Having spent the majority of her career at Nordstrom, Karen Arnold is enjoying a change of scene as the newest addition to UCOP’s team of HR Business Partners.

While the job of an HR professional is similar across industries, Arnold said her new crop of clients, with their diverse backgrounds, education, experience and disciplines, offers her a refreshing change and numerous learning opportunities.

“My retail sector background has given me a strong service-oriented approach to working with my clients,” Arnold said. “My goal is to provide them with great service by being a good active listener and asking key questions.”

Arnold moves into her new role after having worked as a generalist in UCOP Local Human Resources since 2011. She brings more than 15 years of HR experience to the job, backed by a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

The HR Business Partners are assigned by department to help answer questions and resolve HR issues for managers, supervisors and employees throughout UCOP. With their new addition to the team, they have made these changes to their client assignments:

Arnold is responsible for:

• Academic Affairs Immediate Office
• Academic Personnel
• Academic Planning, Programs and Coordination
• Education Partnerships
• Institutional Research
• Research and Graduate Studies
• Student Affairs

Patsy Alejado supports:

• Business Operations Immediate Office
• Chief Financial Officer Division
• Human Resources
• Treasurer’s Office

Annette Mora is responsible for:

• Budget and Capital Resources
• Ethics, Compliance & Audit Services
• External Relations
• Health Sciences and Services
• Information Technology Services

As Arnold transitions to her new role, Venus Kirk will continue to work with the Academic Senate, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the President’s Executive Office.

Find out more about your local Human Resources team on the UCOP HR website.

The UCPath Center, UC’s new headquarters for the UCPath project near the UC Riverside campus in Riverside, Calif., is recruiting for three managerial positions:

• Manager, Academic Personnel/Human Resources
• Manager, Benefits
• Manager, Customer Service

All three positions close for applications on Monday, May 20, and have a preferred start date of July 1, 2013.

To read job descriptions and apply, please visit the UCPath section of the UC systemwide job board.

UCPath is the systemwide initiative that will deploy a single payroll and HR system to be used by 190,000 employees across all 10 campuses and five medical centers of the UC system by July 1, 2015.

To learn more about the systemwide initiative, visit the UCPath website.

Poetry may be more popular than you realized.

Due to the success of its April 18 event, OP Staff Assembly will hold another open mic poetry reading this Thursday, May 9, 12 to 1 p.m. in 6113 Franklin. Light refreshments will be served.

The April 18 event at the Kaiser building was a resounding success, with participants reading their own poems and others reading poems by Robert Frost, Kay Ryan and other more famous scribes.

One person performed a sing-along of John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery,” another read an original poem composed in Chinese along with an English translation, and yet another read a poem her daughter had written. The group also enjoyed an online video of a spoken-word performance.

If you are interested in participating in the May 9 event, please send an email to OPStaffAssembly@ucop.edu and say what you would like to do.

National Poetry Month was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 and is now held every April. Thousands of poets, schools, libraries and other organizations participate through readings, festivals and workshops to celebrate poetry and its place in American literature and culture.

If you have questions about student financial support, check out the brown bag on education loan repayment tips today, Tuesday, May 7, 12 to 1 p.m. in 11326 Franklin.

This is the final event in a series presented by Associate Director of Student Financial Support Nancy Coolidge and sponsored by OP Staff Assembly.

Coolidge will offer education loan repayment tips for students and parents, including choosing a plan appropriate for now (smallest monthly obligation) and one for later (bringing down overall cost of the loan) as circumstances change.

Also covered will be planning for possible public service loan forgiveness and other loan cancellation options, such as teaching and military service, and sorting through options and maximizing credit ratings despite the debt repayment.

The talk is open to UCOP staff, their families and friends, and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note: Family members and friends of UCOP employees are welcome to attend with prior clearance arranged through the Franklin building security service.