On November 26, UW–Madison will issue a survey to employees that will solicit feedback on what employees value in benefits programs. The survey results will help shape UW–Madison’s benefits offerings in the future. There is no intent to reduce or eliminate benefits. The survey is confidential, with all responses going directly to Mercer, an independent human resources consulting firm. The survey will be open November 26 through December 14 and should take approximately 15–20 minutes to complete. To respond, benefits-eligible employees must use the personalized link emailed to them on November 26 with the subject line "UW Employee Benefits Preference Survey." Paper surveys are being provided to those employees who lack computer access or would be more comfortable responding to the survey in a language other than English. The benefits preferences survey is part of the Title and Total Compensation Project.

UW–Madison employees and their families who are concerned about the costs of a university education may benefit from a financial aid program called “Bucky’s Tuition Promise.” The university pledges to cover four years of tuition and fees for any incoming freshman from Wisconsin whose family annual household adjusted gross income is $56,000 or less. Transfer students from Wisconsin meeting the same criteria will receive two years of tuition and fees. Eligibility is based only on one line from the family’s federal income tax return called adjusted gross income, or AGI. Students and families who are interested in applying for admission for the fall of 2019 and receiving financial aid should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by December 1 for priority consideration. For personal assistance, call the Office of Student Financial Aid at 262-3060 or visit them at 333 East Campus Mall, 9th floor, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m.–4 p.m. on Fridays.

An Agile/Scrum workshop will be held on Thursday, Feb. 7, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. in Union South. Agile practices and processes are based on responding to change rather than following a fixed plan. Participants will take part in a working Scrum team in this hands-on workshop. The Scrum framework can be useful for project sponsors, stakeholders, managers, subject matter experts, IT staff, and others. The workshop fee is $175 for those who register by January 10 and $225 thereafter. Participation is limited.