MOVING DUKE FORWARD 12 SAFETY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 14 HEALTH CARE SAVINGS 15
NEW S YOU C AN USE • A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7
A Conversation with
Duke’s New President
Editor’s Note
CONTENTS
LEANORA MINAI
Your Stories Make a Difference Thank you, Duke staff and faculty, for sharing your stories with us. You invite us into your work and personal lives, and if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be able to effectively tell Duke’s story or help other employees through your experiences. Over the summer, Working@Duke and Duke Today each won gold medals in the annual Circle of Excellence awards hosted by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Of Working@Duke, the judges “thought the stories in this publication were innovative and interesting,” according to CASE. “The stories clearly support the institution’s mission and serve its primary audience.” With each story, we strive to build community and help connect you with news and information that helps you in your work and life – whether it’s a primer on leading effective meetings or a story about a staff member who lost 140 pounds using free employee wellness programs. In its 11th year, Working@Duke offers a one-stop shop for campus happenings, institutional priorities and employee benefits, services and programs. For example, last year, we featured Theresa Johnson in a story about Duke’s Personal Assistance Service, which provides employees up to eight counseling sessions per concern at no charge. Theresa used the service after her husband’s cancer diagnosis. Her story was part of the Circle of Excellence award entry for Working@Duke. After the story published in December 2016, Theresa let us know about the positive effect the article had on coworkers. “Another employee stopped me in Best Buy last night about the article … we touched a lot of people with this story,” said Theresa, director of Operations Improvement in Duke’s Patient Revenue Management Organization. Twice a year, Working@Duke conducts a readership survey to assess how we can enhance the publication. Results in May 2017 were favorable with most employees who completed the survey saying they read and enjoy the publication and find it beneficial. “The print edition is wonderful,” said Gale Pettiford, staff assistant in Romance Studies. “It always brightens my day to read about what my Duke family has accomplished. It’s quite a joy to open an issue and see an old friend being featured.” We invite your feedback and story ideas. Please write working@duke.edu or call me at 919-681-4533. Thanks for reading and partnering with us.
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4 A Conversation
with Duke’s New President
We asked Duke staff and faculty to send us questions to help answer, “Who is Duke’s next president?” Read the interview with Duke University’s 10th president, Vincent E. Price.
12 Moving Duke Forward
While donors’ personal histories shaped many contributions, Duke
Forward was about what’s coming next. Learn how the decade-long, more than $3.79 billion campaign has shaped the present.
14 Using LiveSafe Terra Ylizarde shares how she uses the free safety app to receive a virtual escort to her car.
15 Save 30 cents on each $1 with a 16 18 19
Health Care Reimbursement Account Preserving the priceless in Perkins Library Employee discounts on pet services Duke’s carbon offsets programs improve environment
Contact us Editor/Communications Director: Leanora Minai (919) 681-4533 leanora.minai@duke.edu Assistant Vice President: Paul S. Grantham (919) 681-4534 paul.grantham@duke.edu
Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado (919) 684-2107 paul.figuerado@duke.edu Photography: Duke University Photography and Beth Hatcher and Stephen Schramm of Communication Services.
Working@Duke is published every other month by Duke’s Office of Communication Services. We invite your feedback and story ideas. Send email to working@duke.edu or call (919) 681-4533. Visit Working@Duke daily on Duke Today: working.duke.edu
Stephen Schramm Senior Writer (919) 684-4639 stephen.schramm@duke.edu
2017, 2014 Gold, 2015, 2013, Silver, 2016, 2009, 2007 Bronze, Print Internal Audience Publications and 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing
WORKING@DUKE WORKING@DUKE
Cover photo: Vincent E. Price, Duke University’s 10th president.
BRIEFLY New professional development courses Registration is open for professional development courses and certificate programs scheduled through December 2017. A unit of Duke Human Resources, Learning and Organizational Development (L&OD) offers courses and training that span leadership and management development, professional development, and computer software and systems. In addition to adjusting the list of courses based on feedback from employees and supervisors, L&OD has changed how employees at the University and Health System consume lessons. L&OD will offer a series of 30 to 50 minute courses titled “Learning Bursts!” Covering themes such as coaching, communication, innovation and technology, the courses will come in the form of webinars or lunchtime gatherings. “We’re trying to reach a variety of audiences, using diverse methods of learning,” said Keisha Williams, L&OD’s assistant vice president. Other changes include three new courses: Situational Leadership II, The Art of Delegation, and the Administrative Assistant Certificate Program. Learn more and enroll at hr.duke.edu/training.
Learn IT workshops start Sept. 6 The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will host a series of free “Learn IT @ Lunch” training seminars during the fall semester. The sessions, which start Sept. 6, will cover various technology topics such as “Getting the Most out of WebEx,” “Producing an Effective Explainer Video,” and “Digital Flyers: Design Tips.” “With Learn IT @ Lunch you can stay up to date with the latest technology,” said OIT training coordinator Christine Vucinich. “Even better, you can take it back to your department.” The sessions are hosted from 12-1 p.m. in the Edge Workshop room in Bostock Library. Registration is not necessary. Those attending may bring their own lunch. For a full schedule, visit sites.duke.edu/training/learn-it-lunch.
