|
STAFF News May 3, 2007
In This Issue
Message from the Vice President for Student
Affairs
As I’ve said to a number of people lately, I think I’m at the awkward stage of my transition to UTSA. I’ve met lots of people in the last few weeks so they know who I am but I don’t know who I’ve met. So I introduce myself to people I’ve met or recognize faces but can’t retrieve the name that matches.
In much the same way, I’m starting to learn enough to identify areas in which we need to concentrate our efforts, but haven’t the slightest idea how to get started. This past Friday as I sat in the meeting of the core planning group for the Strategic Plan, I began to realize all the steps we now need to begin at the divisional and departmental levels to continue this work.
All of us know the feeling I began to experience – when we see everything we need to do to get to the end result and it’s overwhelming. Those of us who are list-makers think we’ll feel better if we can put it down in a ‘to-do’ list, but by the time we get to the second page we’re feeling incipient panic. And yet we need to know, more or less, the end result so we are not headed off in wildly different directions. And we do need to keep track of all the little details or else Something Important Will Be Forgotten.
And, oh by the way, this huge project is not your real job, it has to be done while you see students, answer the phone, process paperwork, respond to e-mails and finish this year’s budget. Makes you start to hyperventilate just reading about it.
So stop and take a deep breath – a good cure for that panicky feeling, but what’s the cure for the “Too-Much-To-Do-Too-Little–Time–To–Do-It” syndrome?
Early in my career a supervisor sat me down and told me I needed to make better use of small bits of time because if I waited for a big chunk of time to work on a project, I’d never even get started. You know what the list is. Now, don’t try to do it all today, pick one little thing and get it done. You have twenty minutes; use it to take a step forward. You say nothing on your list can be done in twenty minutes, so break it down to the next smallest thing.
I know a yoga teacher who leads weekend retreats and during them he teaches participants to juggle. He doesn’t start by handing someone three butcher knives and saying go to it. He doesn’t start with three balls or even two. He hands people one ball and teaches people to toss it up in a high arc and catch it with the other hand and then a lateral toss back to the first hand. Even that’s too much for some folks, so he breaks it down even smaller – maybe just the arc toss, or the lateral only. Or maybe just throw it up and work on the right height and let it fall to the ground. When one small thing is accomplished, he adds steps slowly and easily builds toward the goal - and for a short while even I could manage to juggle three balls.
So when all that is before you is Too Much, find one small thing you can do and just get it done. Then later do one more small thing. When you find twenty minutes open up in your day, just do one more small thing. So the small thing I’ve done is to get the working group together to write a draft of a new Vision, Mission and Core Values based on the work of the Director’s Council. We’ll share that with Director’s Council and directors will share with departments. And then we’ll figure out the next step and find time to move forward. Together, with big steps and small bits we’ll begin to accomplish the Big Things that need to be done. And truly, that’s our real job too.
Gage
Announcements/Reports
Student Affairs Staff Members To Attend New Professionals Institute Jana Kennelly, Associate Director of Development, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and Chris Hargraves, Student Program Adviser, Student Activities, are two of 55 individuals from the United States selected to participate in the 2007 SACSA/NASPA Region III New Professionals Institute (NPI).
The New Professionals Institute is the preeminent professional development opportunity for new student affairs professionals in the south. It is an intensive, interactive week of learning, sharing, networking and professional and personal development. It is also a time of professional and personal renewal and assists new professionals in the development of their careers. See NASPAonline for more information.
Please Volunteer.... Once again, Staff Council is gearing up to sell bottled water at all commencement ceremonies this May 10-12th to raise funds for our Staff Council Scholarship. If you are interested in volunteering for any, or all, of the 5 ceremonies, we would love for you to come on out and help raise those scholarship funds. Please contact Melissa Tenberg at 210-458-4527 or via e-mail at Melissa.tenberg@utsa.edu to sign up for a date and time. We are still in need for plenty of volunteers for the Saturday ceremony. Volunteer times are listed below. More information regarding the actual scholarship: Staff Council website. Thanks for your consideration!
