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What you need to know

All individuals are required to wear masks indoors in all campus buildings and other MSU facilities in East Lansing and throughout the state. This requirement will be in place for at least the first weeks of the fall semester.
All students, faculty and staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 with an FDA-authorized or WHO-approved vaccine (at least first dose) by Aug. 31. Limited exemptions for medical or religious reasons will be provided. If you are looking for a vaccine provider, start at Vaccines.gov.
All employees who have been working remotely should continue doing so until told otherwise by their supervisor.
Human Resources keeps an updated FAQ website for employees as well as resources for returning to work.


Use these links to jump to a specific section of the HR resources:

Health and Safety
Staffing
Student Employees
Compensation and Benefits
HR Processes
Faculty and Academic Staff Hiring Modifications
Support Staff Hiring Modifications
Professional Development - Remote Opportunities
Unemployment Information




With more students returning this fall, we expect that people who have student-, faculty- or public-facing roles will be returning to in-person positions in some capacity.  
Remember you can always visit MSU's Together We Will site for university-wide COVID-19 related information. The Together We Will FAQ has answers to the most commonly asked questions about our return to work and is updated daily. Together We Will - COVID Directives provides a high-level overview of the most up-to-date expectations around face coverings, vaccinations, personal hygiene, and self-monitoring. 

Support Resources for Employees
MSU staff, faculty, graduate student assistants and retirees (and the spouses and partners and benefits-eligible children of these people) have access to the MSU Employee Assistance Program, which at the moment is providing all of its counseling sessions over the phone or videoconferencing via Zoom. Please call 517-355-4506 to set up an appointment.
Employees also can still access MSU Health4U via videoconferencing. 
International faculty, staff and visiting scholars can contact the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) for assistance.
The WorkLife Office is working with return to campus committees to help us figure out how to know what work must be done on campus, and what work might be done remotely. That will help identify those employees who need to return to campus. Find resources related to flexible work arrangements here.  
The Wellbeing at Work guide provides evidence-based best practices to recruit and retain high-quality candidates and create healthier workplaces and teams, as we take care of our well-being and the well-being of each other. It is a tool to use from any position when thinking about strengthening a team or a unit.
Other resources for caregivers and parents include:

Care.com/msu: Find trusted care providers. MSU faculty and staff can get free access to search for childcare, special needs care, tutoring help, private lessons, housekeeping, pet care and more. Learn how to get free access
Dependent Care Support 40 hours or 5 days of childcare support during working hours per year July 1-June 30 either in-home or center-based. In-home services are covered throughout Michigan as available. In-home care is $7 per hour, center-based is free at Bailey Preschool and Childcare Center as available. Booking as far ahead of time as possible is best. This benefit is available while funds last. We currently have funds available.
Creating a Quaranteam guide will assist those families needing to or looking to create a pod of online learners.
The MSU WorkLife Office offers one on one consultations to brainstorm and consult on childcare-related issues. More information about supporting parents and caregivers can be found here.

TOGETHER AGAIN on CAMPUS
IPF has worked diligently to prepare campus workspaces and buildings as more faculty, staff and students return

This checklist will help staff returning to campus review their workspaces and request service if needed.
Please submit service requests online.  Urgent and time-sensitive matters can be handled by calling Contact IPF at 517-353-1760.

Workplace Cleaning Expectations: We're committed to providing a safe, healthy environment for research and education. Detailed cleaning levels are available at our Custodial service level page. Find details related to classrooms, restrooms, and more at our Custodial Services page.
Air Circulation Frequent Questions: We carefully monitor and follow guidance from the CDC, OSHA and other organizations regarding optimal building ventilation and air filtration. Learn more at our informational page about COVID and HVAC frequently asked questions.

