Eastern Illinois University’s Information Technology Services is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Associate Director IT - Enterprise Systems and Application Development.  This position will work with the Assistant Vice President of Information Technology Services to determine the objectives of the department and make policy recommendations.  Responsibilities include:

• Defining EIU’s enterprise strategy for development, application support, and database technology. 
• Lead and manage EIU’s enterprise systems group of 8 staff.
• Act as EIUs technical lead on the university ERP (Ellucian Banner).
• Work as an IT liaison with cross-functional teams to leverage technology solutions that support the needs of the organization.
• Establish IT policies and controls and ensures institutional compliance to meet all regulatory IT audits and reporting requirements.

Qualified candidates must meet the following qualifications:  Master’s degree and two years of experience in a related field, ‘or’ a Bachelor’s degree and four (4) years of experience in a related field, ‘or’ an Associate’s degree and five (5) years of work experience in a related field, ‘or´ Seven (7) years of work experience in a related field ‘and’ Two (2) years of supervisory experience.                                            

Qualified candidates required to pass a Civil Service Examination. To apply, please submit an application, resume, and transcripts online at https://www.eiu.edu/~humanres/application/login.php .   Deadline for application is January 13, 2020.   AA/EEOE

The Office of University Housing and Dining Services at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois, is seeking dynamic individuals for the positions of Complex Director and Assistant Director for Marketing and Leadership.  For a full job description and information on how to apply, please see the following:

Complex Director
https://apply.interfolio.com/72575

Assistant Director for Marketing and Leadership
http://apply.interfolio.com/72574

ASC is seeking qualified individuals to teach EIU 1111: University Foundations, Eastern's freshman seminar, for Fall 2020. Interested people must have a master's degree or higher and must work full-time for the University or be a recent retiree. Graduate students currently pursuing a degree may apply to teach for practicum hours, which must be approved by the graduate's department.  Most sections will be taught with a peer leader. Faculty teaching with a peer leader or alone will receive 2 CUs. ASPs will receive a 12.5% stipend for 4.5 months; civil service and A&Ps without academic rank will receive a $337.50 monthly stipend for 4.5 months for team-taught sections and $450.90 for peer-leader and individual sections. A&Ps with academic rank teach the course in-load.  \We welcome newcomers as well as returning instructors to this unique and rewarding teaching opportunity.  Additional information about the course and the application are available at http://castle.eiu.edu/eiu1111/.  Please return the application to Dr. Karla Sanders in CASA or through email to kjsanders@eiu.edu. Due dates are February 15, 2020 for returning instructors and February 28, 2020 for new instructors.  The faculty workshop will be held May 12-13, 2020.  Questions may be directed to Dr. Sanders at (217) 581-6056 or kjsanders@eiu.edu.

The Kinesiology, Sport, & Recreation Department will host a retirement reception for Dr. Nancy Crone, Academic Advisor, from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, January 30 in Room 2821 Ike Kennard Room. Please join us in celebrating Nancy's upcoming retirement and her many years of service to Eastern Illinois University.

Candidates for the Dean of the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will be on campus for interviews beginning January 14. To review candidates' vitas and to see campus interview schedules, please see the following websites: 

• College of Education: https://www.eiu.edu/search_coedean
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: https://www.eiu.edu/search_clasdean

If you have any questions about these searches, please consult the search committee chairs. Dean Hendrickson is the chair for the CLAS dean search and Dean Newell is the lead for the COE dean search.

Students: You asked, and we delivered! Over the years Booth has had many patron requests that our fourth-floor group study rooms be made available by reservation. We now have a system in place to do that.

Study rooms may be reserved by groups of two or more people for up to two hours per day. Unreserved study rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that our study rooms are intended for group use; rooms cannot be reserved for individual use.

Only current EIU students with a valid Panther Card may reserve a room. Reservations for a group study room can be made up to two weeks in advance.

Rehearsal and viewing rooms on the fourth floor also can now be reserved.

To learn more about reserving a study room, visit https://library.eiu.edu/news/study-rooms-can-now-reserved/.

Eastern students, faculty and staff members are encouraged to take a tour of Booth Library and find out what the library has to offer.

Twenty-minute tours will be offered regularly during the first four weeks of the semester. There’s no need to sign up; just come to the Research Help desk on the north end of the library to join in any of the tours Monday through Thursday. Tours will be offered at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Jan. 13 through Feb. 6. The library will be closed on Jan. 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Tours are also offered by appointment. Contact a research help librarian at (217) 581-6072 to schedule a tour.

