New Whole U Activities for Your Mind, Body, & Family

Step On Up with us! We’ve created a simple stair plan that will have you reaching the height of the Space Needle, Mount Baker, and Mount Rainier. Learn more and register here.

Try a Meditation Hour in the HUB. On Thursday, August 14, spend your lunch hour in this calming introductory session that opens up a path to well-being, improved physical health, and reduced stress. Anil Coumar is excited to share his insights with UW faculty and staff! Anil is a clinical instructor at the School of Medicine and a trained physician who practiced in India and England. Register now.

Free Photo Day is coming Sunday, August 24! Professional photographers will be on campus to take a picture of you with your loved ones. Learn more and register here.

Just for fun: follow us on Instagram for photos of your colleagues, throwback Thursday pics, and inspirational quotes.

Financial Yoga & More!
Get a handle on your finances by attending a timely (and free!) financial education seminar offered by our local credit union partners. Open to all UW faculty and staff. The following seminars will be offered at various campus locations throughout the summer and fall. Check them out!

• Credit Reporting 101
• Financial Yoga: Stretching Your Hard-Earned Dollars
• Scams, Shams & Identity Theft
• Social Media & Your Child’s Financial Future

Access registration and event information.

Designing Your Financial Roadmap
Steer a clear path! Join Fidelity Investments at this seminar on August 19 at UW Bothell. Learn how to:

• Design a financial roadmap to help you achieve your savings goals
• Establish a budget and manage debt
• Balance and prioritize other nonretirement goals such as college planning

Access event registration and information.

HomeStreet offers free 1-hour seminars to help you learn about a variety of homeownership issues related to budgeting, buying, remodeling, refinancing, and selling your home. Access registration and event information.

The Home Buying Process
This seminar will be offered on July 15 at Seattle’s UW Tower, July 24 at South Lake Union, and August 21 at Bothell.

• Pre-approvals versus pre-qualifications
• Role of the real estate agent
• Mortgage applications, home inspections, and appraisals
• How to save time and money

Seasonal Home Maintenance
This seminar will be offered on August 19 at the UW Tower.

• How to save money through regular home maintenance
• How to budget for basic home repairs
• Plus, receive a fall home maintenance checklist

Individual Prequalification Appointments
Thinking of buying or refinancing a home but not sure how to get started? Why not schedule a free, personal home ownership counseling session with a HomeStreet Bank representative who can walk you through the process including prequalification? These 30-minute, one-on-one sessions are both private and informative. Your spouse, partner, or potential co-signer is welcome to attend with you.

To register or request a prequalification appointment, choose a date on the HomeStreet events calendar or call 206-628-0207.

Learning to Keep Our Cool
While the summer months can heat up, we can still keep our cool. We all face situations that can make us feel angry. Traffic, struggles at work, or a disagreement with your spouse or partner can trigger a response. Learn about how to manage anger with UW Carelink’s July Webinar, “You Make Me So Mad.” This 60-minute session broadcasts on July 15 at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. To register, visit apshelplink.com (use “UW” as the company code). Click on the link under “Online Seminars” and select a session. If you can’t make the webinar, check out this month’s UW CareLink Tip Sheet on recognizing triggers and staying positive.

If you are experiencing more serious anger management issues, or need support in how to handle the anger from others, UW CareLink offers up to five free sessions with a master’s- or doctoral-level professional for benefits-eligible faculty, staff, and their household members. To get started, call 866-598-3978 or visit apshelplink.com (use “UW” as the company code).

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

Decode Your Change Reactions
Once you identify how and why you react to change, you can begin to adopt a healthier, more productive approach. In this one-day workshop, start the process with an assessment to determine your change style, then explore effective and ineffective responses to change and acquire new strategies for dealing with change. Register for Navigating Change in a Complex World.

Solve a Medical Mystery
For health care workers and providers, discover why the health care system you work in may appear enigmatic or impenetrable to those trying to access care. In this half-day workshop, explore an innovative tool called the Barriers to Care Map as you identify obstacles, vulnerable groups, consequences, and solutions for overcoming barriers in your health care system. Register for Overcoming Barriers to Care.

Uncover the Source of Your Strength
This 2-day workshop uses a proven process for uncovering what you do best and helps you learn new ways to use your unique excellence. The more you know about your strengths, the better-equipped you are to adapt to the changing demands of the workforce and find a career that maximizes opportunities for success and satisfaction. Register for Discovering Your Dependable Strengths.

