May 1, 2018 Edition

From the Desk of Vice Chancellor Virginia Hardy

It’s graduation season, a time of endings but also beginnings.  As our students wind down their years of matriculation at the university, they are also beginning the next phase of their life journey.  While many will return to school either here at ECU or another university, for most it is the beautiful new beginning of a desired career.  Graduation also marks a time of endings and beginnings for Student Affairs educators.

During this time there is a brief moment to bid farewell to the many students we’ve come to know over the years.  But almost immediately, we begin preparations to welcome new students and excited new parents to our campus.  However, don’t forget to take a moment to celebrate the past year and all that we’ve accomplished. As you celebrate and prepare, just remember that you played a role in the development, maturation, success and growth of many of these young people. You should be proud, too.

Our students have places to go, dreams to chase and life to live.  Wish them luck.  It all begins at graduation.

Career Services Recognized as Outstanding Partner of Advising Collaborative

Written by Patrick Roberts, Career Services Associate Director

On April 25th, Career Services received the 2018 Award for Outstanding Partner of Advising Collaborative as part of the Excellence in Advising annual awards program. This award recognizes individuals or departments who have demonstrated excellence in advising by going “above and beyond” their expected duties. Nominees were judged on the evidence of qualities and practices that distinguish the nominee as an outstanding leader in advising.

Career Services operates on a liaison model which can only thrive through collaboration with academic affairs, specifically faculty and academic advisors. Each liaison within Career Services is assigned to specific colleges or student populations to help foster relationships within those academic areas as well as support the specific needs of those students, faculty and staff. Career Services was recognized for excellence as a partner of the academic collaborative through participation in numerous ongoing committees,initiatives and developmental programming that assist ECU students in progressing towards their academic and career goals. The following is a list of examples of successful partnerships between Career Services and the Academic Collaborative:

• Three career liaisons served on the Health Professions Committee in Partnership with the Pre-Professional Advising Center
• Liaison to the College of Nursing and Allied Health presented workshops on resume writing, personal statements, and interviewing
• Liaison to the College of Nursing presented MBTI workshops to incoming cohorts of nursing students
• Liaison to Deciding Students partnered with Major Advisement Program to host Major Matchmaker workshop
• Liaison to Deciding students attends Summer Orientation and meets with students/families on day 2 that are still deciding on academic major
• Liaison to Deciding students assists with student registration after day 2 of Orientation for deciding students
• Liaison to Deciding students participates in MAP Advisor Search Committee
• Liaison to Deciding students teaches COAD 1000 for MAP students

“We are honored to be recognized for our continued partnerships with the Academic Collaborative” said Patrick Roberts, associate director for Career Services. “Career counseling and academic advising go hand and hand when students are seeking help with major life decisions and we see academic advising as a key strategic ally to help us reach more students.”

For more information on partnerships with Career Services contact career@ecu.edu.

Veteran Graduate Recognition and Award Ceremony

Written by Lisa Brown, Student Veteran Services Coordinator

ECU Student Veteran Services (SVS), in the Office of Student Transitions, hosted its seventh Student Veterans Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, April 17th at the Murphy Center.

Dr. Virginia Hardy, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, kicked off the event with a few words recognizing ECU’s dedication to service members and veterans.  Dr. Mary Beth Corbin, Executive Director for Student Transitions, provided remarks to the 22 students and their families thanking them for their service to their country and congratulating them on their newest accomplishment – college graduate!

During the event, student veteran graduates were recognized and presented with red, white and blue cords and gold challenge coins to commemorate the occasion.  Student veterans frequently juggle work, family obligations, in addition to school, making their graduation a truly celebratory event.  The staff of Student Veteran Services and the ECU community are excited and proud of their newest veteran graduates and we are looking forward to seeing what they accomplish in their new fields.

Student Veteran Services also presented three $1,000 scholarships to student veterans for their outstanding academic achievements.  SVS Scholarship recipients are Carl Stewart, Criminal Justice Major; Corrine Surratt, Elementary Education; and Isaiah Ybarra, History Education Major.

Lastly, SVS inducted four new members to the SALUTE, the National Honor Society for Veterans.  New members are Jasmine Dietiker, Kimberley Nicholson, Carl Stewart, and Vanessa Wilbert.

40th Annual Barefoot on the Mall

On April 19th, the Student Activities Board hosted the 40th annual Barefoot on the Mall event.  The theme for this year’s installment of the long-standing tradition was “Past – Present – Future,” and it turned out to be one of the best attended Barefoot in previous years.

The 40th annual event featured two headline performers, Kiiara and Jesse McCartney.  Kiiara began at 5 p.m. and performed songs such as her hit single “Gold.”  Jesse McCartney, an actor, singer and songwriter took the stage at 7 p.m. and performed songs from his soon to be released 2018 album as well as chart toppers from his debut album “Beautiful Soul” in 2004.

Other musical acts performed throughout the afternoon including a Play for Peace Concert, which is part of the #ECUnited Movement to bring students together that promotes a positive Pirate Nation.