Thursday, May 10 at 6pm Friday, May 11 at 6pm Saturday, May 12 at 8am Saturday, May 12 at 12pm Saturday, May 12 at 4pm
Directors' Reports As per Executive Council Meeting, February 13, 2007, VPSA will not require monthly reports. However, departments are encouraged to provide updates of their events, activities, etc. to the VPSA office for inclusion in the bi-weekly newsletter, Student Affairs Staff News. Please send updates (as a word document attachment) to Vivis.Lemmons@utsa.edu The Office of Institutional Compliance and Risk Services has published the April edition of their newsletter with information on compliance training and other important UTSA compliance issues. Read the Compliance Connection newsletter. More information: Linda Sendaula, 458-4158
"Shrinks 4 Pinks"
Komen Race for the Cure
UTSA Counseling Services recently participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 2007. The clinicians opted to design a shirt indicative of the counseling culture while paying homage to the official color of Race for the Cure, a pink/gray Race for the Cure t-shirt with team logo: "Shrinks 4 Pinks". With the option to run, walk, or sleep for the cure, (l to r) Thomas Baez, Arena Mueller, Keith Franklin, Peter Staresnick, Catherine Woolley, Arnulfo Ojeda, and Claudia R. Kypuros (team captain) participated in the race and successfully completed the 5k.
Patricia Forsythe, Nomi Solomon, Melissa F. Hernandez, and Jeff Gatlin participated in Sleep-In for the Cure. Mr. Gatlin was scheduled to participate in the competitive race, a race within Race for the Cure designated for more competitive runners, however, days prior to the race Mr. Gatlin was the victim of a brutal dog bite that impeded his ability to run. Ultimately, all participants donated money to a significant and worthwhile cause. The Director of Counseling Services, Dr. Baez, concluded that participation in Race for the Cure would be an annual event for Counseling Services!
Departmental Events/Schedules Campus Rec Events Sea Kayaking Aransas Pass ...Experience the feeling of paddling a sea kayak through beautiful Shoal water Bay. See amazing marine wildlife and camp on a desert island. A great introduction to sea kayaking, with moderate paddling and a relaxed learning environment. Click on above for more....
UTSA Sport Schedule Highlights - San Antonio Area
See GoUTSA Sports Weekly Schedule for more information.
BB - Baseball
Student Activities
In The Loop Prize-Winning Newsletter
Kudos Thank you Student Affairs Staff for using HUB vendors. Attached are the final semi annual HUB results showing UTSA as #3 in the state. The Texas Building Procurement Commission (TBPC) listed the top 25 agencies spending more than $5 million with the largest percentage spent with HUBs.
Barry McKinney wrote an article on organizational retreats entitled: No Surrender. Let’s Retreat! Helping Your Student Government Plan A Successful Retreat, published in the April issue of the National Association for Campus Activities Programming Magazine. More about NACA.
Career Services
received a $2,500 award for assisting Vector Marketing Corporation in recruiting the highest number of successful marketing representatives for the fall of 2006 in the Southwest Region, which encompasses nine states. Over 20 UTSA students are employed by Vector as sales representatives for Cutco Cutlery, and UTSA has ranked first in total representatives and overall sales performance for three consecutive years.
On Tuesday, April 24, a check was presented to Lachelle Dixon, Recruiting Coordinator for UTSA Career Services, by Marcus Robbins, Vector District Manager. Three UTSA students and current Vector top sales performers were present: Freddy Mayorga, a freshman business major from Houston; Miguel Rivas, a sophomore communications major from Laredo; and Dusty Lamb, a freshman biology major from Mont Belview.
The award from Vector will be used to support and further enhance Career Services programs and activities. To Coordinators Todd Wollenzier and Jan McKinney for the extraordinary insight, compassion and expertise they exercise in their daily contact with students, faculty and staff. They seek to empower students to overcome the obstacles that brought them into student judicial affairs and emphasize that each student matters as they strive for success in their academic and social environments. See Samples of what we have received regarding their dedication and efforts A Perspective on Virginia Tech As conscientious and compassionate student affairs staff, we are directly touched by the tragedy of Virginia Tech students and similar violent campus incidents. In The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 27, 2007 commentary “The Legacy of the Texas Tower Sniper” writer Gary Lavergne offers a perspective that may help set a framework for understanding and healing.
Reminders Please remember to encourage students to link to the Student Affairs Student Ombudsperson web page and Student Concern Form. Send newsletter items to Vivis.Lemmons@utsa.edu by May 14, 2007. |