Your best shot to prevent the flu Staff and faculty can get flu shots starting Sept. 21 through Duke Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW). For 2017-18, Duke offers the quadrivalent vaccine and an egg-free option for individuals with allergies. Flu shots are available for free with a valid DukeID between 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (except for noon-2 p.m. Wednesday) at the Employee Occupational Health and Wellness office in the Orange Zone of Duke Clinic or at a scheduled roving clinic. No appointment is necessary. The flu shot, or an accepted medical or religious exemption, is a condition of employment in the Health System and for many School of Medicine employees. At least 31,500 Duke employees received a vaccine or an exemption through Duke last season. North Carolina had 219 deaths related to influenza during the 2016-17 season according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
“Vaccination remains our most important method of preventing the flu,” said Dr. Carol Epling, director of EOHW. “Not only does it prevent it in ourselves and avoid a potentially lethal illness, but it also protects others around us who we might infect before we experience symptoms.” Predicting the timing and duration of flu outbreaks can be difficult, but flu outbreaks often begin in October and can last as late as May, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the time, flu activity peaks between December and February. Visit flu.duke.edu in September for the vaccination schedule.
Duke employees raise $51,000 for Hurricane Matthew relief To help with relief efforts after Hurricane Matthew, Duke staff and faculty delivered a $51,000 check over the summer to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, which supports long-term recovery efforts to repair and rebuild damaged homes. The money was raised by Duke employees as part of the 2016 Doing Good in the Neighborhood employee Phail Wynn presents Gov. Roy giving campaign kickoff. Last fall, 10 Cooper with the $51,000 check. percent of donations to the campaign’s Duke Community Giving categories (Health, Neighborhoods, Community Care Fund, Schools, Youth Empowerment) was earmarked for Hurricane Matthew relief. “Duke employees are supporting families going through the long, painful steps of recovery after Hurricane Matthew,” said Phail Wynn Jr., Duke’s vice president for Durham and Regional Affairs. “This is a special cause … because this large donation from staff and faculty will now be placed in the hands of organizations that can help these families rebuild.” Employees can give year-round to the Duke Doing Good in the Neighborhood campaign, which benefits local nonprofits, neighborhoods and schools. Learn more: doinggood.duke.edu.
Get moving with Run/Walk Club Duke’s Run/Walk Club returns Aug. 14, offering fitness tests, an interval training plan and social way to exercise. The 12-week program, which meets through Nov. 1 for low-pressure workouts, is free for staff and faculty and ideal for all fitness levels. Organized by Duke’s employee wellness program, LIVE FOR LIFE, the club meets at 5:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays on East and West campuses. In addition to run/walk sessions, members can attend free yoga sessions in August, September and October. Katie MacEachern, fitness program manager with LIVE FOR LIFE, said the group dynamic is helpful for engaging participants in working out. “The coaches and group members provide a lot of encouragement and collaboration, which goes a long way,” she said. “It’s motivating to know you have a dependable group to motivate you on both your best and your worst days.” Register at hr.duke.edu/runwalk.
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A Conversation with
Duke’s New President
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n high school, Vincent E. Price landed a summer job at a McDonald’s in Torrance, California. He started on fries, moved to the grill and then handled maintenance duties, arriving at 2 a.m. for an eight-hour shift to empty grease traps and clean the restaurant. Price preferred the schedule because it freed up his afternoons to enjoy the beach, but the job taught him about working with people. “I did interact with a wide swath of people who came from very different backgrounds, young, old,” Price said. “I enjoyed the teamwork.” Since then, Price, whose curriculum vitae spans 22 pages, has earned three degrees, held nearly 20 academic and research appointments and received 23 honors and awards. A leading expert on public opinion, social influence and political communication, Price has published scores of articles and the book, “Public Opinion,” which is in six languages. And on July 1, Price – the former provost of the University of Pennsylvania – became Duke University’s 10th president. We asked Duke staff and faculty to send us questions to help answer, “Who is Duke’s next president?” We learned his favorite Netflix binges include “The Wire” and “House of Cards.” He takes regular walks with his dogs, Scout, a Golden Doodle, and Cricket, a Labradoodle, and he loves enchiladas and huevos rancheros. The best advice he’s ever received? “You should marry Annette,” his wife. And there’s much more. What follows is our conversation with Price covering various topics based on your questions and a few of ours.
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including the escalating costs of our educational and research programs, cutbacks in federal and state funding, and uncertainty in the economy. I don’t have the answers, but I’m confident that we will find solutions through a combination of efforts: enhancing our strong record in philanthropy; being more focused and efficient with an eye toward reducing costs; doing a better job of translating and commercializing our research discoveries; and identifying innovative ways of deploying technology, especially in our educational programs.
Li-Chen Chin, assistant vice president, Intercultural Initiatives
What are major challenges Duke will face in the next decade? What are your strategies for dealing with these challenges?
VP: Well, I suppose that one short-term challenge the
Duke community will face is adjusting to a new president in the Allen Building, but I trust that will not prove major and will do all I can to help. In a more serious vein, let me suggest three important challenges we face together, by way of three questions we should be asking ourselves: Who are we? Our particular challenge at Duke – and our great opportunity as well – is to blaze a productive and exemplary path forward, to use knowledge in service to society as our great bonding agent, and to focus on inclusive inquiry from the broadest and most diverse range of perspectives. As a practical matter, this means cultivating a willingness to leave our comfort zones, individually and collectively, and engaging new ideas and new people – indeed, even those we may find in some ways problematic or objectionable – from a position of faith in each other and with mutual respect. Where do we want to go together? No institution has climbed as quickly to international prominence as Duke, yet accelerating that trajectory will require careful choices. This is not the time or place for me to lay out a map with trails marked, but I do think some of the general directions will become clear as we identify priorities in the coming months. How do we get there? We must have sustainable resources and business models to make good on our goals. Duke is in a very strong position, thanks in particular to the success of the Duke Forward campaign, but there are many hazards ahead,
What’s the funniest anecdote related to your famous name?
VP: When I was in my first year of college, I lived on the
same floor as Danny Thomas (also not the Danny Thomas). And I’ve received countless congratulations for my contributions to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” I grew up number six out of eight siblings in my family and I have a number of older brothers. As a young child, when it became clear to me that there was another Vincent Price, because I would be greeted by comments about Vincent Price everywhere I went, I went to my mother and asked, ‘so what’s with this name Vince?’ She said, ‘Oh, your father and I always loved that name, Vincent.’”
