The Daily Bruin

If you have not already done so, please submit your December time sheet (support staff) or time off report (administrators) this week.  Please be sure it is complete, accurate, and signed by both you and your supervisor before sending it to HR at Box 6108.

If your supervisor is not available to sign it, please send a copy to HR and keep the original until it has been signed. A reminder for completing time sheets: Do not write any hours on the dates marked holidays unless you worked any of the holidays (Dec. 24, 25, 26, and/or 31).

With Belinda Pilcher’s upcoming departure, we have an opening for Executive Assistant II to provide administrative support to President Robin Baker.

This position has been posted on our website.  You can go to:  jobs.georgefox.edu and click on the support staff jobs link to see the full position announcement. 

This position will be open to internal applicants at least through Jan. 4.  Please contact Human Resources to request a Transfer Request form if you are interested in applying for this position. 

George Fox’s Newberg, Portland, Boise, Redmond, and Salem sites will close for the Christmas holiday Monday, Dec. 24, through Wednesday, Dec. 26. Thursday and Friday, Dec. 27-28, are not paid holidays, so those taking them off need to use vacation time.

The university also will close for the New Year’s holiday Monday, Dec. 31, and Tuesday, Jan. 1. Undergraduate classes resume Monday, Jan. 7, while some graduate programs resume classes the first week of January. For Newberg and Portland library hours during the holiday break, visit library.georgefox.edu.

Graduate students leave a lasting impact on their communities by completing Service Learning Projects during their MBA and MAOL programs. George Fox students have worked with more than 70 local nonprofit organizations and the list continues to grow. Final presentations to the organizations are now complete and the projects have been outstanding. Members of the groups are often moved beyond words at the depth and scope of the work completed. One group has been asked to present their findings to the Idaho Legislature in the New Year. Below is a brief overview of the projects completed by the M10 cohort.

Advocates for Inclusion: Students assisted the organization in clarification of their identity by establishing a mission, vision, and values statements. They also developed a marketing plan to identify potential sponsors and provided recommendations for increasing the awareness of the organization.

St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center: Students performed a nursing recruiting strategy research project. Research included local students graduating in the field of nursing, Canadian nursing students, and a selected group of Schools of Nursing. Students made recommendations as to how St. Alphonsus can recruit and keep quality nurses.

Community Alzheimer’s Respite and Enrichment (C.A.R.E. Club): Students performed a comprehensive analysis of the organization’s budget, staffing and benefits, industry comparison, and board of directors. A Standard Operating Procedures and CARE Club promotional PowerPoint was crafted and delivered for marketing and training purposes.

Idaho Community Review: Students reviewed the current practices and business model of the Idaho Community Review organization to enhance the post review process for follow-up. The Idaho Community Review strengthens rural Idaho by connecting communities with professionals who can assist in specified areas to provide communities with analysis and feedback for improvement opportunities.

Please let Beth Schafer, assistant professor of management and service learning project coordinator, know of any organizations you think we should consider adding to our list.

To prepare for next semester:

1. Download fall grades into an Excel spreadsheet or text file as a backup. (Go to Grades under Administration.)

2. Back up your course and reset the course to clear out students, students’ uploaded files, and forum postings. Here are instructions.

3. Discontinue the use of the activity type “Journal.” Instead, create Online Text Assignments to replace all old Journal activities. Journals have been made obsolete by Moodle and are painfully slow in the current version. We will be discontinuing their use on January 14.

4. Request new courses from the Service Desk.

Podcasts of the fall 2007 faculty teaching forums are available for viewing during the Christmas break. Below is a list of topics and presenters from the fall series. To see a description of a session or to view the podcast, go to the Center for Teaching and Learning blog.

• Putting Student Evaluations to Use (Becky Ankeny)

• Inspire! (Gloria Doherty)

• Teaching Evaluations and Outcome Assessment (Chris Koch)

• Beyond the pop quiz: Classroom assessment techniques (Caitlin Corning)

• The First Day of Class: Beginning with the End in Mind (Dwight Kimberly)

• Mid-Course Adjustments: Taking the Risk to Make Necessary Change (Dirk Barram)

• Managing the load: Teaching, Research, Service (Paul Chamberlain)

The last faculty business meeting of the fall semester is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Dec. 10. Portland Center and Boise Center faculty can join the meeting via video conferencing.

Newberg faculty will meet in Hoover 105.

Portland faculty will meet in Room 280.

Boise Center faculty will meet in the center’s conference room from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

All proposals to be discussed have already been distributed via e-mail.

If you have not yet completed the Best Christian Workplaces survey, please take about 10 minutes to do so this week. The survey closes this Friday, Dec. 7. The link is www.bwinstitute.com/survey/login.aspx. The access code is 1680-571.

The Best Christian Workplaces Institute will present the survey results in summary format to maintain all employees’ confidentiality.

