CoffeeBreak is an e-newsletter distributed to Averett faculty and staff to keep them up-to-date on campus activities and information.

Please send information you would like included in CoffeeBreak via this form by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, for a Wednesday, Jan. 18, publication.

Thank you

A personal message from our colleague Jackie Finney.

“I would like to thank my Averett family for your support during the passing of my brother Jerry. Your cards, flowers and words of support helped me get through this difficult time. Thank you.”

Founders’ Day

The Founders’ Day Celebration is tomorrow, Jan. 12, at 11:15 a.m. in Pritchett Auditorium. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.

MLK Day

Join us in celebrating Dr. King’s legacy!

A common thread throughout the 2017 MLK events is our region’s rich history in the Civil Rights Movement. Many of the events will celebrate the stories and the people who demonstrated a true commitment to their beliefs and stood up in the face of injustice. And while we live in a time that is more equitable than it was 50 years ago, there still is so much to be done as we work towards racial, social and economic justice. So, we ask you, “What will you stand for?”

There are three events that you are welcome to take part in.

At America’s Sunday Supper, you will share in a meal and meaningful conversation with others in our community to learn from and about one another. There is no cost to attend this event but an RSVP is required. Please contact Tia Yancey at 434.791.7214 or [email protected] to reserve your seat. The supper will take place at the River District Event Center, 136 S. Ridge Street, on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 3:30 p.m.

MLK Day of Service gives you the opportunity to give back to your community through volunteerism and “make it a day on, not a day off.” It is a drop-in event but please note that the awards ceremony for the MLK art, story and photography contests will begin at noon. This is a great opportunity to use your engaged employers paid service leave. The day of service takes place Monday, Jan. 16, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Averett’s North Campus.

Monday night, Averett is hosting a candlelight vigil, “What Will You Stand For?” Join with neighbors and friends to reflect on how far we have come, and how much we have yet to do. The vigil starts at 5 p.m. in Blount Chapel.

Student Health & Wellness Center Opening

Join us as we celebrate the opening of the new campus Student Health and Wellness Center on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 11:15 a.m. outside on the steps of the Galesi Family Student Success Center. Hear from Averett President Dr. Tiffany M. Franks and representatives from Danville Regional Medical Center (DRMC) during the ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by a tour of the newly renovated space (formerly the fitness center).

Services of the clinic, exclusive to Averett students, will include wellness checks, sick visits, physicals, immunizations and routine lab work – all administered by DRMC – and will be available during select operating hours once opened. The space will also house the Office of Student Health and Wellness. This center was made possible from a portion of a gift from an anonymous donor, from which the university was also able to add three new athletics programs – men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse and men’s wrestling.

And don’t forget, our new YMCA partnership provides current traditional undergraduate students, as well as Averett faculty and staff, with a significantly decreased membership rate! To sign up, or for more information about the clinic, contact Jill Adams at (434) 791-5628 or [email protected].

SACSCOC Corner

Every week for the next two months, you will see this section discussing the reaccreditation for Averett University by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC. Each week will provide a new piece of vital information, so please be sure to check back weekly!

What is SACSCOC?

SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states.

Averett University will undergo its on-site peer review visit by SACSCOC evaluators February 21-23. During this time, all students, faculty and staff should be aware of the evaluation team, and please be welcoming if you encounter them. They may ask questions, and it’s important that you speak with them and answer their questions, while giving them a warm Averett welcome.

This is very important for our students! Successful reaffirmation provides support of essential functions for students like access to federal aid, the ability to transfer credits, acceptance into graduate school and eligibility for professional licensing, among other things.

For more information about Averett University’s Reaffirmation 2017 process, contact The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at (434) 791-5618 or [email protected], or click here.

Service Year Webinar

Join us for an upcoming webinar “Beyond Community Service: Cultivating the Next Generation of Service Year Members.” The webinar is presented by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

The webinar will explain what it means to take on a year of service, communicate the skills development associated with doing a service year, breakdown how service years are an on-ramp to career readiness and help you develop programming in your office for the purpose of increasing student awareness of service year opportunities.

A service year can serve as a powerful career pathway and can offer our graduates a chance to impact the community.The webinar will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 1-2 p.m. in the multipurpose room. Please contact Angie McAdams with any questions at 434-791-5629 or [email protected].

Senior Dinner and Alumni Gifts

The Alumni Office is hosting a dinner for traditional seniors graduating any time in 2017. This is a sit down dinner served by faculty and staff. This is extra special for the students because our Averett family is what makes Averett special them.

At the dinner, each senior will receive a prize and the prizes usually come from your closet! Do you have anything Averett that you can part with, maybe a lightly-worn sweatshirt or glassware? Something neat that you think a graduating senior might enjoy? Please consider donating it to the senior dinner prize box.

If you are a person that would enjoy being one of our servers or have any questions about gifts, please contact Dan Hayes at 434-791-7252 or [email protected].

Alumni Directory

The alumni office is working with Publishing Concepts, Inc. to create an alumni directory. If anyone calls asking if this is legitimate, please let them know that it is and that we would love to have them participate, even if they don’t purchase a directory. This is how we update our contact information for the 25,000 alumni that are joined in the Averett experience!

New Educational Media Database

We have a new media database available to all students, faculty and staff. Averett’s Kanopy Streaming Media pilot runs through June 30, with unlimited additional time to spend an initial deposit. Kanopy offers a broad selection of over 26,000 documentaries, feature films and training videos from thousands of producers. Touching on all topics, producers include Criterion Collection, PBS, HBO, The Video Project, New Day Films, The Great Courses, California Newsreel, Kino Lorber, Media Education Foundation, First Run Features and the BBC.

Everyone can view Kanopy films from any internet location with a web services (Moodle) login. The films are indexed with other media and e-media collections in WorldCat. A digital media working group will evaluate ease of access from classrooms and value for GPS instruction.

Faculty may publish links to Kanopy films or film clips in syllabi, on handouts, on Moodle or open web pages. A one-year license with a 20 percent discount is triggered on the fourth full or partial viewing of each film. Librarians will share quarterly lists of “triggered” titles to flag those meriting upgrade to a multi-year license.

Streaming quality from Blount Library media rooms is excellent. The library welcomes instructor comments on the quality of Kanopy content and access for Averett courses. Any comments or to reserve a viewing area for 5-14 students contact [email protected], or call 434-791-5692 or 800-543-9440.

To search and browse the database, click here.

Inclement Weather Process  

Please remember during inclement weather, it’s most important that you stay safe and to always use caution. In order to stay informed, be sure you’re signed up for our emergency E2 Campus Alerts for delays and cancellations by clicking here. You can also check our weather page here.

TIAA Survey

You will soon see a TIAA survey in your email. As a valued institutional client, TIAA would like to obtain your feedback regarding the implementation in which you were involved. The company values our partnership and feedback and says this will help them continue to meet our expectations and improve their service to us.

Managers will use your survey responses to provide feedback to the implementation team to ensure we are doing all we can to meet the needs of our institutional partners.

The survey should take no more than two minutes to complete. We appreciate your willingness to participate.