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, Oct. 21, for a Wednesday, Oct. 26 publication.

Flying High

At Saturday’s exciting Homecoming game, the airplane flyover was in honor of Pam McKirdy, director of institutional research and effectiveness, who had the best view as she rode passenger-side in the plane! We literally “raised her up” as a way of expressing our tremendous gratitude for all her incredible work helping Averett prepare its SACSCOC Compliance Report, as well as other preparations.

Thank you again, Pam, for all of your hard work and dedication. We hope you enjoyed your ride!

Student Accolades

Last fall, the Student Life department began recognizing students that go the extra mile in whatever they are doing on campus. Each week, the staff meets to select students for recognition for their dedication to Averett, and they are notified they’ve been nominated for a chance to win a $50 Visa Gift Card. At the end of the semester, we put all the names in a bowl and draw the name of one lucky student. This is our way to let the students know we appreciate all that they do.

This week we would like to recognize Brianna Harris and Triston Kechtor as our students of the week.

GPS Student Spotlight: Brent Childress

Throughout the month, the Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) admissions team interviews and highlights our GPS students. We hope you will enjoy learning more about these amazing members of our Averett family!

Meet Brent Childress, one of our students pursuing his Bachelor of Business Administration. He will graduate in 2018.

What is your motivation for obtaining your degree? “It was simple for me. In 2010, I was laid off from a dream job two days after Christmas. After taking some time off to reflect on my next move, I realized that not having a degree was going to put me at a disadvantage. Even though my work resume was substantial, other job candidates in my field had an upper hand because of their educational background. It was the first time in my life I had experienced this, and I decided then that it was time to get my degree.”

Why he chose the GPS program: “I did quite a bit of research on this because it was a big step for me to commit to this with all my other obligations. I looked at Phoenix, Liberty, ODU, and a handful of other distance learning programs and Averett just felt right for me. I worked for about five years in the nuclear field and that company worked with Averett quite a bit. All of the feedback I received was very positive. That, combined with my research, led me here, and I am glad I took the leap.”

What keeps him motivated: “Opportunity. At my age, I will have to work 25+ years before I can retire so I plan to make the most of it. Advancement with my current employer is limited, and it will likely be years before I can move into upper management. Right now in my work career I feel like I am existing, and it is time to start living.”

Tip for fellow and future classmates: “For the future students considering Averett, I offer this advice. Do not wait. Jump in feet-first, dedicate yourself, and make the most of your opportunities. In my 20’s and 30’s I was lucky enough to land two great jobs, and took my education for granted. It is never too late. I started last year at the age of 40 but many times I thought to myself, “why didn’t I do this years ago?” For my classmates, blocking off time for schoolwork has been vital to my academic success. I set a schedule, and I do not change it unless I absolutely have to. It is not ideal for everyone, but it has worked great for me.”

Staff Meeting Tomorrow

Our October staff meeting is tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 20, at 11:15 a.m. in the multipurpose room. Our Empower Hour leader will be Stacy Gato, who will discuss how each of us has a role in student retention here at Averett.

Don’t forget! Keep calm and costume on because Staff Council will host the annual Halloween Costume Contest on Monday, Oct. 31, in the cafeteria!

Arts@Averett: Acrobats of CirqueTacular “Spooktacular”

In the spirit of Halloween, Arts@Averett brings the Acrobats of CirqueTacular “Spooktacular” to town on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 4 p.m. Spooks, specters and scaredy-cats cavort and conspire through a hair-raising circus of scare. Banshees soar and acrobatic zombies contort from the beyond in this humorously haunted bazaar of the bizarre! Join us for a jaw-droppingly fun circus Halloween adventure that the whole family will enjoy, with one dazzling, death-defying feat of athletic prowess after another, with spectacular aerial numbers, gorgeously choreographed ground acrobatics, energetic music and beautiful costumes! Visit http://dcaproductions.com/v2/?p=1206 for pictures and video clips from the show, which will be held in the Pritchett Auditorium in the Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center. All faculty and staff with an ID receive two free, non-transferable tickets. Students with an Averett ID are also free, general admission tickets are $5, and children age 5 and under are free. For the full Arts@Averett season schedule or more information, visit https://www.averett.edu/about-us/arts-averett/averett-arts-schedule/ or call (434) 791-5867.

Faculty and Staff Employee Giving

Don’t forget! Our annual faculty and staff giving campaign ends Monday, Oct. 31. It’s not about how much you give, but rather that everyone gives something – the percentage of employees who give is what counts most! Contact Dan Hayes at [email protected] or (434) 791-7252 for more information on how to give.

Also, we want to hear from you. Get creative and tell us what fun and silly things you’d like for Dan and Buddy Rawley to do to celebrate this year if we reach our goal of 87 percent participation. Send your ideas to Dan this month for consideration, and if your idea gets chosen, you will be guaranteed a role in the fun!

Phone System Outage

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, the phone system will be brought down for maintenance at 4:35 p.m. The system will be down for approximately one hour. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the IT department at (434) 791-7273.

Halloween on Main

Candy collection boxes will be located around campus in the locations listed below. Please drop off any candy that you would like to be handed out at the annual “Halloween on Main” for the Danville community on Monday, Oct. 31. Contact Sierra Braxton-Sears at [email protected] or Taylor Mahaffey at [email protected] with questions.

