Professional & Organizational Development (POD) courses are open to all UW employees, subject to supervisor/budgetary approval and UW’s release time policy. View our policy page for additional information.

Assessing Your Career Fit
Two assessments completed prior to class lay the foundation for this full-day course. Receive a personalized career report that interprets your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory results, and then explore occupations and work roles that might be a good fit, as well as ways to identify a good career match and enhance your work/life balance. Access course information and registration.

The Business of Listening
Have you heard that not being listened to can cause people to feel invisible and undervalued at work? This one-day class explores the psychology of listening, levels of listening, barriers to effective listening, and how to bring improved attention and focus to all kinds of conversations at work and at home. Access course information and registration.

Short Webinars Provide Big Returns
When Professional & Organizational Development (POD) began offering live webinars in April, two POD employees decided to test their knowledge by taking a 90-minute POD Webinar on Microsoft Word 2012 Techniques. Assistant to the Director Amy Schrader was surprised by how much she enjoyed the webinar. "I was impressed with how engaging the instructor was and how she kept my interest all the way through, as well as with the amount of information relayed in such a short time frame," Schrader said. Communications & Assessment Specialist Jamie Wilson was also impressed. "Given my many years of experience with word processing and desktop publishing, I consider myself an expert in Word," Wilson said, “but I came out of the webinar with several tips and tools that I'm now using every day to do my work more efficiently." Upcoming POD Webinars in May and June include: Accomplishing More With Less, Business Writing for Success, Creating Compelling Presentations, Microsoft Office 2010 Tips & Tricks, and Stress Management. Access webinar listings and registration.

Spring Development Opportunities
Spaces are still available in several May and June POD classes, including Leading People Through Change, Post-Award Financial Administration: Processes, Offices, and Best Practices, Strategies to Overcome the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and SLP Level 2—Leadership Agility Series: Creativity.

Explore Your Options Through One-on-One Career Counseling
As dozens of UW staff members have discovered, career counseling can help you uncover your unique strengths, be more competitive in the job market, or chart a new path for your current or desired career. Sessions are offered through Training and Organization Development Consultant Susan Templeton for $95 per one-hour session if paid with a UW budget number (with supervisor approval) or $109.82 if paid with cash, check, or credit card (due to a mandatory institutional overhead fee). Learn more about this service.

Ergonomic Awareness
An ounce of prevention is worth years of good health! Creating a good ergonomic work environment is important to protecting your health. View these ergonomic tips and resources.

May is Bike to Campus Month
"Bike to Campus" is now in progress! It's not too late to join in the fun with other bicycle commuters and cyclers enjoying an active commute option. Check out the lively events sponsored by Commuter Services and U-PASS including bike classes and a trail party. Sign up for the "Group Health Commute Challenge" and win prizes! View all events and register here.

Smokers: Do You Have a Quit Date?
Anyone who has tried to quit tobacco on their own knows how hard it can be to quit for good. But did you know that quitting tobacco is much more likely to be successful when supported by a smoking cessation program? As a state employee, your medical plan allows you to have free access to the personalized "Quit for Life" plan. Learn about smoking cessation programs and take the Readiness Quiz.

Time to Schedule your Mammogram
Women age 40+ know it’s not always easy to find time to get a routine mammogram to screen for breast cancer. Thanks to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance’s "MammoVan" mobile mammography service, now there’s a faster and more convenient way to get it done. The MammoVan is scheduled to roll into the parking lot near the Paul Allen Building on May 16 and on Red Square near the George Washington statue on June 1. Schedule your next appointment.

SafeCampus Training
The next violence prevention training is on May 15 at 10:00 a.m. in Odegaard Undergraduate Library, Room 220. Preventing violence on campus is a responsibility we all share. Learn the warning signs and how to respond in this 50-minute training session. Register for training.

SafeCampus on Facebook
Stay connected to SafeCampus by liking us on Facebook! We offer timely updates and announcements as well as helpful tips for everyone in our campus community.

Planning Ahead for Summer Break
With summer break just around the corner, many parents are scrambling to figure out a plan for keeping kids happy and healthy during their time off from school. CareLink has tips for keeping children occupied in fun and productive ways.

Keep them busy. Start putting together a schedule now. Activities might consist of daily chores, academic projects/lessons, day camps, time with friends and family members, or trips to the library.

Be accessible. Make sure your kids are always able to reach you. Devise a system with your children and have another person available, such as a neighbor or relative, to be on-call in case a situation does arise when your children cannot reach you or vice versa.

