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, September 11 for a Wednesday, September 16 publication.

Thank You

On behalf of myself and my family, thank you so much for the cards, prayers, and care shown during the passing of my mother, Joyce Harper. It means so much to work with people who take the time to show their concern. I have only been here a short time, but thankfully my mother knew how happy I was to be a part of this family! Again, I am very appreciative of your thoughtfulness.

Fondly,

Penny Hudson

Week to Engage

Week to Engage will be September 14-19, and I hope you will volunteer with your colleagues and students during this special time. As you recall from our opening faculty and staff meeting, Averett University encourages and allows employees to take time off to serve. Volunteering during Week to Engage is the perfect opportunity to take part, or all, of your eight-hour service leave.

I hope you not only will encourage your students to participate, but also will take your class to volunteer, whether at an off-campus site or for a DIY project on campus.

Last semester, 450 volunteers served our community, and 100 of those volunteers were Averett faculty and staff!

We can accommodate, and hope to have 400 volunteers. Remember that you must have a profile on Get Connected to sign up for Week to Engage. Visit engage.averett.edu to create your profile and click on the “Week to Engage” box to start exploring!

With appreciation,

Tiffany Franks

Saying Goodbye

With mixed emotions, we announce that Ed Jones, our Director of Marketing and Communications, is leaving Averett to become the new Director of Communications and Public Relations at Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, N.C. (Salem College is Ed’s wife Ann’s alma mater.)

During his three-year tenure at Averett, Ed helped take the AU brand to unprecedented heights on multiple fronts. He “sold in” the new brand positioning crafted by AU’s marketing partner TWG Plus: DREAM BIG. GO BOLD. YOUR TIME IS NOW. He led the recent redesign of Averett’s main website. Serving as the Editor and Creative Director, Ed conceptualized the cover and led the major redesign of Averett Magazine. He also led the redesign of Averett’s e-newsletter and expanded its reach from approximately 800 email addresses to over 6,500 email addresses. He conceptualized the cover and led the design and writing of the print publications that kicked off the public phase of Averett’s first comprehensive capital campaign as well as the recent publication that closed out our successful $29 million-plus capital campaign. He conceptualized, wrote the script and directed the capital campaign video that featured Averett students and was used to thank AU’s donors for their generosity. In addition, he wrote Averett’s new Vision Statement, which will help guide AU’s Strategic Plan for years to come.

Ed’s last day will be October 2. Please join us in wishing Ed and his wife, Ann, all the best in their future endeavors.

Arts@Averett Events

Beginning this fall, tickets will be sold to the public for several Arts@Averett events. As with theatre events, faculty and staff will receive two free (non-transferable) tickets per event. (Students will be able to get in free with their ID.) We hope to see you at some, or all, of our events this year!

Early Alert Form

A new and improved Early Alert Form is now available. The link for the new form can be found at: www.averett.edu/student-life. Faculty and staff may use the form to alert the Office of Student Success and the Office of Student Development about academic and/or behavioral concerns of students.

The form is easy to fill out and submit and is now used in conjunction with TargetX, Averett’s new student tracking software.

University Staff Meeting

This is a reminder that the next university-wide staff meeting is scheduled for September 17 at 11:15 a.m. in Blount Chapel.

Volunteer Opportunity

The 2015 Career Choice SOVA Youth Expo is seeking volunteers for this year’s event, which will be September 30 and October 1. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Averett to more than 4,000 area high school students. It also is a great use of part of, or all of, your service leave. Please click here to register, and should you have any questions, contact Angie McAdams.

Title IX Information

Averett has recently strengthened its Student Sexual Misconduct Policy as a result of Title IX. The full policy, along with a letter from Dr. Franks, an anonymous report form, and other resources for students, faculty, and staff, are available on the campus security page of the Averett website.

 Week to Engage is Next Week!

Week to Engage is next week, and we need your help! We have partnered with 24 community organizations to create 46 projects, so we can accommodate 620 volunteers!

Remember that as part of the Engaged Employer Initiative, Averett University encourages its employees to give back to the community. Week to Engage is a great opportunity to take your paid service leave and volunteer.

All Week to Engage sign-ups will now go through Get Connected, the CCECC’s volunteer management and tracking software. Visit engage.averett.edu to create a profile and start exploring how you can make a difference!

Donate & Make a Difference

If you don’t have time to volunteer during Week to Engage, you can still donate!

Danville Regional Medical Center is hosting a donation drive for their pediatric patients. Please donate toy beach buckets, coloring books, crayons/markers, small toys, new stuffed animals, and small games by Wednesday, September 16. Donation boxes are located in the CCECC, on the third floor of Frith Hall and at the Riverview Campus.

Week to Engage volunteers will sort all of the donations on Friday, September 18 so each pediatric patient can receive their own bucket of goodies!

Reminder: Spoken Word Workshops

Josephus Thompson III will be hosting spoken word workshops for students, faculty and staff on the campuses of Averett, Danville Community College, and Piedmont Community College during the month of September. Not sure what is meant by “spoken word?” Check out this Poetry Project performance at the National Service-Learning Conference.

Learn more during the faculty/staff workshop on Monday, September 21, from 2-3 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Student Center. There will be two student workshops – September 14 and 21 from 7-8 p.m. in the back of the dining hall.

Please contact Rachel Covington for more information. To learn more about The Poetry Project, click here.