Finishing up the academic year isn’t the same flavor as past years. We’ve had a taste of a much different year and there’s no better time than the moment to reflect on what was accomplished, set aside, or re-imagined. With the spring sun comes a deep breath out, then pause, and inhale hope for the opportunities ahead.
Start with a 3 Breath Reset
At the start of each session of the Living in a Daring Way course, Lisa Laughman helps participants pause for a three breath reset. This practice is common in mindfulness-based stress reduction courses. Try this short technique to help you refocus and recenter yourself.

First breath: focus on your breath coming in and leaving your body.
Second breath: notice your tension in your body on the inhale. On the exhale take a more relaxed position.
Third breath: on the inhale try to connect to your deepest wisest self. On the exhale stay with your deepest wisest self and acknowledge that part of yourself.

Learn from Lisa Laughman, LMSW & ACSW in Health4U and the Employee Assistance Program. 
Season with Gratitude
“Throughout my career, I have found myself committed to appreciating the contributions of my colleagues, and the communities we served. Whether it was uplifting the stories of others or building structures to support gratitude sharing, giving thanks and holding space to appreciate others has been a constant,” said learning designer Makena Neal in a recent piece, Gratitude and the Culture of Care.
There’s evidence to support the importance of gratitude in the workplace. Practicing gratitude has significant impacts on positive affective well-being, can also promote kindness and generosity, and highlights our connection to one another. Moreover, triggers that inspire state gratitude, such as letters of appreciation, as well as institutionalized gratitude have been found to be predictors of job satisfaction.  
At MSU, you can formally Thank an Educator. You can also nominate your supervisor/administrator for this year’s Outstanding Supervisor Award by July 31, 2022. Anywhere you are you can send an email, verbally share your gratitude or send a token of appreciation. A small amount of gratitude can make a huge impact. So… who will you thank today?
Reflect on Accomplishments
Take a look at your personal accomplishments - not just the big hurray moments, but the moments of holding peace, wrapping up a long-tail project, and even finishing a very hard academic year. Sometimes survival is a success. Life isn’t just about reaching higher and higher peaks, sometimes it's about moving through the valleys, and just reaching a resting place is an endeavor worth honoring.
You can choose to track your professional success 
Jaimie Hutchison of the WorkLife Office provided this insight:
Often, after speaking with people, I learn how much more they actually have to offer than what shows up on their resume or LinkedIn profile. Here in the WorkLife Office, I do career consultations for faculty and staff. I have worked with faculty, executives, and staff members of all levels. In the end, the same advice and encouragement comes out:

By thinking through your impact and accomplishments, you can have a better sense of your contribution to your workplace.
You can have a better sense of yourself.
You can reflect on things you have done where you used your skills to the best of your ability.
You can reflect on projects or positions where you felt “meh” and it wasn’t the best fit for you.
You can also reflect on what skills, experience, and abilities you have that are not getting utilized. 

The Three Levels of Praxis: A Model for Reflection on Teaching 
Written by E. Cuevas, educator in WRAC, the article draws on what Paulo Freire called praxis, or reflection and action. “A belief in praxis accepts that we are both instructors and learners; we have much to learn from our students. Engaging in reflection is an important part of figuring out how to align your goals, with your teaching, with your research, and your place in your institution. In this post, I will continue to reflect on my personal positioning to offer a model for reflection and I will do this by meditating on my positionality on three levels: the personal, the classroom, and the institutional,” wrote E. Cuevas
 
Give it Time
The Well-being at Work Guide sheds insights on taking time away from work, in the forms of breaks, vacation time, or strengthening boundaries around employees’ workdays, is important. Taking breaks throughout the workday has benefits for both the employee and the organization, but many employees often neglect to take them. Skipping breaks can lead to faster burnout and higher stress levels. Employees stepping away from work for a few minutes increases their productivity, job satisfaction, mental health and wellbeing, in addition to restoring their motivation (Kohll, 2018; Selig, 2017). 
Taking a break from work increases focus when employees return to work, thus improving their productivity. Additionally, taking breaks relieves some stress, which helps employees’ mental health and wellbeing. These factors contribute to increased job satisfaction (Kohll, 2018). 

