Averett CoffeeBreak 8-7-19

Posted on August 7th, 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 form. For the next CoffeeBreak, please submit by Friday, Aug. 9, for a Wednesday, Aug. 14, publication.

Last Day to RSVP: August Opening Family Social

Today is the last day to RSVP for the August Opening Family Social! Please RSVP today if you haven’t already via the PunchBowl email invite you received on July 22 for yourself and the number of family guests you will be bringing.

The afternoon begins at 2 p.m. with refreshments and fellowship in the Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center lobby, followed by our program in Pritchett Auditorium at 2:30 p.m. featuring new faculty and staff pinning, a live interview discussion with Dr. Franks, and a fun and informative game of Averett Family Feud! Following our Opening of the Year Session, President Tiffany Franks and Joe Franks will host you and your loved ones for a family social at their home, 500 Hawthorne Dr. Please note, families are invited to join at 4 p.m. at the President’s House, but the program in Pritchett is for faculty and staff.

2019-20 Middle Border Forward Fellowship

The Middle Border Forward (MBF) Fellowship Program is accepting applications for its next round of fellows. The MBF Fellowship is a year-long, leadership development program designed to introduce emerging leaders to the opportunities and challenges within the Middle Border region, encourage civic engagement and create a network of grassroots leaders poised to make a change where they live and work.

Fellows meet monthly for day-long sessions on a variety of topics and work collaboratively to complete a community impact project prior to graduation. Interested applicants can apply here through August 19.

Submit to Cougar Connection

The first Cougar Connection of the 2019-20 academic year will go out to students on Monday, Aug. 19. Please submit to Cougar Connection through this form. Submissions are due on the Wednesday prior. For example: please submit by Wednesday, Aug. 14, for a Monday, Aug. 19 publication. Cougar Connection is a weekly newsletter for students, informing them of weekly and upcoming events.

Averett University Sponsoring Danville-Pittsylvania Heart Walk

Join us for the 2nd annual Danville-Pittsylvania Heart Walk! Averett University’s North Campus is excited to be hosting the event once again this year, Saturday, Sept. 7, at 9 a.m. Heart Disease is the no. one killer of all Americans, and our community is no exception. Bring your family and friends (and dogs) out to enjoy a day of fun! Get your body moving, laugh with coworkers, learn hands-only CPR, and more. Know that you will be saving lives in the community and making a difference if you join one of the Averett University Heart Walk teams; join Team Ave or Team Rett today!

You can register at: www.DanvilleHeartWalk.org

Got Service Hours? 2019 SOVA Career ChoICE Youth Expo

Use your service leave to volunteer at the Southern Virginia Career Choice Youth Expo on Sept. 25-26 at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Chatham. As you know, a key part of ensuring the event comes together and runs smoothly is the amazing volunteers!

REGISTER to volunteer at this year’s event by clicking here! You play a vital role in the success of the Expo. The deadline for volunteer registration is Friday, Aug. 30. Thank you in advance for your support of the 2019 Career Expo and for your commitment to the region’s students. Contact Tia Yancey at [email protected] for more information.

Welcome, Dr. Dustin Spencer!

Please give a warm welcome to our new School of Nursing faculty member, Dustin Spencer, DNP, NRP, FNP-C, PMHS, ENP-BC, PMHNP-BC, CNL, CNE

Dr. Spencer brings his experience and expertise as a nurse practitioner and educator to the Averett University graduate nursing program. He is board certified as a nurse educator, a family nurse practitioner, an emergency nurse practitioner, a pediatric mental health specialist, a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse leader, and a nationally registered paramedic.

Dr. Spencer teaches in the family and emergency nurse practitioner focus areas in the MSN program, where he teaches across the curriculum with an emphasis on the mental health and clinical procedures components. In addition to the serving as the South Carolina state representative and on the education committee for the American Association of Emergency Nurse Practitioners, he lends his service to a number of national and local professional organizations. Most notably, he served as content expert for the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification by Portfolio program through the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) and serves on the exam committee for the Pediatric Mental Health Specialist certification through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB). He has also recently held the position of president-elect and education chair for the Tri-Cities Chapter of the Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners.

He has presented at local and national conferences on the topics of rural primary care, emergency/urgent care procedures, promotion of diversity in the nursing workforce and innovations in classroom teaching. He has published articles on the topics of pediatric developmental screening and classroom innovation techniques. Dr. Spencer has been instrumental in establishing the only Michigan chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing.

A firm believer in relating education to clinical practice, Dr. Spencer maintains clinical practice as an emergency nurse Practitioner and Psych-Mental Health Nurse practitioner. He was the lead investigator for a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services grant project that partners an NP with an ambulance crew to provide mobile in-home primary care clinic visits to under-served residents of rural Michigan.