Denim & Diamonds is a new Annual Staff & Faculty Celebration that gives the UND Faculty and Staff family a chance to come together to network, celebrate, mingle and learn more about each other in a fun and relaxed setting.  Come as you are in your Denim or Diamonds or both and join in the fun and get more networks formed to help you be a part of Exceptional UND.

The Silent Auction proceeds will go to fund "Seeds for Staff Success" and will be matched this year by President Kelley. 

Come check the event out, you may just find Diamond pendent to bid on or buy a chance for a "Diamond in a Box" or "Denim in a Box" that you can be the lucky winner of.

Save the Date: February 22, 2013 at the Gorecki Alumni Center 7:00 to 11:00 PM doors open at 6:30 PM ~ Appetizers ~ Games ~ Live Music ~ Silent Auction

There are many moving parts and different departments involved in keeping UND running daily. Emerald & Ice is an event that was held annually for three years.  Emerald & Ice has taken on a new name, Denim & Diamonds, and will be a slightly different event.

2012 Review: The third annual Emerald & Ice event was held on Friday, March 23, 2012 at 7:00 pm. This year's event was named the Emerald & Ice Fiesta. 

2011 Review: With strong support from President Kelley and UND Administration, UND Staff Senate hosted the second annual Emerald & Ice Gala at the Alerus Center on February 19, 2011. The gala had over 160 participants that included staff, faculty and administration. The event was a wonderful success and has been cited on several occasions as a premiere event within the University community. $3,000 was raised to support six scholarships to dependents of UND Staff. In conjunction with the Emerald & Ice Gala, the Wellness Center put on free ballroom dance classes for UND employees.

View the 2012 Promotional Flyer

Spring Fling is a luncheon held annually (in the Spring) at the end of the school year, with food served by Staff Senators, which provides a time for employees to take time out to eat and visit with fellow employees. 

Spring Fling 2013 will be held May 3, 2013 in the Memorial Union Ballroom. (Date is tentative)

2012 Review: Spring Fling was held on Friday, April 27, 2012 in the Ballroom of the Memorial Union.  This year we served BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches, veggie burgers, potato salad, chips, pickles, fruit, Coke products, water and assorted ice cream bars.  There were approximately 550 staff members that attended this event.  Non-perishable food and items were collected to give to the local food shelves.  A Staff Senate slide show played throughout the event.  The 2012 Spring Fling was held in conjunction with Work Well and their Health & Wellness Fair. 

Friday morning April 27, 2012 there was a Night Staff Appreciation Breakfast that was held in the Terrace for those staff members that work during the night time hours of 11 pm to 7 am.  There were about 88 staff members that attended this event.

2011 Review: Spring Fling was held on Friday, May 6th at the Memorial Union Ballroom. This year we served sloppy joes, veggie burgers, potato salad, chips, pickles, fruit, coke products, water, and assorted ice cream bars to approximately 600 employees. A table was set up to sell COSE clothing in addition to two tables set up for free will offering and/or non-perishable food items to donate to local food shelves. Two hundred and fifteen pounds of food was donated to St Vincent DePaul, along with $181.32. A Staff Senate slide show ran throughout the event, The Diers entertained with live music, and balloons were donated by the Memorial Union Sign & Design shop for a festive look. The 2011 Spring Fling was held in conjunction with WorkWell and their health and wellness fair. WorkWell would like to join with us next year.

Click here for past Spring Fling pictures.

Held in September, State Employee Recognition Week is an entire week dedicated to all people employed by the State of North Dakota. Staff Senate/COSE sponsors several events during this week-long celebration including, Taco in the Bag lunch; Night Staff Appreciation Breakfast; and a Courtyard Picnic with Pie & Ice Cream.

2012 Review: State Employee Recognition Week (SERW) was held September 10 through September 14, 2012.

On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 approximately 388 staff were served Taco in a Bag; also the Work Well Committee provided sliced fruits and vegetables as a healthy addition to our menu.

Wednesday, September 12 we served 93 Night Staff at a Breakfast that was held for them in the Terrace Cafeteria.

Thursday, September 13 we held the Courtyard Picnic in the Ballroom and served about 395 staff members. For the Picnic event we had pie and ice cream for dessert that was provided by Peter Johnson and the University Relations Department.