Set ground rules. Work out a set of safety measures and make sure that the whole family is on the same page. Make sure your children know exactly what steps to take in the case of an emergency and practice role-playing these steps. For more information about how to create a rich and rewarding summer experience for your children, register for CareLink’s “The Best Summer Ever!” seminar, presented on May 15, 2012, at noon, 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. NOTE: session times are listed as Eastern Time.

First, log in to www.apshelplink.com using “UW” as the company code. Then click on the seminar title in the “Online Seminars” section of the main page and choose the most convenient session for you. In addition, CareLink’s LiveConnect feature is available to provide on-the-spot help in finding resources such as local summer care plans, camps, and care referrals. You can access LiveConnect through the APS HealthLink portal (www.apshelplink.com; use "UW" as the company code to log in and register). Look for the LIVEConnect instant messaging tool in the upper right corner of the home page for access to a consultant who specializes in child care referral services.

UW Summer Youth Program
The UW Summer Youth Programs deliver an academically rich curriculum, with topics ranging from robots to architecture and from writing to drama, offered in a fun, safe learning environment. Students learn not only from instructors but from one another, as they collaborate in group projects or share experiences during field trips. There are all-day programs for elementary and middle school students and half-day short courses for middle and high schoolers. Courses run in two-to-three week intervals from June 25 to August 17. Learn more online or email info@pce.uw.edu. To register, call 206-543-2310.

Homeownership Brown Bags
Our Hometown Home Loan Program offers the following free seminars to UW faculty and staff:

Home Remodeling and Renovation
Are you thinking of selling your home? Find out what improvements add value to your home, how to start and manage a construction project, and whether to do it yourself or hire a contractor. At the UW Tower on May 15.

Moving Up: Buying Your Next Home
Time to move up to a bigger and better home? Learn what it takes to sell your existing home, what improvements pay off, and how to crunch the numbers to budget for your next home. At UW Bothell on May 24.

Sell Your Home in Today’s Market
Once your home is shipshape, you’ll want to assemble your sales team and learn pricing strategies, determine which fixes you should make, and learn what special tricks make a great first impression to potential buyers. At UW Tacoma on June 19 or Health Sciences on June 20.

Understanding Credit
Do you know why credit history is important when getting ready to refinance your home? Learn how to clean up your credit history and fix reporting errors. At South Lake Union on June 27.

Access event information and registration on the HomeStreet site.

Homeownership Dream to Reality
The Hometown Home Loan Program can help make your dream of homeownership a reality. Schedule a free, private, half-hour, one-on-one counseling appointment with a HomeStreet Affinity Loan Officer to discuss your homeownership options. Spouses, partners, and anyone else who might be on the loan are welcome to attend with you. HomeStreet is scheduled to visit UW Tacoma on May 15 and Seattle’s UW Tower on May 21 and June 25. Register for an appointment now.

Help from HARP—Home Affordable Refinance Program
Are you struggling to stay in your home with a mortgage that's weighing you down? The Federal Housing Finance Agency together with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have enhanced the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP II) to attract more eligible borrowers who can benefit from refinancing their mortgage. The HARP II program is designed to help responsible homeowners take advantage of historically low mortgage rates by removing many of the loan-to-value (loan amount compared to market value) guidelines that have prevented many homeowners from refinancing due to low property values. Learn more about this and other home buying/refinancing programs.

Ready to Retire?
If you're thinking of retiring in the next 12 months, consider attending one of the following workshops to learn how to construct a sound strategy for retirement. Workshops are free and based on your current retirement plan and/or eligibility.

• Retiring from UW Retirement Plan (UWRP)
• Retiring from Public Employee Retirement System (PERS)
• UW Supplemental Retirement Plan (UWSRP)

Access workshop information and registration.

Spruce Up Your Car
Get your car ready for spring and summer travel! See how your U-PASS qualifies you to receive merchant discounts on things like auto parts, auto repair, tires, headlights, taillights, and fog lights. View a list of "Car Services" merchants at UW Commuter Services. View even more discounts at UW Discount Program.

EXHIBIT - Who's Who: Founding Faces of the UW
This historical exhibit reunites portraits of key UW faculty, former presidents, and founding pioneers who shaped the University. Many buildings on campus bear their names, but in most cases their faces and achievements are long forgotten. The exhibit features two important UW artists, Morgan Padelford and Walter Isaacs. The exhibit runs through the month of May at Odegaard Undergraduate Library.