Winter 2013 Edition
Dear Colleagues, Happy New Year to all! When I heard the focus of this Campus Connection edition was on communication, I thought about how much our communication methods have changed over the last 50 years. In 1963, we had rotary dial phones and party lines, manual typewriters with carbon paper, TV antennas and 6-8 channels on our black and white TVs, and we looked up information in printed encyclopedias (yes, I’m telling my age!). Now we predominately utilize electronic
communication and information that we can access just about anywhere, social media outlets, phones we carry in our pockets, and hundreds of channels on our picture perfect televisions. But what hasn’t changed – the importance or value of our communication. We depend on relationships around us for survival, contentment and happiness. What better way to build relationships in our personal and professional lives than to value our communication and be able to communicate with each other in
ways that we can understand. We communicate every day, but we don’t always consider how our communication impacts others. I believe there is no greater area in your life that determines the nature of your relationships and the quality of life that you have than the development of good communication skills. Sounds like this could be a New Year’s resolution! Here’s to listening and learning, Wanda Nitsch President, CAO
Information Technology Dean began his career with USA in April 2012 and leads the IT Team bringing with him 13 years’ experience as the Director of Information Technology Services for Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN. At USA he provides leadership to the IT department and is responsible for all aspects of IT operations. Other responsibilities include managing IT Projects for all three campuses and working with department heads, faculty and the chief development officer to determine the strategic direction of the school's information systems. “It is my great pleasure to serve the university and to help develop a technology plan for the future in collaboration with our faculty and staff. I am committed to perpetually improving the services provided by the IT department .” Dean Reynolds, Director IT
David Douglas, Sr. Systems Administrator has been employed at the University since January 2005 and is responsible for the University’s network and server infrastructure. David obtained his B.Sc.in Computer Information Systems from St. Leo University and holds certifications from CompTIA and Microsoft. David has seen USA through many projects and most recently, refreshed the University’s voice & data networks with current generation Cisco hardware.“When I started with USA, we had a single campus with only about 40 employees. Today, we’re much larger, and continue to expand at an ever-increasing pace. It’s fun to be a part of a growing organization, and face the challenges that rapid growth can bring.”
Ricky Alegria, Senior Multi-Media and Systems Technician has been employed with the University since June 2012 and brings with him 13 years of experience as an IT and Network Support Technician. Ricky and his wife married in St. Augustine in 2007 and recently moved from Georgia to Florida pursuing a dream. “I believe with focus and consistent persistence we will continue do great things. Our goal is to focus on what we do best so that you can do what you do best!” T Banyan McGowen, Assistant Director of IT for Data Services has been with the University since September of 2011. Banyan’s expertise is in reporting and analytics, data management and business/systems analysis. He has a B.S. in Economic Finance from Bentley University. Having moved to St Augustine in 2010 with his wife and 4 children, Banyan is originally from New England. He has lived up and down the east coast, from Portland, ME to Miami, FL but has never lived more than 25 miles, nor ever will, from the ocean.
FL IT - Back: Ricky Alegria, David Douglas, Dean Reynolds. Front: Banyan McGowen, Mark Clevinger
Mark Clevinger, Systems Support Technician has Bachelor of Science in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications from FSCJ. His responsibilities are to support the faculty and staff at the Florida campus with computer hardware and software issues. “It was a little intimidating at first to come to work at a place with so many faculty members with the first name Doctor, but I enjoy working with all of the faculty and staff and I am sure that our team will continue to improve I.T. services, support, and equipment.”
Sandro Giacomangeli , IT Assistant, is responsible for supporting the informational technology needs of the University CA campus, and serves as a Classroom/ Help Desk/Applications support technician. Sandro is a Microsoft Certified Technician and Cisco Certified Network Associate “My Mission is to provide worry free, technical support for the IT needs of Students, Faculty and Staff.” Peter Popov, Information Technology Specialist, has a bachelor's degree in computer networking from Coleman University. His role at USA is to provide technical support for the students, faculty, and staff so that they can accomplish their occupational objectives. “It is gratifying to use my technical expertise to help the University achieve its mission of developing highly competent professional health care practitioners."
CA IT—Sandro Giacomangeli and Peter Popov.
Ricky flying high with Team USA!
TX IT—Phillip Gerdes Phillip Gerdes , Jr. Systems Administrator has a Bachelor of Applied Technology from The University of Central Oklahoma. He assists the Sr. Systems Administrator with supporting and maintaining servers and computer systems and aids in planning for systems service upgrades, maintenance and backup services. That includes the Office 365 migration project. “It has been an incredible experience working for such an amazing University with an amazing group of faculty and staff at all of our campuses. “
Have you visited the University of St. Augustine website? In 2012 we had 376,741 visits, and over 1,380,000 page views. Don’t forget we also have a Facebook page. “Like” the USA page and see all the happenings as well as stay informed of upcoming events.
