ANR Update

Launching ServiceNow for UC ANR IT and HR

We are happy to announce that we are approaching the go-live date for our new ServiceNow platform for Information Technology and Human Resources! This upgrade to ServiceNow replaces Zendesk that has been used by IT and HR. UC ANR's implementation of ServiceNow is the start and will provide a strong and recognized platform that can help us streamline how we manage requests and services.

ServiceNow will go live the evening of Friday, June 21, 2024.

Here's what you can look forward to with ServiceNow:

• Single Platform Convenience: Track and manage IT and HR tickets in one location, ServiceNow's Employee Center
• Secure Access: Log in securely using UC ANR's Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Improved Visibility: Stay updated on request status from submission to resolution
• Knowledge Base: Over time, UC ANR IT and HR will expand knowledge bases to provide information on common questions

As we move forward, it's important to recognize that, like any major transition, we may experience some initial bumps. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we fine-tune the system to better serve you.

How to Request IT and HR Support:

• Upon go-live, the UC ANR Portal will be updated to link to ServiceNow at https://ucanr.service-now.com/esc,  where employees must login using UCANR Single Sign-On (SSO) to access our new Employee Center where you can create tickets for HR and IT
• Remember the HR (humanresources@ucanr.edu) and IT (help@ucanr.edu) emails will remain available to create tickets in ServiceNow

Preparing for Go-Live:

• Be Aware - Open tickets will be forwarded to ServiceNow, so if you have an open ticket, you will receive notifications as part of the move to ServiceNow 
• Validate Access - For UC ANR employees, verify your access to UCANR Single Sign-On (SSO) with DUO as it is required to access UC ANR's ServiceNow
• Review Training Materials – Learn about our new UC ANR Employee Center, how to submit tickets and how to view tickets – https://ucanr.edu/sites/servicenow
• Office Hours will be available June 24, 25, 26 1-1:30 p.m. for support:

-              Join Zoom Meeting: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/91385989113?pwd=M2VwZHN1VzVDbVhQTEdjM3FOOTNwUT09

-              Meeting ID: 913 8598 9113

-              Passcode: 570931

Thank you for your continued support as we move forward with our implementation of ServiceNow!

Tu Tran, Associate Vice President for Business Operations
Bethanie Brown, Interim Executive Director of Human Resources

Contracts & Grants Director Nolan to retire

Dear Colleagues:

It is with mixed emotions that I inform you of the upcoming retirement of Kathleen (Kathy) Nolan, director of ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OGC), effective June 27, 2024.  There's no doubt that Kathy's retirement is well deserved, after 24 years of service to the University of California, the last 11 years serving UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

I have had the privilege of working with Kathy throughout her years with ANR, and found her to be a pillar of strength, competence, dedication, and of service for the division.  Kathy is recognized for her commitment to providing exceptional leadership to her OGC team. Under Kathy's leadership, the OCG team has reached a high-level of professionalism and expertise in Research Administration in ANR and has played a critical role in promoting and enabling the growth of ANR's research enterprise.

When Kathy joined ANR, the volume of contract and grants was less than $30M annually. That portfolio has today grown to over $100M. Kathy led the team that helped ANR achieve this level, while providing our academics with outstanding and exemplary customer service, as consistently evidenced in our customer service surveys.  

Please join me in congratulating Kathy on her upcoming retirement. She will be greatly missed as a friend and a colleague. I will update you with our progress of filling this important vacancy in the near future. Kimberly Lamar, associate director, has agreed to serve as interim director until the position is filled. 

Best regards,

Tu M. Tran
Associate Vice President, Business Operations

Chris Jakober named Risk and Safety Director

Chris Jakober has joined UC ANR as Director of Risk & Safety Services. In this role, Chris will lead ANR's programs and teams for Environmental Health & Safety and Risk Management, reporting to Director of Facilities Planning and Management Brian Oatman.

