Category: Employee News

Convocation set for tomorrow

The official opening of the academic year for faculty and staff begins tomorrow with Convocation. It will take place at 10:30 a.m. in Thiry Auditorium.

Convocation will include a special presentation from Sister Rose Kruppa, CDP, the new superior general of the Congregation of Divine Providence, the university’s sponsoring order. In addition, there will be addresses from Board of Trustees Chair Paul Olivier, Faculty Assembly President Dr. Wallis Sanborn, Staff Assembly President Sabrina Zertuche and Student Government Association President Rachel Dziuba. President Abel A. Chávez, MBA, PhD, will present the final address as he lays out his plans and vision for the academic year.

Convocation will be followed by lunch which will be served in Chapel Auditorium.

OLLU represents well at APA Convention

Two graduate students and two faculty members represented OLLU at the American Psychological Association (APA) Convention in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 2-5.

PsyD students Olivia Hinojosa Galvan and Alyssa Arredondo and Assistant Professor of Psychology Jacque Coppock presented two sessions titled, “Muxeres standing strong: Decolonial healing through Womanist and Mujerista Psychology and Recognizing wellness: Decolonization of counseling practices for diverse Latinx clients.”

Dr. Coppock also served as the Society for the Psychology of Women (Division 35 of APA) program co-chair and Olivia Hinojosa Galvan served as the Division 35 Hospitality Suite program coordinator.

Professor of Psychology Kathryn Anderson, President of Division 35, gave an address titled, “Feminism is the radical notion that…: We can effect change like Judy Heumann,” which included a tribute to Judy Heumann whose advocacy led to passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Save the date for convocation; register for luncheon

Faculty and staff are reminded to Save the Date for Convocation:

Tuesday, Aug. 15
10:30 a.m.
Thiry Auditorium
Lunch will be served in Chapel Auditorium following the Convocation. To assist with the food order, please use the link below to RSVP for the luncheon:

RSVP here – new link

Convocation is the official opening of the 2023-2024 academic year for faculty and staff.

New online leave request system being rolled out

OLLU is rolling out an online Leave Request and Leave Approval system over the next month. It can be accessed in Employee Self-Service.

All salaried employees should begin using the new system now. Hourly employees will begin using the new system, according to the schedule below. Instructions for using the system are available online.

Please note: Employees submitting leave forms using the new system should communicate with their supervisor to ensure that their leave request has been received. Likewise, supervisors approving or denying leave requests should communicate with employees to ensure the employee receives a notification of the action. This extra layer of communication will be necessary for about a month after each group’s rollout of the system.

As each group of employees moves to the new system, paper forms will no longer be accepted for employees in that group.

Roll-out schedule

As of today: All salaried employees in all divisions and departments should begin using the new online system.

Beginning Aug. 14: Hourly employees in the following areas should begin using the new system.

  • Mission and Ministry – University Ministry and Center for Women
  • Administration – University Police, Institutional Effectiveness, Compliance and Human Resources
  • Institutional Advancement – Advancement Services, Alumni and Family Relations, Annual Giving and Sponsored Programs
  • Marketing and Communications – University Events and Sports Information
  • Finance – Accounting, Financial Aid, Student Business Office and Finance

Beginning Sept. 1: Hourly employees in the following areas should begin using the new system.

  • Facilities Management 
  • Enrollment Management
  • Office of Academic Affairs
  • Student Affairs
  • All others 

Staff and Administration Benefits Fair set for Wednesday 

The Staff and Administration Benefits Fair will be held on Wednesday in Main Building, Room 311 from 9 a.m. – noon and 1-3 p.m.

Faculty Benefits Fair will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 23 in the same location from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-2 p.m.

Annual benefits enrollment provides benefit-eligible employees the opportunity to start, change or end benefits, which become effective Oct. 1, 2023. The exception is medical and dependent care reimbursement plans, which begin Sept. 1, 2023.  

All eligible employees making changes must enroll online in order to change benefits. Current benefits will carry over. The exception is the Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), which require enrollment EACH year.

All full-time employees will be able to complete enrollment through Saints Connect/Employee Self-Service/Benefits. Employees wishing to make change will need to adhere to the following deadlines.