Locations:
– 3rd floor Student Center
– 4th floor Student Center
– 3rd floor Frith
– Student Success Center
– Main Hall

Southern Hills Golf Discounts

Southern Hills Golf Course, located at 188 Stokesland Ave. in Danville, is offering Averett faculty, staff and students a special discounted rate. The cost will be $16 to play 18 holes of golf. In order to receive this discount, you must register before Monday, Oct. 31, by emailing Barbara Kushubar at [email protected].

New Position Posting

The assistant registrar’s position is now open. For additional information, visit https://www.averett.edu/about-us/employment-opportunities/.

Upcoming Faculty-led Courses

Advisors: Averett is offering three exciting faculty-led trips this summer! Students should preregister during the spring 2017 semester. Contact the Study Abroad Office at [email protected] about the application process and financial aid, or speak to the faculty leader.

*FR299: Quebec Culture and French Language Immersion in Montreal (Dr. Catherine Clark)

*ENG202: Major British Authors, 19th and 20th Centuries in London (Dr. Marc Muneal)

*REL 315: Khirbet el-Mastarah Excavation in the Jordan Valley (Dr. Ralph Hawkins)

Details about each program are available through the Averett Study Abroad website.

Week to Engage By the Numbers

Thank you to everyone who volunteered during Week to Engage!

We had 500 unique volunteers from Averett University, Danville Community College and Piedmont Community College serving over 1,150 hours in our community during the week. We are very excited to report that 220 of those volunteers served for more than one project!

Click here to see the impact made!

If you volunteered, please take a moment to take this brief survey so we can improve your experience next year.

Averett Named to the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

For the first time, Averett University has been named to the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Honor Roll recognizes institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships.

The CCECC would like to thank Averett students, faculty and staff for their commitment to #365daysof service, and helping to live out our #missioninaction.

New Campus Store Hours

The Schoolfield House Booksellers at the Averett University Campus Store has new hours:

Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

To ensure you’re up-to-date please check averettshop.com for operating hours.

Aramark Campus Survey

Aramark is conducting a survey to better understand your campus lifestyle and preferences. By sharing your thoughts, we will gain valuable insight to help improve your overall campus experience.

This online survey will take five to 10 minutes and your responses are confidential. Survey participants will have the opportunity to win a $150 Visa® e-Gift card, or one of three $50 Visa® e-Gift cards.

The survey is mobile-friendly and can be taken on a smartphone or mobile device. If you prefer to take it on a computer, either click on this link to begin, or copy and paste the URL (http://www.college-survey.com/averett) into your Internet browser address bar and hit enter. A current Internet browser is required.

We appreciate your time and thank you for your assistance!

LiveHealth Online

Did you know that as an active participant in Averett’s health plan, you have access to LiveHealth Online? Why wait at urgent care when you can talk to a doctor online from the comfort of home? Using LiveHealth Online, you can visit with a doctor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on your smartphone, tablet or computer. With no appointments or long waits, it’s a great option for care when your own doctor isn’t available.

• 24/7 access to board-certified doctors in minutes
• Immediate, secure and private video visits
• Prescriptions sent directly to your pharmacy, if needed
• Quick care for the flu, a cold, sore throat, fever, skin rash or infection, pink eye and more!

Please visit Anthem’s LiveHealth Online website here. More information will be available during Opening Enrollment. As an incentive, the CICV is offering $500, $300 and $200 to the three schools who register the highest percentage of their eligible participants by December 31, 2016.

Adjusting Your Monthly Budget

With the change from monthly to bi-weekly paychecks, there will be a difference in employees’ net cash flow each month. Everyone’s annual salary will remain the same, but that amount will now be spread out over 26 paydays rather than 12. This change means that for 10 months, the total pay will be slightly less under the biweekly schedule than under the monthly schedule. But for two months each year,  the monthly total will be higher because there will be three paydays (in March and September). For an example, see the spreadsheet posted on the Averett intranet under Business Office and Payroll. The amounts shown on the spreadsheet are estimates before any deductions or withholdings are made.

Payroll and Human Resources are working together to develop materials to enable you to plan ahead so that you can make adjustments to your monthly budget as needed. A new webpage will be launched soon that will include helpful resources such as the 2017 pay schedule, a full-year sample of gross pay amounts per payday, a schedule of deductions and worksheets to help you calculate an estimate of what to expect in your paychecks.

Because we know you will have questions about all the changes, we have established an email address to submit those questions. Personnel from Human Resources and Payroll will try to respond to those questions. If a question is asked repeatedly, we will include the information in future communications for everyone. Send questions to [email protected].

Another change intended to help the payroll team be more efficient, effective now, is a new email address for timesheets (once approved by the appropriate supervisor):  [email protected].

Remember to schedule yourself to attend one of three discussion and question/answer sessions. The first session for supervisors will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m. in the multipurpose room. Any non-student employee is welcome to attend one of two other sessions:

• Monday, Nov. 7, at 9:30 a.m. in the multipurpose room, or
• Thursday, Nov. 17, at 2:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room.