>> continued on page 6
Duke President Vincent E. Price meets with student leaders after the presidential announcement in December 2016.
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What's your leadership style?
VP: I’d like to think I’m a good listener, pragmatic and
Aaron Welborn, communications director, Duke Libraries
I’d be interested to know what books or authors have most informed President Price’s daily life. What does he like to read when he wants to slow down and get perspective?
VP: In my reading tastes, I tend toward biography. For
example, Ron Chernow’s “Titan,” “House of Morgan” or “Alexandar Hamilton,” and David McCollough’s many titles, or Edmund Morris’s fabulous Roosevelt trilogy. I also enjoy reading historical nonfiction, by authors such as Hampton Sides, Erik Larson, Candice Millard, and H.W. Brands (Shelby Foote’s three-volume “The Civil War” stands out as a favorite). I also like – perhaps no surprise here – historical fiction. I loved Iain Pears’s “An Instance of the Fingerpost,” Hilary Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” and “Bringing Up the Bodies” and Hella Haasse’s “In a Dark Wood Wandering.” I also very much like reading fiction, and loved Richard Ford’s “Frank Bascombe” trilogy, but I gravitate decidedly to the historical in my reading. Thanks to generous Duke alumni who passed along great reading advice, I’ve recently enjoyed Robert Durden’s “The Dukes of Durham” and Earl Porter’s “Trinity and Duke.”
consultative by nature but unafraid to make decisions and hold to a course chosen after due deliberation. I’m also deeply inspired by my students and colleagues, and expect their work will in turn inspire others. I think of three general leadership lessons I’ve learned over time. First, you need to know your culture. What do people in your community find inspiring? What do they most value? An authentic leader can help a community become a more perfect version of what it is. Second, you need to know your cause. Where should the organization go? What must be done to get there? In my experience, the best leaders don’t pursue their priorities, they pursue our priorities. Finally, you need to know your character. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What will it take to get the job done, and where will you find those competencies? To get smart, surround yourself with smart people. To get organized, surround yourself with organized people. To become a leader, surround yourself with opportunities, and move to seize them with better people than you by your side. I’m doing all these things in making the move to Duke.
Then President-elect Vincent E. Price greets Duke community members and others after being introduced as Duke’s 10th president in Penn Pavilion in December 2016.
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Sarah Whitney, financial analyst, University Center - Activities
Gale Pettiford, staff assistant, Romance Languages
Can you speak a bit about your commitment to the arts and your thoughts for Duke’s future in that realm?
Is there a particular time of day that you reserve for ‘thinking time’? A time to recharge and reflect?
VP: I am deeply committed to the arts, and I’m thrilled
VP: I like to carve out different types of ‘thinking time,’ each
to be joining Duke in time for the opening of the new Arts Center. I recently had the opportunity to meet with the Council for the Arts to hear about the great work in our academic and presenting departments. I’m also impressed by the vibrant arts scene in Durham, which has received national acclaim. We can capitalize on this energy by encouraging even greater collaborations between our arts institutions and the academic programs in our schools and departments, particularly in the professional schools.
with its own purpose. In the morning, I try to make it into the office a few hours before my scheduled meetings begin to get organized, look ahead to the day, take stock about what needs to be done, and to revisit and update my to-do list of both short-term and long-term priorities. I find this time incredibly reinvigorating, because it gives me a certain peace of mind and clear sense of purpose as I head into a busy day. When I miss that time, I absolutely feel the difference it makes in my day – and it’s not a good difference. My aspiration is to conduct meetings as productive time for thinking together. I’m reminded of something the sociologist Charles Horton Cooley wrote around the turn of the last century: Communication is ‘truly the outside or visible structure of thought, as much cause as effect of the inside or conscious life.’ We don’t often know what we think – at least I don’t – until we talk it through. Then there is more reflective, unstructured time. For me, this is for reading, which I regularly do at night before turning in, or for writing. Experience has taught me that I’m much more productive before dinner than after. >> continued on page 8
President Vincent E. Price and his wife, Annette, greet Lisa Jordan, left, the president’s executive assistant, in the Allen Building.
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Oscar E. Dantzler, utility worker, Housekeeping Operations
Being at Duke for 20 years and two presidents, my question would center around your availability and visibility. Will you be the president that will interact with students and staff on a daily basis and also when possible have an open-door policy to all?
VP: I plan to be as visible as possible. With so many
demands on a president’s time, this can be difficult; but we’ll just have to do it. There is no substitute for walking around and I look forward to visiting every corner of our campus. Likewise, I do feel strongly that every member of our community – faculty, staff, student, alumni, friend – should know that they have an approachable and available president who values what they have to say and who appreciates what they contribute to Duke.
Stuart Wells, administrative assistant, Office of News & Communications
What are some of the next steps that we as a campus community can take to think more globally and become better connected with our existing international partnerships?
VP: Our goal continues to be bringing Duke to the world
and the world to Duke. The best universities must not only ensure that their teaching and research programs convincingly address the needs of a globalized society; they must also support international flows of students and researchers, particularly as developing nations accelerate their investments in higher education and related infrastructure. Perhaps our greatest asset is our incredible community of international students, faculty and staff. We already have a full range of opportunities to learn about international culture,
President Vincent E. Price earned a Ph.D. (1987) and M.A. (1985) in communication from Stanford University and a B.A. magna cum laude (1979) in English from the University Honors Program at Santa Clara University. Prior to coming to Duke, Price served as Provost of the University of Pennsylvania and was the Steven H. Chaffee Professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and Professor of Political Science in the School of Arts and Sciences. He joined Penn in 1998 after 11 years at the University of Michigan, where he was Chair of the Department of Communication Studies and a Faculty Associate of the Center for Political Studies.
