Director's Message
by Ida Gropper, The Center for Professional Development and Training
If you've ever planned or participated in a retreat, you know that good retreats, like successful meetings, are not by accident. They are carefully planned in great detail. Along with our consulting partners, CPDT can help plan and facilitate your next department meeting or retreat.
What can a well-designed retreat achieve?
- Help gather input to develop your department's strategic direction and goals
- Generate new solutions for old problems
- Help people feel heard about issues that matter to them
- Allow colleagues to get to know and come to trust one another
- Foster new ways of working together
- Help people see things in new ways and envision new possibilities for themselves, their department, and the University
- Create a common frame of reference on past events and future expectations
- Contribute to creating a healthy culture for the University
- Encourage people to contribute to the department and the University's future
How can CPDT help with your department's retreat planning?
- Assess whether a retreat is the best vehicle to accomplish objectives
- Identify goals and objectives that are aligned to the University's mission
- Design a retreat outline with activities to result in action for change
- Collaborate with consultants to facilitate the retreat
- Manage logistics
- Evaluate effectiveness
What's New
by Ronda Mitchell, The Center for Professional Development and Training
We've been very busy at CPDT creating new learning resources and improving those already established. Here is what is happening for the fall term:
Important information regarding UNF's Purchasing Card (PCard) Program: A brand new, 30-minute tutorial for PCard holders covering policies and procedures associated with using a PCard will be available this fall. Taking this online tutorial or the instructor-led course will be mandatory training for PCard holders. There is no change in the requirement for Business/Account Managers to attend the instructor-led PCard course. Campus Update will announce when the tutorial for PCard holders is available.
Moving to Office 2007/Vista soon? If so, you will soon be able to get up to speed quickly on UNF's new Microsoft applications and desktop operating system by taking the online What's New in Vista/Office 2007 course. Subject Matter Experts from both Instructional Technology and the Center for Professional Development & Training will present an engaging presentation of the new elements and features available using the latest in online learning technology. Campus Update will announce when this tutorial is available.
The Personal Finance Smarts series is back and better than ever. This term we will offer the following two courses presented by Community First Credit Union of Florida:
Plastic Surgery: Getting Out of Debt (1/2800); September 18, 2008; 12:00 - 1:00 pm*
Ten Steps to Financial Success (1/2800); November 20, 2008; 12:00 - 1:00 pm*
Last but not least, the following Banner manuals have now been updated to reflect the new myWings portal interface and access process:
Basic Internet Native Banner Navigation
Finance Self Service
Creating a Requisition
PCard Policies & Procedures
PCard Reconciliation & Coding
*Seating is limited. Register online here today. Lunch will be provided.
CMS Training Coming Soon
by Ida Gropper, The Center for Professional Development and Training
Last year, UNF purchased an Ektron Content Management System (CMS) to manage the university's Web pages. Today, Information Technology staff is working to set up the initial software, hardware, and database. The scope of the project includes creating templates based on our current designs for use by content authors. The Coordinating Committee and the Webmaster are developing an implementation plan. If you currently manage university Web pages, you are encouraged to participate in Ektron's CMS training. Training for content authors will begin in September by invitation. For questions about the CMS Implementation Project, contact Garry Houser at ext. 2145. If you have questions about CMS Training, contact training@unf.edu or call ext. 1707.
Summer Book Club Recap
by Ida Gropper, The Center for Professional Development and Training
Do you know why drug dealers still live with their moms; what makes a perfect parent; and whether guns or swimming pools are more dangerous? If you were part of the summer book club, these were among the many questions that were discussed after the group read Freakonomics. If you are interested in starting or continuing the discussion on Freakonomics, you may join one of the following discussion groups sponsored by UNFReads. For additional information call Undergraduate Studies at ext. 2994 or visit UNF READS.
| August 26 | 9-10:00 a.m. | Building 14, Rooms 1601-1602 |
| August 27 | 1-2:00 p.m. | Building 14, Rooms 1601-1602 |
| August 28 | 5-6:00 p.m. | Building 51, Room 3201 |
Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics will speak as part of the Presidential Lecture Series on October 8th, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the UNF Arena. The cost is free but tickets are required and will be available on September 30th. If you have additional questions, please contact Sarah Dufresne by email at sdufresn@unf.edu or by phone at ext. 2117.