The Illinois Department of Central Management Services has announced an increase in the mileage reimbursement rate for the use of personal vehicles while traveling on official government business. Effective January 1, 2020, the rate will decrease from $.58 per mile to $.575 per mile. Keep in mind, per IGP #111, if a Fleet vehicle is available but not used, the traveler will only be reimbursed at the Fleet rate, with few exceptions. If you are requesting the full mileage reimbursement rate, please provide the justification, and/or the reservation cancellation from the FPM Fleet reservation system with your Travel Voucher. For questions, please call (217) 581-5313.

When seeking reimbursement or paying for memberships on Request for Payment or P-Card, make sure you are including the members name and the membership dates in the comments. The dates are required for reporting purposes.

The following internal governing policies were recently revised with the approval of the president.  Please take time to review these changes.

• IGP #73 - Tuition and Fee Waivers (http://castle.eiu.edu/auditing/073.php)
• IGP #141 - Unlocking and Locking Facilities Responsibility (http://castle.eiu.edu/auditing/141.php)
• IGP #142 - Use of University Facilities and Grounds (http://castle.eiu.edu/auditing/142.php)
• IGP #143 - Use of University Facilities and Grounds - Evening and Weekend Use of Buildings (http://castle.eiu.edu/auditing/143.php)
• IGP #167 - Keys (http://castle.eiu.edu/auditing/167.php)

The Office of Inclusion & Academic Engagement is accepting proposals for our upcoming 12th Annual EIUnity Diversity Conference! The opportunity to showcase our commitment to and the advancement of diversity, inclusion, equity and advocacy is upon us! The 2020 EIUnity Diversity Conference will be held on Friday, March 6, 2020, in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Conference presenters benefit from showcasing their work at the EIUnity Diversity Conference in many ways, including raising awareness, providing actionable strategies to enact change in the name of diversity and inclusion to the more than 150 attendees, and contributing to the learning objectives of our faculty, staff, students, and community. This year’s focus is on moving beyond discussion. We are looking for presentations, workshops, and trainings that are interactive and will leave attendees better equipped to identify injustice, disrupt discriminatory practices, and educate their peers on better methods to advance our mission of achieving a campus climate that exemplifies diversity, inclusion, equity and advocacy.

Who can present:

• Faculty/Staff
• Researchers
• Graduates
• Undergraduates Researchers with a Faculty/Staff Co-Presenters
• Community Leaders/Advocates

Areas of focus include:

• Race/Ethnicity
• Multicultural Issues
• LGBTQA
• Gender Equity
• Intersectionality
• Self-Awareness – Implicit Biases
• Mental Health
• Civil & Equal Rights
• Disability Awareness
• Campus/Community Engagement
• Best Practices on Inclusive Programming & Recruiting
• Bias Policies and Policing
• Religion
• STEM
• Privilege
• Leadership
• Inclusion
• Etc….

Accepted presenters will be notified via email by Friday, January 24, 2020.

We are also hoping that you will forward this to your colleagues in your department and maybe even consider having your students attend the conference on Friday, March 6, 2020.

Thank you again for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

*The luncheon for this conference is complimentary for EIU registered participants. Outside participants will have a $10 fee due at registration. 

The IRS has released a new Form W-4 for 2020. It is recommended that you revisit your withholding. The payroll office strongly recommends you work with your CPA or visit the online IRS withholding calculator to estimate how much income tax to deduct from your pay. For questions you may also visit the FAQs here: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-on-the-2020-form-w-4.

Employees are not required to fill out a new IRS 2020 Form W-4. EIU will continue to calculate withholding based on the employee’s most recent Form W-4.

If you do wish to fill out a new form you may now update your Federal W4 through PAWS! https://www.eiu.edu/pawslogin/

Simply click on Employee tab/Tax Forms/W4 Tax Exemptions or Allowances. You will find the “Update” button in blue near the lower middle of your screen.

No changes are currently being made to the Illinois Form W-4 but if you wish to make changes, please submit a paper form. You can find the form here https://www.eiu.edu/humanres/payroll/IL%20W4.pdf

Questions may be directed to payroll@eiu.edu.

