Q&A with President Brodhead
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Parking Permit Rates
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Discover Durham’s Outdoors
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WORKING@DUKE NEWS YOU CAN USE JUNE/JULY 2016
The Lasting Impact of Parents How life lessons shape careers
Editor’s Note LEANORA MINAI
Lessons from Our Parents
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or this issue of the publication, we asked Duke employees to help us highlight a special day – National Parents’ Day on July 24. Nearly 20 employees shared how their parents shaped their careers. You’ll find some accounts of how our parents mentor us on page 4, and I want to highlight a few other stories and share a bit about my parents. Consider Sarah Schroth, director of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke, who told us about her dad. “My father was the most intellectually curious person I have known … always looking at the world around him and asking questions about what he observed.” Sarah’s father, Joseph, collected wood and hand-blown glass panes from eighteenth-century houses set for demolition and used them to design and build a log cabin. “My father taught me how to see, ways of looking, which led to my career in art history and museums,” Sarah says. Celeste Hodges, a web developer in the Department of Computer Science, also wrote about her father, Tony. “My father was a perfectionist, a necessary trait for a quality control engineer for Coca-Cola,” she says. Even though Celeste’s dad died several years ago, his lessons linger. When Celeste finishes a project successfully, she says, “Yep, I did it right. Thanks, Dad!” My father, Michael, who attended college at night with a baby at home, instilled within me an unwavering work ethic and love for travel. He was a petroleum geologist My parents and me at Trevi Fountain whose career in Rome, Italy. with one company spanned 31 years and took our family to faraway places. He taught me about responsibility and staying true to my values. He loved my mom (his wife of 58 years) with all his heart, and by watching his actions, I learned about companionship. When my dad died of cancer in 2009, I was worried about my mom, but I am so proud of her. At 83, she drives to restaurants and movies with her friends, reads bestsellers and keeps up with current affairs. From my mother, for whom I am named after, I am learning perhaps the most important trait of all – resilience.
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Contents
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Cover: The Lasting Impact of Parents
As families celebrate Parents’ Day on July 24, employees share how their parents have played an important role in shaping their careers and work at Duke.
Download Duke’s New Safety App
LiveSafe allows community members to submit real-time tips through the touch of a button to Duke Police, which monitors messages 24/7 in its campus dispatch center.
Brodhead To Step Down
President Richard H. Brodhead will step down from his position in June 2017. Working@Duke talked with him about the Duke community, leadership and advice for Duke’s next president.
10 Parking permit rates change in August 11 Control email before it controls you 12 Discover the great Durham outdoors 14 Save on moving and storage with employee discounts Cover photo: Staff members Seun Bello Olámosù, top left, Nicole Scott, top right, and Adam Tomasiello, bottom left, with their parents. 2014 Gold, 2015, 2013 Silver, 2009, 2007 Bronze, Print Internal Audience Publications and 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing
This paper consists of 30% recycled postconsumer fiber. Please recycle after reading.
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Celebrate music and dance this summer
This summer, enjoy live music in Sarah P. Duke Gardens or watch modern dance performances on campus and in Durham. Tickets are on sale for the Music in the Gardens concert series June 1 through July 27 in Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Tickets are $5 for Duke employees and students and free for children 12 and younger. [dukeperformances.duke.edu] Duke employees are invited to bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs to the performances. During the shows, Locopops will sell frozen treats and The Palace International in Durham will sell African cuisine. Bands include the folk, rock and gospel North Carolina-based band Mount Moriah on June 29; and the Black Twig Pickers, an old-time Appalachian string band, on July 27. For dance enthusiasts, the American Dance Festival (ADF) will present 61 performances June 16 through July 30. The dance performances, scheduled on Duke campus, in Durham and throughout the Triangle, feature dance companies from the U.S., France, Israel and Russia. [americandancefestival.org]Duke employees and students receive 20 percent off most ADF ticket prices, which regularly range from $10 to $62.
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Cheer on Duke football with discount season tickets
After spending an offseason celebrating Duke football’s first bowl win since 1961, faculty and staff can use a special discount to secure seats to cheer on the Blue Devils this season. Employees receive more than 50 percent off the regular price for a season ticket to attend games at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. Faculty and staff pay $125 per season ticket, down from a normal price of $260. Duke will host six games at home this year, including matchups against ACC rivals such as University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and University of North Carolina. Duke football ended the 2015 season with a record of 8-5 and a 44-41 overtime win against University of Indiana in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. All reserved employee seats are in sections 3 to 10, which span the middle of the field between each 20-yard line. Visitors to the stadium this year will see completed upgrades after two years of renovations. New aspects include Blue Devil Tower, which includes press and luxury suites, as well as enhancements to bathrooms. Last year, Duke Athletics added fold-down, Duke-blue chairs with armrests, seating closer to the field, and a new, state-of-the-art multimedia video board. To purchase tickets with an employee discount, call the Duke Athletics Ticket Office at (919) 681-2583 and mention the employee discount.
