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. 15 for a Wednesday, Jan. 20 publication.
New Assistant Registrar
Please welcome Katie Johnston as our new Assistant Registrar! Katie is moving from Averett Central to the Registrar’s office, and we couldn’t be happier. Katie brings a wealth of experience to the position, and we look forward to her future contributions. Please congratulate Katie when you see her in her new office.
Welcome Back Jane!
The Equestrian Department is excited to announce that we have lured Jane out of retirement! Jane will be leaving cold, snowy Michigan to return to balmy Southside Virginia for the spring semester. She will be working part-time supervising students at the Equestrian Center on weekends, as well as helping out with special events and guest instructing.
Founder’s Day Processional
Any staff member who wishes to participate in the Founder’s Day processional on Jan. 21 should email Mary Sullivan by this Friday, Jan. 15.
Library Hosts Book Discussion
Haley Walters, a member of the community, will lead two discussions on Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, “All the Light We Cannot See.” Join Haley in the Blount Library Academic Commons at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, and Tuesday, Jan. 26. Students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to participate.
To receive a copy of “All the Light We Cannot See” to read and keep, or to recommend titles for future discussions, contact Jim Verdini, Averett Humanities Librarian at 434-791-5694. For more information about the discussion, or to learn about upcoming events at the library, click here.
Book discussions are supported by the Cathy Edwards Literary Fund.
Teach It Forward! Challenge
Organizations that work with after-school children and youth are seeking consistent volunteers for mentoring and tutoring, and the CCECC is challenging the entire campus to meet this need in our community. Students, faculty, and staff can create or join a team and earn points for tutoring at after-school sites from February 1-April 1.
Sites include Boys & Girls clubs of the Danville area, Danville Church Based Tutorial Program, Constance “Grandma” Covington Youth Center, Cedar Terrace Youth Center, Pleasant View Youth Center and Seeland Crossing Youth Center.
The winning team will be recognized during Day to Engage on April 11. Respond to the Teach It Forward! Challenge on Get Connected to get involved! Contact Laura Beth Williams, Service and Volunteer Coordinator, for additional information at 434-334-7341.
Easy Cite Workshops
Social sciences librarian, Kevin Harden will offer spring semester workshops on MLA and APA citation styles. See Blount Library Coffee Talks for specific dates and times.
Please encourage students to visit Blount Library for one or both workshops, or complete Kevin’s “Easy Cite Tutorial.”
Librarians offer research consultations for traditional and professional programs at Blount Library, [email protected], 800-543-9440, and 791-5692.
A Night of Family Fun
Comedian and juggler Mark Nizer will bring his 4D show to Pritchett Auditorium on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Nizer, who makes the impossible possible and the improbable probable, has taken his one-man show to a variety of venues around the world, including The Improv, The Comedy Store, Walt Disney World, thousands of college campuses, and all major cruise lines. Faculty and staff will receive two free, non-transferrable, tickets to the performance, which is partially supported by funding from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Adult Coed Indoor Soccer League
Averett is partnering with the YMCA to host a Winter Indoor Soccer League beginning Sunday, Feb. 14. The league will run for six to eight weeks (depending on number of teams) with games being played on Sunday evenings. If you are interested in participating you can register at the Danville Family YMCA until Jan. 31. The cost is $35 for YMCA members and $70 for non-members. Each participant will receive a league t-shirt. If you have any questions please contact Philip Wilson or click here for more information.
Reminder: University Staff Meeting
Don’t forget that the first university-wide staff meeting for 2016 will be held Jan. 28 at 11:15 a.m. in the multipurpose room of the Student Center.
Reminder: America’s Sunday Supper
Don’t forget to RSVP to Tia Yancey at 791-7214 for America’s Sunday Supper, which will be held Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. at The Venue (318 Main St.). Averett has partnered with Riverview Rotary to host this event, which was started by Points of Light and is inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of people of diverse backgrounds interacting on personal levels.
Come share a meal, share your story, and engage in a meaningful conversation about our community! (Please note the flyer sent out by the CCECC last week had the wrong month listed.)
MLK Day of Service
The annual MLK Day of Service is next Monday (Jan. 18) from 12-6:30 p.m. at the North Campus. Projects will be ongoing, so stop by when you can!
There are two opportunities for you to serve:
- Make a t-shirt blanket to keep Danville warm. Bring a gently-used t-shirt that represents you to donate to a blanket!
- Rehab, paint, and build new Little Libraries. Bring a new or gently-used book that is appropriate for ages up to 12 years old to donate to a Little Library!
At 4 p.m. we will recognize the winners of the MLK Art Contest and the MLK Story Contest from Danville Public Schools. At 5 p.m., Josephus Thompson III and The Poetry Project Dan River Region will lead the audience in a spoken word performance.
Please contact Rachel Covington with questions or click here for more information. For details about all of the MLK events in the community, visit www.engagecoalition.org/MLK-Day.
Donate to Share Your Story!
Can’t volunteer at the MLK Day of Service? You can still participate! There are two projects you can give a donation to:
- Donate a gently-used t-shirt that represents you to make a t-shirt blanket.
- Donate a new or gently-used book appropriate for ages up to 12 years old to a Little Library.
Donation boxes are at the following locations: entrance to Fugate Hall, entrance to the mailroom in Main Hall, entrance to the third floor in Frith Hall, entrance to the Security Office in the Student Success Center, entrance to the Office of Residence Life on the fourth Floor of the Student Center and entrance to Jut’s Café. Please contact Rachel Covington with questions or for more details, check out the flyer.
SOVA STEM-H Summit
This year marks the fourth Annual Southern Virginia STEM-H Summit. This event, hosted by the Southside Higher Education Coalition, brings together all regional stakeholders, business and community leaders, teachers and students, around the subject of STEM-H education and workforce development in southern Virginia.
The SOVA STEM-H Education Industry Achievement awards provide a means to formally recognize those industry members and educators that are leading the charge in creating and partnering on innovative educational opportunities. If you know of a trailblazer working to encourage and inspire youth in Southern Virginia to pursue STEM-H fields in unique and engaging ways, you are encouraged to submit a nomination. Nominations will be accepted through January 20. Click here for more information.
The awards will be presented at the fourth Annual Southern Virginia STEM-H Summit on March 23.