Learn from Nature
Nature can positively affect employees. There is evidence that time spent outdoors boosts people's wellbeing, and even five minutes of time in nature can improve mental health. Spending time outside benefits people because breathing fresh air increases oxygen intake and allows the lungs to work at their full capacity (Sandborn, 2018).  Exposure to vitamin D from the sun boosts people's moods, too. Time outside also can reduce employees’ chronic stress, physical and social stressors. These benefits are at their strongest when experiencing 21 to 30 minutes of nature time (Hunter, Gillespie, & Chen, 2019).

Beronda Montgomery talks "Lessons from Plants"
Watch the Replay 
Beronda L. Montgomery explores the vigorous, creative lives of organisms often treated as static and predictable. In fact, plants are masters of adaptation. They “know” what and who they are, and they use this knowledge to make a way in the world. Plants experience a kind of sensation that does not require eyes or ears. They distinguish kin, friend, and foe, and they are able to respond to ecological competition despite lacking the capacity of fight-or-flight. Plants are even capable of transformative behaviors that allow them to maximize their chances of survival in a dynamic and sometimes unfriendly environment.

Grow in Your Own Way
However you reflect, disconnect, recharge and rejuvenate this summer; do it in the way that works best for you. Try new things or shut out the world for a few hours at a time. Explore new skills, areas, and ideas, or retreat to your own quiet place to let your mind wander. Plot your next year or reflect solidly on the past. Remember all the challenges you’ve overcome, the people you met, and the opportunities you’ve discovered.

Are you interested in creating an event or program to build community for your students population? There are a variety of ways to actively connect with your students and foster a sense of community. In this article, explore programming ideas and additional tools that can assist. Event and program ideas:

Information sessions on important curriculum information
Career/alumni panels
"Creating Your Next Semester Schedule" workshop
Webinar on locating co-curricular opportunities
Study skills workshop
Navigating test anxiety discussion with representative from CAPS
Group advising for first year students
Graduate/professional school preparation seminars
Registered Student Organization fair that relate to a specific topic
Study spaces during mid-terms and finals week
Semester kick-off and end-of-year celebration

There are free resources available to MSU staff and faculty to support your events and programs. These include:

MSU Brand Studio provides a variety of tools and downloads that adheres to MSU branding guidelines. This includes color palettes, typography, logos, signatures and office toolkits, flyers, manuals, facts sheets, and more. 


25LivePro is MSU's room reservation system. If hosting an event on-campus, check 25Live for open classrooms.

A job aid for using 25LivePro is available here(this link downloads a file).




Zoom is an excellent tool to host virtual meetings and webinars. You can also record and share sessions in Zoom for anyone that was not able to attend the live session. 


Kaltura MediaSpace is MSU's media hub designed to store and share media collections. For video recordings that you wish to share, upload to Kaltura MediaSpace to create a shareable link or embed code, and add closed captioning. A video tutorial for using Kaltura MediaSpace is available here.


Canva is a versatile design tool that offers many free templates for flyers, infographics, worksheets, and so much more. 


Camtasia provides faculty with the ability to create, edit, and upload their screen recordings or presentations. This helps students navigate their online courses, provide assignment feedback, and more. This program is offered free through MSU IT Services. 


TechSmith SnagIt allows faculty, staff and students to create beautiful documentation, images, screen captures, diagrams, and other media that can be used along with D2L. This is also free through MSU IT Services. 

note: Statements bolded below are excerpts from a nomination letter submitted on Frances' behalf for a 2019 #iteachmsu Educator Award, which she received. 
 
I have just begun my second full-time job at MSU, and after completing all my degrees here consider myself a SPARTAN LIFER. In the past 12 years, I have met many of MSU finest educators. (What luck!) I feel compelled to share now because one of MSU's most wonderful educators is now deceased. 
 