Information Technology is making great strides in an attempt to improve communications with the USA community! Topping the list of improvements is our new Help Desk system from SysAid. This help desk is for faculty, staff and students. Get used to hearing two things….7000 and F11. You may already be familiar with extension 7000 and now we are introducing F11. By simply pressing the F11 key on your USA provided desktop and laptop keyboards you will have the ability to start the Help Desk application. You will also be able to see “News” from the IT department on that screen and have the capability to submit an incident or a request .
It’s that easy! What are incidents?
What is considered a Request?
Incidents are technical issues, such as error messages, and problems you experience with your computer or IT
Requests are submitted when you need to ask IT for approved resources, for Onboarding/Offboarding, or for Lifesize (video conferencing) needs.
IT Tools that work for You! Over the next several months, based on the incidents you are reporting, we’ll be building a knowledgebase that will automatically generate suggestions for resolving common issues as you are creating Help Desk Incidents or Requests. This means you will have information at your fingertips to help resolve common issues which translates to faster resolutions. In addition, we will also be creating and publishing articles in the FAQ section of the main page which will address IT policies and procedures. This new software tool will be your one stop shopping for everything IT. Password Self Service – An added Perk! Remember being on that trip and discovering that your account was locked because you missed a password change? This is a no longer an issue. With a little setup on the main page of the help desk, you will now be able to change your network password from any Internet browser on any device without having to contact the IT
Welcome! Kristen Barta, DPT Faculty
Karen Colston Admin Assistant Flex
Heather David PT Faculty
Rachel Stankey OT Faculty
Roberta Russo, DPT Administrative Assistant
Chris Childers, PT Faculty
Claudette Bogle, Financial Aid Counselor
Kayla Smith PT Faculty
Derek Schmidt, Bulk Mail Coordinator; Callie Allison, Clinical Ed Associate; Mellisa Ballard, Office Clerk T-DPT/OTD/DHSc; and Cris Clark, Clinical Ed Associate
COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY— EMAIL WRITING TIPS When using electronic communication- a word to the wise: think before you send. Like any correspondence, email messages should be composed carefully to convey the intended message. The reader of the message does not have access to the normal visual or auditory cues of a conversation. A tongue-in-cheek message or a joke may be easily misinterpreted in an electronic format. Identify who really needs to see the email , don’t burden others or air your news with those who don’t need to be in the know. Here are some email writing tips:
Never use ALL CAPS. It is the electronic equivalent of SHOUTING. Grammar. The accepted rules relating to grammar and spelling still prevail. Use the spell checker in your email application or maybe compose your email in Word first and use the grammar checker as well. Salutations (the dying art in email). You may consider it a memo; others may consider it a personal communication, so try to use Hello Nick or Hello Mr. Smith unless you are emailing your friends or close family. The Subject box (getting your message read). Most people get lots of email every day, and many tend to skim their inboxes quickly. If you want your email to be read, try to highlight its importance with a subject line that will pique curiosity. Try to avoid ALL CAPS as it is seen as SHOUTING and is often interpreted as spam (unwanted solicitations or junk email). The message (short but sweet). Two or three short paragraphs is usually the maximum most people can (or want to) digest at one sitting. (Unless this is a personal email, of course.) Mimic the tried-but-true Who What Where When and Why - this makes a message easy to read and digest. Attachments (less is more). Rather than attaching a file that your reader will have to download and open in a separate program, you will probably get faster results if you just copy-paste the most important part of the document into the body of your message. Attachments can consume bandwidth; can carry viruses and don’t always translate correctly for people who read their email on portable devices. Little things (that mean a lot). Always include a phone number and web address, if you have one, at the bottom of your email. Many people have a signature that automatically appears at the bottom of every email.
Other tips. Break up your email into smaller paragraphs and use bullets to help identify important information or listings. If it takes you longer to write it than to pick up the phone and call, it’s probably too long. (Thanks to Nikki and Rachelle for contributing)
Biggest Losers Winners We would like to congratulate the winning team for the 2012 President’s Weight Loss Challenge. The winning team was Team #4 from the St. Augustine Campus which was comprised of five members: Rhonda James, Karen Howell, Julie Watson, Erica Kiernan, and Jodi Liphart. Working together, they won every check-in along the way and lost an amazing 64.5lb over the course of the year. Perhaps even more reason to celebrate is the fact that these individuals did not crash diet to lose the weight, they adopted a new eating habit and modified their activity level throughout the course of the year. Dr. Nitsch said about the winning team, “You are excellent examples of living this University’s core value of a healthy and productive lifestyle.” Despite many challenges along the way, the team remained focused and did not lose site of the goal. The common denominator of each of these ladies was the commitment to making minor daily changes that turned into a big weight loss at the end of the year. So keep these ladies success story in mind when you are getting started in 2013 and determine how you can incorporate minor adjustments into your routines that will pay dividends on your future health.
