The Daily Bruin

Nine staff and administrator positions are currently open. Listed in order of recency, they are:

• Graduate Admissions Counselor, Seminary
• Custodian
• Administrative Assistant, College of Arts and Sciences
• Carpenter
• Associate Vice President of Human Resources
• Head Women’s Volleyball Coach
• Director of Financial Aid
• Associate Registrar
• Accounting Specialist II – General Ledger

The link to each of these position announcements can be found at jobs.georgefox.edu. If you know of someone you believe might provide a good fit for any of these jobs, please refer the person to the website for information about the job and instructions about applying.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued the 2016 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car will be 54 cents per mile for business miles driven, down from 57.5 cents for 2015.

Please make sure you use the correct/current Expense Reimbursement Request Forms. Turn in separate sheets for 2015 and 2016 mileage. These forms are found at this link.

Please contact Matt Hammar at ext. 2162 or Jen Klapp at ext. 2170 with questions.

The alumni relations office is looking for an original painting of the Centennial Tower done for a George Fox Christmas card in 1998 by alumnus Ken Gilmore (see photo). The painting was last seen in the Pennington House in the summer of 2014.

If you know of its whereabouts, please contact the alumni office at alumni.georgefox.edu or 503-554-2134.

Thank you

Happy New Year! As we finish up the calendar year, we have had much excitement in advancement, processing more year-end gifts than ever before! In order to finish well, we need your help.

Please check your mail today and bring any donations received to advancement immediately (corner of Sheridan and Meridian streets). It is critical we receive all donations as quickly as possible in order to receipt the donors in a timely fashion and process the gifts in the correct calendar year.

In order to care for our donors, check your mail, send an email notifying Kristi Hagen (khagen@georgefox.edu) of any donations received, and hand-deliver them to advancement today.

Thank you!

Questions? Contact Kristi at ext 2111.

Tuition remission applications for 2016-17 are being accepted through Jan. 5, 2016.

In order to better coordinate financial aid communications with tuition remission benefits, the due date for the 2016-17 tuition remission applications will be Tuesday, Jan. 5. See the tuition remission section (top of the page) of the Benefits, Forms & Resources for instructions and applications.

Questions? Contact Darby Thiessen at dthiessen@georgefox.edu or ext. 2188.

Tuition remission applications for 2016-17 are being accepted through Jan. 5, 2016.

In order to better coordinate financial aid communications with tuition remission benefits, the due date for the 2016-17 tuition remission applications will be Tuesday, Jan. 5. See the tuition remission section (top of the page) of the Benefits, Forms & Resources page for instructions and applications.

Questions? Contact Darby Thiessen at dthiessen@georgefox.edu or ext. 2188.

Is there someone you can think of whose contributions in our community stand out as deserving Employee of the Month recognition? If so, please send an email to Lisa Burton (lburton@georgefox.edu) by Thursday, Jan. 14, with a summary of this colleague’s recent contributions.

The President’s Executive Leadership Team will select the recipient from the nominations submitted, and the winner will be honored with a citation and a $100 Visa gift card at our first community meeting later this month.

Congratulations again to Joel Kelley, who was our December Employee of the month!

George Fox University has established a US Bank Visa “One Card” program to provide for the rapid acquisition of many of our low-dollar items (<=$1,000.01). It is designed to facilitate and simplify the process of purchasing goods, improve administrative efficiencies, and provide more consistent procedures.

The US Bank Visa One Card can also be used for university travel/entertainment and associated travel transactions. Please continue to use purchase orders and check requests where/when appropriate.

If you are a current cardholder or would like to become a cardholder, please make sure you read the GFU Visa Policy. Information on purchase orders and check requests is available on this page.

Please contact Matt Hammar, director of purchasing, at mhammar@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2162 if you have any questions.

Don’t have tickets yet for the Saturday, Jan. 9, Oregon Symphony performance in Bauman Auditorium? You’re in luck, because a limited number of tickets are still available for George Fox employees (halftime and above).

If interested, swing by the advancement office at 215 N. Meridian St., to pick up your tickets. There is a limit of two per employee. Phone reservations (503-554-2134) will not be taken except for employees at the Portland Center.

Beginning today (Monday) at 9 a.m., any remaining tickets (again, a limit of two per person) will be available – on a first-come, first-served basis – to those who signed up on a waiting list. If you find you will not be able to attend the concert, please return your tickets for another employee to use.

The 29th annual concert will begin at 8 p.m. The performance is free to George Fox employees – a gift from George Fox honorary board member Ken Austin, who cofounded A-dec with his late wife Joan. The employee tickets are separate from those to be issued by the Newberg Area Chamber of Commerce to the general public.

Questions? Contact Mary Monahan at mmonahan@georgefox.edu.

Seven staff and administrator positions are currently open. Listed in order of recency they are:

• Administrative Assistant, College of Arts and Sciences
• Carpenter
• Associate Vice President of Human Resources
• Head Women’s Volleyball Coach
• Director of Financial Aid
• Associate Registrar
• Accounting Specialist II – General Ledger

The link to each of these position announcements can be found at jobs.georgefox.edu. If you know of someone you believe might provide a good fit for any of these jobs, please refer the person to the website for information about the job and instructions about applying.

Don’t have tickets yet for the Saturday, Jan. 9, Oregon Symphony performance in Bauman Auditorium? You’re in luck, because a limited number of tickets are still available for George Fox employees (halftime and above).

If interested, swing by the advancement office at 215 N. Meridian St., to pick up your tickets today (Tuesday) or tomorrow. There is a limit of two per employee. Phone reservations (503-554-2134) will not be taken except for employees at the Portland Center.