Age: 60 Born in: Torrance, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, and grew up there as the sixth of eight siblings. Married to: Annette Price, a graduate of Santa Clara University. She worked in event planning at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at Penn and is a lifelong volunteer with school and civic organizations. Children: Sarah, 27, living in Tucson, Arizona; and Alexander, 25, living in Portland, Oregon. Pets: Scout, a Golden Doodle, 9; and Cricket, a Labradoodle, 7.
Duke University’s 10th President Vincent E. Price with his wife, Annette Price.
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history, development, health, business, and engineering that grows more impressive each day. A great example is the Duke Africa Initiative, which is not only advancing our partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa, but also building connections between departments and schools on campus around themes relevant to Africa, engaging African scholars and students, and creating more visibility for African art and culture.
Marnie Rhoads, director, Faculty Research Mentoring & Recognition
What are ways that you feel you could impact our campus climate to ensure that all perspectives are heard and everyone is treated with the respect and dignity that we all deserve?
VP: While it’s sometimes said that 80 percent of success is
showing up, making sure everyone feels valued and appreciated demands much more. I look forward to celebrating our accomplishments, thanking our staff and faculty for what they do, and sharing whatever difficult moments we may face together. Even more important is talking with people, engaging them, soliciting their help, and listening carefully. A university is a unique and perhaps ideal setting to encourage open expression on the most pressing issues that face us, even – or especially – when they may seem difficult or uncomfortable to talk about. I hope to find ways to promote constructive conversations, among as many people in our community as possible, and in ways both large and small, around issues that might otherwise
divide us. We need to do all we can to promote Duke as a community grounded in mutual respect, dedicated to inclusion, and actively promoting an understanding of what it means to dignify each other and our work together.
With your background in Communications, what work do you hope to accomplish about Duke messaging? What ideas and themes about this university do you hope to convey to the world? What might you consider changing about the messages we currently send? Do you hope to curb negative publicity and instead highlight the amazing things our community accomplishes?
VP: I do certainly plan to communicate as effectively
and broadly as possible about all the amazing things Duke does. During the transition, I’ve met a number of outstanding communications and public affairs professionals here, and Duke’s very strong global reputation is in many ways a product of their excellent work. Our alumni are also incredibly effective ambassadors, constituting a global network perhaps unrivaled in its support of its alma mater. If and when things do happen to go awry, which they will, we need to talk about them in honest and direct ways. At the same time, we need to ensure that the balance of publicity accurately represents what we know to be one of the world’s most accomplished and innovative universities. Moving forward, we will likely need to be even more strategic in our communication efforts than in the past, given that our media systems are undergoing such dramatic transformations. We’ll need to ensure we are using social media effectively and building communities of interest around our work. We will need to be better coordinated than ever, identifying a few key themes and staying with them in a disciplined way. And we should continue to identify powerfully personal stories, wherever possible, that draw attention to those themes. >> continued on page 10
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Sarah Zoubek, associate in research, World Food Policy Center
Duke launched a “Healthy Campus Initiative” to make Duke’s campus the healthiest campus in the nation and possibly the world. What suggestions would you have for this effort?
VP: I love the fact that Duke has set out a goal of being the
healthiest university in the nation, and there are key ways we can promote a healthy Durham as well. I’m impressed not only by the vision, but also by the approach, which is grounded in a broad coalition of faculty and staff working to better leverage our many existing programs while looking for innovative ways to add to the repertoire of health and well-being programs. I don’t have any definite suggestions to offer at this point, as various steering committees are ironing out the key goals. I can mention, however, a few themes I have tried to emphasize over the years in my work on campus with students and colleagues. These are also things I need to remind myself of with regularity, practicing being that much harder than preaching. First, walk. Let’s take advantage of the fact that we work and live on one of the most beautiful campuses in the world, and get out of the office. Second, slow down. Students in particular take on so many extracurricular activities that little time is left for unstructured reflection or rest. We need to feed our souls with contemplative experience, and that means slowing down … and where better than in the Duke Chapel or Sarah P. Duke Gardens? Third, sleep. Few of us get enough sleep these days, myself included. We would do well to put down our cell phones and tablets, and hit the pillow like we hit the gym. Finally, moderation in all things. Except in cheering on the Blue Devils.
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Natalie Spring, director of prospect research, management and analytics, Development Services
Getting to know people who make the University what it is in the eyes of the Durham and North Carolina community might be the most fun aspect of your job. What’s your plan for getting to know the thousands of staff – not faculty – at Duke?
VP: We have been so warmly welcomed by the Duke and
Durham communities already. My plan for getting to know people is pretty simple: getting out and around. There will be plenty of meetings, but what I most look forward to is the chance to say hello, ask people about their experiences at Duke, learn about what brought them here, and to thank them for being a part of our community. I’m especially looking forward to meeting our staff. One of the great joys of my job is getting to know the diverse and talented array of people who work, day in and out, to make Duke a great place. Our students and faculty are often unaware of all it takes to keep the university running so well. As a colleague once said, it’s as though somebody pulls a curtain aside, and you see this marvelous world of extraordinarily talented and dedicated staff members running the machine, behind the scenes, keeping everything moving in synchrony.
Interview by Leanora Minai
Save the Date
Duke community members are invited to an inauguration celebration for President Vincent E. Price on October 5, 2017. Learn more at inauguration.duke.edu
Everyone’s a Client Keys to a customer service mindset in all you do
Karem Jackson ensures a conference at the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute runs smoothly.