EIU's Academic Calendar for the 2019/2020 semester is below:
https://www.eiu.edu/registra/files/2019-2020AcademicCalendar.pdf

Currently, CBD and THC are making headlines all over the world, but what do we really know about these cannabinoids and the cannabis plant? Join us as we take a look at cannabis use throughout history, the medical science behind it, and the current laws surrounding it. Now that forty-seven states are giving over three million people access to medical cannabis, and eleven states have allowed adult recreational use, it is time we understand what all the buzz is about. JB Faires will share his investigations and help clarify questions. These two sessions are free and open to students, community members, and employees.  Join us Thursday 1/23/2020 and 1/30/2020 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Arcola/Tuscola Room in the MLK Jr. Union.   

The EIU Board of Trustees will meet at 11:30 a.m. Friday, January 24, in the Grand Ballroom of the MLK Jr. Union.

Immediately following the Call to Order and Roll Call, the Board will go into executive session. The open session of the meeting will begin at 1 p.m. The agenda, table of contents and board report will soon be available on the university’s website.

STUDENTS:  Keep a beat on your courses with the Brightspace Pulse app. Available on Android and iOS, this app allows you to check in to your courses that utilize D2L Brightspace even when you’re on the go.  For more information, visit https://www.eiu.edu/d2l/pulse.php.

We are pleased to announce the candidates and schedule for on campus interviews for the Director of Admissions search.  All interview sessions will take place in the University Union.

Dates and Location:

• Thursday, January 23 – Kelly Miller – Effingham Room
• Friday, January 24 - Lisa Shumard-Shelton - Effingham Room
• Thursday, February 6 – Jonathan Elugbadebo - Martinsville Room

Half Day Schedule:

• 8-9am – Search Committee
• 9-10am – Open Session
• 10-11am – Admissions Staff
• 11am-12pm – AVP Enrollment Management

Candidate CVs can be found here: https://www.eiu.edu/search_admissionsdirector/ 

The Spring Job & Internship Fair will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, February 12, in the Grand Ballroom of the MLK Jr. Union.  This event is open to all majors.    

Please encourage your students to attend and feel free to share this information with alumni. Verification of your students' attendance can be provided after the event. Faculty -- feel free to stop by the fair and introduce yourself to our employers and welcome them to campus!

Students should bring their student I.D., plenty of resumes and dress professionally.

Career Services has several workshops and events planned to help students get ready for the fair. Topics include resume writing, interview success strategies, professional behavior, and networking.  Employers are traveling to campus on February 5 to help students with practice interviews.  Students will need to reserve their time slots early for this event!  Students can log in to their PANTHER TraCS accounts to learn more about these events and reserve a seat or call Career Services at (217) 581-2412.    

There will be numerous internship and job opportunities at the fair in addition to great opportunities for students to begin networking.  Some recruiters will be conducting on-campus interviews the next day.   

Check out some of the new opportunities and the majors employers are seeking: https://www.eiu.edu/careers/job_intern_fair.php. 

Dell is offering EIU faculty/staff and students a 12-hour sale on January 28, 2020.  This exclusive offer allows members of the EIU campus a 20% discount on computers.  Contact Connie Downey at (217) 581-7747 for more information.

Brendan Fernandes’ work asks us to think about the conceptual resistance and physical barriers that bodies may encounter while moving through spaces. Using this work as a jumping off point, we will be holding a cross-communities conversation about the concept of safe spaces.  This dialogue will use the fishbowl structure, a forum that is built on collaborative discussion and active listening, to ask what it means to claim safe space; what and who can be left out in the process; how and who defines safety, and if we should be asking different questions to build more empathetic and inclusive spaces.

• January 28; 5 to 6:30 p.m.
  Charleston Mattoon Room, MLK Jr. Union

• January 30; 5 to 6:30 p.m.
  McAfee Small Gym

These events are free & open to the public.

Employees' 2019 W2s are now available to print in PAWS.  By consenting to receive your W2 online employees can have immediate access to all their W2s dating back to 2007.

To activate W2 consent, please follow these directions:

• Log-in to PAWS
• Select the EMPLOYEE tab
• Select TAX FORMS
• Select W-2 WAGE AND TAX STATEMENT
• Select 2019, then click DISPLAY
• A pop-up message will appear indicating the need to provide CONSENT.  Click OK
• Under MY CHOICE, check the box that indicates consent to receive W2s electronically.
• Click SUBMIT

Consent is now complete.