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Try out Duke gyms for free
Duke Recreation and Physical Education invites staff and faculty to experience campus gyms for free during “Red, White and Ripped,” an employee appreciation event. From July 9 through 31, staff and faculty who are not Duke Recreation members can use Wilson and Brodie gyms at no cost. Employees must show a valid DukeCard ID and sign a waiver before using the facilities. To kick off “Red, White and Ripped,” Duke Recreation will host a pool party with food, games and music at Central Campus Pool from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 9. Employees and their family members do not need to be Duke Recreation members or pool members to attend the event. “The goal is to educate staff, faculty and others who are unaware that recreation facilities are available on campus and show them what we offer,” said Norma Whitley, member services coordinator for Duke Recreation and Physical Education. For more information, visit recreation.duke.edu.
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Take a professional development class
With a Duke professional development course, learn how to introduce mindfulness and relaxation techniques during a workday or how to communicate effectively with colleagues. “Resilience: Building Skills to Endure Hardship and Prevent Burnout” and “Communicating with Diplomacy and Tact” are among the classes being offered by Learning & Organization Development (L&OD) from July through December. Online registration begins in late June. “Registering for a course is one way employees can intentionally focus on their individual professional development journey,” said Joy Birmingham, L&OD senior practitioner. L&OD also offers a Professional Development Certificate Program, which allows employees to take core and elective classes to explore a particular topic, such as supervisory, leadership or computer skills. About 160 Duke employees are currently working toward earning a certificate. Learn more: hr.duke.edu/training/ workshops.
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Prepare for hurricane season
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season through Nov. 30, with a 70-percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms, four to eight of which could become hurricanes. However, there is uncertainty around climate conditions that could influence hurricane activity. Due to variability of weather systems, Duke staff and faculty are encouraged to review Duke’s severe weather policies and stay informed during the season. “We encourage community members to learn what to do in case a tropical storm or hurricane poses a threat to our area,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke’s vice president for administration and emergency coordinator. “Help keep yourself and others safe by being proactive and learning how to respond if severe weather strikes.” Employees in essential service positions are required to report to or remain at work; those in reserve service positions will be assigned at the time of the event; and employees in delayed service positions do not report to or remain at work. Managers and supervisors can help employees determine designations. Find emergency weather updates and hurricane preparedness tips at emergency.duke.edu. working.duke.edu
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The Lasting Impact of Parents Staff and faculty reflect on how parents shape their career
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Nicole Scott, 42, business manager, Department of Statistical Science
Parents: Rayford and Clara Scott
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rowing up, Nicole Scott learned a lot about work ethic from her parents, who rarely took days off from their jobs with Duke’s Facilities Management Department and the Duke Credit Union. Scott’s mom, Clara, who worked at the Credit Union, was regularly recognized outside of work at places like Northgate Mall because she was friendly with Credit Union customers. Her dad, Rayford, wasn’t just counted on at Facilities as a steamfitter. He arrived on campus an hour early so he could make coffee for coworkers and greet them each morning. “Children learn by example,” said Scott, who followed in her parents’ footsteps and started at Duke 18 years ago. “When you see parents who enjoy their work and the people they work with, it creates positive images of what a career can be.” Scott, who is the business manager in the Department of Statistical Science, learned skills from her parents like customer service and dedication to others, which help her career. “They taught me that when you have a job, people are depending on you, and it’s important to take that seriously in order to do all you can to assist them,” said Scott, 42. Studies by researchers at universities across the country indicate that parent attitudes and involvement have a direct impact on career choices of their children. From handson approaches to teaching skills or imparting lessons of work ethic, parents offer guidance and advice that lead to professional development. “By providing children with opportunities to experience and explore lots of different things to find what their passion is, parents can be a huge asset,” said Kristen Stephens, associate professor of the practice in the Program in Education. “Every parent wants their child to find happiness and a sense of fulfillment, which comes through a career or job opportunity.” As families celebrate Parents’ Day on July 24, Working@Duke asked employees how their parents play a role in their career.
Adam Tomasiello
, 25, admissions officer, Undergraduate Admissions Parents: Jack and Joan Tomasiello
really pivotal moment with my parents was during my “ Afirst-year orientation as a Duke student. The last thing they said to me before heading back to Connecticut was ‘to wake up every day and to take advantage of the many opportunities ahead of you, to say yes to them, to jump in and to build a meaningful relationship with every member of the Duke community.’ Even today, it’s really helpful in guiding me in my career. I meet so many different students and parents, it’s important to be open-minded and value each person as an individual with their own story. Being able to listen and communicate with someone helps me understand them and do my job better.