All faculty and staff are invited to a “general talk” session with visiting provost candidate Ginger MacDonald from 3:40 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, in EHS 102. She will be presenting on one of two topics: “How she sees herself changing the university” or “Thoughts on the future of higher education,” with time for questions and answers. Please mark your calendars.

The provost survey will be distributed directly after her talk, and, due to the fact the Provost Search Committee will be meeting at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, the deadline to complete the survey will be 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7.

For those of you unable to attend, the sessions will be recorded and posted online at the following link: http://media.georgefox.edu/cgi-bin/itunesustaff.pl.

If you have not already done so, please complete, check and sign your November time sheet (staff) or time off report (administrators), and send it to your supervisor for signature. These forms can be found at: http://www.georgefox.edu/offices/hr/forms.html

Please send it to HR at Box 6108 this week. If your supervisor is not available to sign, please send a copy to HR and keep the original until it has been signed. Thank you. 

During Cultural Celebration Week, the English Language Institute published International Voices, a collection of essays by international students at George Fox. We distributed it to interested students at chapel and have provided each office on the Newberg campus a copy.

If you would like a copy for yourself, or a class set, just let Martha Iancu (Communication Arts) know.

If you have not yet completed the Best Christian Workplaces survey, please take about 10 minutes to do so. The survey close date has been moved from Dec. 2 to Dec. 7. The link is www.bwinstitute.com/survey/login.aspx. The access code is 1680-571.

The Best Christian Workplaces Institute will present the survey results in summary format to maintain all employees’ confidentiality.

All faculty and staff are invited to a “general talk” session with each of the visiting provost candidates on the days and times listed below. Each candidate will be presenting on one of two topics: “How they see themselves changing the university” or “Thoughts on the future of higher education,” with time for questions and answers. Please mark your calendars.

Carlos Campo: Monday, Dec. 3, 3:40–5 p.m. in Hoover 102
Ginger MacDonald: Thursday, Dec. 6, 3:40–5 p.m. in EHS 102

For those of you unable to attend, the sessions will be recorded and posted online at the following link: http://media.georgefox.edu/cgi-bin/itunesustaff.pl.

Provost candidate Patrick Allen’s session from Monday, Nov. 26, is now available to view or download at the following link: http://media.georgefox.edu/cgi-bin/itunesustaff.pl. If you do not have iTunes on your computer, you will have to download it in order to listen to the podcast.

You can listen to the podcast of Tuesday’s Newberg all-employee meeting here: http://media.georgefox.edu/cgi-bin/itunesustaff.pl

For technical help, call the IT service desk at 503-554-2569. 

 

Dirk Barram (Management) will present “Mid-Course Adjustments: Taking the Risk to Make Necessary Change” at a faculty teaching forum from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, in the Executive Dining Room.

Sometimes a class doesn’t go as intended. Even with the best of learning objectives, a class may not go as well as anticipated. It may be time to switch gears, even in the middle of the semester. The changes may be minor or maybe major, but whatever degree of change is necessary it is important to acknowledge these and move forward. Barram will discuss how to do this effectively.

To reserve a lunch, e-mail Jere Witherspoon (Student Life) by noon on Monday, Nov. 26. Everyone is welcome to attend the session, whether bringing a lunch or reserving a lunch.

All faculty — full time, part time, and adjunct — are invited to attend faculty teaching forums (FTFs). Video podcasts of FTFs will be available at the “Events and Resources” link on the Center for Teaching and Learning website.

All faculty and staff are invited to a “general talk” session with each of the visiting provost candidates on the days and times listed below. Each candidate will be presenting on one of two topics: “How they see themselves changing the university” or “Thoughts on the future of higher education,” with time for questions and answers. Please mark your calendars.

Patrick Allen:  Monday, Nov. 26, 3:40–5 p.m. in Hoover 105
Carlos Campo: Monday, Dec. 3, 3:40–5 p.m. in Hoover 102
Ginger MacDonald: Thursday, Dec. 6, 3:40–5 p.m. in EHS 102
Jane Hudak: Monday, Dec. 10, 3:40–5 p.m. in Hoover 105

For those of you unable to attend, the sessions will be recorded and posted online.

George Fox will close for the Thanksgiving holiday Thursday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 25. All offices will be closed, including the administrative offices and bookstores on the Newberg campus and Portland Center. The Boise Center also will be closed.

The Newberg library will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, and be open from 6 to 10 p.m. on Nov. 25. The Portland Center library will close at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and remain closed until Monday.

The Best Christian Workplaces Institute reports that 209 (of 475) George Fox employees have already completed this year’s survey.  If you have not taken time to complete the survey, please take about 10 minutes to do so. The link is www.bwinstitute.com/survey/login.aspx. The access code is 1680-571.

The survey closes on Dec. 2. The Best Christian Workplaces Institute will present the survey results in summary format to maintain all employees’ confidentiality.

Bruin Directories will be available the week of Nov. 26. If you haven’t already placed an order, please do so soon. E-mail Martha Byrne with your department and box number, account and cost center, and how many directories you would like to order. The Bruin Directory is $4 per copy.