Comprised of Division features, accolades and achievements, as well as valuable "In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)" news you can use, each edition of the newsletter highlights key information and resources across the Division's departmental, operational and service unit areas. Subscribe to the A&F listserv.

Dear Colleagues,  

August is in full swing, and with it, the start of the fall semester and another academic year at the University of Houston. I am so appreciative for all our Administration and Finance employees who are participating in Cougar First Impressions and Weeks of Welcome activities to help launch students on a successful academic journey.

I also want to express my deep appreciation to our divisional ride-out team members and employees, who provided support before and after Hurricane Beryl this summer as this work was instrumental in preparing the campus for a full reopening for faculty, staff, and students.

July was an important month for UH employees as it allowed them to change their benefits during the open enrollment period. To aid UH employees in learning more about their benefits and available services, Human Resources held its annual Wellness & Benefits Fair this summer. Please take a moment to read this feature article to learn more about HR’s efforts to inform employees about their important benefits.

The summer saw the return of UHPD’s badge pinning ceremony, which the department held for the first time since 2019. I hope you read the feature article and learn about our incredible UHPD police officers who keep our campus and community safe.

Other highlights in this summer newsletter include:

• A feature on the 2024 Spring Satisfaction Survey.
• A feature on the 7th Facilities Forum hosted by Facilities/Construction Management.
• Dates and times for UHPD’s outreach, engagement, and training opportunities for the fall semester.
• New enhancements to the on-campus dining program.

I am grateful to all of you and your collective efforts to support the division in serving our UH community of students, faculty, and staff. I hope all of you found some time this summer to rest, relax, and recharge to be prepared for a successful fall semester.

2024 Spring Satisfaction Survey Yields Positive Results for A&F Departments and Services

Every spring, UH students receive a survey to gauge their satisfaction with the university across 13 different areas of their experience. In February, the survey was sent to students enrolled at UH, UH at Sugar Land, and UH at Katy, with 5,644 students completing the survey at a 12.9% completion rate, the second highest ever. Students were asked to rate their satisfaction on a 5-point scale, with one being the lowest and five the highest. The survey ran from February 5 to 18. Learn more about how A&F departments fared in the Spring Satisfaction Survey.

University of Houston Employees Surf the Benefits and Wellness Wave at Annual Fair

More than 1,000 University of Houston benefit-eligible employees attended Human Resources’ 2024 Wellness & Benefits Fair in late June to learn more about the benefits available to them.

The annual event provided employees the opportunity to converse with health and wellbeing vendors such as Fidelity, VOYA, Blue Cross Blue Shield, AFLAC, and university departments like Human Resources, the University of Houston Police Department, UH Staff Council, Campus Smiles, Campus Safety, and UH Family Care Center to name a few. Read more about the Wellness & Benefits Fair.

Human Resources Hosts First HR Leadership Seminar

Human Resources hosted the first HR Executive Leadership Seminar, featuring Guest Speaker Professor Randy Webb. Over 100 executive leaders from across the University attended the seminar on August 7th to hear the keynote address, “The 5 Secrets of Leadership: Master the Art of Inspiring Excellence.” See photos from the seminar.

Facilities/Construction Management Hosts 7th Facilities Forum

Since 2018, Facilities/Construction Management has held an annual Facilities Forum that invites facilities departments from within the University of Houston System to congregate, collaborate, and exchange ideas to better serve their universities.

Each forum has a theme and the guest speakers during the two-day forum use the theme to guide their topic. Past forum themes include, Breaking Barriers with Dream Teams, Shifting into High Gear, Digging Deeper into Sustaining Our Evolving Environment to name a few. This year's theme, TIME, was an acronym to remind forum participants that it’s time to think, time to innovate, time to motivate, and time to empower. Read more about the 2024 Facilities Forum.

Digital Cougar Card Now Accepted at MD Anderson Library

Students, faculty, and staff can now use their digital Cougar Card to gain access to the M.D. Anderson Library. A person’s digital Cougar Card can be found on their UH Go app profile.

Previously, a person had to swipe their physical Cougar Card to gain access but if no Cougar Card was presented, the person would have to sign paperwork and present an ID, such as a driver’s license. While simple, the task of filling out the paperwork was cumbersome. Learn more about this new partnership.

How the CrowdStrike Outage Affected the University of Houston System

In July, the largest IT outage in history crashed computers, canceled flights, and disrupted hospitals worldwide, but how did it affect the University of Houston System? CrowdStrike, a global IT security company, had a single automated software update that brought global economies to a sudden halt, revealing the world’s dependency on cybersecurity. Learn about how UH handled the outage crisis.

Stay Cougar S.A.F.E.