  • Staff employee enrollment period (includes administration) begins Wednesday. Deadline to enroll is Aug. 9 by 11:59 p.m.
  • Faculty enrollment period begins Aug. 23. Deadline to enroll is Sept. 8 by 11:59 p.m. 

To access the Benefits Enrollment online:

  1. Log into Saints Connect
  2. Click on Employee Self-Service
  3. Click on Review Current Benefits
  4. Click on Benefit Enrollment
  5. Please print confirmation as this is your confirmation your enrollment is complete.

Save the date: Sign up for ‘Taste of the West Side’

The West Side Treasure Hunt (self-driving) activity is a faculty development activity that will take place on Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The place-based activity will begin at OLLU and will take participants to multiple local businesses on the West Side of San Antonio. The purpose of the Taste of the Westside activity is to provide faculty and staff with an opportunity to learn about the West Side community and to connect with local businesses. This activity will also be a fun and engaging way for faculty to learn about place-based learning. 

Agenda

Time  Description 
9-10 a.m.   Ramiro Gonzalez, Prosper West
10:15-11 a.m.  2023-2024 Moody Professor, Deborah Vasquez – Intro to Mural Walking Tour sponsored by San Anto Cultural Arts
11:10 a.m.-Noon  Cristina Ballí, Executive Director, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
12:30-1:30 p.m.  Analco Gonzalez, Our Community, Inc., a social  
    Lunch with OCI Group
1:45-3 p.m. Jaime & Dorothy Macias, Jaime’s Place-Aquas Frescas and Paletas

Questions? E-mail – Syevans@ollusa.edu

Deadline to sign up is Aug. 1. Sign up HERE https://ollusa.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_etEoBkyh2yXQOQm

Staff and Administration Benefits Fair set for July 26 

The Staff and Administration Benefits Fair will be held on July 26 in Main Building, Room 311 from 9 a.m.–noon and 1-3 p.m.

The Faculty Benefits Fair will be held on Aug. 23 in Main Building, Room 311 from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-2 p.m.

Annual benefits enrollment provides benefit-eligible employees the opportunity to start, change or end benefits, which become effective Oct. 1, 2023. The exception is medical and dependent care reimbursement plans, which begin Sept. 1, 2023.  

All eligible employees making changes must enroll online in order to change benefits. Current benefits will carry over. The exception is the Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), which require enrollment EACH year.

All full-time employees will be able to complete enrollment through Saints Connect/Employee Self-Service/Benefits. Employees wishing to make changes will need to adhere to the following deadlines.

  • Staff employee enrollment period (includes administration) begins July 26. Deadline to enroll is Aug. 9 by 11:59 p.m.
  • Faculty enrollment period begins Aug. 23. Deadline to enroll is Sept. 8 by 11:59 p.m. 

To access the Benefits Enrollment online:

  1. Log into Saints Connect
  2. Click on Employee Self-Service
  3. Click on Review Current Benefits
  4. Click on Benefit Enrollment
  5. Please print confirmation as this is your confirmation your enrollment is complete.

Dr. Healy serves Minority Fellowship Program at annual summer institute

The APA Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) hosted its Annual Psychology Summer Institute (PSI) at the American Psychological Association (APA) in Washington, D.C. on June 22-25.  Deborah Healy, PsyD, Professor of Psychology, is a member of the MFP Training Advisory Committee, and serves on the Services for Transition Age Youth (STAY) initiative.  

PSI provides mentoring, educational, and professional development experiences for selected masters and doctoral students thereby advancing them in their professional development, and career preparation via ongoing mentorship and training. 

Begun in 1974, MFP is a highly successful, federally-funded training program for ethnic and racial minority researchers and service providers and graduated its first doctoral recipient in 1978.

OLLU Walking/Running Club to return

Back in 2019, a group of OLLU faculty and staff assembled to prepare for the 2019 Rock n’ Roll races (5K/10K/half/full marathon) in San Antonio. They met for training runs around the city during the fall semester leading up to the race. The inaugural Walking/Running Club provided a system of support and accountability, while also allowing faculty and staff to network and have a little fun.

The group hasn’t assembled since the pandemic, but hopes to get back together. Does this sound like something you’d be interested in? Please use this form to communicate your interest and we will follow up!

https://ollusa.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9shxWJlvo4SeEbc