Created by the Education Committee of the CLAS Staff Council, this guide points the way for CLAS staffers to sharpen their professional skills. Topics include:

Starting with the basics: personal well-being
Degrees of success: Interested in courses for credit/seeking a degree?
Beyond our walls: Financial help for professional meetings, conferences, and workshops
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Leader of the pack: how to acquire/update supervision skills
The Iowa Way: UI compliances and procedures
Sowing seeds for success: working with college students
Using your outside voice: communicating with external audiences
Money matters: Financial mastery of state and grant funds

These tutorials and resources may be particularly helpful to three groups:

  • employees new to CLAS;
  • current employees assigned to new roles;
  • seasoned veterans seeking to build upon / update skillsets.

As new resources become available, this webpage will grow; stay tuned! Do you have a helpful resource to add? Please email us at clas-staff-council@uiowa.edu.

Courses with a “My Training” designation were created by Learning and Development, part of UI’s Human Resource Department. After logging in with a Hawk ID on the My Training webpage, you can take advantage of a wide array of courses; many are noted in the sections below.

Starting with the basics: personal well-being

The University of Iowa provides a wide array of resources for a healthier you, such as weight management, smoking cessation, sleep remedies, mindfulness, emotional support, caregiver resources, and more. (Tip: Take your Personal Health Assessment yearly to get access to some of the for-cost courses and discounts on your CRWC membership).

Degrees of success: Interested in courses for credit / seeking a degree?

  • Tuition Assistance program: Staff members may apply for reimbursement for tuition fees for one course per semester. Both for UI and non-UI coursework may be reimbursable
  • Auditing UI courses: Staff may audit one course per semester at no cost. The staff member must be enrolled in a degree program or as a non-degree student; additional details here

Beyond our walls: Financial help for professional meetings, conferences, and workshops

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

CLAS and the University as a whole are prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion action plans; the Education Committee has curated links to resources for anyone interested in learning more:

  • Overview: Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mission and plans  
  • Training opportunities: Workshops and initiatives to increase cultural knowledge and skills for contributing to a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable campus community
  • Styleguide: UI's Strategic Communications group has developed a styleguide to promote language use that presents Iowa as an inclusive environment
  • UI Library Resources: A general guide, posted on the UI Libraries website, intended to provide general information about anti-oppression, racism, privilege, and inclusion
  • UI Center for Human Rights: Speakers, book selections, award and learning opportunities offered on the UI Center for Human Rights website
  • UI Human Resources: A section of the Supervisors’ Toolbox focuses on ensuring opportunities, treating people fairly, and respecting the work and contributions of all employees
  • UI’s My Training has several on-line educational opportunities:
    • Conflict of Interest in Employment: My Training Course W00COI  
    • Ethics and Responsibilities: My Training Course W00329. Learn the key points of the Ethics and Responsibilities Policy, understand expectations of conduct, and be able to articulate the implications of a particular decision.
    • Online Harassment Prevention and Response
      • My Training Course WSHSPR - Academic Administrative Officers/Supervisors
      • My Training Course WSHSTF - Academic Administrative Officers/Non-Supervisors
  • Understanding and Supporting Asian Employees (LinkedIn Learning)

Leader of the pack: how to acquire / update supervision skills

  • Article from Chronicle on Higher Education: How to Heal a Wounded Workgroup you Inherit
  • One-hour seminars presented by UI Tippe Business School faculty cover varied management topics and are posted on their YouTube channel. Professor Jennifer Nahrgang's recent webinar focuses on Developing the Leader Within You.
  • The Office of Organizational Effectiveness distributes a monthly newsletter that highlights opportunities to grow leadership skills
  • Supervising today’s students: This website contains information for managing student employees, but can be applied to all supervision duties
  • Supervisor Training@Iowa was developed to establish a comprehensive approach to supervisory development. Supervisors can choose from online or in-person training; details on the Iowa HR website
  • UI’s My Training has comprehensive coursework for supervisors that can be accessed the following:
    • New UI Supervisors: Starting Successfully: My Training Course WNUSSS
    • Assessment - Recruiting, Hiring, and Onboarding: My Training Course WSPRQ1  
    • Supervisor Training@Iowa: Recruiting, Hiring, & Onboarding (on-line): My Training Course WSPR01
    • Assessment: Engaging and Retaining Employees: My Training Course WSPRQ2  
    • Supervisor Training@Iowa: Engaging & Retaining Employees (on-line): My Training Course WSPR02  
    • Assessment - Facilitating Performance, Coaching, and Documentation: My Training Course WSPRQ3
    • Supervisor Training@Iowa: Facilitating Performance, Coaching, & Documentation (on-line): My Training Course WSPR03
    • Supervisor Training@Iowa: Overview (on-line): My Training Course WSPR00

The Iowa Way: UI compliances and procedures

  • Visual Identity: the University of Iowa Brand Manual was released in 2020 to ensure logos, letterhead, fonts and other graphic elements feature our University in a consistent way
  • Cash Handling (My Training Course W00337): Every University unit, administrator and employee responsible for overseeing, receipting, depositing, or reconciling cash and its equivalent is required to go through the cash handling departmental and staff certification process annually
  • Sexual Harassment Prevention Education Training: This on-line course is required for new employees, with a refresher course for current employees every three years
  • COVID Safety Training for Employees (My Training Course #WCVD01):  All CLAS employees are expected to complete this training module, whether they are returning to campus or continuing to work remotely
  • FERPA Training: (My Training Course WFERPA): Staff members will gain an understanding of the rules regarding the use and protection of student data at the University of Iowa

    Sowing seeds for success: working with college students

    The CLAS Undergraduate Programs (CLASUP) office provides tools to faculty, staff and students to help answer questions students may have about courses, graduation requirements and other academic policies. Visit the CLASUP website or email clas-undergrad@uiowa.edu.