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Seun Bello Olámosù, 39, associate director
for intercultural development & outreach, International House Parents: Nathaniel and Beatrice Adeyemi Bello
dad was a high school administrator, athletic coach “ My and teacher throughout his career in Nigeria. My mom was also an educator. Living on campus meant that our house
was always packed full of students and all my childhood memories are embedded on diverse campus activities around learning, mentoring, coaching and nurturing. When I was admitted into a program for guidance counseling, many classmates were getting into law or engineering. But my dad sat me down and said to stop comparing myself to others because guidance counseling is such a noble profession. My parents championed my dreams, which are now to interact with students and mentor them.
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Emily Grass
, 25, research technician, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute Mother: Sue Grass
I was younger – fourth or fifth grade – and we’d have “ When days off of school, my mom would let me come into work with her and watch what she was doing. She’d set me up in a lab with pipettes and empty tubes, and I’d play with different colors of water. I thought it was really fun that I could mimic what she was doing in microbiology research. When my mom talked about her work, she was always very passionate about what she was doing. She was making a difference in people’s lives. I think that passion was infectious. Her success and strength of character has impacted both my sister and I so much that we too pursued research careers here at Duke.
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Kanisha Madison, 30, information center
specialist, Human Resources Information Center
Mother: Faye Madison
mother wanted me to finish college because she didn’t. “ My Even when I was 5, she’d take me to the library to learn about options. We lived up the street from North Carolina Central University, and she’d walk with me there to see the campus. It made me want to be a college student one day, to live in a dorm and get a degree. I knew at an early age that if you don’t get a good education you wouldn’t be able to find a good career. When I graduated from Central in 2011, she said she always knew I could do it. It was important to have that push in my life.
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Nick Hudak
, 35, assistant professor, Department of Community & Family Medicine Parents: Mary Tucciarone and Charles Hudak
parents always made it a priority to ensure I had access “ My to high quality education, which put me on the path to where I am now. Many of the extracurricular activities at my high school were geared toward community service and working with underserved and homeless populations in the Cleveland area. These experiences really motivated me to pursue a career in health care. My parents not only philosophically supported my involvement in these types of activities, but also demonstrated their support through simple actions like dropping me off and picking me up at events as well as talking with me about the experiences. Early involvement in community service helped me recognize the connection between right action and positive outcomes for others.
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By Bryan Roth
Download F Duke’s New Mobile Safety App Submit tips and virtually walk friends to destinations with LiveSafe
or Barbara Puccio, Duke’s new mobile safety app will bring a measure of comfort if she has to quickly and discreetly contact police. With LiveSafe, Puccio can call or text the Duke University Police Department with a tip or ask a friend to virtually walk her to a destination using the app’s real-time map. “In a moment of crisis, when you can’t think about any of the details and you just need to contact someone, the app is right there,” said Puccio, creative and user experience manager for Duke Web Services. LiveSafe, which is free for Duke staff, faculty and students, allows community members to submit real-time tips through the touch of a button to Duke Police, which monitors messages 24/7 in its campus dispatch center. With the peer-to-peer “SafeWalk” feature, the app uses GPS technology that enables individuals to invite others to “virtually escort” and monitor their location on a real-time map. Individuals can choose to send tips anonymously and can add photo or video evidence. App users must enable location services to allow the app’s geo features to function properly and to call 9-1-1 in a life-threatening emergency. LiveSafe users can also call 9-1-1 or directly connect with Duke Police by phone call or text message. “LiveSafe is another way for us all to work together to keep our campus safe,” said Duke Chief of Police John Dailey. “This new app allows students and employees to quickly connect with us and let us know if they have a concern or are facing an immediate emergency.” In addition to submitting tips and virtually walking someone to a destination, the app provides quick access to Duke and local resources: Duke’s campus map Emergency procedures in case of a tornado, armed intruder and more Real-time campus bus tracking Information for safety/wellness contacts DukeALERT information Duke Police can only see an app user’s location when a call is placed or a message is sent through LiveSafe. Kimberly Burhop-Service, Duke’s director of Library Human Resources, recently downloaded LiveSafe after Duke Police mentioned the app during a training session for staff. Burhop-Service said having Duke Police’s number pre-stored in her phone is convenient. “Sometimes trying to figure out what number to use to call Duke Police isn’t intuitive,” she said. “Having something on your phone provides that extra security.” Download the app at emergency.duke.edu/notified/livesafe. By April Dudash
Get the LiveSafe App LiveSafe is available for free through Apple and Android app stores. Visit emergency.duke.edu/ notified/livesafe for more information. Barbara Puccio has LiveSafe, Duke’s free safety mobile app, on her phone.