	UHPD Holds First Badge Pinning Ceremony since 2019 The University of Houston Police Department held its first badge-pinning ceremony since 2019, with 21 officers being pinned. The department planned to hold a badge-pinning ceremony in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to those plans. The department has grown significantly since 2019, with new officers joining and others promoted to higher ranks. This led UHPD to hold the badge pinning ceremony to honor the officers and continue this important law enforcement tradition. Read more about UHPD's badge-pinning ceremony.
	UHPD Set Fall Dates for Coffee with a Cop Coffee with a Cop returns to campus this fall semester. UHPD has released the dates for their upcoming meet and greet event that sees officers set up at the Student Center South food court for an hour-long event that provides campus community members an opportunity to meet and talk with officers. The department bills the event as “no agenda or speeches, just a chance to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the officers on your campus.” Attendees can get free coffee and baked goods while meeting the officers that keep them safe. The Coffee with a Cop Dates are September 10, October 9, and November 6 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
	CRASE Training Dates for Fall Semester UHPD has released fall dates for its CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events) Training for students, staff, and faculty. The training course is designed and built on the Avoid, Deny, and Defend (ADD) strategy developed by ALERRT in 2004. Attendees can also expect discussions on the history and prevalence of active shooter events, civilian response options, medical issues, and considerations for conducting drills. The fall semester CRASE training dates are August 30, September 4, October 9, and November 12 at M.D. Anderson Rockwell Pavilion from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
	Fire and Life Safety Expands Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Program Fire and Life Safety installed new AEDs in nine campus buildings: The Quad, Cullen Oaks, Cambridge Oaks, Science and Research 2, Science and Engineering Classroom Building, The Fertitta Center, Science and Engineering Research Center, The Wortham Theater, and the TLCC Annex Building. In 2023, Fire and Life Safety replaced all out-of-warranty AEDs across campus, and this year, the AED program began expansion with the long-term goal of having at least one AED in every building on campus. Each year, 300,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. Cardiac arrest can be fatal, but using an AED can help those experiencing fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm) when waiting for emergency services to arrive. Learn more about AEDs, the available training, and their locations on campus.
	OEM Director Ginger Walker Presents at State Office Risk Management Symposium Office of Emergency Management Director Ginger Walker gave two presentations at this year’s State Office Risk Management (SORM) Symposium that took place in The Woodlands, TX. The symposium brings together experts and leaders in continuity planning as well as emergency and risk management from across Texas. Walker’s presentations delve into Continuity of Operations Planning Program and Continuity Program Management for Large and Comple organizations and were centered on the robust continuity programs that OEM has pioneered at UH. These continuity programs focus on the ability of each department within UH to navigate and recover from emergencies, ensuring operational stability and minimizing risks. As a national leader in continuity practices, Walker advised the symposium attendees of best practices for large and complex organizations.

Cougar Cudos

To nominate a fellow staff member, fill out the Cougar Cudos Nomination Form.

Parking Team Recognized at Conference for APO Designation

Team members of the Parking and Transportation Services Department at the University of Houston were recognized for becoming an Accredited Parking Organization (APO) by the International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI). Members from Parking & Transportation attended IPMI’s annual conference in June where the department received the honor.

The APO designation is awarded to parking organizations that show excellence in areas like customer service and professional development in parking, transportation and mobility operations. Parking and Transportation Services are taking steps to achieve APO with Distinction designation for 2025.

UH Dining Sr Executive Chef Chad McDonald Wins Awards at NACUFS Nationals

UH Dining Senior Executive Chef Chad McDonald won third place at the NACUFS Culinary Challenge as part of the NACUFS 2024 National Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Representing the Southern Region for the second consecutive year, McDonald’s fruit de mer put him among the top three, winning an American Culinary Federation (ACF) gold medal in the process. McDonald bested his performance from a year ago where he won an ACF silver medal.

Grubhub Campus Dining Ordering Available at UH

Grubhub Campus Dining revolutionizes on-campus meal ordering, allowing users to preorder from top brands like Panda Express, Chick-fil-A, Asado, Melt Lab and more! The user-friendly app lets you browse University of Houston dining options, customize your meal, and select a convenient pickup time or delivery via robot.

This collaboration between Grubhub and the university offers fast, customizable service, freeing up time for studying, socializing, and campus life. With the app, students, faculty, staff, and visitors can order and pay ahead at on-campus dining venues using either ShastaBUCKS or personal payment methods. Learn more about Grubhub Campus Dining at UH.

EAP App: Resources at Your Fingertips

UH faculty and staff have an easy way to access EAP Work-Life Resources 24/7 using the mobile app iConnectYou. Download the application from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android) and register using the iCY passcode: 230179. Once set up, users can use the app’s scheduler to book an initial conversation with a counselor for intake and assessment.

Users can also filter counselors based on languages and expertise areas and schedule a phone or live video appointment. The app can be used to access resource articles, assessments, audio, and video files covering emotional well-being, health and wellness, and workplace issues as well as referrals for childcare, elder care, adoption, and education. Learn more about EAP on HR’s EAP webpage.

Behind the Badge set for August 28th

Save the date for Behind the Badge on August 28th, 2-6 p.m. at MD Anderson Library. The event allows the campus community to meet and talk with local law enforcement agencies plus safety partners from UHPD, Office of Emergency Management, EHS, Fire Marshal, Houston Police Department, and Houston Fire Department.

UH Dining Weeks of Welcome Events

UH Dining Services has a number of events lined up to take place during the Weeks of Welcome including:

• Food Crawl from August 19 to September 6
• Melt Lab Ribbon Cutting on August 21 at the Student Center South
• Joyful Welcome Back Event on August 27 at Cougar Woods Dining Common
• First Year Eats Mixer on August 30 at the Student Center South.

Learn more about UH Dining's Weeks of Welcome events.