2011-2012 Café Conversations
The leadership of the Oglesby Union strongly believes that “informal opportunities such as cookouts, dinner, luncheons, and recreational events can be beneficial in developing a sense of staff cohesion and working as a team (Bryan & Schwartz, 1998, p.95.)” and has continued to support one such opportunity, Café Conversations. The Café Conversations program is one of the most successful and enduring professional development initiatives of the Oglesby Union. The ACUI Core Competencies guide the selection of Café Conversation topics as well as staff feedback and interests. Café Conversations are held approximately once a month and provide an opportunity for staff to learn about programs and services offered by the university and in the community. Staff members are able to relax and enjoy lunch while having meaningful conversations. Café Conversations highlight programs and services within the university community while also giving staff time to have meaningful discussions about their work outside of their office. The monthly program gives staff the tools to better serve students by educating them on resources available both on and off campus. Below is the summary schedule for Café Conversations held during the 2011-2012 academic year. Date 9/27/11 11/3/11
1/26/12
3/1/12 4/19/12 5/30/12
ACUI Competencies Student Learning
Presentations Student Disability Resource Center
Leadership
United Way Supports Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Facilities Management
Tour of the Renovated William Johnson Building
Communication
ACUI Core Competencies
Technology
ACUI Technology Competency
Facilities Management
Hurricane & Tornado Safety
Speakers & Organizations Dr. Bea Awoniyi Student Disability Resource Center Louis Garcia and Karen Frazee Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Big Bend Kimberly Strobel-Ball FSU Facilities Planning
Caterer & Cost Firehouse Subs Food: $227.90 FSU Chili’s Food: $180.00 Suwanee Dining Hall Food: $165.00
Brandon Bowden & Ladanya Ramírez Surmeier FSU Assessment and Research Ian Arnold Oglesby Union David Bujak Department of Environmental Health & Safety
Firehouse Subs Food: $172.50
Total Cost
$ 1,173.20
Jason’s Deli Food: $239 Jason’s Deli Food: $188.80
At the conclusion of each Café Conversation we distribute a short satisfaction survey to those in attendance. For the Café Conversations held in Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 we’ve had a response rate of 81% of those in attendance completing the survey. The survey asks participants to rate the speaker, the importance of the topic, and how it relates to their job responsibilities. Recommendations of topics for future Café Conversations are also requested in the survey.
2011-2012 Café Conversations
Please indicate the degree to which you agree with the following statements. 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Storngly Disagree
During the March Café Conversation, we asked the staff to rank the ACUI competencies; the upcoming Café Conversations will be based on their top six preferences. This change began during the last Café Conversations of the spring semester, Technology. For the 2012-2013 school year we will focus the Café Conversations on the other five ACUI Competencies our staff selected. We did not do one of the remaining five in May because we needed to cover important emergency procedures. This year we have an average of 21 staff members attend each Café Conversation session. The majority of the staff stated that the presentations have met their expectations in regards to enhancing their knowledge of the specific areas presented. Our staff members are very engaged and like to have ample time to ask questions and participate in the presentations and with the speakers. The Café Conversations are an enjoyable time for staff to connect with each other in a relaxed yet informative setting.