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, April 16, for a Wednesday, April 21, publication.
Save the Date: COVID-19 Campus Moderna Vaccination Clinic
Averett University will host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on campus Friday, April 23, from 9 a.m. until noon in Pritchett Auditorium. This clinic will be only for Averett students, faculty and staff with a maximum of 200 doses. There will be an opportunity to pre-register for an appointment, and walk-ins will also be welcomed. Stay tuned for more details soon, and please share with students with whom you interact.
UPDATE: The Moderna two-dose shot will be given instead of the Johnson & Johnson single shot. A second dose clinic will be held on campus on Friday, May 21, for those who receive their first dose next week.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey to help determine if the University would host this clinic. Your voices were heard, and we are moving forward in our partnership with the Virginia Department of Health to host this.
COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs
As you consider becoming vaccinated, please read the following FAQs to address some of the most common questions and misconceptions about the vaccine. Click here for COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs.
COVID-19 Discussion with Kathie Tune Canceled Today
Stop in the Zoom room to chat with Kathie next week on Wednesday, April 21. Click here to register now. For any immediate questions or concerns, contact Kathie Tune at 434-791-7106 or by email.
Campus Safety and Security Update
Averett continues with its implementation of the integrated approach to facilities management. Effective Monday, April 12, Bruce Devlin began serving as the interim chief of safety and security. Bruce also serves as the director of integrated facilities management services. We wish Jamie Walker the best as he moves on to other opportunities.
Please remember the Campus Safety and Security Office and at least one officer is available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day via LiveSafe or via phone at 434-791-5888. You could also stop by their Bishop Hall office (inside the Galesi Family Student Success Center).
For other safety and security related matters, please contact Bruce Devlin via email or via phone at 609-947-6124.
Call for Nominations: Chief Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
Our search for a Chief Compliance and Title IX Coordinator did not produce a viable candidate. We have reposted the position and the Search Committee, led by Anna Kautzman, agreed to convene the committee to renew their efforts.
President Franks and all members of the President’s Council agree it is important for Averett to fill this critical position ASAP. Having an existing Averett team member interested and willing to apply for this position is highly desirable.
Please send nominations for people you believe would be a good fit for this position to Kathie Tune at [email protected], or encourage your colleague to apply for the position posted on our HR website. Kathie will reach out to those nominated to discuss their level of interest in applying for the position.
We are hopeful we will generate robust internal and external interest in the position.
Town Hall Questions Answered
Dear Averett Family,
Thank you again to all who were able to join us last week for our Focus on the Future Town Hall. I hope you found it informative and invigorating, and — most of all — that you heard an abundance of appreciation for all the varied roles each of us plays in making Averett’s continued progress possible! As a reminder, if your schedule didn’t allow you to attend, you can access the event by clicking here.
We appreciated the questions, feedback and ideas that were shared using the chat feature throughout the program. Below is a summary of the specific topics/questions asked during the Town Hall and brief follow up:
1. Comment/Question: Opportunity for new dining options in new Learning Commons.
Yes…The Learning Commons is envisioned to have many components including Admissions, Student Success, Advancement, Booksellers, Centers for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness as well as dining options. We will be sure this continues to be considered as part of the program planning for this wonderful facility.
2. Comment/Question: How can we make Pritchett Auditorium stage more accessible to equipment and persons will disabilities?Great question. This will be added as an operational item as we plan campus enhancements.
3. Feedback: More understanding of how all of this impacts faculty salaries.
We will plan to devote a session next fall to this topic – either at a faculty forum, or another time if preferred. We will focus on Averett’s finances, projections for current year the FY22 budget and the resource allocation process, along with the various components of fiscal health and current/long term goals.
4. Suggestion: Increasing departmental budgets could allow more interactive, experiential programs and projects “in class.”
This one relates to no. 3 above. There is a path to consider requests for funding related to interactive, experiential programing and projects. Faculty should work with Drs. Fulop and Wooten who have ideas they wish to explore.
5. Comment/Question: Clarification about envisioned changes to the Riverview Campus – what and where?
Our space reflects who we are at the heart of everything we do – true collaborators! This space is a true collaboration with the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Averett Online.
Inside Averett’s new Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, you’ll find the Learning Center. Here, students, alumni, faculty, staff, community members and even entrepreneurs globally will come together to dream, imagine, explore, test, ideate or pivot on ideas and passions new and old in a safe, supportive, collegial environment where the only failure is not trying. Until the center is built out on the Riverview Campus, we are actively exploring where to take an interim location on campus by this summer.
