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Digest: ✅ FOA photos, perks and practical updates for May

See TGFS and K-9 photo galleries. Save with staff discounts. Get efficiency tips from other FOA teams. Explore safety and animal training and more.

Dear Colleagues, 

You’ve likely seen the moment — an all-staff meeting is about to start or just wrapping up, and suddenly Cali or Leia walks in and the room’s attention shifts.

In this month’s column, I share what’s behind those moments and how our K-9 program is helping shape a more welcoming, more connected approach to public safety at UC Davis. (As you can see, I caught up with Leia at TGFS yesterday along with Officer Joe Connors.)

Read the column and view a photo album: We've Watched These K-9s Grow...

woman and dog selfie, both smiling
Vice Chancellor Clare Shinnerl and UC Davis K-9 Officer Leia

 /to-do list

  • ⚪Take time to remember community members

  • Join colleagues for a brief remembrance ceremony with music, reflections and a reading of names, followed by optional activities to honor those we’ve lost. Register for the May 11 Remembrance Ceremony.
     

  • ⚪ Keep accessibility work on track

  • Efforts to improve digital accessibility continue, spurred in part by UCOP policy updates and requirements from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (which has a May 11 deadline). Get FOA's tips to improve accessibility of websites, documents and digital services.
     

  • ⚪ Explore practical uses for AI in your work

  • Hear how FOA colleagues are using artificial intelligence tools, including Zoom AI, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT, to improve workflows at the next FOA Efficiency Series webinar. Attend via Zoom on May 20.

/perks

/features

Two staff members discuss HR priorities at TGFS picnic

FOA in action at staff picnic

From HR priorities and water safety, to waste sorting and prize wheels — FOA staff members and leaders were out in full force for yesterday’s Thank Goodness for Staff picnic organized by UC Davis Staff Assembly. Find familiar faces in FOA's TGFS photo album.

Collage with vets working with a parrot, goat behind a wire fence, falconer holding raptor inside

Find out how animal spaces come to life

Teams in Design and Construction Management help bring innovative animal care and research facilities to life through collaboration and diligent project planning. Learn more about how DCM facilitates the university's progress on animal health.

Horse in corral with trainer look out of the fence at four fire fighters

See firefighters train for animal emergencies 

UC Davis firefighters are honing their skills to safely handle pets and livestock during emergencies through a pilot course with California's veterinary emergency experts. Read more and see photos from these hands-on sessions at UC Davis. 

/fyi

  • 🦺  Build safer habits this month

  • Attend upcoming Safety Month events focused on chemical safety, emergency preparedness and food safety, and find other resources to support a safer campus community. Explore Safety Month events and information.
     

  • 🧯  How annual safety plan updates got easier

  • Every year, UC Davis employees have to update and sign off on their office's Injury and Illness Prevention Program — and that process is easier now, thanks to some teamwork from Admin IT and Safety Services. Find out how they were able to streamline the IIPP process, in this FOA Efficiency Series story.
     

  • 👟  Get moving this spring

  • Join the University of California’s systemwide Bloom activity challenge for a chance to win prizes while staying active throughout May. Register as an individual or a team to participate.
     

  • 💬  Practice appreciation at work

  • Learn how to show effective appreciation in the workplace through the interactive virtual workshop “Conflict Competence: The Power of Appreciation” presented by the UC Davis Ombuds Office. Register for this May 12 event.
     

  • 🎓  Volunteer at commencement

  • Staff volunteers are needed to help with undergraduate commencement ceremonies from June 12-14, with commencement ambassadors receiving a $75 Visa gift card, a T-shirt and more. Sign up by May 15.
     

  • 🪻  Shop the last plant sale of spring

  • Get discounted prices on climate-resilient favorites at the final Arboretum and Public Garden plant sale of the season. Shop the clearance sale on May 16.
     

  • 💻  Strengthen electronic communication skills

  • Develop skills to cultivate positive working relationships and manage conflict through electronic communication at the upcoming Conflict Competence workshop with the UC Davis Ombuds Office. Register for the May 20 event.
     

  • 🥫  Donate to food drive for staff

  • Drop off shelf-stable, low-preparation foods and toiletries at several UC Davis or UC Davis Health locations to help support a food distribution event in June. Make donations through May 31.
     

  • 🧳  New option for business travel expenses

  • Useful for infrequent employee travelers, the new “instant card” is a virtual payment method with preset dollar limits and use dates for official university travel. Learn more and apply.
     

  • 📂  Cutting clutter from administrative forms

  • Find out how a team from Supply Chain Management and Admin IT simplified more than 30 forms by redesigning old forms and PDFs into online services, including DocuSign Web Forms, to add conditional logic and reduce extra steps. Get tips and insights from this FOA Efficiency Series article.
     

  • 🏗️  Get updates on campus construction

  • Check the latest progress on construction projects happening across UC Davis, including the Coffee House expansion, the Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation, new Segundo housing and more. Find construction updates and next steps.
     

  • 📅  See how fiscal close deadlines take shape

  • The fiscal close calendar helps UC Davis accounting and financial staff complete, approve and post key tasks so the university can close the year accurately and on time. Read how the calendar comes together and what staff members can do to get ahead.

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