I first met France Kaneene as an undeclared undergrad from a very small town. Neither of my parents went to a four-year institution and I felt lost at MSU. That is until I met Frances. I was perusing MSU's extensive list of majors, overwhelmed with possibilities and my seeming lack of direction, I got excited about a [then] specialization in Connected Learning that was housed in the Bailey Scholars Program, in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. I made an appointment with a random CANR advisor to learn more, and that random advisor happened to be Frances. 
 
I brought my mother with me to that meeting (in the summer) and when we walked into Frances' office, I immediately felt at home. She was so empathetic to the experiences I shared about my time on campus and not only connected me (in real-time via phone) with the Director of BSP, through our conversation she helped me pick a major! I joined the [now] Community Sustainability Studies program (formerly Community Agriculture Recreation and Resource Studies) to complete a B.S. in Environmental Studies and Agriscience. Frances was so kind and considerate of the experiences I was having on campus. She helped me feel like more than a number, going out of her way to share "insider" tips for navigating campus, and finding a sense of place.
 
When I told Frances that I wanted to apply to graduate school and thus also wanted to finish my degree in three years, she helped me process my motivations and goals. I knew I'd be more likely to receive funding in the fall semester of a program rather than the spring, and my trajectory to finish was December. After many genuine and whole-hearted conversations, Frances helped me think critically about my program plan, problem solve, and design a series of learning experiences that were both interesting AND met all my program requirements. I finished my bachelor's in three years and stayed in the CARRS program  for my M.S. and loved that I had Frances [then] as a mentor who kept up with what I was doing and where I was trying to go. 
 
Frances connected me with people on campus. She supported my goals and helped me maintain my curiosity throughout my MSU experience. After I finished my masters degree, I stayed on at MSU as an Extension educator, and Frances and I became work-friends. Over lunch, she encouraged me to pursue my PhD. I remember her saying "academia needs more people like you" and oh how impactful that comment as been.
 
This summer, I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation from the College of Education's Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education program. I'm now working as a postdoc academic specialist at MSU. So much has changed since I first met Frances. Without her, I might be working towards a PhD now (maybe), but it's also very possible that I would have transferred out of MSU to a smaller institution. Frances is the reason I stayed a Spartan. As an academic advisor, mentor, and colleague - she was ALWAYS an educator to me... and one of MSU's very best at that. 
 
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/east-lansing-mi/frances-kaneene-9301208
 

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Arts and Letters. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Deric McNish: Deric is an outstanding educator, for sure. But he is also an exceptional colleague and I just want people to recognize his compassionate and thoughtful approach to holistic learning and his coordination and organization of the largest population in our department-- the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. He is a wonderful leader in that program. He also inspires me to be more thoughtful with decisions I make through his guidance and examples. He is a colleague and peer that inspires me and others.

Danielle Devoss: Danielle is an inspirational leader and guide. I have worked with her on numerous projects-- or more likely watched her work. She is tireless and completely focused and committed. I am constantly inspired by her dedication and selfless willingness to help and guide.

Krsna Santos: Herr Santos has been one of the most considerate Professors I've had in my Freshman year so far. Starting off school online with this pandemic and all has not been easy but I've never had to stress out with Herr Santos and his class, as he is very understanding of the circumstances and is willing to make compromises to help me succeed.

Hannah Allen: Professor Allen has been extremely helpful in my first year as a freshman here at MSU. Her method for preparing for and going over essays is less stressful and she is always willing to offer additional assistance if needed. She is very kind and considerate as well, especially when connection issues arise.

