Heard Around Campus — January 2025
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Don’t miss these opportunities to benefit YOU, like earning money while taking care of your health and advancing your professional development through a leadership program and learning new skills.
Here’s what was heard around campus last month:
Free Treats From Public Safety on National Hot Chocolate Day
Stop by the Korman Quad on the morning of Jan. 31 to chat with members of Drexel Public Safety and have some hot cocoa and cookies for National Hot Chocolate Day. They will be there starting at 9 a.m.
Call for Nominations — Drexel Leaders: Advancing Dragon Leadership
The Drexel Leaders: Advancing Dragon Leadership program helps experienced faculty and professional staff leaders at Drexel expand their leadership capabilities. Program participants attend workshops where they learn from their own experiences, their colleagues' experiences and experts in the field. Nominations for the 2025 cohort of this program are being accepted now through Feb. 10. The application process for the program is competitive; due to limited resources, only 20 participants will be accepted this year. To nominate an individual from your division, school or college — or to self-nominate — complete this survey form by Feb. 10.
Welcome Back Wellness: Onsite Biometric Screening Feb. 18
Drexel’s 2025 Wellness Incentive Program kicked off this month. Don’t miss an upcoming opportunity for 100 program points ($100) — log in to Health Advocate and register for the Feb. 18 onsite biometric screening, held in Behrakis Grand Hall in the Creese Student Center (32nd and Chestnut streets). Eligible employees and spouses are invited to attend. You don't need to fast for this screening, and the screening should only take 10 minutes of your time. Space is limited, so please register today. If you have questions about how to log in and register, visit the Wellness Incentive Program webpage, or contact Health Advocate at 1.866.695.8622. Reminder: You must complete your Personal Health Profile (PHP) to earn payouts for points that you accumulate.
New e-Procurement System SAP Ariba Is Now Live
SAP Ariba, Drexel’s new e-Procurement system, has officially launched, replacing Smart Source to provide powerful tools and streamline and enhance the University’s purchasing and procurement processes. Some of the biggest changes and benefits of the new system include:
- Contract Review: Follows a clearly defined path within SAP Contracts, providing greater visibility, predictability, and efficiency; robust contract warehousing capabilities, including identification of master agreements; finalized contracts flow into requisitions.
- Requests for Proposals (RFPs): Conducted through SAP Sourcing within the e-procurement platform, centralizing distribution and receipt of materials, warehousing RFPs for future use, and providing greater automation of previously manual tasks; tactical sourcing features to secure competitive bids for smaller purchases not requiring a formal RFP.
- User Experience: Guided Buying features create a more intuitive and informed user experience, backed by incorporation of Drexel policies within SAP.
Training sessions for SAP Ariba are underway. For dates and times, visit the Events Calendar in Career Pathway (additional trainings are still being scheduled). Visit the Transition to SAP and SAP Ariba Training pages for further resources.
Protecting Privacy Together: It’s Data Privacy Week
Every year, Data Privacy Week is celebrated the week of Jan. 28 to commemorate the signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty on privacy and data protection. Data Privacy Week is a time to reflect on the importance of protecting personal information in an increasingly connected world. Visit the Privacy Program Services website to learn more about the importance of data privacy and related activities, resources and events.
Save the Date: Employee Olympics Returns March 26
Make your calendars! Drexel’s annual Employee Olympics event will be held on March 26 from 2–5 p.m. Sports this year include: pickleball, dodgeball, baggo or the virtual or in-person Fun Walk. New for this year, the event will begin with a brief warm-up in the Recreation Center basketball court area with an instructor from the center’s Group Exercise program. Immediately following the warm-up will be ~15 minutes of open play for baggo and pickleball before the competitions begin.
Mark Your Calendars for the ProcureExperience & Supplier Expo
The annual Drexel ProcureExperience & SupplierExpo returns on March 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Health Sciences Building (60 North 36th St.). Save the date and look out for details in the coming months. This event is an opportunity to connect and learn with colleagues, suppliers and Accounts Payable & Procurement Services staff.
Drexel Receives Healthiest Workplace Recognition for Third Year Running
Drexel University and its employee wellness program, A Healthier U, has for the third year in a row received recognition from Springbuk as one of the 100 healthiest workplaces in America. This award honors organizations in the United States for creating exceptional workplaces that highly value their employees through programs that integrate mental health benefits, telehealth options and virtual fitness/health and nutrition coaching. For 2024, Drexel was ranked No. 38 of the 100 winners. The six pillars of wellness used to evaluate Drexel and other employers include: Culture and Leadership Commitment, Programming and Interventions, and Communications and Marketing, among others. To explore Drexel’s wide array of physical, emotional and financial wellness opportunities, visit the Healthier U website and check out the HR Events Calendar for upcoming wellness workshops.
Journal Entry Workflow Training Feb. 12
This course on Feb. 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. will explain the functionality of the Journal Entry Workflow 3.0 tool for actual journal types only and allow for hands-on application in a test environment. This training will demonstrate how to process non-budget, research and non-research journal entries, how to attach supporting documentation and how to upload information into the tool. The session will also explain how the tool works for journal submitters and approvals and how it interacts with the expenditure authorization tables. Register on Career Pathway.
Bi-annual Physical Inventory of Research Equipment Is Underway
The University is conducting a physical inventory of any research equipment purchased with grant funds to ensure compliance with this federal requirement. The inventory began on Jan. 21 and will continue for several weeks. Asset Services, an inventory management firm, has been engaged to complete the physical inventory and tagging. For more information, you can review the related announcement on the Comptroller website.
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