working.duke.edu
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Richard H. Brodhead Duke University President
In April, President Richard H. Brodhead announced to the Duke community he will step down from his position at the conclusion of his term in June 2017, ending what will be a 13-year run as leader of the university. Among initiatives during his tenure, Brodhead has overseen the renewal of the physical campus, launched DukeEngage, a fully funded summer service program, celebrated two Nobel Prize winners and helped raise more than $3.1 billion through the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in Duke’s history. Working@Duke sat down with Brodhead to talk about the Duke community, leadership, and advice for Duke’s next president. What stands out as your favorite interaction with Duke employees? Year after year it’s the Presidential Awards luncheon. It’s about people I wouldn’t have a chance to meet in my day-to-day life. I’ll meet somebody who has to figure out how to evacuate the Marine Lab in Beaufort if a hurricane is bearing down, and then I’ll meet the person in charge of overseeing the restoration of the Chapel. Universities aren’t like other employers. Duke is a vast fabric of activities and relationships, and on any given day, my work will take me through some small subsection of it all. I’m always glad to have an opportunity to get to know people doing extraordinary work in a part of the university I don’t often see. What are you most proud of during your tenure at Duke? The day the Duke Endowment gave us $75 million to launch a challenge campaign to raise money for financial aid is among the happiest days of my life. Making high quality education affordable regardless of family circumstances is a fundamental commitment of this university, and someone stepped forward to help us meet the need. But I don’t regard this job as being about me or about my accomplishments. When you come to the end of your term as president, everything good that gets attributed to the president is really about the thousands of people who work to accomplish everything we do around here. What experience provided the greatest learning opportunity as a leader? During the financial downturn, anyone who had major responsibilities learned some powerful lessons. The value of the university’s endowment dropped by 25 percent in a matter of weeks! But the way Duke handled that moment is one of the things that is most satisfying to me. People understood that at a time of challenge, you have to protect your highest priorities, and there was no reduction in financial aid during the crisis. As you’ll recall, we went two years here without a raise, and that’s the way we avoided massive layoffs. Once people understood this tradeoff, I never received a single letter of complaint. I’m proud that this community was willing to step up to the difficulty and that everybody took their part in solving it.
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President Brodhead has traveled the country and world in support of the Duke Forward campaign, which began in 2012 with a goal of raising $3.25 billion for Duke by June 30, 2017.
President Brodhead chats with Duke employees during this year’s Duke Stars event during Duke Appreciation.
Every year, President Brodhead has stopped by East Campus during first-year student move-in to meet incoming students and their families.
We have seen an increase in student activism on our campus and across the country. What positive role can student activism play on a campus? We want students to put their mark on the world after they graduate. We want them to use their talents to make the world better. Why wouldn’t we want them to make Duke better while they’re here? Duke students have a high level of initiative, and I admire that. I also love the way this university welcomes their participation in figuring out how we can be better. This year we saw student discussions over racial issues, issues of inclusion, and issues of people wanting to make sure that everyone has equal opportunity to thrive here. This was part of a national discussion. Remember: this is the most famous university located in a formerly segregated state. We’ve come a long way since that time, but everyone knows there’s more distance to travel. At the same time, progress really isn’t achieved by making demands and expecting them to be implemented without discussion. That runs counter to the whole notion of education. Nobody owns the whole of the truth. The reason people need to talk to each other and listen to each other is to try to learn the portion of the truth you don’t yet have access to. After winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2012, Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, left, held a community forum moderated by President Brodhead to talk about Lefkowitz’s accomplishment and four decades of researching at Duke.
What are your plans for your time away from Duke? I have had fascinating and demanding jobs for more than twenty years: 12 years here and, before that, 11 years as dean at Yale. But I haven’t spent a lot of time being free. So my thought is, I’m not going to make any commitments for the year after I leave this job. I’m just going to take some time and find out what I want to do with the next chapter of my life. Until then, I’ll be doing this job with every ounce of my ability until I hand in my keys and clear out my desk. You’ve mentioned plans to return to teaching and writing after a year’s sabbatical. What lessons will you carry over from your term as president to teaching again? I’ve always regarded my work as president and my life as a teacher as fundamentally related. The most important thing a teacher does is to ask interesting, challenging questions, then work with students as they grapple their way toward an answer—one adding an insight here, another an insight there, until everyone understands together the thing no one fully understood at first. That’s the way I work with my colleagues—putting a problem before us, then drawing brains together to reach an approach none of us could have achieved on our own. This job has taught me a million things I never knew about the values and challenges of higher education, and it’s introduced me to people whose careers are as far as can be from my own. I’ve loved that. But if I wake up someday and find that I’m teaching Shakespeare or Moby-Dick again, I’ll still feel right at home.
