Averett CoffeeBreak 3-27-19

Posted on March 27th, 2019 by Danielle Staub

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 formFor the next CoffeeBreak, please submit by Friday, Mar. 29, for a Wednesday, Apr. 3, publication.

Healthy Solutions

The webinar for week three of the Stress Management Program is today, Mar. 27, at 10:30 a.m. in the MPR. This will mark week three of the five-week Stress Management series. We will be discussing the downhill effects of burning out, the stress-burnout continuum and how to identify where you stand on that continuum. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected].

Thank you to everyone that has attended a Wellness event so far. Please be sure to attest to your participation on the 2iWellness Portal in order to receive points. If you have any questions about the program or portal, email [email protected] or [email protected].

TRUTH Talks: Women’s History Month

The CCECC and Student Life are co-sponsoring our March T.R.U.T.H Talk in celebration of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, Mar. 27, in the MPR from 6-8 p.m. The panel “Community Leadership and Pathways to Success” features four strong, powerful, female leaders in our community, and our very own Presidential Spouse Joe Franks will offer a unique perspective. Click here to see the full flyer. Refreshments will be served starting at 5:30 p.m.

T.R.U.T.H. Talks are designed after a national program to engage college campuses and local communities on issues of diversity and inclusion of all types. These forums provide a structured and safe-space environment for all involved to voice their concerns and praises.

New Staff Council Member Voting

Today, you will receive an email with a link to the Staff Council voting survey. Please complete the survey by selecting one person from each group and submit! This survey should take less than three minutes, so please participate!

The deadline to complete the survey is Wednesday, Apr. 10. The four new Staff Council members will be announced during the Thursday, Apr. 18 staff meeting. Thank you!

Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award Nominations

Today begins the nomination process for the Outstanding Faculty and Staff Awards! Please take a few minutes of your time to nominate your fellow faculty and staff members. The awards will be presented at the Faculty, Staff and Retiree Luncheon to be held on Thursday, May 2.

The criteria for the award and nomination process can be found by clicking here. The nomination form can be found by clicking here. These forms can also be found on the intranet.

The deadline to submit nominations is Wednesday, Apr. 17, by 4:30 p.m. Completed nomination forms need to be sent to [email protected].

Averett Chapel

All students, faculty and staff are invited to join together for Averett Chapel tomorrow, Mar. 28, from 11:15-11:45 a.m. in Blount Chapel. Dr. Gary Tucker will be offering an encouraging message.

Unity Walk

On Saturday, Mar. 30, the Black Student Union is sponsoring a Unity Walk that will begin at the tennis courts and end at the Student Center where there will be music, prayer and entertainment.

Check-in begins at 6 p.m. and the walk begins at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the Unity Walk is to celebrate our community’s diversity and culture and to continue to build and forge connections with one another.

2019 DRF Speaker Series

The Averett community is invited to hear New York Times bestselling author, Dr. Robert Putnam, as he talks about his most recent book, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis.

The event is taking place on Thursday, Apr. 4, from 7:30-9 a.m. at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. There will be free breakfast and the event is open to the public. To reserve your space, please call (434) 836-6990 or visit dpchamber.org

Big Idea Competition

Don’t forget to submit your proposals for the exciting new initiative, the Big Idea Competition!

As a way to prioritize and accelerate innovative thinking, reward and cultivate creativity and advance a greater culture of experimentation, the Averett Board of Trustees is piloting and funding a competition for faculty, staff and students to generate proposals for new ways to move the University forward. Submit your individual or group proposal through this fillable form by Friday, Apr. 5, for a chance to win $1,000, $1,500 or $2,000! For questions, contact Charles Harris at [email protected] or (434) 791-5701. Good luck!

1859 Coffeehouse Lecture Series: Dr. Liu

Join us for the last 1859 Coffeehouse Lecture series this semester on Tuesday, Apr. 9, at 7 p.m. featuring Dr. Michelle Liu. Dr. Liu came to Moscow, Idaho as a full-time doctoral student and studied sport pedagogy at the University of Idaho in 2003. Immediately after receiving her Ph.D. in 2008, Averett offered Liu a teaching faculty position and she moved to Danville. Dr. Liu’s home is Miaoli in Taiwan, R.O.C, and she will share insights on cultures and customs from her home country

Bridge Street Blood Drive

The Bridge Street Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday, Apr. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Bridge Street in front of the Riverview Campus. Email Liz Cervantes at [email protected] to be sent the sign-up link to register online. It only takes 30 minutes to save a life.

Save the Date: Sun Porch 3.0 Update

On Thursday, Apr. 18, at noon, please plan to join Dr. Franks in the multipurpose room for an update on the Sun Porch 3.0 Sessions. Dr. Franks will share some of the big takeaways from the sessions as we plan for Averett 2025.

This joint faculty/staff meeting will occur immediately following the regularly scheduled staff meeting and faculty forum.

Administrative Professionals Day Luncheon

Southside Virginia SHRM is holding it’s annual Administrative Professionals Day Luncheon on Wednesday, Apr. 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. Cost is $25 per person. Vendors are also welcome and the cost per vendor is $25.

Treat yourself. Do a little shopping. Enjoy a delicious meal. Win fabulous door prizes! Featuring a motivational speech by Dr. Martha Walker entitled “Shaping Your Future.”

Please contact Angie McAdams at [email protected] or stop by the CCECC to see her for registration information.

