Publish Date

Announcements

HR Satisfaction Survey

The Office of Human Resources is launching a Satisfaction Survey and we need your help! This brief survey aims to measure experiences, perceptions, and interactions with our office. We hope to gain valuable information from this survey to foster positive experiences with our campus community.

This survey will be distributed to Civil Service, Academic Professionals, and Faculty employees at UIS. The survey will remain open for a period of two weeks and will close at noon on February 17, 2026. Additional reminders will be sent out to encourage participation. Upon opening the survey, UIS authentication will be requested, however all responses will remain anonymous.

Be on the lookout for the survey link later today and please let us know if you have any questions.

UIS Voluntary Separation Plan

As part of the university’s NorthStar strategic visioning initiative, the University is announcing a Voluntary Separation Plan (UIS-VSP) available for all employees who meet the eligibility requirements as outlined in the plan including that they have satisfied the retirement age and service requirements under the State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (“SURS”) prior to August 15, 2026 and who have not provided a written notice of resignation or intent to retire from UIS prior to the Plan Effective Date. The 2026 UIS-VSP is designed to help UIS manage budgetary goals because of declining enrollments and increased personnel costs, while providing Eligible Employees with the choice of a separation incentive opportunity.

The application window is open and closes at 11:59 p.m. March 6, 2026. Eligible Employees will be notified of the university’s decision to accept or decline their application to participate in the 2026 UIS-VSP by March 27, 2026. 

Leave Spotlight: Parental Leave and Nursing Mothers in the Workplace

Parental Leave is a benefit for eligible employees upon hire, granting up to six (6) weeks of paid leave following the birth of a child, or upon the initial placement or legal adoption of a child under 18 years of age. Parental Leave is also available to a birthing parent in cases of stillborn or newborn fatality if the child is at least 25 weeks gestation. If eligible for Family & Medical Leave (FMLA), Parental Leave is automatically counted toward the 12-week entitlement and runs concurrently with FMLA Leave.

Parental Leave was updated in in recent years to allow for a more flexible use of the benefit for up to one year from the date of birth or placement of a child. While Parental Leave may be taken in a 6-week block of time, it may also be utilized intermittently (in full day increments) if mutually agreed upon by the employee and their unit prior to using the leave. Birthing parents must take a full 6-week block of time beginning at the date of birth unless documentation is provided that medically releases the employee earlier than six weeks.

Eligible employees include:

  • Faculty
  • Academic Professionals
  • Civil Service employees in an apprentice, intern, or status appointment or in a provisional appointment intended to be permanent
  • Postdoctoral Research Associates
  • Other employee groups as determined or approved by a collective bargaining agreement or outside accreditation agency

For nursing parents, upon return to work, please also review our policy on Nursing Mothers in the Workplace that provides working mothers with reasonable break time during normal business hours to express breast milk for up to one year after the child’s birth. These rest periods must be provided in a suitable, private location, other than a bathroom, which is located in close proximity to the employee’s work area. The breaks may run concurrently with regularly scheduled break times.

For more information and to download the forms required to apply, please visit our Parental Leave policy webpage. For inquiries and to apply for Parental Leave, please contact our Leave Coordinator, Heather Moore, at hkimb2@uis.edu or 217-206-7020.

Training Opportunities

Employee Development Series: Time Entry Systems and Leaves of Absence

The next installment of the Employee Development Series on Time Entry Systems and Leaves of Absence will be held virtually on February 24, 2026 from 9:00-10:00am. All are welcome to attend the online session. Systems that we will be discussing and demonstrating include VSL, AVSL, FLRS, and Timesheets (Banner Self-Service). Speakers will also cover examples to establish time reporting procedures within your office. Lastly, this session will include an in-depth explanation of the leaves process and procedures on our campus.

Upcoming Events

Know Your U Event: UIS Archives and Library Resources

Please save the date for a Know Your U event! Learn about UIS and local history through our archives and the valuable information housed right here on campus. University Archivist, Katrina Burch, will lead participants through a tour of the archives and provide opportunities for examining documents and learning more about our archival resources available to university employees. This event will be held at Brookens Library on March 17, 2026 from 2:00-3:00pm. Registration is not required.

Employee Development Series: Performance Evaluation Training

The Office of Human Resources is pleased to announce the next installment of the Employee Development Series will be Annual Evaluations presented by Kenzie Filchak and Drew Schlosser on March 24, 2026, from 9:00-11:00am. Information from this session will be most beneficial to supervisors, but all are welcome to attend. Topics covered in this session include form functions, preparing for the evaluation discussion with employees, and avoiding evaluation pitfalls.

This will be a virtual Microsoft Teams session. Please join us for this informative presentation!

2026 Retirement and Recognition Ceremony

We are excited to announce that the planning has already begun for the 2026 Retirement and Recognition Ceremony! Mark your calendars for April 7th, 2026, from 9:00-10:30am at the Student Union.

To ensure that we are celebrating all honorees, please check our lists if you celebrated or will celebrate a 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 year milestone between 8/16/2025 and 8/15/2026. Don’t see your name? Please email our event coordinator Kelsea Hott at kbatt2@uis.edu.

The event registration form will be announced in our March newsletter.

Save the Date

  • 02/03/2026- New Employee Orientation (virtual)
  • 02/17/2026- New Employee Orientation (in person)
  • 02/24/2026- Employee Development Series: Time Entry Systems and Leaves of Absence
  • 03/03/2026- New Employee Orientation (virtual)
  • 03/17/2026 New Employee Orientation (in person)
  • 03/17/2026- Know Your U: UIS Archives and Library Resources
  • 03/31/2026- Employee Development Series: Performance Evaluation Training
  • 03/31/2026- New Employee Orientation (virtual)
  • 04/07/2026- Retirement and Recognition Ceremony

© 2026 UIS Human Resources

HR homepage | ph. 217-206-6652 | fax 217-206-7145 | uishr@uis.edu

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