We’ve been sharing details and plans from the Averett Online Business Plan for the past 18 months. While “the Averett Online Call Center Vision” may not sound as exciting as the expectations for the space are – this is the final step of the Online Business Plan. This space is the energy center, where we finesse our “speed to response” to our prospective students. Our Averett 2025 plan includes growth of Averett Online to 1,500 students! With thousands of leads and applications pouring in, we need an energy hub that puts us in charge of the student experience, within moments of the student reaching out to us! This expansive space is the Center of Averett Online and combines the call center and other offices to free up necessary space in Riverview for expanding programs. The full floorplan isn’t yet complete as we assess the HVAC needs on the 3rd floor of Riverview. Stay tuned!
6. Comment/Question: Clarify timeline for Averett Online program launch as well as further explain the SIS piece and what this exactly means.
The first step in the process is to draw up the job descriptions for the new program directors for Healthcare Administration and online Psychology, and to conduct searches for these positions. On a parallel track, program development will occur for the CIS/Cybersecurity and Small Business and Entrepreneurship programs.
Don Aungst as executive sponsor and/or Michael Boehm as project manager will be providing regular updates regarding the Student Information System (SIS) project. Our present SIS needs replacing; it has not met our enrollment-related needs and will impede the implementation of the online business plan. The project involves doing a market scan for a replacement system, new product selection and system implementation. Michael is in the process of forming the project team and mapping out the project plan.
Regular progress reports will be given at upcoming faculty and staff meetings.
7. Comment/Question: Business Office has not been remodeled.
This will be added as a Capital Improvement project, and expanded to include the completion of Main Hall renovations.
8. Suggestion: Create a “recording/video space.” It won’t take much room, we have experience on campus setting them up, and we already have a start on equipment. It would serve a number of purposes across the campus including recording, podcasting, livestreaming, etc., admissions and PR lab for development of marketing materials; a lab for entrepreneurship and marketing materials; and theatre.
Great suggestion; We will get this added to the Capital Improvement Project list to explore further.
We will keep updates coming by appropriate members of President’s Council and their teams, as well as other members of the Planning Team, during future faculty and staff meetings and the fall 2021 Opening of the Year session. Please continue to share your feedback and ideas.
With appreciation,
Tiffany Franks
Search Underway for VP for Student Engagement and Senior Student Experience Officer
The search process is underway for our Vice President for Student Engagement and Senior Student Experience Officer. The newly designed position is focused on enhancing the total student experience for all students, traditional and online, particularly as it impacts student learning outside the classroom. For additional details and a Q&A about this position, click here.
Your perspectives are important to me. Given this position has been shaped in new ways, we want to gather information from our stakeholders about their preferences for our new VP for Student Engagement and Senior Student Experience Officer. We have created an “Ideal Candidate Survey” to gather this information in a totally confidential manner. We are seeking input from faculty, staff and students.
I would be most appreciative if you would be willing to complete the Ideal Candidate Survey found via the link below. When you hit “send,” your completed survey goes directly to the search committee where it will be compiled and reported in aggregate. This enables your confidential input to be a part of framing our search. This survey will take only a few minutes of your time and please accept my sincere gratitude.
Here is the link to the survey.
Thank you very much for your involvement with our search.
Gratefully,
Tiffany M. Franks
Regalia Reminder – Deadline Soon
The deadline to order graduation regalia is Thursday, April 15. Time is running out! Family and friends will want to celebrate your academic achievement and you will want photos to share. Order your regalia now, before it’s too late.
Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award Nominations
The deadline to nominate your fellow Averett faculty and staff members for their impactful work over the last year and course of their career is this coming Monday, April 19, at 4:30 p.m.!
The first form, available by clicking here, is a list of the criteria each nominee must meet to be eligible for nomination. Please note you can nominate one faculty member and one staff member.
The second form, available by clicking here, is a link to the nomination form that will be submitted to the nominations committee. All completed forms or questions can be emailed by clicking here.
Join the Staff Council for the First Virtual Office Scavenger Hunt
Staff Council has launched the first ever virtual scavenger hunt. Click the following links for the official rules, riddles and template. Be sure to check out the rules below:
- Choose an office: Home or work (You can only pick one).
