Category Archives: Announcement

New ABSO Training Course: Intro to Change Management – Get Ready to Lead with Confidence!

Change is constant — the real question is: Are you prepared to lead it?

This summer, we’re thrilled to launch Intro to Change Management, a highly interactive, hands-on course designed to empower you with the tools and mindset to navigate change with confidence, clarity, and purpose. This is the first course in the exploratory track of the Pathway to Employee Excellence Program and will be open to staff and managers.

Course Highlights

Dates: June 23 and 30, July 9, 16, and 23
Time: Five 1.5-hour sessions
Delivery: All in-person

Format:

  • Engaging group discussions
  • Thought-provoking interactive exercises
  • Built-in Q&A sessions to keep the dialogue flowing
  • Practical, hands-on mini-project work

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

  • Understand the fundamentals of change management
  • Use the ADKAR model (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement)
  • Apply concepts through interactive exercises and a mini-project
  • Gain confidence and clarity to apply change management strategies in your unit or team
  • Define what success looks like for your leadership journey

You’ll leave with not just knowledge — but readiness to lead change.

Who Should Attend

Whether you’re a team lead, project manager, or someone passionate about professional growth, this course will help you turn uncertainty into opportunity. This course is open to staff and managers interested in change management or leadership development.

Lead change. Don’t just manage it.
Let’s learn, collaborate, and grow together this summer. Don’t miss your chance to build leadership skills that make a real difference.

Spots Are Limited – Be the First to Register!

Register for the course by May 23, 2025. Don’t miss your chance to build leadership skills that make a real difference. Any questions, please contact abso@sjsu.edu.

Celebrating Staff Achievement: Honoring our first cohort of the ABSO Certificate Program

Three people stand together. The woman in the center holds flowers and a certificate. A blue and yellow decorated backdrop is behind them.

Celebrating Staff Achievement: Honoring our first cohort of the ABSO Certificate Program

On March 19, 2025, in a heartfelt ceremony, we proudly recognized five exceptional staff members who completed the foundational track of the ABSO Certificate Program, Pathway to Employee Excellence. Launched in Fall 2023, this professional development initiative aims to refresh, strengthen, and teach new skills to staff employees within Academic Affairs.

Since its inception, the program has offered three comprehensive courses focusing on basic personnel management, basic budget and financial management, and event planning. With approximately 100 Academic Affairs staff participating in at least one course, these five individuals demonstrated remarkable persistence by completing all three courses, which included assignments and quizzes.

Congratulations to:

  • Nima Abrishamkar, Senior Analyst, Programs and Operations, Applied Data Science
  • Sarah Kam, Senior College Resource Analyst, COSS Dean’s Office
  • Kristina Luna, Administrative Services Specialist, School of Information
  • Lydie Rashel, Administrative Analyst, Mechanical Engineering
  • Mahasti Tayebi, Administrative Support Coordinator, Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

During the ceremony, Provost Vincent Del Casino and AVP Sami Monsur presented certificates of completion, joined by colleagues, directors, and deans who came to celebrate and support their staff’s professional growth. The honorees can proudly showcase their ABSO training badge in their professional portfolios, highlighting their achievements and skills.

Honoree Highlights:

“I love communicating and being in touch with students…I love the training.” — Nima Abrishamkar
“I’m grateful for this training… it gave me exposure to how the university works.” — Sarah Kam
“I love my job. I grow and learn every day… this training was wonderful.” — Mahasti Tayebi
“The better I am, the better our faculty and students can focus on their work.” — Lydie Rashel
“I’ve learned in each module… it’s necessary to stay fresh.” — Kristina Luna

Leadership Reflections:

AVP Monsur encouraged participants to see this as a stepping stone: “These trainings show that the campus is open to you — even beyond our division — as growth opportunities arise.” The program seeks to empower employees through knowledge. 

Provost Del Casino applauded the dedication shown: “This is above and beyond your day-to-day work. It’s inspiring to see people invest in each other and build community. Congratulations to everyone!”

What’s Next?

We’re excited to announce new courses in the exploratory track this summer: Fundamentals of Enrollment Management and Intro to Change Management (ADKAR Method). We’re also offering Introduction to Courses & Class Scheduling as part of the foundational track. Stay tuned for more details!

Again, congratulations to our first cohort for their dedication and achievement. We look forward to seeing more staff continue to grow and thrive through this impactful program.

Updated University Lecture Rooms (ULR) Event Form Requirements

As of September 2024, AS&SM updated the University Lecture Rooms (ULR) Event Form to require a Vice President or College Dean (or their designee) signature for events involving off-campus guests. 

DocuSign Instructions

When routing the DocuSign envelope, update Recipient #3 to the Vice President or College Dean (or their designee) (see the example). If this information is not updated while selecting “Yes” for off-campus guests on the form, it may cause routing issues. If you fail to update Recipient #3, your DocuSign will NOT route for approval to AS&SM.

Off-Campus Guests

A couple of reminders for events including off-campus guests: 

The change aligns with the system-wide and campus Time, Place, & Manner Policies. Going forward, all ULR event requests that include one or more off-campus guests will require a signature from the  Vice President or College Dean (or their designee). We last shared this information at the September 16, 2024 ASUG Meeting and November 2024 ABSO Blog post. 

Spring 2025 Assigned Time Reporting

The Assigned Time Data Entry System for Spring 2025 is now open.  Employees responsible for entering and approving time can log in through the IRSA Assigned Time portal. System access has been updated based on each employee’s role and involvement in the process, as approved by the DRO in each college. If you are unable to log in, please request access by submitting an Access Request Form. Please check your access before submitting a request.

Deadline

All assigned time entries must be entered and approved by the dean by Friday, February 21, 2025.  Departments should consult their dean’s office as additional internal reporting deadlines may apply.

Contact Information

Update to the Academic Affairs Division Telecommuting Agreement Process

We are implementing an important update to the telecommuting agreement process for the Academic Affairs Division. Effective immediately, we are shifting to a calendar-year model for all telecommuting agreements, regardless of an employee’s hire date. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Calendar Year Model: We are in the process of transitioning all of our telecommuting agreements to a January–December schedule. This update will standardize agreements across the Division to streamline tracking and renewals.
  • Standard Campus/Remote Model: The standard schedule for telecommuting is a 3-day campus / 2-day remote model. Any department or unit requesting a schedule other than this 3/2 split must be prepared to submit written justification from the Appropriate Administrator if requested by the Office of Equal Opportunity.
  • Agreement Cycle: When an employee’s current Telecommuting Agreement expires, the new agreement must have an end date of 12/31/25 to align with the calendar year model. For agreements ending on 12/31/2024, please submit a new agreement in December to allow for approval processing and ensure an effective start date of January 1, 2025.
  • Guidelines and Resources: Review the telecommuting process – including the policy, signing authority, and agreement guidelines – on the AA Resource Hub. As a reminder, please use the AAD-specific Telecommuter Agreement, also available on the AA Resource Hub.
  • Telecommuting Help and FAQs: For more information, check out UP’s Telecommuting Help and FAQs webpage.

If you have any questions, please consult with your DRO/manager or reach out to ABSO at abso@sjsu.edu.

Thank you for your cooperation in this transition to a streamlined telecommuting process.