Welcome to the new Infonet.

Joseph Valeriani’s Retirement Morning Tea

In honor of Joseph Valeriani, who will be retiring at the end of December, the VPMA department will be hosting a Morning Tea on Wednesday, December 15th.

The tea time will be held in College Center (CC334) from 9:30 AM to 11 AM.

Please drop by and congratulate Joe on his retirement!

Attachment:     Joe Valeriani - Retirement Flyer

December 2021 Paychecks for Full-Time Employees

As a reminder, full-time employee paychecks for the December 30th payroll will be issued on December 17th, which is the last day of classes for the Fall semester. Part-time employees and any overtime worked between December 1st through the 15th will be paid on December 30th. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Payroll Department at ext. 3120.

Healthy Perspective Digest – December 2021

This month’s digest includes:

• Peace Be With You
• Hydrated Over the Holidays
• Eating to Help Holiday Stress
• Questioning Relationships
• Celebrate a Beautiful Life
• How Much to Spend on Gifts

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to incorporate healthy habits into your lifestyle. We hope you enjoy this month’s digest (Please view attachment to read full articles). Please feel free to reach out with any questions or to schedule a private consultation with Wellness Coach, Deb at dpatetta@wcusa.com. Thanks!

Attachment:     Healthy Perspective Digest - December 2021

Book Club: The Hate U Give

It’s not too late to join the Library Services book club. Join us during any session in Zoom to discuss Angie Thomas’ New York Times bestselling novel. We meet Tuesdays at 2:00 PM. Upcoming dates:

• November 9th
• November 30th
• December 7th

Check our LibGuide to access the ebook for free and view more information: https://middlesexcc.libguides.com/fall21bookclub

Vision Board Activity

Stop by the Library to pick up your Vision Board DIY Pack starting Monday, November 15th at 2:00 PM while supplies last. A vision board refers to a visual depiction of your dreams, goals, plans, etc. This board is supposed to serve as a motivational tool as every time you see it, you will be reminded of your goals. Take a photo of your completed Vision Board and tag Library Services on your favorite social media!

Find out more, visit: https://middlesexcc.libguides.com/libraryandtutoringservices/Community

Fall 2021 Open Enrollment

Fall 2021 Open Enrollment period begins today for Full-Time Middlesex College employees, you will be able to change your benefit elections until November 30, 2021, including:

• Enrolling in or waiving health and dental benefits
• Changing health and dental plans
• Adding or removing covered dependents

Open Enrollment elections must be submitted through iCON Employee Self Service. iCON is the database that the Middlesex County Joint Health Insurance Fund (“MCJHIF”)   uses to store all employee health plan elections. Beginning this Open Enrollment, College employees wishing to make benefit election changes to health and dental benefits must do so through iCON by November 30, 2021. No paper forms will be accepted.

College employees should create an iCON account even if they are not making changes to their benefits. A temporary password will be sent to your Middlesex College e-mail address on November 2, 2021. A link to iCON is provided in the guides below.

iCON Employee Self Service  

  How to register for an iCON Self Service Account (PDF)
  How to elect benefits in iCON Self Service (PDF)

An email as also sent with full details on health and dental plans. If you have any questions or need additional information, please e-mail human_resources@middlesexcc.edu.

Nominations for Faculty Awards

It is my pleasure to announce that the call for nominations for our 2022 Faculty Awards is now open.

Middlesex College will recognize one outstanding full-time faculty member and one outstanding adjunct faculty member for their innovative and effective learning and teaching practices.

We will also honor one full-time Middlesex College faculty member as our 2022 Faculty Scholar. This recognition is given to a full-time faculty member for their academic and scholarly contributions.

These three awards will help us to continue to highlight the work of our outstanding faculty and their contributions to the success of our students. Please take the time to recognize faculty excellence by submitting a nomination.

Nominations should be submitted electronically by Friday, December 3, 2021 at 12 noon.

All nominated faculty will be notified and will be asked to submit supporting documentation by Friday, February 4, 2022 at 12 noon. A committee coordinated by CELT will oversee the application process for all three awards.

Submit Your Nomination

The recipients of the awards will be honored at a special event to be held in April 2022. Please consider nominating a colleague for one of these awards. I look forward to celebrating faculty excellence with all of you in April.

Best regards,
Mark McCormick
President

COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Implementation

On September 7th, Middlesex College announced that it would require all Middlesex College employees, including part-time personnel and adjunct/non-credit instructors working on campus in any capacity, to provide valid documentation of “full” COVID-19 vaccination (as defined by the CDC*). Employees will be required to upload documentation by December 1, 2021.

Employees may submit a request to be exempt from the vaccine requirement based on medical, religious, or personal reasons. Request Forms will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Key Dates and Actions to Take

• October 15
  Exemption Form Available  
• November 1
  Employees must forward completed Exemption Form for consideration**
• December 1
  Employees without an approved exemption must provide documentation of vaccination by uploading their vaccination records (CDC vaccination cards or other records provided by a health agency from the state or country in which they reside) to a secure site designated by the College by this date.

    Instructions for Uploading Vaccine Documentation in Self Service

Vaccines are widely available across the state. Visit covid19.nj.gov/pages/finder for more information and to schedule an appointment.

Employees who provide falsified documentation to establish compliance with the vaccine mandate, including falsified support for exemption requests, will be subject to progressive discipline as established within the Collective Bargaining Agreements for their individual bargaining units. Employees not represented by a bargaining unit will be subject to a comparable discipline process for providing falsified documentation. Referrals will be made to the College Police Department to determine if criminal sanctions are warranted.

More details about our vaccine requirement will be provided in the coming weeks. If you have questions about the requirement, please email covid_reporting@middlesexcc.edu.

Thank you for your dedication to help keep our Middlesex College community healthy.

*The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) currently define “full” vaccination for COVID-19 as “a person is considered fully vaccinated greater than or equal to two weeks after completion of a two dose mRNA series (such as Pfizer/Moderna) or a single dose of Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.”
**If your exemption request is granted, you will be required to undergo weekly testing for COVID-19.

Attachment:     COVID-19 Immunization Exemption Request Form - Employees