Chris completed his bachelor's degree in chemistry at Oklahoma State University, where he studied land application of wastewater treatment residuals for nitrogen and phosphorus runoff mitigation and an in-vitro procedure to determine bioavailability of heavy metals from ingestion of contaminated soils. In 2001, further educational pursuits brought him to California, where he completed his doctoral work at UC Davis in agricultural and environmental chemistry, measuring carbonyls in motor vehicle exhaust.

His professional experiences include air-quality consulting on novel dust mitigation at Owens Lake for Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, air quality research for the California Air Resources Board (e.g. regulating ozone emissions from indoor air cleaners, area source greenhouse-gas emissions verification, and health exposure risk assessment for environmental justice communities), and environmental health and safety in support of research at UC Davis.

Chris is based at the UC ANR building in Davis and can be reached at cjakober@ucanr.edu and (530) 756-1046. 

Please join me in welcoming him.

Brian Oatman
Director, Facilities Planning & Management

Required time and attendance reporting reminder

Dear Colleagues:

Thank you for your hard work this year. Each University of California (UC) employee is critical to our success and helps us achieve our shared goals of education, research, patient care, and student support. We know that your everyday duties can be demanding, making it easy to forget certain routine, but required, tasks like submitting your timesheet or absences. While these small tasks are sometimes the most difficult to remember, they are critical to our shared success and duty as a public employer.

With that in mind, this is a reminder to all university employees who submit timesheets in local time and attendance systems to submit your time worked, absences, and/or acknowledge you have no absences to report by the deadline established at your campus/location. Accurate and complete time and leave reporting ensures that you are paid accurately, that the university meets its obligations to pay for work performed and helps ensure the responsible use of public funds. For employees who are paid a salary, it is important to remember that you have a responsibility to report whether you have any absences or do not have any absences. Failure to accurately record time and leave may result in an overpayment of public funds requiring repayment and other corrective action.

If you have questions about time and leave reporting, please reach out to your local academic personnel or human resources office. We encourage all UC employees to fully explore their benefits, available at Employee benefits | UCnet (universityofcalifornia.edu). We want all employees to understand their benefits so that they can fully utilize them to support themselves and their families.

We appreciate your valuable contributions to the University, taking time out of your busy day to diligently review this letter, and your observance of the university's policies regarding accurate and timely timesheet submissions.

Sincerely,

UC Systemwide Human Resources

UC ANR ServiceNow implementation training information

As we continue to prepare for the upcoming launch of our new ServiceNow platform at UC ANR for HR and IT go-live evening of June 21, we want to provide UC ANR employees with all the resources and support needed to ensure a smooth transition. 

No extra training is required, but for those who want more information, the training materials will help. We'll be adding an overview video as well once we get that recorded. 

The key difference is the creation of the Employee Center, which now is a way to create and view open HR and IT tickets in one place. 

Here's how you can access our training materials and prepare: 

1. Training Documents: Training materials have been created to support our move to ServiceNow that address how UC ANR employees can create tickets and view current status.  To access these documents, visit the “Training Resources” section under the ServiceNow page (https://ucanr.edu/sites/servicenow/).

2. Office Hours: For additional support, HR and IT are hosting virtual office hours where you can drop in, ask questions and get ready. Below is the schedule for the upcoming weeks:
   When: June 13, 2-2:30pm and June 18, 2:30-3 p.m.
   How to join: Use the following Zoom information:

• https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/91385989113?pwd=M2VwZHN1VzVDbVhQTEdjM3FOOTNwUT09
• Meeting ID: 913 8598 9113
• Passcode: 570931

If you have any questions or need further assistance outside of office hours, please email HR and IT for help. Remember as part of this transition to ServiceNow from Zendesk, emailing HR at humanresources@ucanr.edu and IT at help@ucanr.edu remains available.

We are committed to supporting you throughout this transition and ensuring you have an improved experience with ServiceNow. Your participation and engagement are key to the success of this implementation.

Thank you for your cooperation and support. 

Tu Tran, Associate Vice President for Business Operations
Bethanie Brown, Interim Executive Director of Human Resources

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