Posts Tagged: September 2016

Tools available to center the distracted brain

You're working on an important task to complete by day's end, then:

• A reminder email pops up requesting you respond to a scheduling inquiry.
• As you look at your calendar to respond to the email, a co-worker walks by and asks, "Aren't you joining us for the meeting?"
• You rush to gather your pen and notepad and walk briskly to the meeting.
• When you return from the meeting you settle into your task.
• Then you read a few texts: one from your spouse reminding you to stop by the grocery store and another from a couple of friends about meeting after work to plan for a fishing trip.
• Your respond to several more emails.
• When you check the time you see there is only 40 minutes to rush through your task before you need to leave.

Is this scenario familiar?

ANR Learning and Development has resources to train the brain to focus. If you'd like to understand the scattered brain so you can transform it, review the following video and blog:

The Perfect 15-Minute Day (3 minutes; YouTube video)

Less-is-more blog (website)

The video and blog are produced by Pierre Khawand, founder and principal of People-OnTheGo. His best-selling “Accomplishing more in less time, less effort, and less stress” workshop enables business professionals to better cope with information overload and competing priorities. He has published “The Accomplishing More with Less Workbook,” “Accomplishing More With Google Apps,” and “The Results Curve: How to manage focused and collaborative time!”

From Scattered to Centered (47 minutes; YouTube video)

"Modern life is making all of us a little scattered and feeling anything but centered." says psychiatrist Alicia Ruelaz Maher. “I have been fascinated to watch symptoms that were hallmarks of ADHD now showing up in just about everyone. And this is because the way we are currently using technology is actually changing the ways our brains function and this is generally in a direction that causes us to be less calm and effective."

For training resources on Time and Project Management go to the ANR Learning and Development webpage: Results Orientation and Execution.

Comments sought on proposed international activities policy

UC Office of the President invites comments on a proposed International Activities Policy. 

The policy is new and supersedes the 2005 Guidelines for the Establishment of Foreign Affiliate Organizations and Foreign Operations. The International Activities Policy sets forth the underlying principles that should govern activities conducted by UC faculty, students, and staff at foreign sites and in furtherance of UC's global engagement. It also outlines the issues to consider when engaging in such activities and the approval authority levels for international activity proposals.

The draft proposed policy is located on the UCOP Academic Personnel and Programs website, “Policies under review,” under the “Systemwide Review” tab at http://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/academic-personnel-policy/policies-under-review/index.html. 

Please send your comments to Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu no later than Dec. 12, 2016.

New disability insurance options for 2017 offer greater financial peace of mind

Time away from work for a pregnancy, illness or unexpected injury could mean months without a paycheck. While UC's basic employer-paid disability insurance offers some protection – a benefit capped at $800 per month for six months – it probably won't be enough to cover your expenses. 

For a modest monthly premium, UC's Voluntary Disability Insurance replaces much more of your income – 60 percent of your eligible pay up to $15,000 per month – for increased financial security when you need it most.

UC is changing its voluntary disability insurance options to give all eligible employees — those currently covered and those not enrolled — new options for protecting their finances. For 2017, you can choose Voluntary Short-Term Disability (benefits up to six months), Long-Term Disability (benefits after six months, up to your Social Security retirement age) or both, depending on your needs and budget. Since you pay premiums with after-tax dollars, income from Voluntary Disability Insurance is generally not taxable.

If you are not enrolled in Supplemental Disability Insurance

If you've never thought about disability insurance, this is the year to take a look. During Open Enrollment, you cannot be denied coverage due to an existing medical condition. Later, you'll need a statement of health to qualify.

UC has also expanded eligibility to all employees eligible for full, mid-level or core benefits, so this may be your first opportunity to enroll.

If you are already enrolled in Supplemental Disability Insurance

To ensure continuing protection, those who are currently enrolled in Supplemental Disability and don't take action during Open Enrollment will be automatically enrolled in both Short- and Long-Term Voluntary Disability Insurance. This change will affect your premium costs, though, so take the time to choose the coverage you need. You can reduce or discontinue coverage at any time.

Learn more

You'll get more information, including a tool to help you estimate your monthly premiums, during Open Enrollment. But you don't have to wait to learn about your new choices for Voluntary Disability Insurance. For details — and for more information about why disability coverage is important — visit UCnet's 2017 Disability Insurance page. At the website, a video explains disability options and an overview of what's changing, why this opportunity is important for employees, and how to enroll.

In memoriam: Les Ehler

Lester Ervin “Les” Ehler, UC Davis emeritus professor of entomology, died Friday, Sept. 2. He was 70.

"Dr. Ehler had a remarkable career at UC Davis,” said Steve Nadler, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “In his research he built upon fundamental investigations in integrated pest management (IPM) to provide practical biological control for many different systems. Les was both a national leader in the discipline of biological control, and an outstanding citizen of the department and university.”

Ehler, who joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 1973 and retired in 2008, championed the use of natural enemies to control agricultural pests and warned of the dangers of pesticides.

At UC Davis, Ehler battled pests such as obscure scale and aphids on oaks, stink bugs on tomato, aphids on sugar beet and white fir, and beet armyworm on alfalfa and sugar beet. His expertise ranges from the theory and practice of biological control to the ecology and management of insects and mites in natural, agricultural and urban environments.

“Les was a meticulous researcher and an excellent applied field ecologist,” said colleague and close friend UC Cooperative Extension specialist Larry Godfrey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “When he took on a research project, you were confident the project would be conducted well and all aspects of the system considered.  He made major contributions to our understanding of stink bug ecology and biological control of stink bugs. Les was also excellent at transferring his knowledge via classroom teaching.”

Ehler received his bachelor's degree in entomology from Texas Tech University, and his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley. He joined UC Davis in 1973 as an assistant professor, advancing in 1985 to professor of entomology and entomologist in the Agricultural Experiment Station at UC Davis.

He is survived by son Brian of Susanville and daughter Mary Ehler Yung and husband, Eric, of Sacramento, and granddaughters Emma Yung and Georgiana Grace Yung.

Read more about Ehler's career at //ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=22031.

In memoriam: Charles Lawrence

Charles Lawrence, dairy advisor emeritus Humboldt County, was killed in a vehicle accident on Sept. 17. He was 82.

The Sonoma County native served as a U.S. Army sergeant from 1953 through 1955, then earned his B.S. and M.S. in animal husbandry from UC Davis. In 1960, Lawrence joined UC Cooperative Extension as an extension assistant in Contra Costa County. In April 1961, he transferred to Fresno County to work on agricultural economics and farm analysis until June 1961, when he accepted a dairy advisor position in Humboldt County. Lawrence retired in 1991.

In retirement, he enjoyed tending his apple orchard and managing timber harvests and regrowth at the family's redwood forest. He also served as president of a family foundation that provides grants annually in support of care for the elderly in Humboldt County.

Lawrence is survived by his wife, Lynn, and children Barbara Johnson, Anna Garlick, Sara Bank, Bill Lawrence, Joe Lawrence; ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The family will have a private burial service followed by a gathering at the Humboldt County Agriculture Center at 5630 South Broadway, Eureka, on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Read his full obituary at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/times-standard/obituary.aspx?pid=181490235#sthash.cAITfio4.dpuf.

 

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