August 2026 Flashpoints

A list of campus buildings, their abbreviations, and the corresponding supervisors can be found here:General Information | Facilities Management

Allocation of tuition remission credits for the Fall Semester final submission is Friday, September 18, 2026. Allocate credits via Firefly/ESS, under Employee Self-Service, choose “Employee & Dependent Scholarship”.

We would like to remind benefits eligible employees about one of the benefits available to you and your dependent family members: the Employee Assistance Program provided by Best Care. The benefit is twofold: short-term counseling and access to the Best Care website.

Counseling

Best Care provides benefits eligible employees and dependent family members up to 4 free short-term professional counseling sessions through Best Care’s network of licensed counselors. Short-term counseling is available in person, by phone or online. For information, assistance, or to schedule an appointment, call (402) 354-8000 or (800) 801-4182 or visit http://www.bestcareeap.org

Best Care Website

The new Best Care website provides free resources including articles and webinars. Article topics include stress, addiction, mental health, and many more. Webinars cover personal topics like fatigue and finances, workplace topic like diversity and professionalism, and management topics like motivation and conflict management. Visit http://www.bestcareeap.org Username: bcUNKe Password: UNK

Contact Human Resources for any questions.

Parking permits may be purchased online through MyBlue (either by payroll deduction, credit or debit card), by campus mail (with check), or in person (with check or cash). Permits will be mailed to the purchaser via campus mail, if ordered by August 17^th.  Permits ordered after the close of business on August 17^th will need to be picked up at the UNK Police office.  Permits will not be sent via regular mail.

1. “MyBlue” purchases: Log into “MyBlue”, enter your NUID and password, on the next screen on the left click on “Tools”, then click “Police and Parking”, then “Order A Permit”, payment can now be made using payroll deduction or by card. (If you have not used “MyBlue” before, you can still access it by using your NUID and your Firefly password, the first time this process may take a while to load).
2. Payroll Deduction information: Only completed online. We will no longer accept paper forms.
   2026. Bi-weekly deduction will start on September 1, 2026.
   2027. Monthly deductions will start on September 30, 2026.
3. For in-person or campus mail purchases you will need to fill out the vehicle registration:
   1. View the vehicle registration form.
   2. Completed form and check can be mailed or brought to UNK Police - Parking Division, Facilities Building, 2501 19^th Avenue, Kearney, NE 68849. (Please do not send cash through campus or regular mail.)
4. VEHICLE INFORMATION WILL BE REQUIRED: License Plate, Make Model Style (2dr, 4dr, SUV, etc), and color. 
   1. License plate types: PA – Passenger Auto, TC – Commercial Truck, FT – Farm truck, NP – Non-resident Passenger (Out-of-state)

Permit enforcement begins on the first day of classes, August 24^th.  

Parking regulations can be found at Parking Services then click on Parking Policies at the bottom of page.

If you have any problems, please feel free to contact us at parking@unk.edu or 308-865-8367.

2026-2027 Employee Permit cost:

• Administrative: $243.00
• Faculty/Professional: $155.00
• Staff: $124.00

• FINAL June FY2026 financial reports will be available in SAP and Firefly on August 6. Remember to enter Period = 14 to capture all FY2026 financial activity.
• FINAL July FY2027 financial reports will be available on August 21.
• Except for June and July, all other months will close on the last day of the month. Final month-end reports will be available to print or view online on the first day of the following month.
• FY2027 budget information, including carryforwards, will be available in SAP by the last week of August.

When a change in the responsible person for a fund center is needed, please email both Karen Labenz (labenzk@unk.edu) and Heather Foradori (foradorih@unk.edu). The email should include:

• The original responsible person
• The name of the new individual accepting responsibility
• The cost center or WBS element being updated

The person responsible currently can be found in the following report locations:

• Cost Center: Revenue/Expense Summary – upper-right corner
• WBS Element: Revenue/Expense Summary – upper-left corner

As summer draws to a close and children start heading back to school, family life can get hectic. It's important to remember – and share with your children – some key tips that will help keep them safe and healthy throughout the school year.

Transportation Safety Tips:

Whether children walk, ride their bicycle, or take the bus to school, it is extremely important that they take proper safety precautions. Here are some tips to make sure your child safely travels to school:

Walkers »

• Review your family's walking safety rules and practice walking to school with your child.
• Walk on the sidewalk, if one is available; when on a street with no sidewalk, walk facing the traffic.
• Before you cross the street, stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming.
• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing and always cross streets at crosswalks or intersections.
• Stay alert and avoid distracted walking.
• Back in 1995, children ages 5 to 9 were more at risk than any other age group under 19 for being struck by a vehicle while walking. Today, there has been a noticeable demographic shift. It is now much more likely a teenager will be hit by a car than his younger counterpart.
• According to Injury Facts, over all age groups since 2009, pedestrian fatalities have trended up sharply, totaling 6,516 traffic-related deaths in 2020.

Bike Riders »

• Teach your child the rules of the road and practice riding the bike route to school with your child.
• Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, and in a single file
• Come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street.
• Stay alert and avoid distracted riding.
• Make sure your child always wears a properly fitted helmet and bright clothing.

Cell Phones: A Deadly Distraction:

The National Safety Council is focused on efforts to eliminate distracted walking – specifically walking while using a mobile device. Kids often don't recognize the dangers of distracted walking, as this eye-opening video by Safe Kids Worldwide indicates.

Before your children head out, remind them of these year-round safety tips:

• Never walk while texting or talking on the phone
• If texting, move out of the way of others and stop on the sidewalk.
• Never cross the street while using an electronic device
• Do not walk with headphones in your ears.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Always walk on the sidewalk if one is available; if you must walk on the street, face oncoming traffic.
• Look left, right, then left again before crossing the street.
• Cross only at crosswalks

Kids Aren't the Only Ones Distracted

Drivers have a lot to pay attention to in school zones, too, and there is never an occasion that justifies using a phone while driving. One call or text can change everything.

A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and prevention reveals that the most common form of travel to school for students age 5 to 14 is the family car. That translates into a lot of cars in school zones at the same time. Eliminating all distractions is key to keeping children safe. Learn more about motorist safety around schools.

As a reminder, proposed policy revisions currently open for review and feedback are available on the Compliance website at unk.edu/about/compliance/policies. Please take a few moments to review any policies relevant to your area and submit feedback during the open comment period. Your input is appreciated and helps ensure our policies remain effective and responsive to campus needs.

Employees and Departments/Groups of Employees can be nominated for different awards. The awards are presented monthly during the Staff Senate meetings.

Please consider nominating a staff member or group who has demonstrated excellence. It’s time to show our colleagues how much we appreciate what they do and why we’re so very proud to be Lopers!!

Staff Recognition Awards