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. For the next CoffeeBreak, please submit by Friday, Feb. 8, for a Wednesday, Feb. 13, publication.

Happy February Birthday!

Wishing you the nicest things that life can bring your way, And this is not just a birthday wish…it’s meant for every day!

Host: President Franks and Joe Franks
For: Celebration for Faculty & Staff with February Birthdays
When: Wednesday, Feb. 13
Where: Main Hall Penthouse
Time: 3:30-4:30 p.m.

RSVP to [email protected].

Valentine’s Day Dinner and Show by Smokestack Theatre & The 616

Come out this Valentine’s Day, Thursday, Feb. 14, and enjoy an incredible meal and a murder mystery! “Café Murder” is a murder mystery, audience participation show by Nathan Hartswick, produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Services, Inc. Denver, Colorado, and directed by James Anderson. Tickets include a 3-course dinner for two people and the show. There are two shows at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (434) 797-3463. Ticket cost is $129.99 per couple. Tax and gratuity is not included.

Averett’s very own Liz Cervantes is in the performance! For questions, contact Liz at [email protected].

Diversity TRUTH Talk Part 2: Follow-up and Answers

The CCECC and Student Life are co-sponsoring part two of our diversity TRUTH Talk from November on Monday, Feb. 18, in the back cafe of the Student Center. We encourage students to use their meal swipes starting at 5:30 p.m. (guests and students with no swipes, please let us know, and we will accommodate you).

The program will start at 6 p.m. As this is a follow-up to November’s diversity discussion, we will present answers to the unanswered questions from our first session and conduct a listening session for your additional questions/comments/praises/concerns regarding diversity in higher education and Averett.

This is a safe space for all of us to have a constructive follow-up discussion, so we will have the interactive texting technology during the session for those wishing to comment anonymously. We hope to leave the night feeling empowered and proud of our community for making progress toward an even more inclusive culture.

Then on Monday, Feb. 25, from 6-8 p.m. in Blount Chapel, we will have another presentation, “TRUTH Talk: Disability Services in Higher Education.”Refreshments will be served starting at 5:30 p.m.

There will be a panel of distinguished presenters who will discuss 1.) how we define disabilities in higher education, 2.) unique physical and mental health challenges students face in higher education, and 3.) challenges students face as they bridge into their career field.

Save the Date: February Staff Meeting

The February Staff Meeting will take place on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 11:15 a.m. in the multipurpose room. Staff Council is always looking for Golden Bagel nominations. If you believe one of your co-workers has gone above and beyond in the month of January, please submit a nomination to [email protected].

Arts@Averett and the Averett Theatre Department Present: “Our Town”

Come support the theatre department and attend an “Our Town” performance on February 21-23, 7 p.m. in Pritchett Auditorium. Faculty and staff get two free tickets and Averett students get in free. Regular tickets: $10 adults, $8 students/senior citizens (60+).

The classic three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover’s Corners between 1901 and 1913 through the everyday lives of its citizens.

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Sale

The Criminal Justice Club/Alpha Upsilon Lambda chapter members will be selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts throughout the month of February. Doughnuts are $7 per dozen and proceeds will facilitate student and advisor travel to the March 3-8 2nd ACJA-LAE National Conference in Baltimore. Here are the contact persons for information or to place a doughnut order: Maya Hairston, president: [email protected];  Andrew Van Der Hyde, vice president: [email protected] or  John Wilt, advisor: [email protected] or (434) 770-8822.

The 6th Annual IdeaFest Business Pitch Competition

IdeaFest Business Pitch Competition is hosted by The Launch Place, will take place on Thursday, Mar. 21, starting at 1 p.m. IdeaFest is a pitch competition where 20 finalists will pitch their startup business idea to a panel of judges and a live audience. A total of $10,000 will be awarded to the top three competitors. The deadline to apply is Monday, Feb. 18. Learn more by clicking here.

Winners of the competition will also be eligible to receive 25 hours of free business consulting from The Launch Place. The Launch Place assists with business formation, job creation and retention through its business consulting services and investment funding, while having a dual responsibility to recruit and retain entrepreneurs to the Dan River Region. The IdeaFest competition exposes The Launch Place’s services and funds to start-up companies that are ready to establish or seeking early stage capital. The Launch Place could potentially invest in the company from its Seed and Pre-Seed Funds. If you would like to view a summary of the competition from last year, click here.

Sam’s Club Representative on Campus

Karen Shields from Sam’s Club will register new members and renew memberships on Tuesday, Feb. 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dining Hall entrance. Remember, she can sign you up months in advance of your renewal date. She will have special offers for anyone registering with her that day. Email Kathie Tune at [email protected] for additional information.