Adam Gacs: I dropped out of GRM 202 the first time I tried to take it. I felt overwhelmed and I was drowning. After I left nearly the entire first test blank, I dropped the class. It took two years before I tried again, this time with Adam Gacs. Under his gentle guidance, I’ve been able to maintain a 4.0 and grow in my confidence. I no longer worry about not having all the words or stumbling over grammar. I think confidence was the one place my German knowledge was really failing, and I feel like I’ve gotten to be much more capable.
He’s also done an incredibly good job at teaching a language online. We seem to all be pretty in tune with each other in class and he lets us have fun and make jokes (as long as they’re in German!) and we have a genuinely good time. The assignments are easy to find and follow, and I never feel overwhelmed with work in his class like I have in language classes previously.
Massive thanks to Adam Gacs.

Nicola Imbrascio: She has been one of the most impactful professors I have had in my time at MSU, and my field isn't even related to what I learned in her classes. She cares so much about her students in both their academic and personal lives. I learned so much in both of the classes I took with her because she is so engaging and you can tell that she is really passionate about what she teaches.

Dr. Sheila  Contreras: I would like to thank Dr. Contreras for taking the time to mentor me and other individuals like me. She has always demonstrated care and an interest to see us succeed. She is an extraordinary Latina on our campus and deserves to be recognized for her effort in supporting our community. She has gone above and beyond to see us get into graduate school. She continues to motivate other Latinx individuals to continue their education. I appreciate her effort.

Morgan Shipley: Morgan Shipley is one of the most genuine professors I have ever had. Every class he shows how much he cares for his students and lets us know he is there for us.

Kenlea Pebbles: My freshman year I had professor Pebbles and I enjoyed her class so much. She brought so much positive energy to each class and I still appreciate it today. I remember being a freshman in my fall semester and professor Pebbles made everyone feel so welcomed, it did not feel like I was a first year student that was new to everything. I still use all of the writing skills that Kenlea taught me in my junior year now. Thank you!!

Ann Larabee: I really enjoyed the chance to team-teach the grad seminar on popular culture studies. I also learned a lot from your choice of materials and general expertise in the field. It was especially cool to bring in materials and ideas from JPC. The Zoom sessions with various experts around the country were an added bonus. We created a good dynamic environment for the students.

Mohammad Khalil: A wonderful colleague, Mohammad has enthusiastically come to speak to my Music in Religion course for the last several years. Despite his very busy schedule, he makes time to speak about Muslim popular music, something I knew nothing about before he first visited. Each time he comes with fresh examples and I learn something new. Students invariably remember these visits as one of their favorite lessons from the course.

Kate Sonka: I would like to thank Kate Sonka for her continual student-perspective taking and advocacy. Her efforts have improved the numerous roles she fills across campus, representing our diversity of students and their perspectives in the policy and procedures that are developed. This recently played out more directly in Kate's own class, when one of her students presented at the national Accessible Learning Conference. When the student was asked about where she had experienced any good examples of inclusive teaching, she mentioned her experience in Kate's course. Kate supports those around her, connects relevant communities, and promotes the widest possible range of voices. With Kate Sonka at our institution, our courses, committees, and communities are richer, getting us closer to the ideal of a public land-grant institution of higher learning.

Peter Hoffman: Professor Hoffman goes out of his way to make each and every student feel connected and appreciated. I e-mailed him once apologizing for my recent late assignments due to the stress of online classes. I was struggling and felt overwhelmed, but his kind reply gave me hope that things would get better. He even told me to e-mail him any time I needed words of encouragement. He does an amazing job making online classes positive and stress free while teaching his students the importance of poetry. Aside from poetry, Professor Hoffman gives valuable life lessons and makes each student a better person because of it.

Hui-Ling Malone: In her first year at MSU, Dr. Malone has impacted all of her students so much. She re-kindled my love of teaching, and gave us all confidence in our writing skills as a class.

Amy Lampe: Amy is hands-down the best advisor on campus. She genuinely cares about her students and coworkers, and has cheerleaded me from day one. She's always there for anyone who needs an advisor, friend, or mom figure in their life.

Kate Birdsall

Dr. Birdsall believed in me when it felt like no one else did. She encouraged my best work and gave me hope for my future in academia. 


