Message from the Chair
As we begin another year together in the Department of Psychology, I want to take this opportunity to welcome our new and returning students, faculty, and staff. For our undergraduate population, we have 200 new transfer students joining us this fall, as well as 1,425 returning students. For our graduate program, we successfully oriented 24 students last week and we have 132 returning. I am looking forward to working and connecting with each of you over the course of this academic year.
I also want to take this opportunity to welcome our two new tenure-track Assistant Professors, Dr. Katerina Marcoulides (Quantitative and Psychometric Methods) and Dr. Richard Douglass (Counseling). Dr. Marcoulides is joining us from the University of Florida, where she was an Assistant Professor in Research and Evaluation Methodology. Dr. Douglass too is coming from the University of Florida, where he just completed his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. I anticipate that both will make tremendous contributions to our community in the coming years and I am excited to now officially call them colleagues. Please be sure to welcome them and introduce yourselves. Additionally, to read a bit more about them, you can visit our blog at https://psych-umn-intranet.blogspot.com/.
This year, our department will be focusing on two major initiatives: strategic planning and preparing for our departmental academic program review in fall 2020, which is a process somewhat similar to an external review for accreditation. With regard to strategic planning, last year the leadership team and Executive Committee drafted an initial document outlining a vision, mission, list of initiatives, and possible strategies to achieve those initiatives to help guide our efforts over the next 3-5 years. At the department faculty and staff meeting on September 9, 2019, we will begin working together to review this information and generate next steps. For the academic program review, I appointed an ad hoc group to engage in the work necessary to complete a self-study that we will submit to the College and Provost’s office by June 1, 2020. Please be prepared over the next 9 months to respond to requests from this group and provide them with the information they need to draft the study.
It is an exciting time for our department and I wish each of you the very best as we pursue our individual and collective endeavors.
Jeff Simpson
Chair, Department of Psychology
Accounting
Expense Reimbursements
All Faculty and Staff should now be using Chrome River to reconcile their out-of-pocket and travel expenses.
Graduate Students should continue to use the Employee Expense Worksheet for out-of-pocket and travel expenses and submit the form and receipts to the accounting office.
Travel Reimbursements
- Reminder that all travel reimbursements MUST be submitted within 60 days of the return of travel. If they are not submitted within 60 days, the reimbursement could be denied or be taxable.
- CLA has updated the policy on business meals. A reminder that University policy does not permit payment or reimbursement when two or more employees choose to have a meal together to continue their business as an incidental part of the meal, when the meal is of a reciprocal nature, or when the meeting could have been scheduled during regular working hours. In CLA, these types of business meetings are expected to be scheduled during regular working hours. When it is necessary to schedule a business meeting before or after regular working hours or during a lunch break, any meals or food expenses incurred will not be reimbursed.
- Other than travel meals, University employees should only incur out-of-pocket expenses in the case of an emergency. Do not spend your own money unless it is a true emergency and you're willing to risk not being reimbursed.
P-Card
Submit your p-card receipts and justifications as soon as the purchase has been made.
Intranet
See our Updated Tipping Guidelines on the intranet.
Check out our new and improved Intranet Accounting page for policy and purchasing resources. If you have any questions, please reach out to Sarah Jahn (swen0432@umn.edu), Kamran Motevaze (motev001@umn.edu), or Donnie Wood (woodx399@umn.edu).
Administration
Central Office
Shredding: The Central Office will no longer be sending out calls for confidential shredding. If you have items that need to be shredded, there is a confidential shredding box in the Central Office (N218) by the supply cabinet. If you have large amounts of non-confidential shredding, contact the Central Office and we will be able to assist in getting bins for you.
Trash: Elliott Hall has recently changed to an Organics Recycling Program. What does this mean for Elliott Hall Residents?
- Individual office trash will no longer be picked up. Everyone must remove their own trash and deposit into one of the quad-bins in the halls. If you need additional trash bags, see the central office.
Registering your International Travel
A reminder that all University employees (faculty, staff, and graduate students) need to register in advance any international travel that occurs in the course of their professional or administrative work - teaching, research, or service. This registration requirement does not apply to international vacation travel, but it does apply to all professional travel, regardless of funding source. This policy requirement was adopted in order to facilitate University assistance in the event of an emergency occurring while employees are traveling abroad.
Additionally, if you need to identify a 24/7 Department emergency contact, please fill out this Google Form.
Communications
New Communications
With the start of the new year, we are changing some of the ways we share information with the department.
- DATA: In the past, this newsletter has been used to communicate all departmental news and reminders. We are now breaking the information into 2 different communications: DATA and BrainWave. DATA will be used as a tool to inform the department of important administrative updates and reminders.
- BrainWave: This newsletter will be sent out weekly. It will include any news the department has throughout the week. This news can include, but is not limited to, students who graduated, publications, awards, and more. Here is what the header will look like on the BrainWave emails:
- Have news that should be shared? Email psynews@umn.edu. This email address is our repository of all news. Depending on what you send, your news can fee: the UMN Events Calendar, DATA, BrainWave, social media, the digital display, and more. Your email does not need to be formatted in any particular way. All emails will be reviewed and distributed to the appropriate feeds.
