Staff Professional Development Day - Human Resources

Welcome / Program Introduction

General Session:
2025 Healthy Minds Results and Discussion

Join the Human Resources and Wellbeing teams as they share the results of the 2025 Faculty and Staff Healthy Minds survey.  During the session, you will be asked to consider ideas to address areas of opportunity as well as provide deeper insight and perspective on the results. The discussion will result in key takeaways and initial action planning to help address the gaps identified through the survey.

Presenters: Rhea Dever, Renee Sheen, Dr. Angie Stebbins

Concurrent Session 1:
Creating Promotional Materials with Adobe Express

This session will provide training on how to use Adobe Express to create promotional materials aligned with NMU’s brand identity. We’ll cover the importance of maintaining a cohesive visual identity, where to access brand assets and the brand kit, and how to log in and effectively use Adobe Express. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped with the tools and knowledge to create on-brand, visually consistent content across platforms.

Presenter: Sarah O’Neill

Concurrent Session 1:
Digital Accessibility

Making your content more accessible to a wider range of audience needs is the focus of the legislative requirements for Digital Accessibility.  This ruling includes all digital materials, such as documents, web pages, email, etc.  We will discuss some of the simple things you can do to make your content more accessible including captioning video, headings in documents, alternative text, and color contrast issues.

Presenter: Stacey Marie

Concurrent Session 2:
Designing Excel Spreadsheets

Well-designed spreadsheets serve as communication tools as much as analytical ones. They allow users to present data logically, document assumptions clearly, and share results in a format that is easy to review and update. This readability supports collaboration, enabling teams to work from a shared understanding of the data and its implications. This workshop will focus on increasing the user-experience, and increasing productivity.

Presenter: Dr. Carol Johnson

Concurrent Session 2:
Writing for Healing: Anger

An article published by the American Psychological Association goes on to explain, "Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry at a specific person (Such as a coworker or supervisor) or event (a traffic jam, a canceled flight), or your anger could be caused by worrying or brooding about your personal problems. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings."

Writing is one way in which we can heal ourselves. If you have ever kept a diary under lock and key, you know how private and emotional writing can be. Or perhaps you have been "journaling" for a while, or you've written poems, stories, essays. This 50 minute session will incorporate some elements of many of these types of writing with one difference. Our purpose for writing during the session will be for our own healing.

Healing can take place on many levels from the superficial to the extreme depths. You determine that level for yourself. What you choose to explore in your writing is completely open. I will offer a theme and some pointers, a writing exercise, and some suggested follow-up readings. You will write and then share if you feel it is appropriate. Our words often resonate in others hearts and minds.

Presenter: Dr. Shawnrece Butler

Concurrent Session 3:
Onboarding with Intention: Turning First Days into Lasting Engagement

This session will explore how thoughtful, consistent onboarding supports employee engagement, retention, and overall success. We’ll discuss why onboarding matters not only for new hires, but also for internal transfers, who benefit from intentional support as they transition into new roles. Participants will be introduced to NMU’s onboarding checklist within PageUp and how to use it as a practical, reliable framework. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to create a more structured, welcoming, and effective onboarding experience.

Presenter: Renee Sheen

Concurrent Session 3:
PAWS: Performance Audit of Workplace Sustainability
The Performance Audit of Workplace Sustainability (PAWS) is a new program facilitated through the Sustainability Hub of Innovation and Environment (SHINE). The goal of the program is to recognize departments and offices that embrace and practice sustainability in their daily operations. Office certifications support Northern's commitment to environmental stewardship and help promote sustainable practices across campus. This session will introduce participants to the PAWS certification, the areas included in the evaluation (e.g., energy, waste, recycling, office spaces and meetings, food and beverages, purchasing, travel, community well-being, initiatives, and innovation), and help them get a jumpstart on their office audit. 

Presenter: Dr. Jes Thompson

Concurrent Session 1:
Digital Accessibility

Making your content more accessible to a wider range of audience needs is the focus of the legislative requirements for Digital Accessibility.  This ruling includes all digital materials, such as documents, web pages, email, etc.  We will discuss some of the simple things you can do to make your content more accessible including captioning video, headings in documents, alternative text, and color contrast issues.

Presenter: Stacey Marie

Concurrent Session 1:
Holding Space for the Portals of Grief

Francis Weller, in his book The Wild Edge of Sorrow, gives readers on a tutorial concerning grief, emphasizing that grief is not something to be fixed, but something that can inform and transform our lives. The first step is to move away from an avoidance of grief and loss. Weller identifies five "gateways" of grief, some of which surprise us. One of his basic propositions is that nurturing a capacity for grieving opens up a capacity for joy. In this workshop we will explore the five gateways to grief and explore some simple ways to begin to embrace the process of grieving through ritual and community. Just as the revolution that introduced emotional intelligence into the educational landscape assisted in humanizing instruction, embracing grief in the same matter-of-fact way will take us from a pathology focus of "fixing grief" to a wellbeing focus of letting grief shape us.

Presenter: Marna Franson

Concurrent Session 2:
Creating Promotional Materials with Adobe Express

This session will provide training on how to use Adobe Express to create promotional materials aligned with NMU’s brand identity. We’ll cover the importance of maintaining a cohesive visual identity, where to access brand assets and the brand kit, and how to log in and effectively use Adobe Express. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped with the tools and knowledge to create on-brand, visually consistent content across platforms.

Presenter: Sarah O’Neill

Concurrent Session 2:
Compassion Isn't Compliance | Practical Skills for Clear and Kind Boundaries

This session explores how setting boundaries is a form of compassion for both yourself and others. Participants will take part in activities that build effective communication skills and deepen awareness of how they respond to requests and emotions. By the end of the session, participants will better understand how to recognize their emotions as valuable sources of information rather than problems that need to be fixed.  

Presenter: Dr. Angie Stebbins

General Session:
Responsible AI Use with NMU’s Tools

Does your to-do list feel like it’s growing faster than you can check things off? Join us for a deep dive into NMU’s AI tools, including Gemini and NotebookLM, designed specifically for administrative and support roles. We’ll show you how to write effective prompts and workshop practical examples for daily use. You’ll leave with a practical working knowledge to ensure you're using the right tool for the right data, keeping NMU's and students’ information safe while giving you your time back.

Presenter: Grant Langdon and Walker Derby