We spend a lot of time talking about GW’s Service Priorities in DSF, so we’re always excited to share moments that exemplify our progress. FPCM got a big efficiency boost recently when Adam Poplin‘s Zone 2 team managed to cut the cost of a Lerner Health and Wellness project by more than 75%. An original contractor quote of $39k dropped all the way to a final total of just $9k when the work was done in house by the excellent Zone 2 staff.
Collette Coleman asked for FPCM’s assistance refreshing the Rec Sports Suite and the team delivered a high quality solution. When all was said and done, the suite got a fresh coat of paint, brand new ceiling tiles, and updated lighting. DSF Interim VP Baxter Goodly had this to say: “The successful completion of this project is a testament to the tremendous talent and dedication of our Facilities team. Not only did they refurbish and brighten this office suite, they saved GW over $30,000. Well Done!”
We encourage you to read all emails sent to university employees, but we realize it’s easy to miss the details in the barrage of content sometimes. Below we’ve compiled a few highlights from recent editions of GWell, Digital Download, and The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter.
Quick tips from GW Communications & Marketing Digital Support
Announcing the new myGW
The myGW website and mobile app have been completely redesigned to streamline access to information, resources and online services at GW. The new myGW mobile app is now available for download in mobile app stores, replacing the existing GW Mobile app. The current GW Mobile app no longer functions.
A newsletter highlighting Staff Council initiatives and events
Staff Commute Survey
The Staff Council has created a brief survey to gain insight into staff commutes. All feedback will be kept anonymous but will be used to guide initiatives within the council.
Shop, mingle, and celebrate the grand re-opening of the GW Campus Store at its new location (2125 Eye Street NW, Washington DC). Employees who present their GWorld card at the in-store check-out counter can receive a discount of 10 percent off* on gifts, clothing and supplies.
*Exclusions Apply: The discount is not valid on electronics (headphones, speakers, computers, etc.), textbooks, or with any other coupons or store promotions.
New Vacation Time Policy
GW is introducing a new vacation time policy, effective July 1, 2024. Visit go.gwu.edu/2024vacationtime for more details. You can also watch a recording of the latest webinar and view the materials presented via the links below. Please contact the Benefits office at timeoff@gwu.edu with questions regarding the new vacation time policy.
Interim Vice President for Safety & Facilities Baxter Goodly sent the following message to staff earlier this month.
Happy New Year, Team!
I trust your time away from campus gave you a chance to recharge and that you’re ready to tackle 2024’s fresh challenges.
We had a very productive 2023 – and I do mean productive. Our Facilities team completed over 23,000 service call phases since August. That’s a big number indicating all the hard work our staff is doing each and every day, but I actually want to focus on the decrease we’ve seen since implementing zones in Facilities Buildings and Grounds. During the 2021 Fall Semester when we were still primarily operating as individual shops, we had almost 2,500 more service calls. More impressively, the average time it took to complete service calls dropped from 10.59 days in November 2021 (the month we began the shift to zones) to 4.23 days in November 2023. I attribute these decreases to both the preventive maintenance and the increased teamwork that have resulted from moving to zones.
FBG accounts for the majority of our staff, but we can’t forget about the tremendous contributions from the rest of FPCM.
Transportation and Logistics expertly transitioned us to a new shuttle provider with little disruption and completed almost 1,600 phases between trash removal, furniture projects, and relocation services.
Utilities, Energy, and Engineering modernized elevators in several buildings and got to work on a cogen optimization project. They also had high profile achievements like the approval of the Southland Energy project expected to save us 1.5 million dollars in the first year and an energy management pilot program at Smith Center now expanding to more buildings on campus. Construction Management and Campus Planning earned notable publicity as well from renovations at the Smith Center, the solar system now operating at Thurston, and prominent renovations in Duques.
These accomplishments leave no doubt we’re well prepared to take on all the projects we have slated for the Spring Semester. FBG has begun work on a strategic plan for the next two years that will involve input from many on the team. Across Foggy Bottom, we have HVAC work scheduled, including refurbishing systems in both Ross Hall and Academic Center, replacing the heating and cooling systems in Amsterdam, and restoring building services in certain parts of Gelman.