Annual Rummage Sale

Averett’s Criminal Justice Club/Alpha Upsilon Lambda chapter is seeking donations of clothing and miscellaneous items to its Saturday, Apr. 27, annual Rummage Sale. To donate items, notify Maya Hairston at [email protected] or Andrew Van Der Hyde at [email protected] or John Wilt, advisor, at [email protected] For information about the rummage sale, call (434) 770-8822.

Homecoming 2019: It’s time to plan!

Homecoming 2019 will be October 18-20. If you or your department have ideas about events, reunions or celebrations that you are planning to host or that are ideas for this year, please contact Dan Hayes at [email protected] or (434) 791-7252.

Do you want to host a tailgate? Do you want to invite back a loved faculty/staff member? Is this the 20th anniversary of the development of your department? Now is the time to start the planning by calling Dan!

Advising Tip

Important to the advising process is making sure a student’s classes are setting him or her up for success. Critical to this is making sure a student has met the prerequisites for each course. Prerequisites provide the background information that can be built upon in other courses. Successfully completing a prerequisite should lead to success in more difficult courses.

Check the catalog or read the course descriptions online to determine what, if any, prerequisites are required for a particular course.

 

Summer Advising

Summer registration for incoming freshmen will be May 31, June 21 and July 26. Faculty are needed to register freshmen for fall classes. Each date will include two, one-hour general advising/registration sessions, and faculty will be compensated. If you are able to represent your department on one or more of these dates, please contact Janet Roberson at [email protected] and Barb Kushubar at [email protected]. Thanks in advance for your help.

Golf at Southern Hills

Southern Hills golf course is fully operational. Take advantage of the discounted rate for faculty, staff and students. The discount rate is effective during the week. Weekends are at full cost. Contact Barb Kushubar if you are not on Averett’s play list at [email protected].

Spring Fling: Jail-A-Thon

The Criminal Justice Club/Alpha Upsilon Lambda sponsored a Jail-A-Thon and prepared funnel cakes during Spring Fling. Averett staff and administrators who were “charged” with a crime and then “jailed” in the CJC/AUL Jail-A-Thon facility located at Jordan Common.

The “offender” could only be jailed if someone was willing to fill out an arrest warrant that included the charge(s). There was a small fee to have the culprit arrested and jailed and a small fee for the “bandit” to be released from jail. The Jail-A-Thon was a very popular activity at the Spring Fling and an excellent fundraising event. Thank you to everyone who participated.

SOVAH Health Clinic

Not feeling well? Sovah Health Clinic is open Monday- Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, for Averett students, faculty and staff. The clinic is located on the 4th floor of the Student Center, above the cafeteria. It accepts walk-ins and offers routine care.

Common services include but are not limited to: cold and flu symptoms, health maintenance and prevention, lab work, sport physicals, flu shots, TB skin tests, non-life threatening injuries, pap smears and depression. Appointments can be made by calling (434) 797-2828.

2019 Virginia Network Annual State Conference

Each year the Virginia Network sponsors a statewide conference serving women in a wide range of roles in higher education, including graduate students. The Network has been particularly interested in identifying and developing the careers of women from diverse backgrounds and four times has focused the annual conference on critical issues for women of color.

It is time to get excited about The Virginia Network Conference in Harrisonburg, Va., on Friday, May 31, at the Hotel Madison and Shenandoah Valley Conference Center! The theme of this annual conference is “Every Connection Matters: Leveraging Our Voices for Change.” It is designed for women who serve the varied and diverse institutions and agencies of higher education in the Commonwealth and provides opportunities for networking, collaboration and sharing information about the national, state and regional issues affecting higher education today.

Want more info on the conference? Click here to visit the Virginia Network Annual Conference website. Scholarships for the registration costs are available.

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AU Equestrians Headed to Zone Finals

Averett’s equestrian department hosted the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association regional finals on Saturday, Mar. 16. Riders have competed at regular season shows throughout the year to qualify for post-season competition. Four Averett riders earned enough points to compete at the regional show, with senior Colleen Shea-Hackett earning enough points in both flat and fences competition to qualify for two classes.

 

 

The top two placing riders in each class at the regional competition move on to the zone competition at the University of Virginia on Saturday, Apr. 6. After a long day of tough competition, Shea-Hackett and Haley Boardway, sophomore, finished in the top two of their classes and will be competing for Averett at the zone finals. If they finish in the top two there, they will be qualified for the National finals held in Syracuse, N.Y. the first week of May.

GPS Student Spotlight

Meet John Wilt, a student pursuing his Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration & Leadership and is expected to graduate in 2020.

What advice would you share for current and incoming students in Averett’s GPS program?  

“My advice is to make sure you are ready for a time-consuming challenge. Put any major projects or anticipated projects on hold and be prepared for contingencies. Anticipate spending 20-30 hours per week for each six-week class and do not procrastinate and do not wait until mid-week for assignments due Thursday at 11:59!”

Averett 101: From the Eyes of Freshmen

During every Averett 101 class each fall semester, the students go to the president’s house and enjoy a dinner with Dr. Franks and her husband, Joe. During that time, Dr. Franks asks the students what they love about Averett and if they have any concerns. During the spring, we will be sharing some of the comments students shared with Dr. Franks and Joe about Averett!

“I love the small campus because I get to meet a lot of people.”

“It is easy to meet people and everyone speaks to each other.”

“There is always someone you can talk to.”

“There are very nice people here. I really didn’t speak much English when I got here from Spain and people helped me.”

“Aviation is great. The people are awesome and helpful.”

“Professors stay after class to work with you.”

“I love security, especially Smiley!”

“There are engaged professors here.”