    • Resources for students who are also parents: Family Services, a unit of University Human Resources, provides programs and support: https://hr.uiowa.edu/well-being/family-services/child-care/student-parent-resources
    • Focus on First-Generation College Students: Did you know about one-quarter of all Iowa students identify as first-gen?  (My Training course FIRGEN)
    • Suicide prevention: Kognito training offers tools to start a conversation and make a difference in preventing suicide (My Training course WUCS01)
    • Work Study basics: Managed by the Office of Student Financial Aid, this webpage offers loads of information from start to finish: https://financialaid.uiowa.edu/studentemployment/students/workstudy
    • Resources for Communication: The Department of Rhetoric houses 4 centers to assist students in bettering their communication skills: writing, speaking, conversational fluency, and digital engagement: https://clas.uiowa.edu/rhetoric/rhetoric-centers
    • Supervising Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (My Training WASD01)
    • International Students: The Building Our Global Community (BGC) courses allow staff to learn about international students on F-1 and J-1 visas, those students' experiences, and how to foster skills for working with UI’s intercultural campus community. (My Training > search “BGC”)

    • How Students Learn: Help Them Succeed on the Job (My Training > search "STS")

    Using your outside voice: communicating with external audiences

    • Brand 101: An overview of the Iowa Brand: Learn everything you need to know to adhere to -- and benefit from -- standards that clarify who we are, what makes us unique, how to leverage our visual identity, and the resources available to help bring it all together (My Training > search "BRA10")
    • Social Marketing Basics via LinkedIn Learning helps you utilize Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter to get your messages out
    • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): This basic on-line course on LinkedIn Learning teaches webmasters how to achieve top search engine results
    • Advanced SEO: This multi-part course leads users through best practices in architecture-building to optimize SEO
    • Google Analytics: This series of videos helps you better understand the likes and wants of your digital audience
    • Campus images:  UI’s talented photographers share – without fees – their images for use on UI websites, digital signage, and other promotional materials. In CLAS, there is also a gallery of downloadable images
    • Staying in touch with alumni: Contact the Center for Advancement to request alumni contact information for newsletters, messages, and other communications to your alumni; their database will help your hone your target market
    • SiteNow: SiteNow is an ITS-supported initiative that uses pre-built templates to allow UI groups and labs to create websites quickly for those with little website-building experience
    • Digital signage know-how: Toss out paper and cork bulletin boards and let this Drupal-based electronic signage  share news with campus constituents and visitors
    • Grammar / Writer’s brush-up: A great website for grammar know-how? The Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

    Money matters: Financial mastery of state and grant funds

    General Finance Information: Current and projected salary fringe rates

    Master File Key (MFK) Literacy

    Sub-Certification Statement

    Financial Sub-Certification Introduction & Overview: My Training Course WSCQ00

    Conflicts of Interest & Stewardship of Resources: My Training Course WSCQ01 & WSCQ10 – Question #1 of annual financial sub-certification statement. Related Policies & Links:

    Compensation Practices: My Training Course WSCQ02 –- Question #2 of annual financial sub-certification statement. Related Policies & Links:

    Cash & Credit Card Compliance: My Training Course WSCQ04 –- Question #3 of annual financial sub-certification statement. Related Policies & Links:

    Reporting Fraud & Financial Risk: My Training Course WSCQ06 –- Question #4 of annual financial sub-certification statement. Related Policies & Links:

    Monitoring & Managing Audit Issues: My Training Course WSCQ07 –- Question #5 of annual financial sub-certification statement. Related Policy & Link:

    Effective Control Environment: My Training Course WSCQ03 & WSCQ08 –- Question #6 of annual financial sub-certification statement. Related Policies & Links:

    Balance Sheet Valuation: My Training Course WSCQ09 & WSCQ15 –- Question #7 of annual financial sub-certification statement. Related Policies & Links:

    Spending Compliance: My Training Course WSCQ011 –– Question #8 of annual financial sub-certification statement. Related Policies & Links:

    Monitoring Spending Restrictions: My Training Course WSCQ12 –- Question #9 of annual financial sub-certification statement. Related Policies & Links:

    Sponsored Programs: Question #10. Related Policies & Links:

    Grant Pre and Post Awards

    • Budget Preparation for Sponsored Funding: Learn how to put together a research budget for an application for external funding: My Training Course WBUDGT  
    • Post Award Research Administrator Training - Award Notice: My Training Course WPAR01
    • Post Award Research Administrator Training - Getting Started: My Training Course WPAR02
    • CLAS Grant Support Office
    • Division of Sponsored Programs
    • Grant Accounting Office