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January 23, 2023
Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,
Welcome to the Spring 2023 semester at William Paterson. I hope everyone who is returning to campus for the first time since the winter break enjoyed their time away and that everyone is refreshed, recharged, and ready to make this a great semester.
Since the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday occurred during the break, we will observe it this week with a series of events, including the MLK, Jr. Day of Service Conference this Friday, January 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Student Center Ballrooms. Next week, our Black History Month celebration begins on Wednesday, February 1 with a kick-off event at 6:00 p.m. in Ballroom A. Check out Pioneer Life for more details on these and other events.
I am pleased to report that the Workday Project is moving along smoothly thanks to the hard work of our Implementation Team. The team recently completed building the Workday framework, after importing a great deal of data from our legacy HR, payroll, and finance systems, including Banner. In the coming weeks, the team will begin tests to check their work and ensure a smooth transition when we go live with Workday in July. It was great to see many faculty and staff at a recent meeting of Workday Pioneers, a group of critical WP volunteers who will receive advance demonstrations of Workday features and functionality in order to provide personal and department feedback, which will be used to improve our business processes. If you would like to be a Workday Pioneer, send an email to Interim CIO and Workday Change Management Lead Gamin Bartle. Finally, please take five minutes and complete the Workday Project Survey, which you will receive by email tomorrow. This will help us plan future communication and learning opportunities on the Workday system.
With the emergence of new COVID variants and continued spikes in transmission rates still a matter of concern, as well as high rates of the flu, it is still a good idea to get the vaccine boosters, as well as a flu shot.
Sadly, there have been a number of active shooter events throughout the country recently, so it is a good time to review guidance on how to react in such an incident. You can find written guidance in the Active Shooter Pocket Guide and view a video, Surviving an Active Shooter Event. Be aware that, given the subject matter, this video necessarily contains disturbing images. If you have further questions, please contact Director of Public Safety and University Police Charles Lowe via email or by telephone at (973) 720-2710.
Finally, reminders of some other important upcoming events, including the 4th Annual Manhattan Bagel Scholarship Event this Thursday, January 26, from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., when half of the proceeds of everything you purchase at Manhattan Bagels on Hamburg Turnpike will support scholarships for William Paterson students.
On Friday, January 27, from 12:30-1:30 p.m., faculty and staff are invited to participate in a Zoom Town Hall with a candidate for the Vice President for Enrollment Management position.
Next Thursday, February 2, please join me at 12:30 p.m. in Shea Auditorium for my Spring State of the University Address. Later, from 4:00-5:30 p.m., please join your colleagues and me for a chance to socialize and enjoy refreshments at the first “First Thursday” of the semester in Hobart Manor.
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