Averett CoffeeBreak 10-24-18

Posted on October 24th, 2018 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 formPlease submit by Friday, Oct. 26, for a Wednesday, Oct.31 , publication.

2019 Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment began yesterday, Oct. 23, at 1:01 am and ends at midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 7.  Full time employees must either elect or waive coverage.

 

COFEE is Tomorrow!

COFEE, the conference on freshmen engagement and empowerment, is happening tomorrow, Oct. 25, from 8 a.m. until noon. The event will begin with registration in the Frith Lobby. To see the full schedule, click here.
Can you volunteer? Folks are needed for registration, session helpers, runners, door greeters, guest routers and mic runners. Please email Tia Yancey at [email protected].
After this conference, students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of at least one issue affecting the Dan River Region, at least one new skill to support their engagement in the community, and students will build their network of community leaders.

Sovah Flu Clinic

Protect yourself from the flu! Sovah Health Clinic is opening up a flu clinic for faculty, staff and students. The clinic is located on the 4th floor of the Student Center.

It will be open tomorrow, Oct. 25, from 8 a.m. until noon, for ALL of Averett, including faculty, staff and students.

Story Time for the Averett Community

Join the English and education students (Literature for Children class) Friday, Oct. 26, from 2-2:30 p.m. on the 3rd floor of the Blount Library. The students will be leading a story time for children of Averett faculty, staff and students.

Next week, on Friday, Nov. 2, story time will feature a different storybook reading of favorite fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid and Rapunzel. Contact Dr. Catherine Clark with questions at [email protected].

Russian Renaissance

A limited number of extra tickets are available for the Arts@Averett and Danville Concert Association’s Russian Renaissance performance on Friday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Pritchett Auditorium in the Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center.

Please contact Cyndie Basinger in the President’s Office at (434) 791-5671, or Marion Breen in Alumni Hall at [email protected] or (434) 791-5675, if you are interested and would like to attend. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and there is an initial limit of two tickets per person.

Take Back the Night

On Monday, Oct 29, from 5:30-8 p.m., Averett University is partnering with Haven of the Dan River Region for the “Take Back the Night” event. The mission of Take Back the Night is to create safe communities and respectful relationships through awareness building. We seek to end sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse and all other forms of sexual violence.

To volunteer for this event, please sign up on campusengage.org. We need volunteers!

Shuttles will be available from Main Campus to the Danville Courthouse from 5:30-6 p.m. The march will start at the Danville Courthouse at 6 p.m. and finish at Averett’s Student Center for a celebration from 7-8 p.m.

Retirement Plan Changes and Changes in Meeting Time and Venues

As we previously announced, Averett University has joined with fourteen other member institutions from the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV) to establish a single retirement plan called a 403(b) Multiple Employer Plan (MEP).

The Millennium advisors are on campus this week to present at the group meetings scheduled specifically for Averett University employees.

Please refer to the revised schedule available here in order to make plans to attend one of the group meetings.

Call or email Kathie Tune at (434) 791.7106 or [email protected] concerning the group meetings.

Halloween Staff Meeting is next week!

The October staff meeting and Halloween costume contest will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 31, at 11:15 a.m., in the back café. (A location change due to Tropical Storm Michael classroom changes.)

This year, when you come to the meeting in the back café in your costumes, you will be given a number. (Either group 1,2,3 or individual 1,2, 3 ….etc.) After department announcements, we will vote on best costume, group and individual. You will cast your votes before we go eat lunch.

We plan on having a “parade” through the café before you get in line for lunch. Once everyone sits down with food and the votes are counted, we will announce the winners. See you next week!

FYI: If you are not dressing up for Halloween, you can still come to the staff meeting. We want you there! 🙂

Lunch on the Lawn

All faculty, staff and students,

Please join the Board of Trustees and campus community for Lunch on the Lawn of Main Hall on Thursday, Nov. 1. Festivities will begin at 11:30 a.m. with lunch being served at approximately 11:45 a.m. Feel free to bring a blanket if you wish to sit on the lawn to eat.

Please note that the Dining Hall will be closed for lunch on Thursday, Nov. 1. In the event of rain, this event will be held in the Student Center.

Career Development Workshops

There are still two career development workshops left this semester. Don’t miss out on help to give your students that extra push in your career. Please remind students about the upcoming workshops! All workshops are from 11:15 a.m. until noon.

On Thursday, Nov. 1, in Davenport 104: résumés, cover letters and interview. On Tuesday, Nov. 6, in Frith 109: starting your internship search.

For further information, students should contact Angie McAdams, director of career development, at [email protected].

Harlem Globetrotters are Coming to Town

The world famous Harlem Globetrotters will be performing at the Grant Center on Averett’s North Campus on Friday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at North Campus front office or by clicking here.