Save the Date: Medicare Presentation

Carolyn Smith, president and founder of the Marketplace Agency and Eldercare Associates, Inc., will present an educational program on Wednesday, May 8, in the Carrington Conference Room for anyone interested in learning about Medicare and its intricate details. Contact Kathie Tune for details at [email protected]. To learn more about the Marketplace Agency click here.

New Student Summer Registration

New student summer registration dates are as follows: Friday, May 31; Friday, June, 21; and Friday, July, 26. The one-day student registration format will be similar to last year. More information will be coming.

Don’t forget to submit CARE Alerts

Now that the semester is rolling, don’t forget to submit CARE Alerts for any students you notice are facing challenges, whether academic, attendance, behavioral or otherwise. All full-time faculty and staff should have a CARE Alert account. If you have forgotten your password or do not have an account, please email Erin Schlauch at [email protected]. Below is a reminder on how to access the system.

1. Go to Faculty and Staff, then Early Alerts on the left hand side of the page.
2. Click on the link following “I DO have a Care Account”.
3. Click on “Staff Member.” Enter your username and password. Your username is your Averett email and the password you created.
4. You should be in! In order to change your password, click on your name in the upper right hand corner, and choose “Update Password”
5. When you want to create an Early Alert/CARE report, simply click on the red button that says “Create a Care Report.”

New Averett 101 Changes! Could you teach?

As we are all prepping for Fall 2019 courses, have you thought about teaching or co-teaching Averett 101, again? We know it is a major commitment, so we have some great news on new changes. To address faculty and staff time constraints, course scheduling is now more flexible since there are only a few grouped sessions. So, what does that look like? Well, if you are willing to teach an Averett 101 section, you can select from any of the below times.

Dates: 8/21- 10/31/2019
MWF: 8:00- 8:55, 9:10- 10:05, 10:20- 11:15, 11:30- 12:25, 12:40- 1:35, 1:50- 2:45, 3:00- 3:55
TH: 8:00- 9:25, 9:40- 11:05, 1:00- 2:25, 2:40- 4:05

Also, please consider teaching a discipline-specific section. For three years, we have had sections just for pre-nursing students, sports medicine, undecided majors, National Bonner Leaders and international students. This can be a great way to meet a target audience to prepare students for a course of study or, perhaps, recruit them. Some staff say they like teaching Averett 101 because it gives them an opportunity to meet freshmen that they wouldn’t have otherwise. Discipline-specific sections are on the career development focused curricula for Averett 101 and DO NOT have a service-learning component. Unless otherwise requested, only the heterogeneous, standard Averett 101 curriculum has a service-learning component that is led by a National Bonner Leader Peer Mentor.

Please remember that an adjunct faculty stipend is provided to single instructors for $1,500 and co-instructors for $750. Any staff member with a master’s degree can be a co-instructor. Staff members who have their master’s degree and have previously taught a successful service-learning course have the option to teach their own section, if they so choose.

Please let Brigid Belko Gorton know if you are able to teach or not, your time preference and your room preference by Friday, Feb. 15. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out at [email protected]. It is always a pleasure to support the care you give to our first-year students. Thank you for all that you do!

Build Your Strengths

You are unique. You are powerful. Your strength lies in your talents. You sense them; you always have. Gallup StrengthsFinder gives you the language to name them, confidently talk about them and intentionally use them to live the life you were meant to.

Gallup StrengthsFinder opens a whole new way of maximizing potential and collaboration! It tells you how you’re talented. It identifies what you naturally do best. It shows you how you’re special, and how to succeed by turning your talents into strengths.

If you and your faculty and/or staff team are ready to improve collaboration and maximize potential, the Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness is ready to support with free coaching and retreat services. If interested, contact Brigid Belko Gorton at [email protected].

Gold Key Award

ACJA-LAE member Rodney Harper has received the Gold Key Award from the American Criminal Justice Association-Lambda Alpha Epsilon. He is a member of the Averett University Alpha Upsilon Chapter and a 2018 graduate majoring in business administration. He obtained a 3.5 or higher grade point average during his studies – the main criteria for receiving the coveted Gold Key Award.

John Wilt, club advisor, is the recipient of the annual Ron Pincomb scholarship award provided by ACJA-LAE’s Region IV e-board. The scholarship is given to one Region IV advisor and pays the conference fee to attend the 82nd ACJA-LAE National Conference in Baltimore this March.

GPS Student Spotlight

Meet Grady Vernon, a student pursuing his Bachelor of Business Administration degree who is expected to graduate in 2019.

Why did you choose Averett University’s GPS program? 

“I chose Averett by chance, a friend at work had registered for the online program and was telling me about it. The ability to take classes from home or just about anywhere seemed interesting and let me tell you I have, from camping, waiting at airports, to sitting in parking a lot discussing a problem with my professor. I reached out to Averett and the rest is history.”