Serena Kerrigan, bottom right, a 2016 Duke graduate, snapped this selfie with a surprise appearance by President Brodhead at a Duke men’s basketball game in Cameron.
What insight would you offer the next Duke president? The first lesson you learn is just how much there is to learn. You have to use every occasion to get out of this office, meet people, and grasp all the activities across campus that aren’t like what you already knew. When I became president, I had a lot of experience with faculties of arts and sciences and undergraduate education in all its dimensions—housing, student activities, even athletics. But I had to understand the professional schools, the health system, the benefits system for 35,000 employees—there’s a lot to learn. My successor will probably come in knowing different things from what I knew. But whatever he or she knows, that’s just the start. And with each part, you have to ask, How is it sustained? How does it contribute to the deep mission of the university? What is the whole of which it forms a part? You never reach an end of that education when you’re president. Every day is a fresh day of learning. By Bryan Roth
For updates on the search for Duke’s 10th president, presidentialsearch.duke.edu
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Parking Permit Renewal Begins Permit rates to rise from $1 to $14.75 per month, depending on permit type
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Duke clinical nurse Casey Harrison drives an ELF, an electric hybrid vehicle that runs on both battery and solar power, to work.
he parking permit renewal process will begin June 13 with changes in rates to help cover enhanced parking facilities and technologies. Beginning in August, rates will increase $1 to $14.75 per month, depending on permit type. The change in price affects all parking permits with the average increase for an employee permit rising about $6 per month, roughly 50 cents less than the average increase last year. Among the campus infrastructure improvements, Duke is building a new garage with 2,320 spaces at the corner of Science Drive and Cameron Boulevard. When it opens in early 2017, the garage will offer extra parking for athletic facilities and provide additional spaces for graduate and professional students on West Campus, including Duke Law School and Fuqua School of Business. This year, Duke will complete a technology upgrade of adding a radio-frequency identification (RFID) system to about 46 garages and lots across campus. “With many construction projects reaching a conclusion, we’re looking forward to the positive impacts they bring to students, faculty, staff and visitors,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration. “The work in recent years will allow us to be more efficient in the way we mitigate constraints for parking on campus.” While Duke already offers incentives to change commuting habits by taking the bus, carpooling or riding a bike, additional perks will roll out during this summer’s permit renewal process. Faculty or staff who turn in a parking permit or choose not to renew a permit will receive a prize pack with freebies, including a GoPass, which provides unlimited rides on local and regional buses, a $20 gift card to Duke Stores and a tote bag with a cell phone charger, Frisbee, portable food container and more. Also, new Duke employees can receive a “Try Transit Pass” during orientation for one day of free rides on GoDurham and
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2016-17 Employee Parking Permit Rates Permit Rate Categories MEDICAL CENTER REMOTE LOTS UNIVERSITY REMOTE LOTS PROXIMATE LOTS MEDICAL CENTER LOTS GARAGES - PG1, PG2, PG3 PREMIUM LOTS/GARAGES UNIVERSAL ACCESS RESERVED SPACES/GARAGES
Old Monthly Rate $ 10.25 $ 14.25 $ 45.00 $ 51.00 $ 76.75 $ 92.00 $ 128.00 $ 147.75
New Monthly Rate $ 11.25 $ 15.75 $ 50.00 $ 56.25 $ 84.50 $ 101.25 $ 141.00 $ 162.50
Source: Parking and Transportation Services
GoTriangle buses. Beginning in July, Parking and Transportation Services will start offering vouchers for one free month in a vanpool before an employee gives up a permit permanently. “We’ve heard from faculty and staff who want more ways to explore new transportation options, so it was a priority to come up with ways to meet that demand,” said Alison Carpenter, manager of Duke’s transportation demand management program. “Addressing how we commute to campus is a big part of helping Duke become carbon neutral by 2024.” n By Bryan Roth
How to Renew Duke community members who are not eligible for payroll deduction or have one-year permits must renew. Employee permit holders with payroll deduction have permits that expire in August 2017; these employees do not need to renew, and rate updates will automatically apply. Because permits are mailed, faculty and staff should confirm their address by visiting “Manage My Parking Account” on the Parking and Transportation Services website. New permits will be mailed to the listed address with Parking and Transportation, which is commonly a home address.