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or Tempie Fuller, a compliance specialist for Duke’s Patient Revenue Management Organization, the term “customer” is somewhat nebulous. She fields inquiries about medical codes from doctors, patients, vendors and staff in other departments. Central to her role is ensuring that each medical coding encounter is smooth and productive. Already a regular consumer of professional development classes through Duke’s Learning and Organization Development (L&OD), Fuller added a “Customer Service Excellence” course to her repertoire. “I knew that the more I learned how to interact with people, the easier the job became,” she said. The L&OD customer service course is built around six steps that every professional should know. The lessons on listening, empathy and responsiveness have proven so useful, Fuller calls upon them outside of work and during encounters with her son or members of the church youth group she’s taught.
The approach has proven so versatile, the customer service course name has been changed to “Winning Clients and Influencing People” to help Duke employees deliver service in line with a department’s mission and goals. The next sessions are in September and November, and here are some tips.
Meet needs:
Karem Jackson, staff assistant with the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute, took the course and found advice around resolving an issue and offering options helpful. “If you can’t fix it, find somebody who can,” Jackson said.
Set the tone: Starting any interaction
Review details: According to
Listen: It’s easy to have an answer in mind before someone finishes asking a question. Listen for what a person needs, not what you think they need. “You’re trying to listen, but you’re also trying to figure out what the actual issue is,” Fuller said.
Create goodwill: End each situation on a positive note. This will likely be the lasting impression of you. “You never know when you’re going to have another encounter with that person,” Jackson said. “And also, if you’re doing that … somebody may mirror that behavior. You never know.”
by expressing your desire to help, puts the other person at ease. “You have to understand that they’re frustrated, but probably not at you,” Fuller said.
Check for understanding:
It’s helpful to paraphrase a request back to the person asking. It’s a chance to show empathy and a way to ensure both sides know what needs to be done, said Don Shortslef, the L&OD practitioner who teaches the course.
Find professional development courses at hr.duke.edu/training
Shortslef, explaining how you will go about solving a problem, and when a solution will be in place, offers reassurance.
She added, “aside from being an employee of this organization, I’m a citizen or the world, I’m a parent, I’m a spouse. To have this skill, impacts my entire life. It makes a big difference.”
By Stephen Schramm
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Moving Duke and the World Forward Duke’s comprehensive fundraising campaign advances ideas, fosters new connections
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ike many gifts in the Duke Donors contributed $450 million for financial aid and other gifts enabled Forward campaign, Sue Duke to renovate historic buildings, Wasiolek’s had its roots in her past. establish endowed professorships, support Wasiolek, Duke’s associate vice experiential learning programs, and fuel president for Student Affairs and dean groundbreaking medical advances. of students, allocated some of her bequest “This is a place that is known by people around the world as being where to where she has time-tested connections: you can come and have a good idea and it’s Duke’s Annual Fund, a godsend for going to happen,” Wasiolek said. university administrators like her, and the And in many cases, it’s already Duke Football program. She’s missed just happening. one home game in four decades. The bulk of her gift went to financial Beverly McIver holds one of 80 professorships endowed by Duke Forward. aid. Without it, she never would have Bringing in the best made it to Duke. Financial support allowed For Beverly McIver, seeing non-art majors behind easels in her parents, who worked nights as a security guard and her painting classes is a special thrill. She knows they’ll attack the check processor, to pay $73 for her Duke undergraduate challenge of creating art with the same diligence they reserve for education. tests in their chosen disciplines. “That was a game-changer for me,” said Wasiolek, who has But, she tells them that, in art, it’s not always about finding three Duke degrees and has worked at Duke since the late 1970s. the correct answer. “But for that, I would have never been at Duke.” “I tell them ‘I want you to make mistakes, I want you to fail at While donors’ personal histories shaped many contributions, this initially because you’re going to learn so much and it’s going Duke Forward was about what’s coming next. The nearly decadeto make you a better artist,’” McIver said. “Once they grasp that, long campaign, which touched all 10 of the university’s schools they’re willing to take risks and color outside of the box, which is and the health system, aimed to enrich the student experience, exactly what I want them to do.” attract the brightest minds and position Duke to respond to Since 2014, McIver has been the Esbenshade Professor of the challenges in an increasingly complex world. Practice of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, one of 80 endowed As the campaign crossed the finish line this summer, the professorships that sprang from the Duke Forward campaign. total exceeded the campaign goal of $3.25 billion. McIver, acclaimed for vibrant, textured portraits, came “Duke Forward has been a tangible demonstration of how to Duke from a tenured position at North Carolina Central much people care about Duke and believe in its future,” said University. Part of the allure was the promise that inspiring Duke University President Emeritus Richard H. Brodhead, students’ creativity would be the central pillar of her work. who presided over the campaign from the 2010 launch to its “I’m passionate about my craft and what I do,” McIver conclusion June 30, 2017. said. “It’s my livelihood, so the opportunity to pass it on to While aimed at the future, Duke Forward has shaped young people and get them excited about it has always been the present. an important goal.” 12
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Building the future
Expanding students’ horizons
