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 12, for a Wednesday, April 17, publication.
Thank You from the Kushubar Family
Dear Averett Family,
There are no words to express my appreciation for the support that you have shown me and Kush throughout this difficult journey. Since her passing, I have felt the comfort and love that being a part of this community provides. To say it has been a tough semester for our Averett family would be an understatement, but I am so proud of the way we have all pulled together. It is what we do for each other, and I am so thankful to have you by my side. You have my eternal gratitude.
Susan Huckstep
If you were unable to attend or stream it live, the recording can be viewed here.
New Student Login Procedure for Wi-Fi
Students will receive the following to their student email today. Please reiterate with them the importance of completing this process in a timely fashion to ensure a seamless transition and continuity of services.
Dear Student,
Averett University has adopted a new web application management tool, Okta, to enhance the security of our data. This integration means that you can access most of the University applications you frequently use from a single, secure homepage with features like multi-factor authentication and single sign-on.
You will be receiving a new username and temporary password this weekend to create an account with Okta. Once completed, this same login will immediately be used for Colleague Student Self-Service and the University Wi-Fi (AU Secure) moving forward.
Please watch your student email account in order to enroll immediately after receiving your username and temporary password.
What you will need:
- Access to a smart phone or SMS-capable phone
- Access to a web browser
Should you have any questions or concerns, call, visit or submit a ticket to the IT Helpdesk.
Averett University IT Helpdesk
434-791-5720
Davenport 102
Submit a Ticket: https://ithelpdesk.averett.edu
Collaborative Career Expo Event
Join us at the inaugural CTE Collaborative Career Expo hosted by DPS, DCC and Averett University. This unique collaborative event bridges education and industry, showcasing student projects, skills and programs and fostering community workforce growth. Higher education participation begins at 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Institute of Advanced Learning and Research. We hope to see you there.
Feel free to contact Dr. Jennifer Penland ([email protected]) for more details of this career event. Cougar vans are scheduled to transport from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. if anyone interested in attending.
Nunsense to Run April 11-14
The Arts@Averett series is proud to present “Nunsense”. This well-known musical comedy is the second-longest-running Off-Broadway show in history. The Averett production will run April 11-14, at Pritchett Auditorium. Show time is 7 p.m. on April 11-13 and 2 p.m. on April 14. For more information, email [email protected]. For tickets, click HERE. All Averett students, faculty and staff can attend for free.
Reminder of Required Training
Averett has once again partnered with Get Inclusive to provide online training to employees. All employees received an email during the week of March 11 with instructions for completing Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training and Discrimination, Harassment and Title IX training. Employees are required to complete FERPA training and encouraged to complete Discrimination, Harassment and Title IX training by April 15.
Pre-Graduation Fellowship
Please join your colleagues for pre-graduation fellowship at the President’s Office on Thursday, April 18 at 8:30 a.m. We look forward to seeing you there! RSVP please, to [email protected].
Nominations for the Outstanding Faculty and Staff Awards
Nominations for the Outstanding Faculty and Staff Awards are currently being accepted and must be submitted by Friday, April 19, at 4:30 p.m. Criteria each nominee must meet to be eligible for nomination is listed at the top of the nomination form.
Please note, you can nominate one faculty member and one staff member. Once the criteria has been reviewed, please use this link for the nomination form that will be submitted to the nominations committee. If there are any issues accessing this form please email [email protected].
Graduation Information for May 2024 Commencement
Spring 2024 Commencement will be held outside on Daly Field at Frank R. Campbell Stadium at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 4.
Inclement Weather
In the case of inclement weather, the event will be moved to the gym at E. Stuart James Grant North Campus. The inside event will follow the same schedule as the outdoor event. Graduates will be notified of the change two days before the ceremony. Students will be notified by Averett email of any changes.
Tickets
Graduates will receive notification on the number of tickets available once the window for graduation applications have closed.
Virtual Viewing of Graduation
The webcast will begin 15 minutes before the graduation ceremony for those who cannot attend the ceremony in person.
IMPORTANT DATE: April 21 – Last day to APPLY for graduation. Students will still receive a $50 late fee from April 5-21. All students planning to graduate must apply to officially graduate.
For questions, contact Interim University Registrar Ashley Bowman at [email protected] or by phone at 434-791-7235. All of this information and more can be found on the Commencement webpage – https://www.averett.edu/academics/registrars-office/senior-year/.
Rental Book Check-in is Due April 30
Rental books are due no later than Tuesday, April 30. Please return rental books to avoid a non-returned rental fee. If returning books by mail please include name, phone number and email.
Save the Date for the Annual Faculty/Staff & Retiree Appreciation Luncheon
This year’s Faculty/Staff & Retiree Appreciation Luncheon will be Thursday, May 2, from noon-1:15 p.m. in Carrington Gym.
Invitations to our annual end of year Faculty/Staff & Retiree Appreciation Luncheon program are in your email. Please RSVP this very special event for meal planning and seating. Questions? Contact Kathie Tune [email protected]
Events Reminder
All campus events should be entered into Brightly, our event management software. This is how we manage all components of room reservations, catering orders and event requests, so it is imperative that events be entered in here at a minimum of 72 hours prior to the event (the sooner the better).
For questions outside of the event submission form, email [email protected].