Finally, we are continuing our efforts to refresh AiM and FixIt. These systems touch every part of FPCM, meaning successful completion of this project is critical. Once we’ve reached the finish line, we’ll have created a system that better empowers our customers, increases technician productivity, helps managers improve operations, and strengthens our ability to collect and report on data and trends. We’ve already spent over 650 hours on this project already and I thank all those who have helped ensure we stay on schedule and on budget.
Your participation in these projects and our daily operations is essential. Without you, we can’t serve GW, let alone continue our journey to improve our processes. Thanks for everything you’re doing and here’s to a fantastic year ahead!
We’ve tallied up the totals for 2023 and we’ve got three trophies to hand out for the most Five Star FixIt reviews! In total, 119 separate people received over 400 kudos from customers last year. That’s a lot of appreciation to go around! Thank you all for making 2023 a customer service success and congratulations to Souk Vongs, Brian Johnson, and Terry Branch! We’ll connect with you to make sure you get your trophies. Final results for the top ten are below.
Souk Vongs – 16 Brian Johnson – 14 Terrence Branch – 14 Carl Bryant – 12 Raymond Wallace – 12 Jose Ventura – 11 Christopher Gammon – 10 Jose Melgar – 9 Julio Martinez – 9 Nestor Fuentes – 9
We encourage you to read all emails sent to university employees, but we realize it’s easy to miss the details in the barrage of content sometimes. Below we’ve compiled a few highlights from recent editions of the GW Information Technology Newsletter, GWell, and Digital Download.
The myGW website and GW Mobile app are being redesigned to streamline access to the university’s online services. The new myGW mobile app is also now available for download in the mobile app stores, replacing the existing mobile app. The current GW Mobile app will continue to function until February 1st. Stay up-to-date on rollout details at the New myGW initiatives page. Access the new myGW prior to the official cutover on February 1st by visiting go.gwu.edu/mygw.
Whether you are looking to celebrate the new year or to plan your next vacation, TicketsatWork has many deals for GW employees to explore this January on flights and hotels, clothing and accessories, choices for maintaining your physical, mental, and financial wellness, and much more! To sign up at no cost, click become a member and enter our company code: GWU.
Benefits Tips and Reminders for the New Year
The 2024 Benefits Tips and Reminders (PDF) is now available to help you start the new year with the most up-to-date benefits information. This document provides step-by-step instructions for how to begin using your newly elected benefits for 2024 such as how to access your medical ID cards, how to contact our benefits’ vendor partners, how to create online accounts with vendor partners, and how to fill a prescription if you have yet to receive your ID card. You’ll also learn about important FSA deadlines and more! As you take some time to review the information provided, remember that you can always contact us for assistance with any questions regarding your 2024 benefit elections.
Quick tips from GW Communications & Marketing Digital Support
Emma Mass Email Overview
January 10, 2024 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Learn how you can connect with your audience using Emma, GW’s university-wide mass email tool. This training will cover the user login process, contact management, and Emma’s drag-and-drop campaign editor. Register for the Emma Training.
We encourage you to read all emails sent to university employees, but we realize it’s easy to miss the details in the barrage of content sometimes. Below we’ve compiled a few highlights from recent editions of GWell, Focus on Yourself Fridays, and The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter.
GWell
HR’s monthly newsletter.
Faculty and Staff Meal Plans
Faculty & Staff Meal Plans are available again for the Spring 2024 semester! These plans come at a discounted price for Faculty & Staff and are paid for through payroll deduction (either biweekly or monthly). The deadline to enroll in a plan will be January 12, 2024; no changes can be made after a plan is selected. To learn more about how to sign-up, pay for, and use a Faculty & Staff Meal Plan please visit the dining website.
Focus on Yourself Fridays
Resources to help you develop professionally.
LinkedIn Learning
This past year, Focus on Yourself Fridays provided LinkedIn Learning recommendations in each newsletter. The most popular LinkedIn Learning recommendation was Event Planning Foundations.
