A message from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs No Images? Click here Investing in our People: Intentional Professional DevelopmentIt’s hard to believe but Spring Break is already here! And while I’m skeptical that winter is really through with us – I’m betting on Cullowhee having at least one more dose of icy weather – the grass is getting greener and my allergies are back, so it must be spring! The arrival of spring also means that many of our Student Affairs colleagues are attending one of the many national conferences scheduled during this time of year. The breadth of expertise in Student Affairs includes an amazing range of skills and knowledge bases. Keeping that expertise up to date with meaningful professional development opportunities is a real challenge and sometimes we struggle to address all the needs. My hope is that we are being intentional and proactive about professional development by having early conversations with colleagues and supervisors about the options available. Given our normal pace and day-to-day rush, I think that too often we get “stuck in the ruts” of doing the same old things we always do. I get it. It’s nice to attend a professional development experience with old friends from other departments and/or institutions. But I also think we owe it to ourselves and to “the greater good” to stretch our comfort zone and expand our horizons by trying new conferences/training programs to fill in our knowledge gaps. In addition, many of our colleagues routinely present at meetings and conferences around the country – and do an outstanding job! We also have an opportunity to be more intentional after professional development experiences by sharing what we’ve learned. As the semester wraps up and folks return from different professional development opportunities, whether it was an on-campus opportunity provided by WCU or maybe a national meeting, let’s encourage one another to find a way to share what we’ve learned! From taking a few minutes at our meetings to perhaps hosting topical brown bags lunches, I hope we can find ways to share the knowledge we’ve learned. Please share any ideas you have on other ideas for how we might do this across Student Affairs. Finally, during Spring Break I hope everyone gets a chance to pause for a moment and catch your breath a little bit. Thank you for all that you do for WCU!! Sam Miller
Greek Student Engagement & DevelopmentAccording to a 2012 article in USA Today, just under 10 million college students participate in fraternities and sororities. Although motives for participation vary greatly for each person, many students see Greek Life as an opportunity for personal development, campus involvement, and socializing with peers. As a result of the important role Greek Life can play for students and institutions alike, WCU recently created a stand-alone department to dedicate resources to our 20 social Greek-letter student organizations. In the summer of 2016 we welcomed Adia Cuthbertson and Christina Parle to WCU to lead the Department of Greek Student Engagement and Development. Within the past 6 months, they have implemented a number of changes in the office and continue to learn the “Catamount way” as they lay the foundation for creating one of the best Greek programs in the country. Last month we were excited to have over 100 women and 70 men join our Greek organizations. In addition, we had 8 organizations exceed the all-female/male GPA and 7 organizations exceed the all-campus GPA for the fall of 2016. We look forward to seeing the impact Greek Student Engagement and Development will have on our students and the campus community in the years to come. Financial Fund ReconciliationsThe UNC General Administration requires accountable officers (AOs) to review funds and complete documentation of that review on a monthly basis. To assist AOs with meeting this requirement, the Controller’s Office has developed a form which includes a checklist for transactions that require documentation. These transactions include all encumbrances, expenditures, revenues, payroll activity, and P-Card transactions for the period. Screen shots of Banner Screens and Payroll Reports must be saved for each period and attached to the monthly fund review form. If another person completes the reconciliation for the AO, that individual should sign the form as well. Documentation of these fund reviews must be kept on file in the department for a period of five years and may be requested for review by internal or external auditors or UNC GA representatives. For questions, please contact David Steinbicker in the Controller’s Office. SACSCOC Accreditation VisitOur on-site visit by the SACSCOC external accreditation team is scheduled for April 3-6, 2017. The reviewers will work to resolve any Compliance Certification issues that were not explained thoroughly in our report, and they will focus their attention on the QEP. During the visit, the committee may meet with individuals or groups of students, faculty, or staff to ask about specific issues related to compliance or the QEP. Please mark April 3-6 on your calendar and be flexible and readily available should the committee ask to work with you during this time period. There may be interviews scheduled at the last minute, but they should occur on the afternoon of April 4 and throughout the day on April 5. If you are contacted on April 4 and 5 because a committee member needs some information, please be flexible. Be sure to bring copies of whatever documents are requested, and be prepared to answer hard questions. What Areas are the Site Visit Team Likely to Investigate?The reviewers have prepared thoroughly for their visit. They have looked at our Compliance Certification, have read the DegreePlus proposal, Focused Report, Faculty Handbook, Course Catalog, and policies. They are most likely to investigate the following areas: DegreePlus – including meetings with various constituents to see how DegreePlus is going to move our university forward. Make sure you understand the basic goals of DegreePlus and that your colleagues and students know the topic (increased involvement and workplace relevant skills). Assessment – including possible meetings with program coordinators and those charged with assessment on campus. Any lingering compliance issues described in the Focused Report earlier. Staff Highlight: Director of Health Services, Pam BuchananOne of the most satisfying things in my life, both personally and professionally is having purpose and striving to make a difference. I feel like my role here at WCU is to ensure that our medical staff and clinicians have the tools and equipment necessary to provide meaningful care to our students, helping those students stay healthy and focused on their own success. It is rewarding to hear from students that have been either former WCU EMS team members, or patients here at Health Services during their college years, and to know that the work we’ve done continues to help them in other aspects of their life. Quality Enhancement Plan - DegreePlusEvery SACSCOC institution is required to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) that “identifies key issues emerging from institutional assessment and focuses on learning outcomes and/or the environment supporting student learning and accomplishing the mission of the institution.” WCU’s QEP is DegreePlus: Furthering Student Development Through Intentional Extracurricular Involvement. DegreePlus supports a holistic approach to student learning in which students are encouraged to learn non-disciplinary skills through participation in extracurricular activities. It complements curricular learning and reaffirms that learning is not restricted to the classroom. DegreePlus has two goals: 1) increase students’ participation in workplace-relevant extracurricular activities and 2) enhance students’ workplace-relevant skills. DegreePlus will be piloted in the fall 2017 semester with first year students from the Honor's College, Academic Success Program and the LEAK LLC classes. The pilot will focus on the Professionalism learning outcome. To prepare for the pilot, subcommittees are currently meeting to: -identify the extracurricular activities that students will participate in during the pilot; Student Highlight: Brittney BallentineBrittney brings energy and enthusiasm to all that she does. That is why we have selected her to chair our song/skit/dance committee this year. Each year at our regional conference, our staff puts on a performance that highlights the institution. This year Brittney will be in charge of creating that performance, scheduling the group’s practices and working with another returning staff member and our Graduate Assistant to ensure the success of the WCU Orientation Counselor Team. She made a terrific start to this process at our January retreat. By the end of our second day, she had the entire team outside performing a number she had choreographed that day. They were all outside dancing their hearts out while Brittney led them. Brittney loves WCU and is a dedicated student. She brings heart to all she does and is a joy to know and work with. Important DatesMarch 6-10, 2017 Spring Break |