In The Know – Issue 179
Posted in: In the Know
Turning a Passion for Service Into a Career in Policy and Child Advocacy
Internships, research and campus leadership at Montclair are helping Jose Carlos Aguilar launch a career in government and child protection reform.
Nominate a Student for the Future Student Affairs Professionals Program
The Future Student Affairs Professionals aims to educate, mentor and engage with undergraduate students who have the potential to pursue a future career in Student Affairs. Through an application process, 20 juniors and seniors will be selected to learn more about the field of Student Affairs. Participants will have the opportunity to shadow different departments, attend conferences, join committees and meet and build relationships with current professionals in different functional areas of Student Affairs.
HR Updates
Performance Management Key Dates and Reminder: AFT Professional Staff
2026 PARs Launched for CWA Employees
The 2026 Performance Assessment Review (PAR) is now live in Workday. Your Supervisor has received a task in their Workday inbox to complete the initial agreement. The initial agreement is due on January 31, 2026.
This year, we are providing all Civil Service employees with a self-guided employee-facing version of the Performance Assessment Review training.
If you have questions regarding the 2026 Performance Assessment Review or have not received your Initial Agreement, please email performance@montclair.edu. A ServiceNow ticket will be created on your behalf.
AFT Earning Holiday Time Reminder
AFT Professional Staff Employees and Librarians may earn AFT Holiday Time to cover Thanksgiving and Winter Closings by working on Presidents Day within the same calendar year to accrue compensatory time at the rate of 1.25 days.
- If you took Presidents Day off, do not take any action in Workday (as you will not earn “AFT Holiday Worked” time for the holiday closures).
- If you worked Presidents Day, enter 8.75 hours under “AFT Holiday Accrued.”
For further assistance, please contact Workday Support at 973-655-7700 or by email at askhr@montclair.edu.
2025 W-2 Form Available in Workday
Effective Friday, January 23, employees have access to print and download their 2025 W-2 form in Workday.
How to Access Your W-2 Form
- From your Workday home page, please select the Pay Icon from your Apps list
- Then select My Tax Documents
- Once in My Tax Documents scroll down and you’ll see a table with available tax year W-2 documents that you can view/print
Paper W-2 Forms
In accordance with IRS Guidelines, employees who elected to receive a paper copy will have had their W-2 mailed out by Friday, January 30. Please note that if your W-2 is two pages, you will receive two envelopes in the mail.
If you have questions, contact Human Resources at askhr@montclair.edu or at x7700, option 1.
Updates
Faculty and Staff Commencement Registration
Montclair State University is excited to hold Spring 2026 Commencement exercises on Monday, May 11 and Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at Prudential Center in Newark. Advanced registration is REQUIRED for all faculty and staff attending Commencement. There are two registration forms depending if you are a staff member working the event or a faculty or staff member participating in the academic processional. Registration will close on Monday, March 30, 2026. Due to event coordination needs, faculty and staff MUST register by this deadline. Late registrations will not be accepted. Visit the faculty and staff Commencement webpage for more information or email officeofspecialevents@montclair.edu.
Montclair’s Middle States Self-Study: A Campuswide Reflection on Mission, Growth, and Resilience
The University’s self-study report has been completed and formally submitted to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The self-study has provided an invaluable opportunity to take stock of Montclair’s significant growth, examine how the institution continues to deliver on its mission and identify the ways we are strengthening institutional resilience for the future. The self-study report is available for the community to view online.
World’s Fair Day 2026 Planning
Interested in helping plan World’s Fair Day 2026? Attend a planning meeting! World’s Fair Day will be held on April 23, 2026. Contact Casey Coleman for more information. Planning meeting schedule as follows at 10 a.m. on Zoom
- Friday, March 13
- Friday, April 10
Donate to Create Recharge and Restore Kits for Students
The Red Hawk Pantry, CART Performance Operations and CAPS are partnering to distribute Recharge & Restore Kits to students at the end of the semester. These kits are designed to encourage students and support their wellbeing during this stressful time. Kits can include a mix of salty and sweet snacks, study supplies, stress relievers and/or self care items as well as personal notes to boost morale.
You can support this initiative by donating supplies for the kits from the Amazon Wish List.