At Duke’s Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center, the In 2015, Raphael Kim, a Duke drama is real even if the patients first year student with a passion for aren’t. math, saw a flier seeking help with Virtual patients tell medical an image processing project. students about symptoms through Two years and one centuries-old computer screens. Mannequin painting later, he’s on a team at the patients receive care while forefront of art conservation. instructors in control rooms “Totally not what I expected,” simulate cardiac arrest and Kim said. The 104,000-square foot Mary Duke Biddle Trent-Semans Center equipment malfunctions. These stories are the goal of Bass opened in 2013. “In healthcare, things don’t Connections, which received $90.8 million during Duke Forward, always go like you expect them to,” said Jeff Taekman, professor including a $50 million gift from Anne and Robert Bass. of anesthesiology and the center’s director. “Here, we can do a Since 2013, Bass Connections, one of several educational lot of those unexpected situations without putting patients in programs created during Duke Forward, has helped 221 teams harm’s way.” of faculty, graduate students and undergraduates tackle subjects The center, housed in the Mary Duke Biddle Trentin health, education, energy and culture using a global, disciplineSemans Center, is a valuable tool for Duke University School spanning approach. of Medicine. The six-story, 104,000-square foot Trent-Semans Kim’s project began when the North Carolina Museum of Center opened in 2013 and was the first building constructed Art planned on exhibiting eight existing panels of Francescuccio exclusively for the medical school since 1930. Ghissi’s 14th-century altarpiece depicting the life of St. John Most of the Trent-Semans Center’s $53 million cost came alongside a recent reconstruction of the missing ninth panel. from money during Duke Forward, which raised more than Using image processing algorithms, the Bass Connections $436.6 million for building projects. Many projects, including team of mathematics, computer science and mechanical renovations to Brooks Field at Wallace Wace Stadium, Duke engineering students, led by mathematics professor Ingrid Daubechies, virtually aged the new panel to match the others. University Chapel and Brodhead Center, are complete. The same techniques refreshed the old panels, showing the The Trent-Semans Center has given the School of Medicine, previously scattered around Duke’s sprawling hospital campus, its piece as it looked 650 years ago. Now, the team is weaving these image rejuvenation own state-of-the-art home. “Everybody just had big grins on their face when the building techniques into a mobile app. “It’s pretty funny,” Kim said. “When I came to it, I had opened,” said Edward Buckley, the School of Medicine’s vice dean no idea I’d be working on something like art history.” for education. “It fit the needs that we had.” By Stephen Schramm
Using image processing algorithms, a Bass Connections team restored a 14th-century altarpiece.
Learn more about Duke Forward at impact.dukeforward.duke.edu
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Terra Ylizarde, Human Resources director for Duke University’s Talent Identification Program.
Using LiveSafe: A Personal Safety Story
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Terra Ylizarde uses the free safety app to receive a virtual escort to her car
t was approaching 7 p.m., and Terra Ylizarde was working late in the Duke University Press office to get questions and documents ready for visiting job applicants. The sun had set, and her car was parked a few blocks away from her office in Brightleaf Square in downtown Durham. Ylizarde pulled out her smartphone and opened the LiveSafe app. She used the free app to contact her coworker, who then virtually escorted Ylizarde through a real-time map, ensuring she got to her car safely. “Being able to submit tips with just one click of a button and to have access to Duke police officers is definitely a benefit,” said Ylizarde, who has since switched positions and is now HR director for Duke University’s Talent Identification Program. “When you’re in situations where it is an emergency and you need help right away, this really provides security that other people can come to your assistance.” Ylizarde, along with about 9,000 employees, students, visitors and parents, have signed up to use the LiveSafe app since Duke offered it to the community last March. The app, available in both the Apple and Google Play app stores, allows users to instantly connect with the Duke University Police Department by phone call or text, audio and video messages. More than 100 colleges and universities across the country use LiveSafe, which was named as one of “10 apps every college student should download today” by The Huffington Post.
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LiveSafe includes resources and features such as SafeWalk, which allows users to invite family, friends and colleagues to “virtually escort” and monitor their location on a real-time map. Since the app launched at Duke in spring of 2016, about 2,120 SafeWalks have been initiated with the app in the Duke community, to include Ylizarde’s evening walk to her car. Chief of Police John Dailey said Duke community members have used the app to report suspicious people and vehicles, loud music and other disturbances, and general safety concerns. Last year, a Durham man was arrested in connection with thefts in a campus building after Duke employees provided tips in real time through the app. “LiveSafe offers a convenient way to report concerns,” Dailey said. “We hope it is empowering for our community to have more safety resources at their disposal on their phone, which is something that they have with them all the time.”
By April Dudash
Share Your LiveSafe Story
Have you used LiveSafe to report a safety concern or to get a “SafeWalk” home? Let us know how LiveSafe helped you. Write working@duke.edu.
Download the LiveSafe app and learn more at emergency.duke.edu
Don’t Leave Money on the Table Health Care Reimbursement Account can save you 30 cents for every $1
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hen Cheryl Mayton needs new eyeglasses, she pulls out her orange and blue Health Care Card. When she pays at a doctor’s office or for a prescription, she pulls out the same card. That’s because Mayton and her husband are enrolled in Duke’s Health Care Reimbursement Account, which allows employees to set aside pre-tax money to pay for eligible health care expenses. Mayton estimates she saves about $2,724 each year through the account administered by WageWorks. “The cost of health care is continually rising,” said Mayton, 56, a clinical trials coordinator at Duke Clinical Research Institute. “We want to make sure we have a buffer there. We’re thinking towards retirement. This helps us save for retirement.” Any Duke employee can enroll in a Health Care Reimbursement Account during Duke’s annual Open Enrollment, which begins in late October. Members of the Duke Basic medical plan – employees like Mayton – receive a $200 to $500 contribution to their reimbursement account from Duke, depending on level of coverage selected, to offset higher out-of-pocket costs associated with the Duke Basic plan. “That’s money back to me that helps me pay for my health care,” Mayton said. “I can plan. I can budget for the next year. ” About 18,245 employees are currently enrolled in Duke’s Health Care Reimbursement Account administered by WageWorks, according to Saundra Daniels, plan manager for voluntary benefits at Duke. Participants are able to save, on average, 30 cents for every dollar contributed to the program. “The main benefit of the WageWorks reimbursement account is the tax savings,” Daniels said. “Contributions are deducted from employees’ paychecks prior to federal, state, and Social Security taxes being withheld. Therefore, taxable income is reduced.”