Walk Across USA Let’s take a walk from one campus to another! It’s time to get up out of our chairs and get moving! The 2013 Wellness Campaign “ Walk Across USA” is being launched to help all of us to improve our health and become more active. We are going to “WALK” from one campus to another! Those participating will be receiving a pedometer to count their steps along the way. You place it in your pocket to track every step you walk, jog or run. The best part is not only counting your steps but you will be able to plug it into your USB drive to log the number of steps you take each day. If you are going out on a jog, or taking a pet for a walk, remember to take your pedometer so that you can include those steps as well!
Walk to our Campuses during 2013 Route 1— FL to TX or TX to FL Route 2—FL to CA or CA to FL Route 3—CA to TX or TX to CA There will be checkpoints along the way where we will celebrate the goals. There will be a celebration in December for those that reach their final destinations. Watch your email for all the information about participating coming soon! Route 1. FL-TX
Distance 1075 miles
Total Steps 2,150,000 steps
Steps Per Day Appx. 6600 steps
2. FL-CA
2400 miles
4,800,000 steps
Appx. 14700 steps
3. CA-TX
1308 miles
2,616,000 steps
Appx. 8000 steps
Embracing better eating habits and increasing daily activity levels will allow all of us to experience and maintain a higher quality of life. So let’s get going USA! We hope you will join us as we walk our way to wellness one step at a time. Tips to increase your daily activities: Walk and talk with a colleague instead of emailing Parking the car further away from the entrance to shops/work Walk your dog Take a walk after dinner
Schedule a couple five min breaks during the day to stretch/perform calisthenics Take a walk during your lunch break Take the steps in lieu of the elevator Utilize your local Wellness Center
Jan 10-13 Dr. Lisa Chase took 44 FL campus students to participate in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend’s Medical Team. They assisted in the medical tents strategically through the race course to treat Orthopedic injuries. They were able to work with other health care providers to treat many different diagnosis in various stages of conditions. It was also a time to network with others in the healthcare profession and have a positive impact in the community. The Inaugural Flexible Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) class began on Jan 7 at the FL campus. A reception for the faculty and staff celebrated the successful launch hosted by Dr. Karen Howell and Dr. Anne Hull. Clinical Education Department: The Acadaware Migration is complete for the DPT, MOPA and MOT programs. Doreen Bicki from the Florida campus is working closely with the Acadaware programmer to correct errors, discrepancies and make additions in some cases. The next step will be detailed discussions concerning reports and the interface with Jennzibar for new student data. The FL MOT Students are completing a semester long volunteer project in partnership with the St. Johns Housing Partnership, a local not for profit organization, as part of the Assistive Technology and Community Service course taught by Julie Watson, MHS, OTR/L. The project involves completing a home assessment, fundraising, building ramps and other accessibility needs, and then following up with the clients to ensure their needs are being met. The focus of the project is to help older, disabled, adults in the surrounding community. Komal Deokule, Lead Lab Instructor in CA recently passed the APTA board certification examination for Cardiac Clinical Specialist (CCS) and is now officially a board certified cardiopulmonary clinical specialist. Congratulations to Jeremy Nueman, HR/Business Manager CA for receiving his PHR (Professional in Human Resources ) certification. Student Services, Clinical Education and Continuing Ed/Marketing are attending weekly team building workshops called “Why Do I Do What I Do?” designed to build relationships and improve communication skills conducted by Leslie Schneider, HR/Business Manager FL.
Service Awards 2012
Eric Chaconas, 5 years; Marie Baker, 5 years; Bonnie Decker, 15 years; Charlotte Izzo, 10 years; Sherry Free, 15 years; Jeff Rot, 15 years; Laura Sanders, 10 years, (insert) Rob Stanborough, 10 years.
Anna Edwards, 5 years; Ellen Lowe, 5 years; Laura Johnson, 5 years; Wanda Nitsch, 15 years; Edward Kane, 5 years; Annie Burke-Doe, 5 years
Kay Saghir, Marketing, visiting Key West, FL
Barbara O’Connor, Online Admin. Assistant, and family in Tampa, FL
Dr. Patla, Dr. Paris and Alan Paris In the glacial fed Shotover River, Queenstown, NZ
Dr. Wanda Nitsch cruising through the Panama Canal. As you are traveling and working throughout this great globe let everyone know. How? Send a photo of yourself, or with your family, or your friends at a special place. All you have to do is have the USA logo in the photograph. So grab a mug, wear a shirt, hold a brochure, etc with USA on it – snap the picture; drop it in DropBox3Day in the “Newsletter” folder; and send an email to lschneider@usa.edu letting us know your name and location. Then we can all see “Where in the world is USA?”
Nikki Martin, Human Resources at the Mayan ruins.
The Campus Connection is a publication of USA for the employees. If you want to contribute information or photos to be published in the next edition, contact Leslie Schneider at lschneider@usa.edu. All items submitted are edited at the discretion of the university.