May 2002

Issue 1 Vol 2 May/June 2002
In this Issue Who will be chosen? Make the Dean's list at MVU! ISIS - Is by the power of 2 Touch of "People"soft How good were the "good ol' days"? The survey says… Charming China - a return EZ Performance Eval kit Paperless images Noteworthy, cartoon, and more!	Direct(or) hit Fourchewn Teller Resumes for the Director of Applications are pouring in! No need to have your eyes examined, you read it correctly. The search is on pace to shatter all the old records for filling a director-level position. Eenie-meanie-minee-moe Of the 161 resumes received, Human Resources cut half before the game began, based on failure to meet minimum qualifications (or, as in Bob's case, a criminal record). Vice President for Information Technology and CIO struck out another thirty, and the remaining fifty candidate applications are in the seventh inning stretch, next going up against the committee that was charged with putting together interview questions. This committee consists of Teri, Donna, Bruce, Dale and Tom. A great bunch, and all above reproach, though Bruce has been driving a real nice Mercedes of late. And the winner is… The process from here goes something like this: the committee prioritizes the remaining candidates, and comes up with a "Top 10 List" or "Ten Most Wanted" depending on your viewpoint. The goal, at this point, is to conference call/phone interview these ten, selecting five semi-finalists. The Leadership Team will then video conference interview the "Chosen 5" and whittle them down to three finalists. The finalists will be invited to WMU for a day of interviews with 1) their subordinates, 2) their clients, and 3) Viji. Finally…drumroll please… we'll be left with the crème de la crème, the best of the best, the "Lucky One." Hopefully, it's not the same person that donated the Mercedes to Bruce.
Go, Fight, MVU! You received this before in e-mail, but if you haven't had a chance to check it out, do so! A little (okay, a lot!) of free learning from Michigan Virtual University. 1) go to www.mivu.org 2) click "Courses" (next to "About Us") 3) click on Information Technology Training Initiative just below "Information technology mini-courses" 4) In right column, click on "If you're eligible, continue to the login page." 5) Click on "Create" under "Profile" in the left column - fill in form, submit, and will prompt for more information (job and university info) 6) Browse the catalog, select a topic and have fun! Dang, is today virtual swimming class?! I forgot my swim trunks! ISIS - Is by the power of 2 Twinn Power Another academic year winds down, but this team doesn't know how to rest. Well, Tim still manages a good nap, but watch out when they get rolling. Speed, service, cutting-edge. Not just buzz-words here, but action items! WWW meets ISIS Tim, working with web guru Bruce, is automating undergraduate and graduate online web application updates into ISIS. Since mid-September, Admissions has received 2,450 new undergraduate applications via the web. The current process requires printing each application and entering into ISIS by manual data entry. After the Bruce and Tim team work their magic, the web application file will automatically be updated into ISIS. Presto! Making the grade Tim proves his ability to win anywhere, teaming with Norm Grant to score with the faculty. This lethal combo will be providing faculty members the option of submitting grades on the existing opscan grade sheet form or via a new web application. Coming summer, 2002. It promises to be a blockbuster! Webification Norm can't get enough of the ISIS squad, and pairs up with loveable Bob on a project to deliver unofficial transcripts through the web to students who have attended WMU within the last two years. That's just not norm-al! No rest Not a team to sit on their collective accomplishments, discussions are underway with Financial Aid to design new web services for our students. Oh, what a web we weave! "People"soft With success, as in implementations, comes a bit of a breather for this team of softies, but not much, as they gear up for upgrades. Out to the ballpark The Human Resources Management System upgrade from 7.5 to version 8.3 will be formally starting in May. Sandra, Yeqing, and Chris have attended some training and are anxious to get going. Craig, Tom, Daoli, and Joe are on deck awaiting training, and should be called up to the majors soon. Matt and Tom have been working diligently on the hardware and software requirements. There is a rumor that Mike Meister and Tom will co-manage this project. Look for this one to be hit out of the park. The future and the "King" On the horizon for the financials team is the Service Pack 2 upgrade, plus implementation of the Asset Management Module. Say that three times fast. Deloitte, like Elvis before, has left the building. The administration building, that is. After two and a half years Deloitte no longer has anyone on campus. This means, of course, our prodigal son, Joe, has returned to the UCC, but word has it he misses the candy and pop selections over yonder.
In the good ol' days - a look back: The year is 1902 , one hundred years ago ... The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven (47). Ouch! Only 14% of the homes in the US had a bathtub and 8% had a telephone. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower. There were only 8,000 cars in the US and 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. When was the last time you saw 10 mph?! The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour. The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year. Can I get a Whopper with that? Accountants could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, veterinarians between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. What about computer programmers? The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet. Had Alaska been discovered? California was the 21st most populous state. Las Vegas had 30 residents. Sugar cost $.04 a pound. Dozen eggs were $.14. Coffee cost 15 cents a pound. More than 95% of all births in the US took place at home. Boil some water! Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Men probably never bathed (some things don't change). There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. Is this why our grandparents always call it the "good old days"?