Cheryl Mayton is among 18,245 Duke employees enrolled in a Health Care Reimbursement Account.
The maximum contribution employees can make annually is $2,600. The minimum contribution is $130. Up to $500 of unused money from the account can be carried over to the next plan year. Eligible expenses include co-pays and deductibles not covered by insurance, as well as other expenses such as non-cosmetic dental fees, eyeglasses and contact lenses. Cosmetic surgery, toiletries and teeth whitening are examples of ineligible expenses. Mayton likes the convenience that comes with the account because she pays with the Health Care Card, which works similar to a debit card. If she wants, she can also submit claims for reimbursement through the WageWorks mobile app. Pictures of receipts can be uploaded to assist with verification of purchases or submission of claims. Mayton plans to enroll in the reimbursement account again and will use it to pay for dental procedures for herself and her husband. “WageWorks allows me to decide and plan for health care costs, based on my family’s needs,” Mayton said. “WageWorks, it’s what works for me.”
Learn more about Duke’s health care reimbursement account at hr.duke.edu/reimbursement
By Beth Hatcher
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Preserving the Priceless Deep in Perkins Library, staff members protect Duke’s library treasures
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n a recent Monday afternoon in the Verne and Tanya Roberts Conservation Laboratory, Henry Hébert was battling a tear. Brushing gentle adhesive onto a yellowed page, the special collections conservator attempted to halt a rip’s slow march toward lines of looping handwriting. That handwriting – complete with crossed-out mistakes and blotches where the author’s pen lingered on the paper too long – was put there more than 150 years ago by Walt Whitman. The book is a collection of the poet’s Civil War-era papers. “This is a draft of an appeal he was making for an exchange of prisoners,” Hébert explained. Working nearby, senior conservation technician Rachel Penniman overheard Hébert. “Is that another Whitman?” she asked. For the Duke Libraries team in the 15-year old lab in Perkins Library, protecting and preserving the priceless is nothing new. When a piece of Duke Libraries’ vast collection needs repair – no matter how common or curious – it goes to the Verne and Tanya Roberts Conservation Laboratory. Last year, the lab worked on 2,100 books and 2,247 other paper items, and each day brought surprises. “We see it all,” said Beth Doyle, conservation services department head and the Leona B. Carpenter Senior Conservator who has overseen the lab since it opened.
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Conservator for Special Collections Erin Hammeke cleans pages of an 18th-century encyclopedia in the Verne and Tanya Roberts Conservation Laboratory in Perkins Library.
To best understand work at the lab, consider these items found there on a recent day.
Finding a solution Hébert moved the book of Whitman letters aside to show another project, one that illustrated the head-scratching problems the lab’s staff often faces. After nearly a century, what was once the sturdy red cover that held together dozens of individual songbooks, had become a brittle mess. This book,
cataloged as “Songs Used in Army Camps and Hospitals, 1918-1921” will get fixed but first, the staff had to figure out what method to use. On a computer, Hébert worked on a report, detailing the damage, which included threadbare binding, numerous torn and creased pages and a spine that was missing large pieces. The report would get submitted to library curators, who would determine next steps, including answering: Would the songbooks stay bound together or would they be separated and catalogued individually? “It’s a question of the best way to bring it back to life,” Hébert said.
Spanning the centuries
Conservators had to figure out the best approach for repairing century-old music books.
The lab’s metal shelves have held writings from nearly every era of recorded history. Cuneiform tablets from before biblical times have passed through. So too have centuries-old writings on vellum. On a cart nearby, there’s a reminder that not everything has that long a history.
Faulty binding lands this comic book in the lab.
Published in 2013, the 1,184-page hardcover “DC Comics New 52 Villains Omnibus” is a brick of a book. “Here, feel how heavy this is,” Doyle said. The book’s spine had come loose, leaving the cover barely attached to the pages. Doyle points to the reason. The whole thing was held together by flimsy paper. “Of course that’s going to fail,” Doyle said. “That happens a lot with new materials.” Like other books, the hardcover will get repaired and sent back into circulation. “That’s always kind of amazing to me, to work on something that’s 500 years old and it’s in better shape than some things that are 40 years old because of the quality of materials,” Hébert said.
Built to preserve While most of the staff works quietly, bodies still, gaze locked on delicate repairs, on this day, Rachel Penniman is in constant motion, cutting and folding stiff archival cardboard. “I make a lot of boxes,” she said. Not everything that comes into the lab needs to be fixed. Sometimes, the items just need a home. Last year, the lab made 5,721 custom enclosures – essentially fancy boxes.
“Libraries don’t just collect books or manuscripts,” Doyle said. “They collect these weird and wonderful objects that don’t always sit on a shelf very well because they’re not square and flat.” Penniman said the boxes are easy to make. It’s what goes inside that’s tricky. Each item has to be measured and foam padding cut to fit the item’s shape. “You just need to be precise,” she said. Recently, Penniman built a custom enclosure for ivory manikins in Rubenstein Library’s History of Medicine collection. The centuries-old, miniature anatomical models have hollow torsos that hold tiny, hand-carved organs. Now, each figure rests snugly in Penniman’s assemblage of white foam and gray cardboard.
“This is a little heartbreaking because I don’t know what we can do with it,” Doyle said. Repairing the pages would take hundreds of hours of tedious work. Getting it digitized would also be an arduous process since each brittle page would have to be turned by one of the lab’s technicians while being photographed. The researcher was able to see the book, but it’s uncertain if others will get a chance. “For us to say you can’t have this because it’s too fragile, that breaks our heart as library conservators,” Doyle said. “That’s not our job. Our job is not to say you can’t touch this because it’s too precious. “Our job is to say ‘Yeah, take it, see what you can do with this thing. Do something great. Learn something from it.’” By Stephen Schramm
Centuries-old anatomical models get custom enclosures to keep them safe.