Learning from KB has truly been the highlight of my experience at MSU. This institution sucks (sorry not sorry), but Kate Birdsall ROCKS. I had the true pleasure of having her for advanced fiction writing as a fluke when the other semester was out. That was three semesters ago and I have taken class with her each semester since. In person and on zoom, Kate cultivates a powerful environment of camaraderie and caring that makes all the difference, especially during the pandemic. She asks her students how they are and cares about the answer. She pushes her students, particularly those writing for The Current in WRA 480, to produce the best work they can and, when she's your teacher, you want nothing more than to make her proud by doing just that. And you do. I am an incomparably better writer, editor, and communicator because I've worked with KB. 


KB has given me the best academic experience during my time at MSU by far. She has a way with words and working to direct a team that I have yet to see replicated at this institution. Whether it be her gracious understanding of the tricky circumstances of life or her ability to relate to the class and what concerns them the most, she's all-around fantastic. She has made a considerable and positive impact on how I will view MSU in the future as I prepare for graduation this summer. My biggest regret is not having her as a professor sooner.


Kathryn Houghton: Kathryn has been an amazing professor. During this semester, she fostered a classroom environment via Zoom that encouraged not only participation, but the challenge of arguing a dissenting opinion. I was uninterested in the subject matter before this class, but quickly became enamored by it after beginning. She utilized appropriate virtual resources to aid in better understanding her well-polished slides for class. Also, the dogs this semester were a cute and uplifting addition.

Kate Fedewa: 

Professor Kate Fedewa is personable instructor who always makes sure her students are doing their best and is very understanding when extra time is needed on an assignment. She begins ever class asking how her students are and any news in their lives. I want to thank her for making my senior year not as stressful and always being there to help and talk.


Kate's Rhetoric of Grammar class has been my favorite of this very difficult semester. I was (most) always excited to hop out of bed once a week for this 8:30 class because Kate never failed to make it more than worth my while with engaging discussion and insightful lessons. She also manages to create a fruitful discussion environment on Zoom, for which she has absolutely earned some kind of medal. Each week she came up with practical exercises to do in breakout rooms which helped to demystify complex grammatical concepts. Our big paper assignment for the year also allowed me to spend two months working with lyrics from my favorite artist which has done wonders for moral. She is empathetic, brilliant, and always ready to help. Multiple times in the semester she scheduled extra review sessions just to ensure those who wanted more time to learn would have it. She is, quite frankly, the bee's knees. 


Casey Miles: Casey has been my advisor for years (a job at which she is freaking stellar), but this semester I had her as an instructor. I have learned a lot from Casey this year and not just about the job market but about how best to be to others. Casey teaches so much about empathy through leading by example. Her motto for our class was "come as you are, as you were, as you want to be." She says this and she *means* it. Casey approaches teaching with such a fabulous sense of humor and a tremendous amount of heart. Her kindness and assurance over the course of the semester has prevented more than one anxiety spirals on my end. She is positively kick-ass at what she does and everyone should be so lucky to experience a class with Casey Miles.

Maileen Bugnaski: Maileen worked with the 4-H and MSU Broad Art Lab collaborative project called Visualizing a Year Like No Other, a Michigan Teen Photo Project. Maileen met weekly with young people ranging from ages 13-18 to take photos on prompts intended to help them make sense of the crazy world around them. Maileen expertly created each week's prompt video, providing inspiration for the youth, and facilitated a weekly small group session for the youth to talk about their photos. Maileen's creativity and ability to create a sense of community among the youth made the program incredibly impactful for the participants. One of the participants said, "My biggest takeaway from the program was probably the feeling of how amazing it was to have my own community of people who shared similar interests as me and that I felt supported me. I also learned a lot about how fun photography is and how it can have a huge impact and very deep meanings." Maileen's contributions helped to make this possible.