Student Disability Services is now accepting faculty requests for our testing center for students with test accommodations. If a student in your class has talked to you about a testing accommodation and given you a letter from our office, you may want to ask us to proctor exams and provide testing accommodations.  You may continue to do this yourself as well.  Please realize this is a brand new system and we ask that you be patient with us as we work through any glitches that may arise. Faculty requests can be submitted using this link https://www.eiu.edu/apps/disability-services and on the SDS website https://www.eiu.edu/disability/. Questions may be directed to the SDS office at (217) 581-6583

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has decreased the mileage reimbursement rate for the use of privately owned vehicles in the conduct of official business to 57.5 cents per mile effective January 1, 2020.  According to the Travel Regulation Council rules and our Higher Education Travel Control Board rules, the mileage reimbursement rate for private motor vehicles is based on the rate established by the GSA. 

 The Fleet vehicle rule still remains in effect. If a Fleet vehicle is available but not used, the traveler will only be reimbursed at the Fleet rate.

The Travel Voucher has been updated to reflect the new rate. If you have any questions, please contact Wynette Noll at  (217) 581-5367.

Eastern Illinois University invites all students doing independent research, scholarship, or creative activity in any discipline to share their work at the Student Research and Creative Activity Conference Friday, April 3.

There will be diverse opportunities for sharing through posters, short presentations, panels, round-tables, performances, and displays of artwork. Students will have the opportunity to hone their skills as presenters and to talk about their work with fellow students, faculty, and staff from across the university. Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome! Please visit http://www.eiu.edu/studentresearch for more details.

The submission deadline is Tuesday, March 10.

The Pine Honors College offers Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (URSCA) awards each semester. Student research and creative activity that has been funded by these competitive awards has been presented at regional and national meetings and at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students with a minimum 3.0 GPA. A faculty sponsor must provide supporting documentation along with the student's URSCA application. (Students do not need to be in Honors.) The deadline to submit applications for Summer 2020 URSCA awards is Friday, February 21, 2020. Details can be found at https://www.eiu.edu/honors/URSCA.php.

The Cafe in Klehm Hall is a student-operated casual dining experience open to the EIU community. Hospitality and Tourism, Nutrition and Dietetics, and FCS Teacher Certification students operate the Café as part of the HTM 3784 course. Open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Café offers a buffet with a variety of soups, salads, wraps, pastas, and hot entrees with menu items changing weekly. Cash only, please. No reservations required; located in 1414 Klehm Hall. Menus available soon at https://www.eiu.edu/cafe/. Stop in and enjoy lunch with a colleague!

This message is a general reminder that EIU's Medical Clinic is available for appointments, offers a variety of low-cost services, and offers pharmacy services as well. Please contact the Medical Clinic with any general health questions or concerns.

For more information on EIU's Medical Clinic or general health initiatives, please visit https://www.eiu.edu/health/.

Thank you.

Inaction is a new sculptural and performance-based installation by Brendan Fernandes in collaboration with architecture firm Norman Kelley that investigates the political and social implications of the space of the dance floor -- a space where tensions between freedom and oppression play out. The sculptural components act as both a shield and a marker of the inherent danger of the gallery, and are designed to catch the dancers’ bodies and/or to provide resistance between them and the harsher impact of the gallery’s floor.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Main Gallery

2 to 3 p.m.

Free & open to the public

For more information: kbeason@eiu.edu; (217) 581-2787.

Join us each month for Tots 4 Tarble!  Each session will include a story, healthy snack, and art making project.  This program is geared towards children and families getting ready for pre-school (2-5 years old), but all are welcome as the art projects are adaptable and promote open-ended exploration.

February 7, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Tarble Classroom.

Free & open to the public.

Join us at the Tarble Arts Center to explore a variety of exciting art making processes.  Each session will build on new ideas connecting observations and ideas gained from gallery conversations to art making.  Core concepts of understanding art in context, developing individual voice/ point-of-view through both discussion and art making will ground these explorations.  Lessons will adhere to Illinois Art Learning Standards. The teaching artist is Ashley Boonstra.

Mixed age sessions: 5 to 12

Session Dates:  February 7, March 6 and April 3.  Registration deadline is one week prior to the session date(s).

Individual workshop: $36 member/$44 non-member All three workshops: $90 member/$108 non-member.

Join us at 7 p.m. in the Main Gallery at the Tarble Arts Center on Tuesday, February 4 as we discuss the works in the speculative fiction Survivor anthology, as well as an extended Round Table conversation about accessibility with the anthology's co-editor JJ Pionke. This event is free & open to the public.

