Betsy Karle, area dairy advisor & county director, Glenn County
• Susie Kocher, forestry/natural resources advisor, Central Sierra and El Dorado counties
• Steven Worker, 4-H youth development advisor, Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties

Friday, September 14, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 9240 South Riverbend Ave., Parlier

Featuring roundtable discussion sharing UCCE examples with:

• Ramiro Lobo, small farms and agricultural economics advisor, San Diego County
• Fadzayi Mashiri, livestock and natural resources advisor, Mariposa and Merced counties
• Deepa Srivastava, nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor, Tulare and Kings counties

Training Overview

• Will help answer questions such as: What exactly is expected for a needs assessment? What is the benefit? When should I do this? How often should I do this? How do I use the information to design my program?
• Covers basic, practical how-to steps, approaches, methods, and how to write good questions
• Designed to be interactive and includes hands-on activities
• Includes a roundtable discussion with UCCE advisors sharing their needs assessment experiences and lessons learned

Participants will gain...

• understanding of position description needs assessment expectation
• understanding of needs assessments basics (what, how, when)
• understanding of and practice writing good questions
• awareness of UC ANR needs assessment examples and resources
• a draft needs assessment plan

Register at https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=25314.

For more information, contact Katherine Webb-Martinez, Katherine.webb-martinez@ucop.edu, (510) 987-0029.

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

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