Dustin De Felice: Dustin spends so much conscientious and dedicated time mentoring graduate students, even those who are not officially his advisees. He is one of those mentors and colleagues who genuinely wants students to succeed not only in relation to course topics but also with respect to professionalization and academic acclimation. His door is, quite literally, always open (pre-COVID, anyway). Dustin, thank you for making students (especially non-traditional ones) feel welcome and supported.
Megan Walsh: Megan Walsh stands out as a MSU Graduate Teaching Assistant. Megan applies pedagogical approaches that promote student agency. Megan keeps students’ attention by changing their focal points. She’s like a highly organized traffic cop. She physically and mentally divides her lessons into clear, logical sequences. Each purposeful transition results in refreshed student mental states. Students could not help but be fully engaged in her fast-paced environment. It was like watching a seasoned sports coach getting team members to run different, complicated plays really well. I was very fortunate to have had Meagan as a student. She is a rising teacher-star!
Bethany Meadows: In this past year, Bethany has done phenomenal work in and beyond the writing center. She has served as an excellent mentor to new consultants, practiced trauma-informed approaches to her work, and demonstrated an enduring commitment to dismantling sexual violence. It has been a pleasure to learn from Bethany this year, especially her commitment to community engagement.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize

Utilizing Zoom (and other video conferencing technologies) wasn't new for me. From the time I started working for MSU, "meeting" in a digital space was a part of my regular work. My role was an educator with MSU Extension where I was one member of a 10-person team with statewide responsibilities (and statewide home bases). I zoomed with my teammates every month, and we utilized the platform for steering committee meetings with youth leaders for our events. Little did I know, these regular parts of my job responsibilities would become my day-to-day. 
 
Covid19 pandemic has created the opportunity (or forced - depending on your perspective) for us to figure out interactions on a platform like Zoom. We have to think more intentionally about things like access, engagement, and active learning when we are planning, facilitating, and participating in video conferencing calls/classes. I was on parental leave during the start of this transition, so my work-from-home via Zoom has been a dive head-first... SO I thought I'd share a couple of the resources that have proven to be helpful to me. 
 
For starters... Zoom Keyboard shortcuts: (these are for a PC, but there are additional shortcuts and MAC specific options here)
Control your audio and video:

Alt + V: Start/Stop video
Alt + A: Mute/unmute audio
Alt + M: Mute/unmute audio for everyone except host
Alt + S: Launch share screen window and stop screen share
Alt + Shift + S: Start/stop new screen share
Alt + T: Pause or resume screen share

Since we're all at home... adding a virtual background can take away any unnecessary pressure to have the room behind you tidy:
Virtual backgrounds: "Hide your office clutter or add some corporate branding with a virtual background during a Zoom Meeting. Users can upload their own images (Zoom recommends that these images have an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of 1920 x 1080 px) and preview the virtual background to detect any issues before joining the meeting. And soon, Zoom will support Microsoft PowerPoint files as a custom background and the use of a video virtual background, a non-static background for added fun." More tips from Zoomie here. Plus, fun backgrounds from the New York Public Library (and additional virtual background instructions) here.
 
Not all the meetings we're joining are with people we know well.Display Names:
"This is less important when you’re chatting with people you know well, but if you use Zoom to do a lot of sales calls, then this setting will ensure you never accidentally forget the name of the person you’re talking to. Go to Settings > Video and check 'Always display participant’s name on their videos.'" More tips and how to's like this are available here. Another thing I noticed in one of my meetings recently, was a colleague in a meeting updated his "display name" to include his preferred gender pronouns - which I thought was a great idea for meetings with people we might not know well. For example, my displayed name now reads "Makena Neal (she/her/hers)".
 

Robin B. Wagner of the University of Chicago provides advice for doctoral students entering their final year of study, with particular attention to the dissertation and job market.

This blog post provides a more informal discussion of academic job negotiations, with an emphasis on figuring out how to balance negotiation advice with the realities of a "buyer's market" in academia.