There are ways that you can make your work more accessible to everyone who encounters it, including those with disabilities. Below are some ways you can learn more about making content usable and accessible.
Provide agendas and materials in advance if you can so people can review and prepare to contribute thoughtfully.
Break up long content into more manageable chunks. For documents, you can do this using headings to designate segments, or you can split into shorter documents. If you’re giving a longer meeting or presentation, make space for processing or questions every 15 minutes.
FPCM Senior Associate Vice President Baxter Goodly sent along the following message to FPCM staff for the holidays.
Team,
We’re coming to the end of 2023 and I can say with confidence that another Fall semester filled with service improvements and major projects has earned all of you a restful Winter Break. These last several months at GW have been marked by significant events, including the introduction of a new university president, the initiation of a substantial effort to revitalize AiM, and the execution of one of the most well-organized move-ins in recent memory.
Your dedication and hard work have truly charted our course for the year, making it a period of transformation and unparalleled productivity (a claim I’m proud to report is backed up by the numbers). Each of you has played a crucial role in the success of our endeavors, and I am immensely proud to be part of such a dynamic and committed team.
As we reflect on the achievements of 2023, I am filled with optimism about the future. The challenges we faced were met with resilience and collaboration, setting the stage for a promising New Year. Looking ahead to 2024, I anticipate more impressive milestones to come, many of which I can’t predict as they will be the result of your own creativity and planning in the face of unexpected circumstances. Together, we will continue to enhance the campus environment and provide the best possible support for our university community.
Many of you will be on campus during the break, ensuring the smooth operation of our facilities and the well-being of our students. I acknowledge your dedication and hard work, and I hope that amidst your responsibilities, you find moments of joy with your loved ones.
Wishing you all a safe and rejuvenating break. Be well, stay safe, and I look forward to reconnecting with you all in 2024!
Winter Break is now in full swing and that means our campuses are a bit quieter than usual. That said, we still have 600 residents staying with us through the holiday (and a smattering of faculty and staff), so if you’re a staff member who regularly interacts with our residents, remember to knock on doors and follow usual customer service best practices. The first day of class of the Spring Semester is January 16, but students will begin to trickle back in before that. As a result of reduced numbers, some services may be temporarily halted or modified as seen on the university’s Winter Break adjusted campus services page. Some retail venues may also be closed during break as seen below.
Below you’ll find all the buildings we expect to have occupants and the number currently staying.
District House – 94 South Hall – 75 Thurston Hall – 53 Mitchell Hall – 44 JBKO Hall – 23 Fulbright Hall – 21 FSK Hall – 18 Dakota – 17 Guthridge Hall – 17 1959 E Street – 15 2109 F Street – 14 Munson Hall – 14 Building JJ – 11 International House – 11 Lafayette Hall – 11 Greek Townhouse A – 9 Madison Hall – 9 Potomac House – 8 Greek Townhouse F – 4 605 21st Street – 3 2123 F Street – 2 Strong Hall – 2 603 22nd Street – 1 Greek Townhouse B – 1 Greek Townhouse C – 1
Thurston Hall has been awarded LEED platinum certification and GW Today is all over this tremendous achievement. As our chief news source explains, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a widely used rating system to recognize “green” building. Check out the article for quotes from our very own Director of Sustainability Josh Lasky and Assistant Vice President for Construction Management and Campus Planning Adam Aaronson.
Josh Lasky: “When I lived in Thurston, it was a much different space,” Lasky said. “I’m a little jealous that students today have such an incredible living environment to enjoy in one of the most progressively designed green buildings in the District of Columbia.”
Adam Aaronson: “Being able to achieve the energy savings while reusing an existing historic structure is certainly a challenge. And the team really rose to the challenge. This really took the collective effort of the design team, the construction team and all of the dozens of people at GW that were involved.”
GW’s annual Midnight Breakfast organized by our pals in the Division of Student Affairs went down this week on Monday night, much to the delight of our students. DSF staff volunteered to help students take their minds off finals (if only for a few hours) to focus on fun and good food. Over 2,200 students attended the deep sea themed party this year. Check out the picture evidence below!