The Federal Reserve Visits Dr. Ernest E. Pegram’s Economics Classes
Connecting Economic Theory to Practice: Careers and Internships in Economics: “The Federal Reserve Bank Visits Dr. Ernest E. Pegram’s Economics Classes”
On Wednesday, March 20, students in Dr. Pegram’s ECO201 (Principles of Microeconomics) and ECO202 (Principles of Macroeconomics) experienced, and learned the connection between economic theory, concepts taught in his classes and the practice of economics at the Federal Reserve Bank. In teaching economics, Dr. Pegram tells his classes, “We calculate numbers for economic analysis that help to drive economic policy making; that numbers give us data for decision making. For students it is a wonderful learning experience to see the same formulas and concepts we learn in class are applied at the Federal Reserve Bank,” Dr. Pegram said, “It is important for students to see the economic concepts and theories discussed in class and make the connections in class to economic practice.”
Dr. Pegram believes college is the place where students explore and find their career path. Dr. Pegram also incorporates learning about careers in economics and careers at the Federal Reserve Bank/System in his classes. The Federal Reserve Bank introduced to his students’ careers and internships with the Federal Reserve Bank/System. Dr. Pegram says, “I am honored and grateful to create curricular programming with the Federal Reserve Bank, and that the Federal Reserve Bank was able to visit my economics classes…to enhance the classroom learning experience for students at Averett University.”
Connecting Economic Theory to Practice
Inaugural Black Alumni Reunion Big Success
The inaugural Black Alumni Reunion at Averett was held this past Saturday, April 6 and was a big success.
Thank you to all who attended and helped make this event so successful.
AI Resource Recap
The AI Committee would like to share a recap of this semester’s resources for all things AI. Please view the VIDEOS and AI Resources for Education for information about the uses of AI and how they can help you in your daily work.
If you have any questions or suggestions on future subjects for videos or training please contact the AI Committee via Leslie Kapuchuk at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.
On Display from the Averett Archives
We’re closing the academic year with our largest archival display yet. Come visit the main floor of Blount Library and see an exhibit dedicated to the old tradition of May Day – held on campus from 1926 to 1969.
Among a large collection of photos and programs, this month’s display features two especially noteworthy items:
– The May Queen dress and crown worn in 1940 by Ida Marie Harris
– A 15-minute color film of highlights from the 1956 May Day pageant
The film was just digitized a few months ago and is being show for the first time in many years.
Faculty, staff, and students are welcome to drop by any time during the month of April to look at the exhibit. The film will be running on a constant loop, so you can expect to see it virtually any time.
The related archival blog post is also larger than average, featuring a brief history of May Day performances and a spreadsheet of information on all 43 of the known May Fetes.
https://averett.libguides.com/blog/MayDay
One Million Steps
Allen Carter, security officer at Averett University, participated in a steps and healthy eating challenge in March. He initially set a goal of 750,000 steps but was able to surpass his goal and complete over 1,000,000 steps. He actually walked 1,019,042 steps. He also lost 15 pounds. Allen wanted to share his success story with you to hopefully inspire others to walk more and eat healthy.
Averett Marketing Videos
The Averett University marketing team is thrilled to share the first glimpse of our University promotional videos. Click on the links below to experience the excitement and join us in spreading the word about the excellence that defines us.
Averett University Hospitality &Tourism Video
Averett Online – Hospitality Management & Tourism (30 Sec) (youtube.com)
Important Links
Service-Learning Intent Form – Fall 2024 Service-Learning Intent Form (office.com)
Tuition Remission Form – Click HERE
Tuition Exchange Websites – tuitionexchange.org & cic.edu
Part-time Employment Form – Part-time-Employment-Form-2024.docx (live.com)
To Schedule A Virtual Meeting with A Retirement and Financial Planning Advisor – Select a Date & Time – Calendly
Wellness Portal – www.healthadvocate.com/AverettUniversity
Averett Employee Assistance Plan (Telus Health One) – one.telushealth.com
Great Colleges to Work For website – www.GreatCollegesProgram.com
Averett Fringe Benefits Fact Sheet – 2024-Fringe-Benefits-Fact-Sheet-1.pdf (averett.edu)
Virginia Private Colleges Benefit’s Consortium, Inc. (VPCBC) – https://www.vpcbc.org
Reach out to an EAP counselor, which is available to all benefits-eligible employees and their eligible household members (details below).
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- To set an appointment with a licensed EAP counselor, call 1-888-319-7819 and select “Employee Assistance Program” when prompted to be connected to a counselor. There is no cost to the employee for the first three phone or video consultation sessions.
- For the online chat option, visit one.telushealth.com, user name: metlifeeap and password: eap. There is a chat feature that allows users to talk directly with a consultant to guide you to the information you are looking for or help you schedule an appointment with a counselor.
- Employees on the Averett health plan can go to “Find Care” on their Sydney App or Anthem dashboard and locate counseling services that would be available to us through our CICV plan. Go to Anthem.com and locate Find Care or go to https://www.sydneyhealth.com/.
Thank You for Voicing Your Opinion
The Great Colleges to Work For ® survey has closed, and we thank those of you who took the time to complete the survey. We appreciate you taking the time to share your views and opinions.
The Great Colleges to Work For study is designed to gather benchmarking data within higher education and to recognize institutions that have built great workplaces. An invitation to take this survey was distributed to all employees inviting them to participate. Participation in the survey was completely voluntary and the institution will not be able to identify the results of individuals. The survey results play a significant factor in determining which institutions are recognized in the Great Colleges program. ModernThink will share our institution’s results from the survey with us later in the summer. Whether or not Averett University is recognized, we can learn from the feedback and make improvements for our future.
Thank you in advance for your participation. Please contact Kathie Tune, CHRO at [email protected] or visit www.GreatCollegesProgram.com, if you have any questions.
A crucial part of exploring wellness is finding what works best for you. Everyone is at different stages with their wellness. To help you find some personal pathways, see the attached flyer for instructions on how to do so in our wellness portal.
Email: [email protected]
Flyer – Click HERE