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L earn about Duke’s alternative commuting options at parking.duke.edu/alternative
Control Email (Before it Controls You)
Richard Riddell, Duke’s vice president and university secretary, receives hundreds of emails in one day.
Tips from Duke experts on how to efficiently tackle your inbox
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fter Richard Riddell wakes up at 5 a.m. and reads The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, he checks email before his morning workout. As Duke’s vice president and university secretary, Riddell receives hundreds of emails in a day, spanning Board of Trustees meeting requests to commencement details. “I suppose there are certain days when it’s just not possible to clear out the inbox,” Riddell said. “It’s like leaving the dishes out at the end of the evening and waiting until the morning.” Managing email overload is a hot topic among workers nationwide. Last year, the average number of business emails sent and received per user per day totaled 122, according to The Radicati Group Inc., a global technology market research firm. Also, according to a 2015 survey by software company Adobe Systems Inc., the American worker spends an average of six hours daily using work and personal email. Part of Riddell’s email-tackling strategy is to set boundaries. He checks his email only at established times during a workday to make room for other projects and problem-solving. He doesn’t respond to email after 6 p.m. unless there’s a pressing matter. Another method to combat email overload is to organize email into folders. Isabel Taylor, senior project manager for Duke’s Office of Information Technology, creates multiple folders and subfolders in Microsoft Outlook to organize email. For example, Taylor is working on a multi-year, multi-phase project to upgrade Duke’s parking facilities with a new access
go online
and revenue control system that incorporates radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. To keep organized, she uses folders to easily file and search for emails from vendors, about system hardware and software, and for each project phase and facility. “Different approaches work for different people. This works for me,” Taylor said. “I have three top-level folders: messages I’m waiting to hear back about from someone, items to take action on, and messages I need for my project archive or record-keeping.” Dorie Clark, branding expert and adjunct professor in Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, suggests that employees planning a vacation block about two to three hours during the first day back at work to handle email, including finding important messages to respond to first. To answer dozens or hundreds of emails, Clark uses The Pomodoro Technique, which means working in short spurts and taking breaks. She learned to tackle her email by cranking out as many responses as she can for 25 minutes and then taking a five-minute break. “I consider it a timed sprint for email,” Clark said. “It can feel incredibly overwhelming to look at an inbox of 500 emails you need to respond to. If you create manageable increments for yourself, that might feel more approachable.” n
View a graphic on “How to be an Inbox Ninja” at bit.ly/inboxninja
By April Dudash
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Discover the Great W
ithin a 10-mile radius of Duke, employees can kayak river rapids, bring picnic blankets to a music concert, and walk dozens of miles of trails. Along with fresh air and exercise, the Durham outdoors offers activities for everyone, including Jae Furman, a Duke institutional research analyst who hikes at least three miles daily. He created Trailhead News [trailheadnews.wordpress.com] to share local outdoor events and travel advice. “There are a lot of great opportunities for getting outside to maintain and improve your health and to meet people with similar interests,” said Furman, who counts Eno River State Park as a favorite hiking spot. “Bringing a camera, sketchpad, journal or binoculars can make local walks fun, and they are easy to do on your own, with a friend or with an organized group. I invite people to come up with their own reasons to go out and explore their adventurous spirit.” Here are seven ways to explore nature close to campus:
Go on a Treasure Hunt More than 800,000 Americans are members at Geocaching.com, the leading website for the outdoor adventure activity where players use a GPS device or free mobile app to find hidden containers. If you want to join the ranks of treasure hunters, there are almost 6,500 geocache records for Durham on Geocaching.com. Novices to experts can solve riddles and pinpoint coordinates to find a container, which may contain small trinkets or a logbook where finders sign in and get listed among others who successfully tracked the spot.
Unwind on the Water August Burns and her wife, Denise, regularly take their kayaks after work to Eno River State Park in Durham, which has nearly 30 miles of trails and access points for canoeing and kayaking [ncparks.gov/eno-river-state-park]. While kayaking, Burns floats past mills dating back to settlers of the 1700s and sometimes brings extra kayaks for Duke colleagues. “People have gotten as hooked as I have,” said Burns, Duke departmental business manager for the Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics. “There’s a look in their eyes, that they have found their calling to kayak and to be on the water.” Other water spots in Durham include Lake Michie and Little River Lake, which are open through Nov. 14 and provide boat rentals and bank fishing for a small fee. [durhamnc.gov/850/City-Lakes]
Hit the Trails
The 1.6-mile track on East Campus is a popular attraction, but other nearby walking and hiking options are Sarah P. Duke Gardens’ five miles of trails and a 2.91-mile loop at the Al Buehler Trail. For longer distances, visit the American Tobacco Trail, with 22 miles between Durham, Chatham and Wake counties. It features grass and pavement surfaces for runners and bikers. Jacqueline Looney, senior associate dean for graduate programs and associate vice provost for academic diversity at The Graduate School, walks or bikes on the trail every day in the spring and summer. “I enjoy that it’s very accessible throughout Durham and is always populated by a diverse collection of families, people exercising with friends and individuals doing their own thing,” she said. “It’s a great highlight of Durham that makes exercising and being outside so easy.”