In addition to the food celebrations – There was a Scavenger Hunt that started on Monday and went through Thursday: Things 2C@UND. This was put together by the COSE committee as something more in the fitness category that staff could participate in and also provide some knowledge of the campus.   There were 22 participants in this event; those that finished the course submitted their completed form and prizes were given to 3 staff members. (A random drawing was held) This was a popular event and maybe held again next year.

Friday was Wear your Colors Day ranging from 1-25+ years.

The charity this year was the Listen Drop-In Center of Grand Forks - $140.00 dollars was collected and donated to them.

2011 Review: State Employee Recognition Week was held September 12 through September 16. We had a full week of hosting events. This year we decided to collect items and monetary donations for our colleagues affected by the flooding in Minot.  Donations were collected at each event. There were registration boxes set up at each event for door prizes that were donated from various UND Departments, organizations and other off-campus entities.

Tuesday Taco-in-a Bag day was hosted in the Memorial Union. Taco in a bag brought a good turn-out as we served approximately 347 employees. We also took in $385 free will offering for Minot flood relief.

Wednesday was our Night Staff Appreciation breakfast, served at the Memorial Union Terrace Dining Room from 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM, and was well attended. We served 86 night staff employees a full breakfast.  Wednesday afternoon staff enjoyed an Ice Cream Social where over 300 staff were served ice cream or frozen yogurt sundaes.

Thursday everyone enjoyed hot dogs and chips at the courtyard picnic in the Memorial Union Ballroom.  This event was held in conjunction with the Work Well Health and Wellness Fair, where employees received free fruit and vegetables in a bag with recipes.  It was well attended with over 300 served.

Wrapping up the week was Pie on the Porch sponsored by Peter Johnson and UND Spirit events. This event was also well attended, as they served approximately 340 people in the Memorial Union Ballroom, and it was enjoyed by all.

Click here for pictures of the 2011 Taco in a Bag.

Click here for pictures of the 2011 Night Staff Appreciation.

Click here for pictures of the 2011 Ice Cream Social.

Click here for pictures of the 2011 Courtyard Picnic.

Click here for pictures of the 2011 Pie and Ice Cream in the Ballroom.

Staff Senate participated in both the 2012 and 2011 Homecoming and Potato Bowl parades.

Click here for pictures of the 2011 Homecoming Parade.

Click here for pictures of the 2011 Potato Bowl Parade.

During October and November, Staff Senators sell 500 raffle tickets at $20 each. A winner is drawn for each day of December. Monday through Saturday winners receive $100 cash and Sunday winners receive $500 cash. All proceeds go to provide scholarships for dependents of UND staff members.

This new program was developed by Staff Senate to provide staff members with a source of funding that allows them to continue their education; attend conferences and workshops; or participate in other staff development opportunities they might have an interest in.  The maximum for any individual grant is $500.  Application deadlines occur quarterly on September 15, December 15, March 15, and June 15.  Please see the Seeds for Staff Success flyer for additional program information.

Informational Campus Tours
Staff can sign up for the tours through U2. Recently there was a tour of Hughes Fine Arts and many tours of the new Gorecki Alumni Center.  An informational tour of the Centers on Campus is planned for the Spring.  Previous tours have included; EERC, Aerospace, Aerospace at the Airport, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Memorial Union, Facilities, and the Steam Plant. This has been popular and will continue to get staff out of their office and across campus to get more informed about the University.

Goal Setting Workshop
One of our own Senators, Joleen Marsh, provided a Goal Setting Workshop on October 16 at 9:00 am in the Memorial Room at the Union.  Another session is planned for February.

Staff Ambassador Program
Tony Trimarco, Director of the Memorial Union, the Human Resource Staff, and members from the Staff Senate have met on a regular basis to plan and develop a working plan for the Ambassador Program to present to the University.

U2 Is the University Within the University.  Many classes and workshops are offered by the University to employees.  Staff Senate sponsors several of these events.  You can check out the current sessions at:  http://u2.und.edu/sessions or you can download a pdf of the current U2 newsletter at: http://u2.und.edu/docs/u2-newsletter.pdf