| The end of July we celebrated the
retirement of Dr. Brent Harbaugh after 32 years of dedication and
excellence in floriculture research. Joining in the celebration were his
wife, Peggie and daughter, Joy, accompanied by friend, Robert. Jay Scott
acted as "master of ceremonies" with his usual witty anecdotes.
Anticipating the "roast" he was to receive at the hands of Jay, Brent
had prepared a little presentation of his own with a special gift for
Jay. He assured Jay it was not poison ivy!
|
 Peggie and Brent |
 The Floriculture Group (Zhanao Deng, Gail Bowman, Rick Kelly, Nancy West, Joyce Jones with the Harbaugh's) |
 Joy, Peggie, and Brent |
 I assure you, Jay, it's not poison ivy. (Jay doesn't look convinced.) |
OPEN ENROLLMENT...This
year's Open Enrollment for benefits will begin October 1.
This is the time to make any changes to your current health benefits or sign up
for additional benefits. All changes and enrollments will be effective
January 2008. We will be having a BENEFITS
Seminar in the auditorium on September 19th at 2:00 PM. You are
encouraged to attend.
UF/IFAS BUDGET CUTS...Due to severe budget cuts, the University implemented a hiring freeze on all state faculty and staff positions until the amount of call-back is established. Although, we were allowed to continue our interviews for Weed Science faculty, as this was already in process, our Landscape Management position for Plant City, however, has been frozen. While this year's raise appears to be non-existent, the legislature has allowed for a one-time bonus.
Effective November 1, 2007, each eligible Faculty, TEAMS, and USPS employee (except those with performance appraisal ratings of "below performance standards" or whose appointment has not been renewed) who was hired on or before July 1, 2007, and has been continuously employed by the University through November 1, 2007, shall receive a non-recurring one-time lump sum bonus payment of $1,000. The actual payment will be in the November 9, 2007 pay check. These payments are subject to applicable taxes Part time employees will be prorated according to FTE.