Fall Book Club
by Ida Gropper, The Center for Professional Development and Training
During the fall, the Book Club will read the following two books:
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Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
For more information about this book, click here. Predictably Irrational, considered a mate of Freakonomics by some, examines how when we least expect it, the world works according to principles of irrationality. This session will meet Friday, October 3rd at noon in the Library Conference Room, Building 12, room 2400. |
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A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink
For more information about this book, click here. Pink depicts a future belonging to holistic and "right-brain" thinkers. Drawing on research from around the world, Pink outlines the six fundamentally human abilities that are absolute essentials for professional success and personal fulfillment and reveals how to master them. This session will meet Friday, November 7th at noon in the Library Conference Room, Building 12, room 2400. |
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The Book Club is open to all faculty and staff. Members read five books per year: two during the Fall and Spring terms and one during the Summer term. Book Club members receive a free copy of the book. To register for the Book Club call ext. 1707, or register online through the CPDT Web page. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, and participation is limited.
Leadership Corner - Top 3 Leadership Development Tips
by Ronda Mitchell, The Center for Professional Development and Training
Leadership is not a title: Leadership is a choice. You earn respect; you gain experience; you choose to be a leader. Whether you are an executive, director, middle manager, chair, new project manager, or entry level employee, you choose to be a leader. And far too often, those who could be leaders choose not to.
How do you become a leader? Here is a list of the top 3 leadership development tips:
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Make Decisions. Decide to be happy. Decide to be excited about what you do. Decide that you want to achieve your top 3 to-dos for today. Decide that you will make a conscious effort to help those you work with to grow. Decide to speak up to your director in a meeting. You get the idea! Leaders are people who are not afraid to make decisions. Do you find yourself actually making decisions, or continuously seeking answers and approval? If it's the latter, then stop! Look objectively at what you are trying to do, and make decisions for yourself. Just ask yourself: "Is this decision the best thing I can do right now?" If it is, decide and do it. | |
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Trust Your Instincts. This is intimately tied into #1 - Make Decisions, since without instincts, it's very hard to make decisions! Instincts are what guide you through your thought process when analyzing any situation. Far too often, people "second-guess" their "gut instincts." Don't do this! Throughout your career, you are continuously fine-tuning your gut instincts. No report, no research, no opinion can make a decision. Those things can only help you to refine your gut instincts. Guess what? Start trusting your instincts and a magical thing will happen: They'll get better and better over time! You'll be amazed at where it can take you. | |
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Allow Yourself and Your Team (if you have one) to Fail. How do you learn a foreign language? You mess it up until you get it right! Secret: the "best" people you will ever work with were not born that way. They've made BIG mistakes OFTEN. Yet, I've seen it happen time and time again: By trying to make things "perfect" a person, or an entire team, will inevitably either miss an opportunity or limit personal growth. I know this is scary stuff, but it's key to your leadership development. Take the training wheels off yourself and your team. Jump out of the nest and fly! It's the only way you'll grow as a leader. | |
Starting right now, decide to be a leader!
Article derived & edited from: http://dotconnector.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/top-3-leadership-development-tips/.
Visit www.unf.edu/training/script/public/listsection.cgi to view upcoming instructor-led professional development courses offered through CPDT or visit the SkillSoft link found in the Quick Links channel at mywings.unf.edu for online courses on leadership development or other soft skills.
Ask the Trainer - Combining Calendars in Outlook 2007
by Ronda Mitchell, The Center for Professional Development and Training
The new version of Outlook provides a valuable feature that allows users to overlay multiple calendars so they appear as one. This new feature is convenient when comparing schedules across multiple calendars and especially for scheduling purposes. There is no limit to the number of calendars that can be placed in Overlay Mode.
To overlay calendars:
1. Select or open the calendars you wish to view. (To open a calendar never previously opened and to which you have permission to view, choose File>Open>Other User's Folder from Menu bar; click the Name button; select the name of the desired person from list; click OK twice).
2. Select the Overlay Mode arrow of the calendar that you would like to place over another.
3. The color-coded calendars now appear as one calendar. Respective appointments/events appear in the color reflecting the assigned calendar.
To separate calendars:
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Click same arrow on each calendar that you wish to separate to display calendars once more in Side-By-Side mode.
To see a video demonstration on using the Calendar Overlay feature, click here.