Track Down a New Career Path
If a career move is on your mind, ‘tis the season! Hiring at the UW tends to heat up during the summer as departments prepare for the new academic year, and POD’s career counseling service can assist you with all aspects of a job search, including assessing your career fit, writing a résumé, and gearing up for a job interview. One-on-one sessions are offered for $95 per 1-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.

Mammography Screenings the Easy Way
Take advantage of the MammoVan for your next routine mammogram! The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance MammoVan is a customized, mobile breast imaging clinic bringing the latest technology in digital mammograms to you at your workplace. The average appointment time is just 15 minutes. Convenience, state-of-the art technology, and exceptional quality are reasons why women choose this service.

The MammoVan is scheduled to visit on Friday, September 26 at 12th Avenue NE and NE 43rd Street, near the southwest corner of the UW Tower. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-serve basis between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Access screening information and schedule an appointment.

NOT ME Monthly Follow-Up Classes
If you recently completed the 16-week class series of the NOT ME Diabetes Prevention Program, whether on campus or in your community, we have trained coaches available to help you stay on track. Attend free monthly follow-up ("maintenance") sessions for up to eight months after you complete your initial class series. This offer also applies to adults 18+ who are on your PEBB health plan. No registration is necessary, just drop-in.

UW Tower, Building C, Room C-107
Third Tuesday of each month
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Join Fidelity Investments at one of these upcoming events for guidance strategies to help with your retirement and financial planning needs.

Are You on Track for Retirement?
Maximize your retirement savings and key financial goals! Experienced financial professionals from Fidelity or TIAA-CREF are available to meet with you either in person or over the phone to help you:

• Evaluate investment choices that meet your needs
• Create an action plan to get and stay on track for retirement
• Review your retirement income options
• See how you can save more through Voluntary Investment Program contributions, either pre-tax or after-tax (Roth)

Whether your retirement is years away or just around the corner, schedule a free check-up to compare, project, and sync your investment portfolio with your retirement goals. Access registration information.

Are You Ready to Retire?
If you're planning to retire from the UW within the next 12 months, be sure to attend a free retirement workshop to help you plan for this major milestone.

Topics include arranging details for retirement, tailoring your benefits to best meet retirement income needs, and continuing your health plans. Timelines, forms, and procedures are also covered—plus you’ll receive all of the materials necessary to file for retirement.

Choose the workshop that matches your specific retirement plan:

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

Note: You must apply for PEBB retiree benefits (or insurance deferral) within 60 days after UW-paid or COBRA coverage ends. If you miss that deadline, you will have to go back to work to re-qualify for PEBB retiree coverage.

Long-Term Care Insurance Closing to New Applicants
Due to financial forecasts that no longer make it viable to offer long-term care (LTC) insurance, the John Hancock Life Insurance Company has announced that their LTC plan through the PEBB program will close to new applicants beginning August 1, 2014, and PEBB will no longer offer this type of insurance to state employees. Not to be confused with long-term disability (LTD) insurance which continues to be offered and is meant to protect your future earnings due to an event that has left you disabled and unable to work, LTC insurance covers all or part of your expenses when you are done working and unable to care for yourself, either at your home or in a nursing home.

If you are currently enrolled in LTC insurance you will continue to pay your premiums directly to John Hancock, and you can still make allowable changes to your coverage. However, if you have eligible family members who wish to apply for coverage, you must submit the application postmarked by July 31, 2014.

If you are not enrolled in LTC insurance and you wish to apply for coverage, you must submit an application postmarked by July 31, 2014.

To apply, request an enrollment kit from John Hancock Life Insurance by calling 800-399-7271, or visit http://pebbltc.jhancock.com.

User name: pebbltc
Password: jhancock

Make your request as soon as possible to allow time for mailing, completing, and returning the forms by the deadline.

Unpaid Personal Days for Faith, Conscience, or Religious Reasons
A new Washington state law provides state employees the option of taking up to two unpaid holidays per calendar year for reasons of faith or conscience, or for an organized activity conducted by a religious denomination or religious organization. This option, effective June 12, is in addition to the paid personal holiday and paid leave benefit available through many UW staff programs. To request this type of unpaid time off, use your department’s normal leave request process. Note that requests may only be denied if an employee’s absence causes an undue hardship for the department or if the employee’s presence is needed to maintain public safety. Find more details online (link is to CNU's leave page and is an example of the new content).

Take A Break
During these beautiful summer days, get outside and on the water. The Waterfront Activities Center is located directly behind Husky Stadium, on Union Bay and near the Montlake Cut. Students, faculty, staff, and Alumni Association members can rent canoes and rowboats. Contact the Waterfront Activities Center at 206-543-9433 or h2ofront@uw.edu.