Greetings from the University Staff Advisory Council!

June Meeting Highlights

USAC was joined by Stacey Bonner, Director of Health and Wellness Programs in the Office of Health and Wellness, to discuss the EAP wellness vendors Lyra and Virgin Pulse. Lyra is Vanderbilt's chosen vendor to support behavioral and mental health needs for our diverse community. The service includes 12 sessions for employees, spouses, and children 2+ years of age. Virgin Pulse is Vanderbilt's new wellness platform that encourages health habit changes. There are several ways to earn and spend funds, including an array of gift cards. If you'd like to learn more about how to enhance your use of Lyra and Virgin Pulse, feel free to email wellbeing@vanderbilt.edu.
Congratulations to our 2023 USAC Award Winners! The Communications Committee, represented by Faith Bishop and Andrea Zink, were awarded as Committee of the Year. Lynn Hastings, Membership Committee co-chair won Committee Member of the Year. Jennifer Bennett, Events Committee co-chair was the recipient of the Karen Dolan Spirit Award. A list of current and past award winners can be found on the website.

USAC Elections 2023

Thank you to the Vanderbilt staff who participated in our nomination and election cycle! We are excited to welcome new and returning members for the upcoming year.

Meet a Member:

Kevin Borgic

Sr. Manager, Catering Operations
Vanderbilt Catering & Events

"I love the emphasis on improvement and growth at Vanderbilt. We celebrate the wins, but also look at how we can outdo ourselves the next time."

For Kevin's full feature and to connect with USAC representatives from around the university, visit our Blog.

Employee Hardship Fund is now
the Employee Critical Support Fund

Vanderbilt's Faculty and Staff Hardship Fund has provided assistance to qualifying faculty and staff who are experiencing a temporary hardship due to a significant life event since 1994. Previously housed within VUMC, the fund has transitioned to Vanderbilt University ownership and now renamed the Employee Critical Support Fund - providing employees peace of mind during times of uncertainty and to demonstrate the power and values of the Vanderbilt community.

Employees are encouraged to contribute to the fund through
the Kroger Community Rewards Program.

Celebrating Juneteenth

Now recognized as a paid holiday for staff! Engage with the Vanderbilt community to celebrate Juneteenth with our campus partners.
Learn more about the events here.

Don't Forget!

It’s not too late, there’s still time to participate in the Community Engagement Survey. All staff should have received an email on May 16 with a personalized link. Tell us about your engagement with community and government organizations as part of your role at Vanderbilt. Survey responses are accepted through June 15. Contact gcr@vanderbilt.edu with questions.

Level up your ChatGPT skills

Have you ever wondered if you're truly leveraging the incredible capabilities of #ChatGPT to maximize productivity in both your personal and professional endeavors? Discover the secret to unleashing ChatGPT's full potential with @VanderbiltU's free online Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT course!

Jules White, associate dean for strategic learning programs and associate professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University, is making ChatGPT more accessible and useful for the broader public with the launch of his free online certificate course on Coursera.

Vanderbilt staff are able to enroll and earn the course certificate for free using their VU email address. Learn more about the course here.

A note from the President's desk...

As my time as the USAC President ends, I wanted to take a moment to share my sincere gratitude with each of you. It has been an absolute honor and pleasure to represent over 4,000 staff members within the Vanderbilt community the past year. As I have shared with my executive committee, our representatives, and administration, this experience has allowed me to grow individually and fuel my desire to learn continuously, and I owe that to all of you. While I have been lucky enough to represent your needs, I hope you know that none of this work is possible without your dedication, support, and kindness.

USAC will always hold a special place in my professional life. And while my official leadership position is complete, I welcome the opportunity to continue connecting with you to support your ideas and ambitions to make Vanderbilt a better place to work.

Sincerely,

Amanda Harding
Outgoing USAC President
amanda.harding@vanderbilt.edu

Grow Your Career

Interested in seeing what opportunities are available across campus? Looking for a new role? Visit the Vanderbilt job board!

Vanderbilt Job Board

Share your event!

Do you have an event, activity, or resource relevant to university staff that would benefit from promotion via the USAC social media channels (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook)? Let us know!

Submit Your Info

Whether you are working from home or are back on campus, know that USAC remains committed to being a champion for staff, and our digital door is always open. Do not hesitate to share your feedback or experiences via usac@vanderbilt.edu or via our contact form.

All are welcome! USAC Meetings are held virtually from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month and are always open to staff members served by the council. Email usac@vanderbilt.edu for a Zoom link.

Vanderbilt University is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.