SkillSoft Live Mentoring
by Jim Starr, The Center for Professional Development and Training
Along with the vast array of courses offered within SkillSoft, there is an often overlooked feature that many users may or may not know about called "Ask My Mentor." Did you know that expert mentors are available online to provide support, guidance, and encouragement to UNF faculty, staff, and students? While the mentoring feature is not available for all courses, it is widely available within desktop curricula courses such as Microsoft Excel, Word, and Access. Accessing the mentor feature is quick and easy:
| 1. Log into the myWings portal at http://mywings.unf.edu. |
| 2. Locate the “Quick Links” channel on the home tab, and click on the “SkillSoft Online Learning” link. This will log you into SkillSoft. |
| 3. Search for a course that deals with the question you have about that particular software title. An example would be “Excel.” |
| 4. Once you find the course, you may access the course contents by clicking on the topic title, such as “Basic Features of Excel 2003.” |
| 5. If the course supports the mentoring feature, you will see a clickable button called “Ask My Mentor.” |
You may ask a mentor a question in 2 ways: Learners may engage mentors in real-time, online chats to ask a question, confirm understanding of a new topic; or request additional information on a difficult subject. Chat is text-based and available every day around the clock. In addition, the "Email My Mentor" service enables learners to seek detailed guidance from mentors on in-depth queries. SkillSoft mentors guarantee a six-hour response time via email, ensuring that learners receive answers to complex questions when they need them.
The SkillSoft mentoring team holds over 1,000 certifications and accreditations and is ready to help! For more information, please contact CPDT at ext. 1707 or by email at training@unf.edu.
Meet the Trainer - Linda Plummer
by Jim Starr, The Center for Professional Development and Training
How did you get involved in training at UNF? I was asked to facilitate a Bridging the Generations Gap workshop at President Delaney's leadership retreat a few years ago. Ida Gropper was present and later invited me to submit a proposal for facilitating workshops for CPDT.
What sessions do you teach? I facilitate workshops such as Coaching, Communicating Non-Defensively, How to Conduct a Behavioral Interview, Bridging the Generations Gap, and Performance Management. New workshops are added each year.
What are some of your hobbies? I love playing tennis and am a member of three league teams. I also play in a couple of tournaments each year. I enjoy reading and am a member of a neighborhood book club. This summer I read the entire Sue Grafton alphabet murder series. I also enjoy personal growth workshops. This summer I took a storytelling workshop and another on philosophy.
What do you like most about serving as a trainer at UNF? I really enjoy the people who attend my workshops. They are interested in learning, willing to share, and engaged in the topic! It makes being a facilitator fun. Everyone in the CPDT office is easy to work with and willing to help. The details are always handled, thank you! Pam Bush at the University Center is great at setting up equipment and making the classroom just right. I also think it's fun learning about all the many work teams and types of expertise needed to make a great university.
Ask ITS - What is the purpose of network drives ("I", "O", or "N" drives)?
by Alison Cruess, Information Technology Services
Widely cited statistics indicate that one in five computers will experience total hard drive failure. It is recommended that faculty and staff save their files to a network drive rather than the hard drive of their computer. If a file is stored on a computer's hard drive and the file becomes corrupted, or the hard drive fails, for the most part the data is gone. UNF's network drives however, are backed up nightly. If a file saved to a network drive becomes corrupted, Information Technology Services can retrieve the last "good" backup of the file. If the server where the file resides should encounter a hard drive failure causing data loss, the files contained on the server can be retrieved from the most recent backup.
The most common network drives used by faculty and staff are the "I", "O", and the "N" drives.
Remember "I for Individual" drive. Anything stored on the "I" drive is only accessible by the individual. Each faculty or staff member is allocated 250 MBs of storage space on this drive.
Remember "O for Office" drive. Anything stored on the "O" drive is accessible by faculty and staff within that department. Each faculty or staff member is allocated 250 MBs of storage space on this drive.
Remember "N for Network-wide" drive. Anything stored on the "N" drive is accessible by anyone who logs into UNF's network. Each faculty or staff member is allocated 100 MBs of storage space on this drive.
ITS also practices vaulting. Vaulting is backing up data on a removable medium, such as magnetic tape and then delivering the tapes to an off-site location for safekeeping.
Note: Some departments have access to additional drives other than the "I", "O", or "N" drives. These drives are also backed up nightly. There are some departments that do not have an "O" drive or it may be called something else other than the "O" drive. Check with your C-tech or the Help Desk if you have questions.