Monetary donations can be made online via the TIX.com CART Donations page. Select “Red Hawk Pantry Care Kits” (see image below) to donate to this project. The cost of 1 kit is about $15.50. Our goal is to give out 150 boxes this first semester.
Reminders
Career Development Program
The Career Development Program (CDP) provides professional development support for employees represented by the AFT (membership not required), including librarians, tenure-track and teaching faculty and professional staff. The program is designed to help participants build new skills or areas of expertise through meetings, workshops, symposia, short courses and training programs. Applicants must submit a written proposal along with a detailed budget breakdown and are encouraged to submit one cohesive proposal centered on a common theme. Application due Monday, March 2, by 4:30 p.m.
Digital Printing and Photocopying Services Now a “Punch Out” Catalog
The University has rolled out a faster, easier way for departments to create brochures, event programs, posters, flyers and newsletters that look professional and comply with the University’s brand standard using customizable online templates. One Source Solutions will print the materials and deliver them to campus. Access this service by means of a “punch out” requisition in Workday. View the One Source Solutions Job Aid for detailed instructions. Printed materials that are not available in this system can be requested using UCM’s Digital and Print Design Request Form.
Workday Strategic Sourcing
Procurement Services is pleased to announce that Workday Strategic Sourcing (WSS) is now live. WSS is a procurement contract management system that establishes a standardized electronic intake process for various requests. It provides transparent workflows, visibility into the status of procurements and contracts and a centralized repository of procurement-related contract documents with role-based permissions for all new contracts, making management easier. More information, including procurement training, is available.
In The News
- Jim Chern (Council for Faith and Spirituality) is quoted in this NJ.com article about Gen Zers attending church.
- Business Administration major Olga Mikutina, recently profiled for our Montclair Life series, competed this week as a figure skater in the Winter Olympics currently taking place in Milan. NorthJersey.com published a profile on Olga, and a campus watch party during her competition was covered by News12 New Jersey and NBC.
- Stephanie Silvera (Public Health) is quoted in this NorthJersey.com article about vaccination rates dropping for children in the state and whether herd immunity could be at risk.
- An NJ.com op-ed written by the acting and deputy commissioners for Disability and Aging Services in New Jersey cited research by Bond Benton (Strategic Communication) and Daniela Peterka-Benton (Justice Studies) on the resurgence of the use of the “r” word.
- Joe Amditis (Center for Cooperative Media) is featured in this Montclair Local story about Reroute NJ, a new rider-created web tool he developed to give train commuters a way to determine the best routes into New York City as workers finish construction on the final phase of the Portal Bridge this month.
Kudos
- To Daniel Jean (EOF and Academic Success), who served as a moderator for the panel, “Vision Forward: Empowering Men to Design Their Future Selves” at the LearningMan 2026 Symposium held at Arizona State University.
- To Alyssa Fanning (Art and Design), who was awarded the 2026 Individual Artist Fellowship in painting from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
- To Joe Bavazzano (ADP Center for Learning Technologies), who was elected to a three-year term on the Advisory Board of the New Jersey Education Computing Cooperative, one of the state’s largest education technology non-profit providers.
- To Roxanna Ast (Social Work and Child Advocacy), who assisted the New Jersey Office of Food Security Advocate develop its 3 year strategic plan that is intended to guide coordinated, cross-sector action to advance food security and sustainability in NJ.
- To Maughn Gregory (Educational Foundations), who received a grant from the Berry Fund for Public Philosophy administered by the American Philosophical Association. The funds will help prepare junior scholars of philosophy and education to write reviews of children’s books that “go philosophical” on themes of democratic civics and political resistance and resilience as part of the IAPC’s ‘Thinking in Stories’ project used by teachers, librarians, and parents.
Social Media Post of Note
From #RedHawkCountry ➡️ Milan, @olgamikutina is ready to take the ice representing Austria in Women’s Figure Skating at the 2026 @nbcolympics.
Photo of the Week
Olympic Games Watch Party for our very own Olga Mikutina! – University Photographer: Mike Peters
Quick Links
Have an item you’d like included in Kudos or Reminders? Want to nominate a staffer for our spotlight? Use this form to tell us. Read more about our people and programs in the University News Center and in back issues of In the Know. And find out what’s happening on campus in the Events Calendar.