- Figure out the answers to the riddles. It’s okay if you don’t have all the items in your office, still complete a template and submit it to Staff Council!
- If the answer to the riddle is something in your office, take a picture of yourself with the answer. Example: Light or dark, hot or cold, the world would be in chaos without this. The answer to this example riddle is COFFEE!
- Post the picture of you and the answer to the riddle to the template. In the previous coffee example, you would take a photo of you with the coffee in your office and add it to the template!
- Submit the template once completed to [email protected] by April 21.
If you don’t have the answers to all six riddles in your designated office space, it is okay! Each correct response will be entered into a drawing, and three lucky winners will get to choose a gift card from a Cougar Nation Discount Program business.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to Katie Johnston, Sara Hodges or Ashley Bowman for more information! Good luck and happy hunting!
Apply Now for the Bustard Award
Applications for the Elizabeth and James Bustard Distinguished Award for Graduate Study are now available. Those students who are interested in applying for this scholarship may do so by emailing Mary Sullivan in Dr. Fulop’s office for an application. The deadline for applications is Thursday, April 22, by noon.
RSVP Reminder for the Faculty/Staff/Retiree Appreciation Program
By now you should have received your e-vite to the Faculty/Staff/Retiree Appreciation program will take place on Thursday, May 6, at noon on Daly Field at the Grant North Campus.
RSVP as soon as possible in order for us to have an accurate count for the boxed lunches. Please note a correction to the North Campus address, which is 707 Mt. Cross Rd., Danville, Virginia 24540.
Save the Date: Marketplace Exchange Team Medicare Meeting
Back by popular demand, the Medicare team from the Marketplace Exchange will be available for a virtual Zoom meeting Tuesday, May 11, from 3-4 p.m. for anyone interested in learning more about Medicare enrollment. The team will provide a short presentation on several Medicare topics and then will allow ample time for a Q&A session.
Stay tuned for additional information in a few weeks.
Contact Kathie Tune for additional information by email or phone 434-791-7106.
Stipend-supported Internships Now Available
The CCECC has partnered with SOVAH Health and the Brittano Group to offer three stipend-supported internships. The application process is competitive and deadlines are listed below. Interested students should click on the link or follow the QR code to apply. Students with questions should contact Angie McAdams by email.
Brittano Group – application deadline Saturday, May 1
SOVAH Health – application deadline Tuesday, June 1
Thank You for Attending the New Employee Orientation
A big thank you to everyone who assisted with and presented at the new employee orientation program on March 25, and especially to those of you who attended. We are receiving wonderful feedback from the surveys and look forward to planning the next event for the fall 2021 class of new employees.
Six attendees won gift cards to the bookstore for either completing the orientation survey or quiz given out during orientation. The winners were Facilities Director Bruce Devlin, Executive Assistant to the VP/Director of Athletics Drew Bailey, Cross Country Coach Suneed Ahmed, Assistant Women’s Lacrosse Coach Valerie Dorvilus, Custodian Emmaly Pritchett and Clinical Instructor Lisa Myers.
Sincerely,
Kathie Tune and the Human Resources Team
Averett Online Internship Opportunity
Averett Online is accepting applications to become our summer marketing intern. Students will learn photography, technical writing, social media design and analytics. If you have a student who is interested in learning more about marketing, please have them email Cassidy Pruitt to apply!
Have Questions about Your Retirement Accounts and Financial Planning?
Advisors from Millennium are available to meet virtually to answer questions like:
- What is the 403(b) Multiple Employer Plan (MEP)?
- Should I consider moving my old retirement accounts to the MEP retirement plan?
- What options do I have going forward for help make decisions regarding my retirement accounts?
Every Averett University employee has the opportunity to go through holistic financial planning sessions and receive a customized financial plan based off of your goals to and through retirement. Your spouse or significant other is also encouraged to attend. These planning sessions are geared to help answer questions like but not limited to:
- What changes should I consider making to my retirement plan based on my retirement and other goals?
- Am I saving enough to meet my goals in retirement?
- Is my current investment strategy appropriate given what I am trying to accomplish?
Schedule a Virtual Meeting with an Advisor
You can also reach Millennium’s Scheduling Team by email or by phone at 877-435-2489 and select option 1.
Contact Kathie Tune, Chief Human Resources Officer, for general questions concerning the Averett University Retirement Plan. 434.791.7106 or [email protected]