Fighting time Recently, word reached the lab that a researcher was interested in seeing a book of letters from 19th-century abolitionist James Redpath. Making this happen wouldn’t be easy because the book had been in the lab for months with staff trying to figure out how best to save it. The text was copied from original documents using iron gall ink. For well over a century, the acidic ink had eaten through the paper. Some of the book’s 484 pages were in decent shape. Others were so thin and riddled with holes they looked like worn lace.
Saving this collection of letters from 19th-century abolitionist James Redpath is a vexing challenge.
See What They’re Working On The Verne & Tanya Roberts Conservation Lab shares photos and stories on interesting fixes on the Preservation Underground Blog. Follow along: blogs.library.duke.edu/preservation
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PERQS EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS
Doggone Good Deals Employee discounts for pet services and supplies
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Katie McKittrick with her dog, Reagan, and the rest of the family.
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Eno Animal Hospital Complimentary first exam and 10 percent off second visit. enoanimalhospital.com
Pet Super Store 10 percent discount on all pet supply purchases.
Triangle Veterinary Hospital First office visit free for new clients. trianglevet.com
Very Important Pets Professional Petsitting 10 percent off first reservation. www.vippetsitting.com
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ver since Katie McKittrick adopted Reagan from the SPCA of Wake County, the leggy lab and greyhound mix gets treated like royalty as part of the McKittrick family. Twice a month, McKittrick takes her favorite fur baby to day care at Camp Bow Wow, which has three locations in the Triangle that offer staff and faculty a 10 percent discount on services. “She’s a social doggie, and it helps get her energy out,” said McKittrick, chief of staff for the Chief Human Resources Officer at Duke University Health System. “I can’t imagine our family without Reagan. She adds laughter and joy everywhere she goes. And lots of blonde hair.” The Camp Bow Wow locations in Cary/Apex and Raleigh-Durham International Airport offer a 10 percent discount on all regular price services and 5 percent discount on retail items. The location on Bennett Memorial Road in Durham offers a 10 percent discount on boarding. McKittrick takes Reagan, named for her uncle’s former dog, to the Camp Bow Wow Raleigh-Durham International Airport location off Miami Boulevard. She is able to check on Reagan throughout the day through a live-streaming video app to see Reagan playing with other dogs on indoor and outdoor playgrounds. “It’s a nice reminder of how much fun she’s having,” McKittrick said. After moving from Washington D.C. and transitioning from apartment living five years ago, a dog was a top priority for McKittrick and husband, Evan, when they returned to their native North Carolina. “Discounts like Camp Bow Wow’s make life easier,” McKittrick said. “It makes me feel valued as an employee when Duke sets out to make relationships with local businesses to help with the day-to-day for staff.”
By Beth Hatcher
Find more savings: hr.duke.edu/discounts
SUSTAINABLE DUKE YOUR SOURCE FOR GREEN NEWS AT DUKE
The Hands-on Side of Offsets
Duke’s carbon offsets programs improve environment close to home
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li Homan, a that are less concerned with clinical nurse at creating offsets now, but Duke University instead serve as prototypes for Hospital, had larger-scale solutions in the just finished future. a night shift when she For instance, at Loyd joined other volunteers on a Ray Farms in Yadkin County, Saturday morning to plant Duke oversees a project trees in Durham’s Walltown that captures methane from neighborhood. decomposing hog waste and A self-described “tree burns it to create electricity hugger,” Homan didn’t need for the farm. In addition to convincing to go to the event, destroying the methane and which was co-organized by creating renewable energy, local partners and the Duke the project has cut down on Carbon Offsets Initiative odor issues faced by nearby Ali Homan, a nurse at Duke University Hospital, volunteered to help plant trees in Durham’s (DCOI), a wing of Sustainable Walltown neighborhood earlier this year. communities. Duke. DCOI has also partnered its emissions by 50 percent. But those “If I can do just a little with Greensboro-based efforts alone won’t be enough. In order to bit to give back, then I feel like I’m maybe company Urban Offsets to create an account for its remaining footprint and doing my part,” Homan said. urban forestry program that supports tree reach climate neutrality, Duke will have to To her, planting young elms, oaks plantings across the country – like the offset an estimated 185,000 metric tons of and maples earlier this year was simply a one Homan helped with. This year, the carbon per year. productive way to spend a morning. But program will help plant and maintain more Combine big numbers and a somewhat than 6,400 trees that will help sequester for Duke, the planting is an example of abstract concept and it’s easy to see how a carbon offset program, one of the most greenhouse gasses. people’s understanding of carbon offsets important – and perhaps least understood “Once they realize how we’re thinking can be fuzzy. – parts of Duke’s sustainability push. about this holistically and they see how “A lot of people I talk to don’t know Carbon offsets are activities that impactful these projects can be at a what carbon offsets are at all,” said reduce or remove greenhouse gasses in community level, then they really buy in,” Tani Colbert-Sangree, DCOI program the atmosphere in order to compensate Colbert-Sangree said. “People can see that, coordinator. “And then the rest of the for or counterbalance emissions they understand that. They say ‘Oh, we’re people I talk to generally know the elsewhere. Organizations hoping to lower helping the climate and we’re helping concept, but don’t fully understand what it environmental effects often pay for, or set communities? That seems like a good means to ‘buy an offset.’” up, offset programs. project to support.’” Created in 2009, the DCOI was the Offsets loom large as Duke strives to By Stephen Schramm achieve climate neutrality by 2024. As part first program of its kind at a college or university. It designs and develops projects of that goal, Duke is on track to reduce
Learn more about carbon offsets at: sustainability.duke.edu
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