A Request
To enhance our communications functionality, we would like to encourage all faculty and graduate students to set up a Google Scholar Profile. Doing so will allow us to better publicize your achievements.
Need assistance setting up your profile? Google has instructions.
Grants
We Now Have an Intent to Submit Form!
The Intent to Submit form helps the grants team gather the information needed to start working on your proposal and map out your important deadlines. The form must be completed NO LATER than 6 weeks prior to the sponsor due date. You can always find the form, as well as other grants-related information, on the Intranet under the Grants tab.
Upcoming NIH Deadlines:
- New R01, U01 - October 5, 2019 (intent to submit form was due 8/24/2019)
- New R21 - October 16, 2019 (intent to submit form due 9/4/2019)
- Renewal, Resubmission, Revision R01, U01 - November 5, 2019 (intent to submit form due 9/24/2019)
- Renewal, Resubmission, Revision R21 - November 16, 2019 (intent to submit form due 10/5/2019)
Reminder to Graduate Students
If you are interested in submitting an application for any type of funding (eg. research, fellowships), please check with Anjeanette Roy (basti042@umn.edu) or Kristen Abernethy (kharne@umn.edu) prior to applying. Most applications must be submitted via proper university channels to avoid complications if they are funded. We are here to help!
Technologies
Reporting Data Security Incidents
Send email to security@umn.edu with as many details as possible.
Please copy the Department Chief of Staff, Holley Locher (loche007@umn.edu) and your adviser or lab manager. University Information Security will contact you with further instructions.
If a desktop, laptop or mobile device is involved:
- do not turn it off;
- do disconnect it from the network; and,
- do not attempt to fix it!
Please reach out to the Associate Chair for Research, Rich Lee (richlee@umn.edu), the Chief of Staff, Holley Locher (loche007@umn.edu), or PsyIT (cbates@umn.edu) if you have any questions.
Recognizing a Data Security Incident
The University has an excellent overview of how to recognize a data security incident at https://it.umn.edu/what-security-incident
Undergraduate Advising
A new resource was developed over the summer to highlight who you might contact if you are working with student issues (e.g. mental health concerns, incompletes, classroom behavioral issues). Please review the Psychology Department Student Issues - Contact for Assistance Reporting Google document. If you have any feedback on this document or questions, please contact Mike Houlahan (mhoulaha@umn.edu).
Psychology Undergraduate Research Contracts (PSY 5993)
Please do not issue permission numbers for the undergraduate students (Research Assistants) in your research lab (PSY 5993), even if you have access to those permission numbers.
The Undergraduate Research Contract is located online - this contract is the Department process to enroll undergraduate students in your PSY 5993 section. The online system, Knack, allows you to log-in to view your pending and approved contracts.
Psychology Advising staff review completed contracts and issue permission numbers for student registration. Recommended deadline: Monday, September 16th.
Registration FAQs: Closed Classes & Wait Lists
Students often contact instructors requesting permission to add a course via a permission number. Please feel free to simply refer these students to psyadvis@umn.edu.
Please keep the following in mind when responding to student requests:
- Adding seats to your class capacity rather than admitting extras via permission numbers gives all students equal opportunity for admission to the class. Enrollment capacity may be increased if classroom size permits (you can check classroom capacity at www.classroom.umn.edu). If you considering doing so, first contact Michael Walsh (wals0207@umn.edu) regarding any impact on TA workload.
- Students will often present a crisis situation to an individual instructor when other solutions are readily available (i.e., academic and financial holds are common). Academic Advising has access to students' records and can assist them with making alternate arrangements that enable them to progress toward timely degree completion. Again, please refer students to psyadvis@umn.edu or N108 Elliott for Psychology Advising assistance.
- A number of our undergraduate Psychology courses have prerequisites, the completion of which is required prior to enrollment in subsequent courses. There are times when a student's registration is blocked because they have not met appropriate prerequisites. Please refer students to Psychology Advising for trouble-shooting when your course has a prerequisite. If you are willing to admit a student beyond your class capacity or want to verify preparation, please notify Psychology Advising.
The Best Advice for Students is to:
Continue to check online for an open seat. If a seat opens, another student has the opportunity to add the class via on-line registration. Instructors may wish to set up a standard reply for student requests, encouraging them to check for open seats.
Electronic Wait Lists:
Electronic waiting lists were available for almost all PSY 3xxx/4xxx/5xxx level classes all summer. The online Wait List runs for the final time today, Tuesday, September 3rd.
There are no Wait Lists as of Wednesday, September 4th. Students should monitor the online registration system through Monday, September 9th for open seats (Add/Drop period).
Starting Tuesday, September 10th, instructors may choose to allow a student to add their class and provide a permission number up until the end of Monday, September 16th.
Graduate Student registration issues, questions, and permission numbers are managed by Rachel Goeller (deco0055@umn.edu).
June 2019 DATA Correction
One additional graduate student in the Psychology Department, Tatyana Matveeva in the Cognitive and Brain Sciences Area, was awarded a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship.