Starting this month, please use the InBrief Submission Form to submit items to InBrief. InBrief is distributed every other Thursday; content should be submitted by the Tuesday before. See the InBrief schedule. If you have questions, please contact Seamus Gallagher (gallagher@brandeis.edu).

A 2% merit increase pool was approved by the President for eligible staff. During this challenging financial environment, it is important that we acknowledge our most important asset, our people. This is not an Across-the Board Increase. It is expected that managers will differentiate increases based on performance. New rates of pay will be reflected in the 7/10 weekly pay and the 7/15 semi-monthly pay.

Eligibility: All regular staff (excludes temporary staff, faculty, union staff*) hired on or before January 1 and are actively employed on July 1, 2026 if they did not receive an increase April 1 or later. Eligibility excludes employees currently on Performance Improvement Plans. Employees whose pay is funded from non-University sources will receive increases as funding permits based on the above guidelines.**

*Union Staff receive increases per the terms of their Collective Bargaining Agreements. More information will be shared once available for the new Academic Research Union.

** Employees whose pay is funded 100% by grants and/or gifts who are not in the new Union will also have their increases processed in Workday paid on the above schedule if funding permits.

Faculty will follow the process outlined by the Provost’s Office and Deans. Faculty may reach out to their respective Dean with any questions.

If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@brandeis.edu.

In advance of the fall bill coming in early July, new students should access the Nelnet Student Account Portal to set up an account and add authorized parties. Please complete the following steps to ensure account access:

1. Set-up Nelnet account - Students should log in to the Nelnet Student Account Portal to set up their student profile. Refer to the Nelnet - Account Access job aid for detailed instructions.
2. Add parent or authorized parties access - Refer to the Nelnet - Add Authorized Payers job aid for detailed instructions. Students should not share their Nelnet log-in credentials with their parents. They must set up parents as Authorized Parties with their own log-in credentials.

We will send a notification to students and authorized parties when the information is ready in Nelnet.

Federal and/or institutional financial aid may be available to undergraduate students attending Summer School. For more information on eligibility and applications requirements, please visit the Summer Session Financial Aid webpage.

On July 4, 2025, the President of the United States signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) which enacted major changes to the U.S. tax code, as well as to federal programs that receive mandatory funding, such as federal student loans. We realize many undergraduate and graduate students may have concerns about how these changes might affect their ability to pay for college after July 1, 2026. The FAQ page answers many of these questions, and will be updated as more information becomes available.

The Office of Student Financial Services invites students to sign up for one of our 30-minute, one-on-one financial literacy sessions! We hope that you will take advantage of this great opportunity to ask questions about budgeting, managing debt, understanding your paycheck, W-2’s etc. Book an appointment today!

We also invite students to sign up for iGrad a free, online financial literacy resource to help manage money and/or student loans. iGrad membership includes money management, simple budgeting tools, student loan and debt management and tracking and building credit scores All students and alumni have free access to these tools, so the account can be used after graduation.

The financial aid renewal application deadline for the 2026-2027 academic year was March 2, 2026. Students who would like to apply for need-based scholarship funds must submit the 2026-2027 CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, the 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and copies of 2024 student and parent Federal Income Tax Returns. Students who wish to apply only for federal sources of financial aid need only complete the FAFSA (taxes will be requested upon receipt of this application only if necessary).

An email detailing the renewal process is being sent to students and parents this week. If you would like to meet with your financial aid counselor to discuss the renewal financial aid process, you may book a 30-minute appointment online.

Renewal aid packages will be available in late June.

Help the Office of Marketing Communications showcase summer events happening across campus by submitting your office and department events to the Brandeis Campus Calendar, the university’s central events calendar. The calendar helps inform and connect the campus community with the wide array of events happening across Brandeis. We encourage submissions for events relevant to students, faculty, staff, alumni or the broader Brandeis community. Events should be sponsored by a Brandeis entity and/or have a clear Brandeis connection. Submit your events using the online calendar submission form.

Questions? Email calendar@brandeis.edu. 

Check out the Library's summer workshop schedule! Topics include SQL, Git and Github, Fine-tuning Language Models, Applied Machine Learning, Excel, Qualtrics, Stata, R, Python, 3D printing, and Sewing.

EV Charging Stations – Due to the parking spaces being removed from service in the Theater Lot (T-Lot) effective May 18 the current EV stations located in this lot will no longer be available for use. Charging stations are available in the Tower Lot, Athletics Lot and Admissions Lot.

Shuttle Service – Shuttle Services ended on May 12 and will begin for the Summer Sessions in a limited capacity starting June 1. June and July Shuttle Services schedules can be found on the Transportation webpage.

Shuttle Tracking – Transportation Services is launching for Fall 2026 a new more robust and reliable shuttle tracking service called Moovs. Watch social media and announcements for when the application will be available for download!

Commuter Rail Summer Promotions:

• Free Summer Fridays – Commuter Rail service will be free every Friday from June through August. This includes Juneteenth and July 3.
• Monthly Passholders Can Bring a Friend for $1 on Weekends
• Monthly Passes Valid in All Zones on Weekends

Effective July 1, mail services will be serviced by a new provider Ricoh. This improvement will provide a new modern mail services operation to serve the university community. Some of the current mail services employees have chosen to join Ricoh and will remain on campus to ensure that the transition is smooth. Paul Morrison will continue to manage the mail services operation.

Changes Ahead:

• Elimination of antiquated student mailboxes and keys
• Kiosk to pre-gather mail while you are in line
• New option to have your packages shifted to a package locker location on lower campus

Watch social media and email for updates on services!

Workday will update its menu from applications to headings this July. When users log into Workday on their desktop or mobile web page, the menu will now appear on the left hand side as icons such as “Student”, “Employee Self-Service”, and “Recruiting.” Hovering over these icons will reveal the items within each menu (such as Career Hub, Request Absence, and Benefits & Pay under the Employee Self-Service icon). Any saved links or shortcuts in your menu will continue to appear even with the new icons available. Review our video to see the new Workday menu (authentication required).

It has been two years since Brandeis migrated from LATTE to the newer Moodle upgrade, and the ITS and Library teams want to hear from you. As we plan for the 2026/27 academic year, help us ensure the platform continues to meet your teaching and administrative needs. Please take a moment to complete the Moodle Feedback Survey, which will remain open until June 5, 2026. You may also join us for an informal drop in to share and/or listen to observations on June 10, 2026 from noon to 1:30 p.m. (Join the Moodle Listening Session).

Brandeis is rolling out new tap-enabled ID cards to enhance campus security. The cards support both tab and swipe access to buildings and use encrypted smart-chip technology. This initiative is led by Public Safety, the Campus Card Office, and ITS. Distribution dates for the cards will be released at a later date. Brandeis will provide lanyards for ID cards, with the Public Safety’s request that you please display your new ID at all times.

Did you know ITS has a newsletter? You can sign up for the Brandeis Technology Newsletter and follow @DeisTechNews on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X/Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up to date with ITS Tech Talks, technology news and helpful tips and tricks to making your use of technology more helpful and productive!

Have an idea for a ITS Tech Talk for this fall? Drop us a note in our Tech Talk Survey.

Get ready to move! edHealth, the higher education and secondary school healthcare collaborative in partnership with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, is launching the 9th Annual Walking Challenge. Compete against other edHealth schools for fun and prizes. Weekly e-gift card raffle for participants who average at least 5,000 steps per day or 35,000 per week a Grand Prize $100 Amazon e-gift card to top stepper at each school at the end of the challenge.

Sign up for the challenge through the IncentFit app from May 27 through June 6. Challenge begins June 1 and ends July 5.

For eligibility, registration and awards information please visit Human Resources edHealth Walking Challenge website.

The Brandeis Quick Bytes professional development series is back with new topics and, for the first time, a summer lineup!

Designed for all staff, this year’s series continues to offer concise, high-impact learning—with added flexibility. Each topic includes a 60-minute interactive workshop along with a LinkedIn Learning pre-work video, which can be completed independently or through an optional group viewing session.

With fresh, relevant topics and more opportunities to participate, Quick Bytes makes it easy to build skills and stay engaged in your professional growth.

For more information, visit the HR website.

Brandeis’s Employee Assistance Provider, KGA, offers online learning opportunities on a variety of topics. The online workshops offered via Zoom and on-demand webinars are free with our membership. This month we are spotlighting interesting and timely topics for both the live-Zoom workshops and the on-demand offerings including podcasts, videos, self-directed challenges and much more!

• Life Changes: Milestones
  LifeReady are the multiple resources KGA offers to help you customize your preparation for some of life’s big milestones: Marriage Ready, Baby Ready, College Ready, Retire Ready and Career Ready. Check out the KGA website for LifeReady services.

• Journeys to Families (Wellness Webinar via Zoom): June 10, 2026 at 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
  Navigate modern family-building decisions with confidence! This session will explore optimizing fertility, understanding infertility, exploring alternative paths to parenthood, and addressing the emotional and social challenges of the journey. Learn all that KGA can do for you. This short session will review the confidential and free services available to you and your household. Register

• Rooted in Nature (Wellness Webinar via Zoom): July 14, 2026 at 12 p.m.
  Discover how connecting with nature—even from indoors—can reduce stress and boost well-being. This workshop offers simple, accessible practices like guided visualization and sensory awareness to help you tap into the calming power of the natural world anytime, anywhere. This experiential workshop invites you to slow down and realign your inner nature with the world around you, helping you reconnect with your body’s innate wisdom. Nature Isn’t Just Nice… It’s Necessary. Register

Sign up and access LinkedIn Learning for a free e-card using the instructions provided to access LinkedIn Learning (offers over 16,000 online courses) through the Boston Public Library. If you have any questions contact humanresources@Brandeis.edu. Did you know that you will have access to certificates of completion for your records? We are spotlighting these timely and relevant courses available to faculty and staff.

Recommend Courses for This Month:

• Google Gemini for Business Analysis: Join instructor Vincent Mirabelli as he shows you how to get the most out of Gemini to perform a wide range of everyday business tasks, including data analysis, decision-making, risk assessment, training, user stories, test cases, scenario planning, team building, certification prep, and much more. By the end of this course you will be well equipped to harness the power of AI to enhance your projects, streamline workflows and drive innovative solutions.
• Succession Planning for Leaders: Succession planning ensures that there are highly qualified people in all of your mission critical positions—not just today, but tomorrow, next year, and five years from now. In this course, learn the step-by-step process for implementing and facilitating a robust succession planning process. Discover how to build an approach that will allow your organization to keep its leadership pipeline full and flowing. Having the right people in the right places will ensure that your talent is your competitive advantage.

To help you plan for your future, Retirement Planners from Fidelity Investments are on campus regularly to provide one-on-one guidance appointments. Consultations may be conducted in person virtually or over the phone. To schedule your one-on-one confidential consultation, please visit Fidelity's website or call 800-642-7131.

Join a live webinar with Fidelity May through June.

Topics include:

• Money Management
• Saving & Investing
• Retirement Planning & Transitioning
• Protection

Join us for Benefits Virtual Office Hours every Monday from 2 to 3 p.m. via Zoom.

Log in at any time during the hour to connect with a member of the Benefits team and ask general questions about your coverage, retirement plans, or other offerings. Zoom Link

As the fiscal year is coming to a close, the Division of Business and Finance would like to remind budget managers and others with financial transaction responsibilities to review your departments’ financial reports. Please refer to the year-end-memo for a list of deadlines and milestones. The last day to submit any accounting entries for fiscal year 2026 is Thursday, July 16, 2026.

For questions, please contact a member of our team.