On Monday, Jan. 4, beginning at 9 a.m., any remaining tickets (again, a limit of two per person) will be available – on a first-come, first-served basis – to those who sign up on a waiting list. If you find you will not be able to attend the concert, please return your tickets for another employee to use.

The 29th annual concert will begin at 8 p.m. The performance is free to George Fox employees – a gift from George Fox honorary board member Ken Austin, who cofounded A-dec with his late wife Joan. The employee tickets are separate from those to be issued by the Newberg Area Chamber of Commerce to the general public.

Questions? Contact Mary Monahan at mmonahan@georgefox.edu.

This annual show will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 8-10, at the Oregon Convention Center. It features hundreds of exhibits about – you guessed it – building, remodeling and landscaping. If you would like to attend, you can pick up two tickets (worth $6 each) from the HR department on Dec. 29 and 30, then from Barbi Doran at the Information Services window in the Stevens Center between Jan. 4 and 8.

Portland and Salem employees, you can reserve yours by emailing Barbi at bdoran@georgefox.edu. She will send them to you through campus mail early in January. We have a limited supply, so please request/pick them up only if you are reasonably certain you will attend this event.

IT will be staffed and available over the Christmas break. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29 and 30, computer hardware repair services will be limited so our staff can enjoy the holidays with their families and be ready to serve you in the new year.

Newberg hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the days the university is open for business during the break. We will close for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. until Monday, Jan. 4.

Questions? Contact Josh Nauman at jnauman@georgefox.edu.

With the return of his daughter from a study abroad trip to Lithuania, President Robin Baker took time to reflect on the deep desire all parents have for the safety of their children.

You can read his reflections on his blog post here.

Please take note of the courier schedule during the Christmas break:

• Monday, Dec. 21: Courier delivery
• Thursday, Dec. 24: No courier

There will be no courier service between Dec. 28 and Jan. 1. The courier service will resume on Jan. 4.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Richard Silver at rsilver@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2551.

Merry Christmas,
Mail services

A few things to take note of as you mail packages …

No duct tape
As you tape up your outgoing packages being shipped by UPS, U.S. Mail or any other shipping carrier, do not use duct tape of any color. The drivers will refuse to take the package. This was originally a result of security following Sept. 11, 2001. Some carriers are again refusing to take packages with duct tape. Please just use clear packing tape for your outgoing packages.

Fragile packages
If you want “Special Handling for your Fragile package,” the package must be identified with a “Special Handling – Fragile” sticker that we have at mail services. These stickers are provided by the post office, and each sticker costs $10.35, in addition to the shipping costs of the package. For U.S. Mail packages, writing “Fragile” on the package does no good. The carriers do not handle these packages separately.

Shipping original art
If you want special handling of your ‘Original Art Work” you must purchase a $10.35 Fragile sticker at mail services for shipping by U.S. Mail. You still need your package packed securely to prevent damage. The only insurance that would be paid for “original art” would be based on an official appraised value of the piece of art by someone who is licensed to do this.

If you have questions, please email Linda Sartwell at lsartwel@georgefox.edu.

Following are Christmas break hours for University Mail Services, located in the North Street Annex:

• Open: Dec. 21-23 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.); Dec. 29-30 (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.); Jan. 4-8 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• Closed: Dec. 24-28; Dec. 29-30 (1 to 4:30 p.m.); Dec. 31 and Jan. 1

Christmas break hours for University Print Services:

• Open: Dec. 21-23 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.); Jan. 4-8 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• Closed: Dec. 24 – Jan. 1

Questions? Contact Linda Sartwell at lsartwel@georgefox.edu.

More than 250 students will receive undergraduate and graduate diplomas at the university’s midyear commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 19, in the Wheeler Sports Center. Seating begins at 10 a.m., and the ceremony will start at 11 a.m.

Tickets are not required; however, seating is limited to 10 guests per graduate. At 10:45 a.m., a live broadcast of the ceremony will be available to watch at this link.

George Fox alumnus Jeff Greene, a vice president and portfolio manager at First Republic Private Wealth Management with more than 10 years of experience in the wealth management business, will be the commencement speaker. The title of his presentation is “A Passion to Serve.”

At 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, George Fox will host the Oregon Symphony for its 29th appearance in Bauman Auditorium. The concert is free to George Fox employees – a gift from George Fox honorary board member Ken Austin, who cofounded A-dec with his late wife Joan.

The university has been provided with a limited number of tickets for its employees. These tickets are separate from those to be issued by the Newberg Area Chamber of Commerce to the general public.

George Fox employees (halftime and over) may pick up their tickets – limit two per employee – on a first-come, first-served basis starting today (Thursday) at 9 a.m. in the advancement office, located at 215 N. Meridian St. (across the street from the SpiL House). Phone reservations (503-554-2134) will not be taken except for employees at the Portland Center.

On Monday, Jan. 4, beginning at 9 a.m., any remaining tickets (again, a limit of two per person) will be available – also on a first-come, first-served basis – to those who sign up on a waiting list. If you find you will not be able to attend the concert, please return your tickets for another employee to use.

Questions? Contact Mary Monahan at mmonahan@georgefox.edu.

This time of year especially, gift certificates and gift cards may be purchased from university funds for employees and student employees. Because the IRS considers these cash equivalents, they are subject to tax if the recipient is an employee.

All you need to do is specify the full name of the recipient and the dollar amount of each certificate or card purchased when filling out your expense reimbursement request.

Finance will provide human resources with a copy of the form so the amount of the gift can be added for tax purposes on the next payroll. This applies to all employee types, including regular, adjunct, temporary and student employees.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Katie Sol at 503-554-2181.