As a reminder, the deadline for nominations for the UW-Madison Academic Staff Excellence Awards is Friday, Jan. 13. Nine winners in seven categories will be named in March and honored at an awards ceremony in April and at the Academic Staff Assembly meeting in May. Nomination materials for all awards should be submitted electronically here. If you have questions regarding the awards, please contact Jake Smith at 263-2985, or email pdrc@soas.wisc.edu.  

It seems as if each week brings news of some new breach of data security. WiscVPN can help protect you and your data from such breaches, and if you’re using a public wireless network it is absolutely vital. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. A variety of campus network resources can only be accessed by campus-based computers or via the campus LAN on an Ethernet connection. WiscVPN not only allows you to secure access to restricted campus resources from any network, it also encrypts data while it is in transit. Learn more and download WiscVPN on your devices.

Excerpted from Blank's Slate: Regardless of your political affiliation, I think all Americans agree that we would like to see America thrive in the future as a vibrant democracy and a world leader. Here at UW-Madison, we will continue to strive to be a lively intellectual environment that is also a welcoming and inclusive place for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. In the coming days, I ask that people engage respectfully in debate over current events. The more inclusive, interconnected and engaged we are as a community, the stronger and more resilient we become. Read more.

The DoIT Tech Store is holding Customer Appreciation Week this week through Friday. Features include waiving the $25 Payroll Deduction fee; deals on bundled Apple, Dell and Microsoft products; closeout deals; and refreshments, freebies and prizes at the Dayton Street location. Also, note that the DoIT Tech Store has reduced hours over the holidays.