EIU's Office of Civic Engagement & Volunteerism welcomes all students, staff and community members to our Panther Fireside Chat! Join us from noon to 1 p.m. February 10 in the MLK Jr. Union (University Ballroom). The discussions will range from student debt to understanding credit scores. One session led by a local non-profit will also be discussing good credit card practicing and safety tips. Each speaker has 10 minutes to help you learn about your financial health! This event is formatted similarly to a Ted Talk. Register to join us here (eiu.edu/volunteer)! Doors open at 11:45 a.m., and our speakers will start at noon! Free food will be provided to the first 50 students who register!

This event is sponsored by State Farm.

Darwin Day Program Events:

Feb 9: Film and panel discussion: "Planetary"

Feb 10: "Evolution in a Rapidly Changing World: How Humans Influence Darwinian Evolution in Contemporary Landscapes" by Dr. Jill Anderson, Odum School of Ecology and Dept. of Genetics, Univ. Georgia, Athens

Feb 11:  "Climate change and Environmental Sex Determination: An Unnatural Future? "  by Dr. Fredric Janzen, Dept. Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames

All events are at 7 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Lecture Hall, Eastern Illinois campus. All are free to the public.

Free training on LinkedIn Learning for all EIU students, staff, and faculty!

LinkedIn Learning has a great online learning platform to help students and staff develop/advance their technical and soft skills that would help students succeed in their academic life and prepare for graduation and staff and faculty advance their skills and leverage it in the classroom. LinkedIn Learning has over 15,000 courses, including topics on Microsoft office, leadership, communication, career services, wellness, instructional design, and much more. Whether you are one of the many of people at EIU already taking advantage of learning thousands of skills on LinkedIn Learning or you will be logging in for the first time, LinkedIn Learning will offer you options for building business, technology, and creative skills. EIU faculty, staff, and students can log in to LIL from the following website or select the LinkedIn Learning link in D2L.  For more information, visit https://www.eiu.edu/lil. 

The Faculty Development and Innovation Center (FDIC) is offering the following webinars on upcoming Wednesdays.  For more information including descriptions and to register, go to http://eiu.gosignmeup.com. 

Webinar: Refresh your Content in D2L: The New Content Experience
Wednesday, February 5, 2:00-2:45 PM
Facilitator: Julie Lockett
Location:  Online

Webinar: Using Activity Feed in D2L to Increase Student Engagement
Wednesday, February 12, 2:00–2:45 PM
Facilitator: Julie Lockett
Location:  Online 

Webinar: Everyone Is In: Increasing Presence in Online Courses
Wednesday, February 19, 2:00–2:45 PM
Facilitator: Dr. Lu Ding
Location:  Online

Webinar:  The Intelligent Professor’s Guide to Intelligent Agents in D2L
Wednesday, March 25, 2:00-2:45 PM
Facilitator: Julie Lockett
Location:  Online

The Faculty Development and Innovation Center (FDIC) is offering the following workshops for faculty this semester.  For more information including descriptions and to register, go to http://eiu.gosignmeup.com. 

Workshop:  Using Small Teaching: Faculty Reading Groups Opening Session
Thursday, February 6, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Facilitator: Dr. Newton Key
Location:  1220 Booth Library

Workshop:  Using Kaltura to Create Quizzes within Videos for D2L
Wednesday, February 26, Time: TBA
Facilitator: Jeff Cranstoun
Location:  TBA

Workshop:  Classrooms Without Walls, Creating Video Instruction at EIU
Wednesday, March 11, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Facilitator: Dr. Tom Grissom
Location:  1430 Buzzard Hall

Officials at Eastern Illinois University continue to communicate and work closely with local, state, and national public health organizations to address local concerns about the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Please know EIU's Health and Counseling Services staff are following updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html and the Illinois Department of Public Health at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus/faq.

In addition, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) in coordination with the Illinois Poison Control Center have launched the Illinois Novel Coronavirus Hotline and email address to answer questions Local Health Departments, clinicians, and the general public may have regarding the 2019 novel Coronavirus. The hotline and email address were created to provide consistent information, answer questions, share facts about symptoms, and provide up-to-date information from the CDC. Illinoisans can dial 1-800-889-3931 twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week or email DPH.SICK@ILLINOIS.GOV to get their questions answered.

More information for EIU students, parents and families is available at EIU's Medical Clinic website.