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t Durham Outdoors
Pack a Picnic
Spend a day at Morreene Road Park, enjoying baseball fields, basketball courts and on-site picnic shelters and tables. Kids can use the playground with slides and swing set, while adults volley on nearby tennis courts. Located less than a half-mile from the western edge of West Campus, the park is open from dawn to dusk, and faculty and staff can walk over to the park after work.
Start a Pick-up Game On East Campus, all Duke community members can use the sand volleyball court along Broad Street as well as tennis courts outside of Brodie Recreation Center on a firstcome, first-served basis. On Central Campus, there are also basketball courts, a sand volleyball court and turf field, which can be used if a student group or Duke department hasn’t reserved the facilities. For pick-up games, Duke Recreation and Physical Education loans equipment such as flag football belts and basketballs to Duke community members at no charge. [bit.ly/dukeequipmentrental]
Listen to Music
Grab a chair or blanket and join friends and family under the Lucky Strike tower at American Tobacco Campus for free honkytonk and bluegrass concerts this summer. Sponsored by WUNC, the Back Porch Music on the Lawn series features eight shows with Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning artists like Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen and Dom Flemons. Picnics and coolers (no glass) are allowed. Food, beer and wine are available for purchase. “What’s not to like?” said Joel Crawford-Smith, an IT analyst at Duke Web Services who walks outside from his ATC office to attend shows. “You go sit with friends, have a beer and listen to free music. I love bluegrass, but even if you don’t, you love the atmosphere.” Visit bit.ly/backporchmusic for the concert lineup.
Discover Historic Durham
At the Duke Homestead, walk through the early home and farm of Washington Duke and his family, who founded The American Tobacco Company and helped relocate Trinity College to Durham and develop it into Duke University. “On the tour, we talk about how Durham as it is today would not exist without the Duke family,” said Julia Rogers, assistant site manager for Duke Homestead. “It helps you understand that these weren’t just one-dimensional people. Washington Duke was a guy with a family, he was a guy with a farm, he was a member of the local community and he was involved in local politics.” Other places to visit are the downtown Museum of Durham History, Maplewood Cemetery’s 100 acres of gravesites, to include Durham leaders and members of the Washington Duke family, and Bennett Place State Historic Site, the site of the largest surrender of the Civil War. By April Dudash and Bryan Roth
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PERQS employee discounts
On the Move Save on moving and storage when transitioning to a new home
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amiha Khanna describes her house as a “little log cabin in the woods in the city” of Durham. She bought her first house in 2014 and moved into the Forest Hills neighborhood, a mile from the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, after living in a Durham apartment for eight years. Khanna hired Durham’s Redi-Care Movers, who moved items such as an elliptical exercise machine to the second floor without scuffing newly painted hearts-of-palm-green walls. Through PERQS, the Duke employee discount program, staff and faculty who use Redi-Care Movers receive 10 percent off their total move by showing a valid Duke ID [bit.ly/dukeredicare]. Khanna, a Duke Health senior media relations strategist, said the movers spent six hours moving her furniture and belongings into the house for under $600. “That 10-percent discount prompted me to check out their services, and I learned hiring professional movers was much more affordable than I imagined it would be,” Khanna said. “When you think about the stress and the effort of moving, I couldn’t really have put a price on the relief that brought.” Here are some ways to save on moving and storage:
Brassfield Self Storage At the storage facility off Western Bypass in Durham, employees receive 20 percent off the first month of storage and 10 percent off each additional month. bit.ly/dukebrassfield
Rutledge Mini Storage When Feven Measho moved from her Brier Creek apartment to a two-story house in Southeast Durham, she had to temporarily store big pieces of furniture such as a couch, dining room table and bookshelf. For about three weeks, she stored the furniture at Rutledge Mini Storage in Durham, and she said she was impressed by its cleanliness and customer service. Employees receive 20 percent off the first month’s rent. bit.ly/dukerutledge “You realize how much stuff you have when you’re actually moving,” said Measho, a clinical nurse in Duke Medicine Pavilion. “The fact that I was able to store things there for a little bit was very helpful. It made the whole moving process a lot easier.”
