Effective Email Communication

This session will explore how to communicate with others via email and messaging apps. Learn how to craft strong emails that get to the point professionally and quickly. The session will also briefly examine messaging apps, such as Microsoft Teams, to uncover the best practices for these modes of communication.

Grow Where You are Planted: Making the Best of Situations

There may be times when we wish things were different at work and/or in our home life. Sometimes it’s time for a change, and other times it isn’t. How do we know when to accept things as they are, or when a change in perspective is needed? Do your employees want to be promoted faster, or are they restless? This seminar explores the typical flow of human reactions and responses, and suggests practical tips for enjoying whatever stage participants are experiencing. Proven strategies such as gaining clarity, brainstorming creatively, re-framing and parallel paths are some of the useful tools participants will learn about.

General Safety Program - UPPS Scamming and Phishing Safety Training

Presentation on the numerous scams and frauds committed in person and online.
-Scams/fraudulent activity to be aware of
-How to protect yourself and others from scammers
-Police resources and contact information

Purchasing Card Policy and Procedure Training

Approvers are an integral and essential part of the Purchasing Card process. Approvers are the direct link to the cardholders for each department and Financial Officer.  Approvers are the ones ensuring financial integrity to the posting of all monetary transactions.

This training / refresher program would provide consistent, accurate, up-to-date information that will be a resource not only for approvers, but also for cardholders and anyone new in a financial role looking to understand this part of the purchasing process.

Highly recommended for all new Purchasing Card approvers, seasoned approvers, cardholders, and anyone new to a financial role (Financial Officer, Assistant Financial Officer, or Financial Coordinator) at all campus locations.

Navigating Change

Change is the one constant we can count on and the pace of change over the past year has accelerated like never before.  This webinar is designed to help individuals explore change, it’s impacts as well as provide strategies for navigating a rapidly changing environment.

Green Teams: Engaging the Penn State Community in Sustainability

Join Penn State’s network of over 57 Green Teams that are contributing to positive changes in their workplace and personal lives. This network is developing an understanding of sustainability, gaining communication and leadership skills, and putting these talents into action, supporting the University's sustainability goals. Join this training to learn more about Green Teams, their activities, steps to forming a team in your building or department, available supportive resources, and how Green Teams are connected to the other sustainability organizations at Penn State. It is recommended that participants take the Introduction to Sustainability Training (SUS-002) prior to this class. The Zoom link for the orientation will be sent out a few days prior to the training.  

Managing Conflict

This interactive session is designed for you to focus on ways to manage conflict more effectively.

Introduction into Inspirational Leadership

Inspirational Leadership is having the ability to inspire others to align their actions towards a common goal or vision, to get the job done, and to bring out their best qualities along the way. With inspiration you can connect with something meaningful and articulate a shared mission and/or values in a way that motivates people and offers a sense of purpose beyond day-to-day tasks. Inspirational leaders are agents of positive change, sometimes going against the grain of conventional norms or taking risks in their approach. These kinds of leaders ultimately leave the people they work with feeling inspired, motivated, and connected. So how does one develop this competency? What does it look like in different contexts?

Introduction to Sustainability

This orientation will introduce you to the concept of sustainability and how it relates to Penn State’s mission, strategic plan, and your role as an employee. All segments of the university, from academics, research, operations, outreach and student affairs, are involved in this endeavor. We will offer many examples so that you leave the one-hour session understanding ways to support the University’s mission to “ensure a sustainable future” and resources available for those efforts. 

Records Management at Penn State: Getting Your Files Organized the Easy Way

Are you unsure of which department records to keep, and for how long? Are hard drives and shared network drives filled with files created years ago? Have you been tasked with managing documents for your department but feel uncertain where to begin? This course will provide an overview of Penn State’s Office of Records Management, beginning with Policy AD35 which specifies how University Records are defined, filed, utilized, securely destroyed, and archived. This course will provide training on how to follow retention schedules for your department’s records, to ensure that active records are appropriately managed and that inactive records are properly disposed of. Useful information will also be provided on the Inactive Records Center, a secure storage solution for University Records which provides transfer, retrieval, and destruction services. Finally, this program offers tips and solutions for organizing records while working remotely, so that overall management of your department’s records is efficient and easy.

Bias Like Me: Challenging Ourselves in Crucial Moments (DIV-022)

This session introduces participants to insights about how our minds operate and help to understand the origins of explicit bias and implicit associations. Participants will uncover some of their own biases and learn strategies for confronting them. Moreover, participants will consider the insidious effects of biases on access to education and academic persistence, as well as career trajectory and attainment. The training is divided into short lessons containing reflective exercises, open and honest discussions, discovery, and devising IIPs – Individualized (Bias) Interruption Plans.

Getting a Head Start: A step-by-step overview of the Penn State TIAA Retirement Plan

A guide to the ins and outs of the plans offered at Penn State, the advantages of a retirement plan, creating a retirement strategy and how to update your account with TIAA.

Run Hide Fight: Active Attacker Response Program

Guidance on how to respond to an Active Attacker situation for Faculty, Students and Staff can be obtained through the Run Hide Fight: Surviving an Active Attacker Program, presented by the University Police. The Run Hide Fight: Surviving an Active Attacker Program provides information on the steps you can take to mitigate the actions of an Active Attacker.

Employee Engagement Strategies to Build an Effective Team

When you’re engaged at work, you’re dedicated, emotionally connected, and willing to give your best, discretionary effort. The problem is, most of today’s workforce is not engaged. In this workshop, discover today’s workplace trends, basic principles of engagement, and drivers of engagement. Start building an engagement-friendly workplace where everybody wins—customers, employees, and the organization. Emphasis is on improving workplace engagement. 

Companion Book: First, Break All the Rules

*Reading the companion book is not required, but suggested to help increase your learning.

Crucial Accountability

Accountability is a critical performance criterion for the workplace.  Accountability exists at all levels of an organization/team.  The accountability term is frequently used when tasks and team objectives are not being met, but more frequently than not, it was not defined up front what ‘it is’ to the accountable individuals and teams.  Supervisors in particular are responsible for ensuring that accountability exists within the team but frequently ‘defer’ and do not confront the lack of accountability.  At the same time individuals within an organization/team need to understand their individual accountability and holding their peers accountable.  All need to understand what the elements are for achieving it and how to coach/counsel when it is not being met.  Much of the presentation will be based upon the book, ‘Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior’.  

Companion Book Located in the LRN: Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior

Introduction to Sustainability

This orientation will introduce you to the concept of sustainability and how it relates to Penn State’s mission, strategic plan, and your role as an employee. All segments of the university, from academics, research, operations, outreach and student affairs, are involved in this endeavor. We will offer many examples so that you leave the one-hour session understanding ways to support the University’s mission to “ensure a sustainable future” and resources available for those efforts.