The survey says… The number one answer was: everyone enjoyed the first edition of hAPPenings! Your generous comments made this editor blush. On the other hand, your daily intake of reading material may be well below minimum requirements. The least favorite section was the Annual Leave schedules. The thought was you might be interested in knowing when your compatriots are scheduled away from their desks, but most of you, chained like you are inside your cubicles, nose to the monitor (or, in Tim's case, into a pillow), perhaps this knowledge is not so important. However, I will be including interesting tidbits on vacations that enlighten, amuse, fascinate or intrigue. Such as.. Teri Weese, who goes missing the week of April 29^th to get, as she puts it, "hitched." The blessed event takes place at Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas. Elvis will be a member of the wedding party, but, regretfully, not the groom. Her parting words? "Love me tender, just don't step on my blue suede shoes, that gets me all shook up!" Bob does stuff? Remember Bob? Yeah, unfortunately I do to. He's posted a weekly schedule at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~harperr/ Don't let his weekday schedule fool you. It actually looks a lot like his weekend schedule! Dead Wings Survey respondents overwhelming stated that I had taken it too easy on Bob in the first edition. However, in deference to his impending loss, I am backing off this round. Bob's beloved Red Wings, who he staunchly believes will take the Stanley Cup, will, no doubt, crumple like the outer skin of an onion. Sorry for your loss, Bob. Charming China Daoli will be traveling home this summer to China. Daoli was raised in the city of Chang Chun, the capital of Ji Lin province. Chang Chun is in the northeast part of China, close to both the North Korean and Russian borders. The city used to be China's "Detroit." The first auto manufacturing plant is located there. However, Daoli will not be visiting her home town, as her family members have moved to Qing Dao, Shan Tong province. She plans to spend most of her time in Qing Dao, visiting her parents, and Tian Jing, where her parents-in-law live. Beijing is also on her itinerary. Daoli tells me Qing Dao is a very beautiful coastal city. It is located by the Yellow Sea, which is bordered to the north by the Korean Peninsula, and the east by the Pacific ocean. The city has four seasons but the weather is extremely mild, allowing people to enjoy the outdoors year-round. In addition to the mild weather, the scenic seashore along the city center makes the city an attractive place for tourists. In fact, the city was chosen to be the center for water sporting events for the 2008 Olympics. This summer will be her father's 80th birthday, and a large celebration is in the works. Tian Jing is the third largest city in China, and is an industrial and trade center. It is about 80 miles from Beijing. Daoli spent four wonderful college years there. At the turn of the last century several western nations and Japan established colonies there. These foreign influences left many different architectural styles throughout the city. It is also an important seaport. Join me in wishing Daoli a fun-filled, and safe, journey home.
It's that time of year again - birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and the performance reviews are due! This year, to save time and aggravation on all parties, simply check the box below that applies to your overall performance for the year, cut at the dotted lines and give it to your boss (the evaluation, silly!).
Imag(in)e That Doc U. Mints Electronic Document Imaging is blossoming at WMU. Currently, Financial Aid, Registration, Admissions, and Customer Account Services all have access to document images that have been scanned and linked via ImageNow to a host application. While Toby maintains the client services end of this application, from software installs to online user manuals, Matt Tomczak manages the server and storage needs, backups and system maintenance. 65 clients have online access to over half a million electronic documents, retrieving data in seconds that in the past took minutes, or even days if the document was stored in archives. Improved service to students is a huge benefit, but another is storage space. FA was able to convert a file room into a conference and copy/fax room. Human Resources is evaluating the possibility of becoming the next ImageNow customer on campus, electronically storing crucial employee documents and linking these to their PeopleSoft application for quick retrieval and service. Noteworthy Kant B. Leevit Tim and Kristy LaLonde have a new baby girl, Madelyn. Madelyn was born April 24 and weighed in at 9lbs, 8 oz, 20 ½" long, with brown hair and blue eyes. Mom and baby are doing fine. This is the LaLonde's second daughter. In the last newsletter I asked readers what "LaLonde" meant. Come to find out it's French for "many girls." Two isn't many in any language, Tim! Speaking of Tim, he was this year's FOAMY champion. Get details at: http://www.geocities.com/tom.wolf/foamy.htm Endorsement contracts are rolling in! For those not in the know, Tom is a champion autograph hound. Check out his latest acquisition, O.J. Simpson's picture and signature, at: http://www.geocities.com/mrswolf_phs/osimpson.jpg
Key for following cartoon: Dog - symbolizes all of humanity Rat - represents Bob (for you Dilbert fanatics, yes, it is technically Dogbert & Ratbert)