Human Resources Newsletter: August 2025

Greetings colleagues!

Welcome to our quarterly HR newsletter! This is our space to share what’s new, what’s coming and to celebrate the people who make our campus such a vibrant place to work and learn. In each issue, you’ll find helpful reminders, upcoming deadlines, and stories that connect us as colleagues and community members.

Every role matters. Every contribution shapes our university’s story. Thank you for the energy and dedication you bring to our campus every day—it’s what makes our work in HR so meaningful.

Gary Evans
Chief Human Resources Officer

HR Highlights

Fall Pay Schedules: The Fall semester payroll schedule is now available. Please review to determine when you will receive your first paycheck of the semester.
Insurance Deadlines: Employees returning for the fall semester will receive information about deadlines for enrolling in health insurance and retirement during the first week of classes.
Student Employment: Student Assistant hires must be submitted to the JobX portal promptly to allow time for processing before their start date.

End of Summer Essentials

Employees who are off the payroll over the summer for a period greater than one month will need to reactivate direct deposit.
Faculty, including those returning from sabbatical, should review their time record to confirm the records have reopened, contact Time Records with any questions.
International employees must alert Valerie Goris of any new or updated work authorizations. Contact information is included on page 3.
Title VI training launched August 13 and is due October 15, 2025. For any questions about Title VI, please contact [email protected].

Hiring and Onboarding

Upcoming New Employee Orientation & Start Dates include:

August 14 and 28, 2025
September 11 and 25, 2025
October 9 and 23, 2025
November 6 and 20, 2025

As a reminder, supervisors of new employees are encouraged to join us for a short reception on the morning of orientation days!
While required forms are collected during orientation, new employees can review required forms beforehand ensure they properly submit their onboarding materials.

Effective May 20, 2025, faculty and staff searches have transitioned to the Office of Human Resources’ Workforce Planning unit. Any questions about the search process should be directed to [email protected].

Other Tips and Resources

It’s never too early to think about retirement! Whether you are close to retirement or early in your career, meet with a financial advisor for free. Contact [email protected] to discuss health insurance and necessary paperwork.
When completing a HRTS transaction, remember to attach any requested documents for timely and effective processing.
Active employees can update tax elections, direct deposit, addresses, and print paystubs, W-2s via SUNY Self-Service.

Coming Soon

Annual Compliance Training information to be sent out in November.
As a reminder, dates for the Option Transfer Period, to make changes to health insurance, and the Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP), to exchange accruals for health insurance premium reductions, and open enrollment for Flex Spending Accounts will be released toward the end of November.

Highlights Across Campus

Damien the Great Dane, UAlbany's mascot, holds up a trophy while raising one finger to signify UAlbany is Number 1.

Want your department to be featured in our newsletter? School spirit is once again pouring through the halls and fountains of the university. Show us your UAlbany Pride by submitting a picture of your office during Spirit Friday! Creativity will be taken into account when selecting the winning department, Go Great Danes!

HR Roundabout

From May to early August, we welcomed 77 new employees to campus! We appreciate the continued collaboration from departments all across campus as we onboard new staff.

Additionally, we congratulate the 24 retirees we’ve offboarded this summer and wish them the best!

Meet HR

Valerie Goris ‘22
Employment Eligibility and International Tax Assistant

Valerie is a UAlbany alum who has been with the HR Team since October 2024. You should contact Valerie at [email protected] with any questions about international I-9s, I-9 verification for rehires, athletic scholarships, tax compliance for international employees, 1042-S forms, or reciprocal I-9s for remote employees.