International Plastics Receive a 10-percent discount when ordering moving supplies online such as variously sized boxes, packaging tape, bubble wrap and plastic furniture covers. Visit the PERQS webpage to find the promo code and how to register on the company website. bit.ly/ dukeplastics
Marrins’ Mooving The North Carolina moving company offers 15 percent off labor charges for Duke employees. The staff can provide pack-andgo services, which includes supplying boxes, tape and bubble wrap and doing all of the packing, and can transport everything by truck to a new home. bit.ly/dukemarrins Compiled by April Dudash
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Find more moving and storage discounts at bit.ly/dukeperqs
Sustainable uke YO U R S O U RC E FO R G R E E N N E W S AT D U K E
Duke’s Sustainability Leaders Awards presented to staff and faculty for commitment to environment
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ustainable Duke and the Duke Free Store to leading Duke Sanitation and an effort to reduce plastic Recycling recently water bottle use. Last year, she honored community created a rechargeable battery members who were nominated program for colleagues to save by peers for “green” actions money and avoid waste. that support a commitment to sustainability and carbon Boyd Pickard neutrality by 2024. Initiatives and David Grizzle, range from recycling control technicians, Energy programs to donating reusable Management Controls Shop medical equipment to health The duo maintains systems organizations around the world. that control HVAC and utility “If we are going to solve services and identify areas global problems, we all have to Faculty, staff and students from across Duke pose with Sustainability Awards presented of campus to reduce energy start with ourselves,” said Tim to them as part of an annual recognition for Duke community members who make the consumption. They teach Profeta, director of the Nicholas campus more environmentally friendly. colleagues how to efficiently Institute for Environmental Policy run systems for water and energy use. Pickard and Grizzle act as the Solutions, who offered closing remarks at the annual awards event. frontline to monitor building energy use, a significant part of Duke’s “We have to start where we live and where we work.” on-campus carbon footprint. This year’s employee winners are:
Outstanding Leadership in Sustainability - Faculty Daniel Ahlquist, lecturing fellow, Thompson Writing Program Ahlquist developed first-year student writing courses on sustainability and co-taught a class on global food systems. He also led sustainability-focused research and civic engagement activities with students. He serves on the education subcommittee of the Campus Sustainability Committee and a Social Science Research Institute group focusing on food.
Outstanding Leadership in Sustainability - Staff Melissa Neeley, operations support, John Hope Franklin Center In nominations for Neeley, colleagues highlighted her dedication to green behaviors throughout their building, from collecting items for
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Outstanding Leadership in Waste Reduction Sarah P. Duke Gardens Green Team Seven employees from Duke Gardens have led a waste reduction program that has donated wood of fallen trees, installed recycling bins, reused leaves for compost and chipped brush for mulch. Last year, the group led an effort to recycle 4,578 pounds of waste metal.
John Lohnes, physician assistant, Duke Orthopaedics For more than 10 years, Lohnes has helped run REMEDY, a volunteer program that recovers usable surplus medical supplies from Duke Hospital for distribution to areas of need. With student volunteers, supplies are donated to Duke affiliated and non-profit global health organizations and programs. n Compiled by Bryan Roth
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How To Reach 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
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Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado (919) 684-2107 paul.figuerado@duke.edu Senior Writer/Videographer: Bryan Roth (919) 681-9965 bryan.roth@duke.edu Writer/Videographer: April Dudash (919) 684-4639 april.dudash@duke.edu Photography: Duke University Photography and Bryan Roth and April Dudash of Communication Services.
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I ’m a tennis addict. I’ve been playing for 45 years. After work, I head to Hollow Rock tennis club. For me, it’s the best way to exercise because it’s fun, and I’ve been doing it competitively for so many years that it’s just part of who I am. Many of the other outdoor activities I do are directed at being better at tennis, such as working out and riding my bike.” Miriam Morey Professor in medicine, Department of Medicine 37 years at Duke
I f I’m not walking the Duke East Campus wall with coworkers or friends or walking over at Duke Gardens, I’m usually out picnicking at the Eno with my two nieces. I like to take them so they can run and play. We do a small little barbecue with hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks.” Monique Brown Accounting specialist, Department of Mathematics 15 years at Duke
I play a decent amount of disc golf. That’s an easy way to get out with my dog, Wenonah. The course that I go to the most is in Valley Springs Park. It has 22 holes and is totally tucked back in the woods and has a nice feel to it. Another course that’s close to Duke is in Cornwallis Road Park and another is Bethesda Park. Disc golf is an easy thing to take people out to who have never done it before.” Chris Hendricks Outdoor Adventures coordinator, Duke Recreation and Physical Education 2 years at Duke
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