 

Creative’s Corner Fashion Show

Creative’s Corner is holding its first fashion show on Monday Nov. 12, from 7:30-8:30 p.m in Carrington Gym. (Yes, it is in Carrington Gym. The location was incorrect in Cougar Connection on Oct. 22. Thanks for understanding!)

This show is to showcase the skills that the members of the club have obtained within the club and prior to the club. The runway looks that will be presented in the show were designed by the president of the club, Christine Johnson and inspired by her semester in Paris, France.

Tickets can be purchased in person for $10 from Christine Johnson, president, or Anne Charles, advisor. They can also be purchased online at EventBrite by clicking here. All ticket proceeds from this event will go to Creative’s Corner.

Averett Alumni Mentor Network

The Alumni Office and Career Development Office are working together to offer students the unique opportunity to learn from Averett alumni who are employed in fields/jobs of interest to the Averett student. Averett alumni are eager to work with students!

Please speak to students who would benefit from this opportunity. For more detailed information, please contact Angie McAdams at [email protected] or Dan Hayes at [email protected]. Interested students should fill out the attached interest form by clicking here.

Members of the Advising Committee

The Advising Committee now has representation from each division. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions please contact a committee member.

Faculty members are as follows: Adrienne Brune, Meaghan Byrne, Laura Meder, Marc Muneal and Barb Kushubar.

Employment Opportunity

Resumes continue to be accepted for the Student Financial Services Counselor’s position. This position works directly with the Assistant Director of Financial Aid to serve traditional students in the area of financial aid including; communicating about the financial aid processes and administering aid consistent with policies and financial aid guidelines.

Qualifications include thorough knowledge of federal, state, and private financial aid programs and regulations. Click here for more information.

With some turnover earlier this spring and summer, we have rehired and have some new folks in IT.  Given the value of this organization to all of the campus community, we thought it might be helpful to recap who is who in IT!

Kevin Lipscomb is our chief information officer and our chief information security officer. He is responsible for the entire IT enterprise.

Pat Bowman is our database administrator/manager. She monitors, secures and supports administrative student databases for clients and third party vendor data integrations. She is the project manager for database upgrades and implementations, and assists clients in their departmental testing during these processes. She administers and supports PowerCampus Self-Service WEB customizations and provides documentation, functionality testing, and general training when requested to do so.

John Lovell is our telecommunications manager. He maintains all aspects of VOIP phone systems for local and remote sites, supports all aspects of the student cable TV system including installation and calibration of hardware, and is responsible for the internal security camera system. He also assists with ad hoc network infrastructure projects

Don D’Alfonzo is our network administrator and has primary administrator for the wired network topology. This includes the maintenance of all hardware, fiber connections between buildings, and internet connections into campus.

Tony Harris is our network security analyst. His primary responsibility is safeguarding Averett’s data systems from external and internal attacks. In addition to maintaining virus protection systems, he must also develop methods to mitigate risks from spam, phishing, and social engineering attempts. He maintains the multiple Wi-Fi systems both hardware and software and is currently a developing system to allow streaming and gaming through the student wireless system.

Doug Appleton is relatively new to our group and serves as the network/systems specialist. Doug’s is a recently created position that combines assisting the network administrators, and system administration. Dough was also instrumental in the development and deployment of Averett’s Office/Exchange 365 systems.

Ian Talbott is also somewhat new to the group and serves as the system administrator. Ian performs a multitude of tasks from desktop support to system administration. He also supervises service learning students and assists in upgrades of various enterprise applications. He also performs Jr. database administrator functions.

Chris Hanks is our IT tech support specialist. He creates and maintains all enterprise systems, email, and network authentication accounts and administers email systems. He also provides on-premises Moodle support to students, faculty and staff.

Jim Sauser is our technology solutions group mgr./sr. system administrator. Jim supervises the Technology Solutions Group while maintaining a hands-on role in the department. He deploys majority of workstations, installs and maintains print systems and maintains computer equipment inventory and monitors help desk system for major issues.

IT currently has a client support secialist position that is vacant.

While we wanted to share with you the make-up of the group, we don’t expect you to know exactly who to contact for any particular issue you face. As always, the best way to get help for any issue you face is to call the HelpDesk or to put in an IT HelpDesk Request ticket from the website. That way, the entire group will know of the need and they can get the best person from the IT group to help you.

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GPS Student Spotlight

cheyenne davis photo with horseMeet Cheyenne Davis, a student pursuing her Bachelor of Business Administration degree who is expected to graduate in 2021. To learn more about Cheyenne on this GPS blog, click here.

Why did you choose Averett University’s Graduate & Professional Studies program?

“I looked at a few schools before deciding to go to Averett. Flexibility was a requirement, and the GPS program offers that. Averett is a perfect fit for me.”