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. Please submit by Friday, June 29, for a Tuesday, July 3, publication.
Magadanz Promoted to Assistant Athletic Trainer
Averett University head athletic trainer Thomas Underwood announced the promotion of Miranda Magadanz to assistant athletic trainer.
Magadanz had served as an athletic training graduate assistant since July 2017. A native of Madison, Wis., Magadanz gained experience as a student trainer at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh for more than four years before coming to Averett. To read the full story on the athletics website, click here.
GPS Student Spotlight
Meet Lisa Backer, a student pursuing her Bachelor of Business Administration degree who is expected to graduate in 2019. To learn more about Lisa on the GPS blog, click here.
QUESTION: What is your motivation for obtaining your degree here at Averett University?
ANSWER: “My motivation for obtaining my degree is to inspire my children to work to achieve their educational goals. I feel seeing my hard work and achievements through obtaining my degree will prove to them the importance of education and how it positively affects their adult lives.”
Chamber of Commerce: Young Professionals Meet Up
Join the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals at Reid Street Gallery tomorrow, June 28, at 5:30 p.m. for the next Young Professionals Meet Up. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, networking and a 25 percent discount on merchandise purchased during the evening. In addition, you will receive an extra 25 percent coupon to use the next time you visit Reid Street Gallery.
Because of the University’s membership, all Averett employees are eligible to attend Chamber events. To RSVP for the event, click here. To join the Facebook event, click here.
University Holiday Calendar
All University holidays are noted on the web calendar for your convenience. The standard holiday calendar is also listed in the HR Benefits section of the website.
The standard list is as follows: July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (including Friday after), Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday and Memorial Day. The holiday break will be announced at a later date.
Campus Beautification Team Expands their Success into Housekeeping
As nearly everyone on campus has seen, the Campus Beautification Team (The Budd Group) has had a transformational impact on our grounds during this last year. Because of this success, and their deep desire to more fully transform Averett’s campus, we have made the decision to contract with The Budd Group to expand the role of the Campus Beautification Team into meeting Averett’s housekeeping needs.
As of July 1, Aramark will transition out and The Budd Group will become our contracted partners. As part of the transition, The Budd Group has invited all current Aramark staff to apply. The ultimate hiring choice, just as it was for grounds staff, will be theirs. We are all excited for the spread of the positive transformation provided by the Campus Beautification Team from the grounds into our halls, offices and classrooms.
We know The Budd Group hires wonderful people who are 100 percent dedicated to making Averett a showpiece for our current faculty, staff and students, and our future students and their families. Please welcome any new folks you see cleaning our campus as of next Monday morning.
Averett Strategic Plan Update
Two strategic plan initiatives, led by Brigid Gorton at the CCECC, are the Engage Transcript and Break to Engage.
Averett University’s first Break to Engage occurred in Spring 2018 and was a great success. Brigid Gorton, VISTA April Love and four National Bonner Leaders engaged with other campuses in the Bonner Network on a four-day trip to visit Berry College and Wofford College. Students also visited MLK’s birthplace, the Center for Civil and many other community sites leading diversity and equality initiatives for their neighborhoods.
The Engage Transcript will roll out this Fall. This co-curricular transcript automatically tracks student engagement via volunteerism, service-learning and internships, and it will be emailed to every Averett student at the end of each semester. The Engage transcript will provide students the tool and language to communicate their engaged service while at Averett. While many colleges pay contractors or third-party vendors to manage such transcripts, Averett, now has a no-cost, in-house system that will only take about two days per year of work to maintain and manage. Many thanks to Dana Mehalko and junior Jackie Dodd for their hard work on this project.
Staff Leadership Grant to Study Abroad
We are pleased to invite all affiliates to apply for the SAI Staff Leadership Grant, an initiative designed to help our U.S. partners become more familiar with one of our program locations. This grant offers staff and faculty at Averett the opportunity to gain professional experience and cultural exposure in one of the following SAI host sites: Barcelona, Milan or Paris.
SAI will cover the cost of in-country accommodation and will provide two meals daily, as well as ground transportation and costs associated with accompanying group SAI excursions. For fall 2018 participation, applications are due by July 1. Click here for more details. Please contact Dr. Catherine Clark at [email protected] for more information.
Cougar Nation Discount Program
A new business has been added to the Cougar Nation Discount Program! Crema & Vine, 1009 W. Main St., now offers a 15 percent discount to all students, faculty and staff who show their Averett ID. To see the full list of discounts, click here.