Barefoot on the Mall also showcased an organizational fair, inflatables, various activities and food available for purchase provided by Aramark and Coca-Cola.  Local businesses were featured at the event, with the most notable being Campus Advantage, as the presenting sponsor of the event. Following Barefoot, the Star Wars movie “The Last Jedi” was shown on the Mall.

Division of Student Affairs Launching 2017-2022 Strategic Plan

Written by Kathy Hill, Student Affairs Assessment, Research and Retention

The Division of Student Affairs is one of 22 institutional units asked to review and ensure that 2014-2019 unit strategic plans were updated and extended until 2022. Student Affairs has received institutional approval for its 2017-2022 strategic plan, which is well aligned to ECU’s Capture Your Horizon and UNC system plans, addresses all University Commitments, including Our Responsibilities and incorporates five institutional priorities and priority metrics per required instructions.

It is noteworthy that our divisional plan was evaluated as “very strong.” The Division’s Strategic Plan Working Group who prepared the refreshed plan include Kathy Hill, Dr. Erik Kneubuehl, Dr. Dennis McCunney, John Mountz, Mike Perry, Dr. Lynn Roeder, and Lauren Thorn. The 2017-2022 plan has been reduced from 15 to 10 major objectives organized as follows:

• Maximize Student Success: Four (4) objectives focused on improving persistence to completion outcomes, increasing collaborations focused on high impact practices, increasing global learning and leadership experiences, and expanding opportunities for reflection and practice specific to inclusion, diversity, and a safe campus culture.
• Serve the Public: Three (3) objectives focused on embedding civic learning and democratic engagement on campus, expanding opportunities for development of leadership competencies among staff and student employees, and expanding student and staff engagement in community-based service and learning.
• Lead Regional Transformation: Two (2) objectives focused on developing five new public-private partnerships and increasing arts programming and services.
• Our Responsibilities: One (1) objective is focused on the Division’s contribution to the capital campaign. Our goal is raising 10 million dollars.

During summer 2018, the Division will engage in a variety of conversations within departments as well as across the Division to ensure that our 2017-2022 plan is a living document revisited regularly and fully implemented over the next five years. Please take note of several action steps being launched in which you will have opportunity to participate:

• The Plan: The approved 2017-2022 plan will be distributed via the Student Affairs listserv the week of April 30. Departmental leaders should make sure that all staff have a copy of the plan in its current institutional format. A design-focused document with placement on the Division’s website will be available prior to the beginning of fall semester 2018.
• Departmental Discussions: All units, departments, offices/programs are being asked to review the strategic plan document and discuss where they would like to concentrate their efforts. Units and departments are being asked to contribute beyond “business as usual” by considering new opportunities, innovation, and aspirational actions.
• Division Level Café Conversations: Three Café Conversations are being scheduled during the summer for any Student Affairs Educator to share unit planning conversations, explore possible points of collaboration, and create synergies for plan implementation during 2018-2019 and beyond. Invitations will be sent the week of May 8 via the Divisional listserv and registration will occur via a Qualtrics link. Individuals may attend as many as the conversations as desired (each will be organized around the three university commitments).
• Strategic Plan Stewards: A group of individuals are being recruited to serve as strategic plan “stewards” to assist with communication processes, sharing information about objective progress points, and telling our strategic plan success stories. If you are interested in learning more about or wish to be a part of the stewardship team, please contact Kathy Hill. Additional roll out of the stewardship process will be shared at the May 15 Assessment Retreat and in Divisional communications thereafter.
• Reporting: August 1 will be our deadline for providing annual updates on unit contributions to the Division’s plan. More information about this process along with exemplars will be shared at the May 15 Assessment Retreat and distributed widely to the Division thereafter.

Every Student Affairs Educator is invited to ensure that our 2017-2022 plan is a living document that is revisited regularly and fully implemented over the next five years. Please contact Kathy Hill at hillka@ecu.edu if you have any questions or suggestions. Stay tuned for more implementation updates.

Employee Wellness Institute Returns

Written by Georgia Childs, Associate Director of Wellness and Fitness Programs at CRW

The Employee Wellness Institute has returned! This semester two groups graduated after eight exciting and informative weeks learning about the Eight Dimensions of Wellness.

Campus Living enrolled 22 staff members in the institute for the first-ever departmental institute. The second group included staff and faculty from across campus – 11 participants graduated. Both groups had an opportunity to delve deeper into many aspects of wellness they haven’t even thought of before. The eight dimensions of wellness – the foundation for all Campus Recreation and Wellness Programming – include physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, occupational, social, environmental and intellectual.

Participants were treated to information from campus partners such as Julie Poorman, Director of Financial Aid; Stephen Gray, Disability Support Services; Justin Yeaman, Human Resources; Jeanne Finley and Luc Labonte, Student Health Services Dietitians; Sam Combs, Suzanne McDonald, Ainsley Worrell and Georgia Childs, all from Campus Recreation and Wellness. They learned valuable skills as it relates to financial planning, fulfilling spiritual needs, filling their emotional tank, practicing a healthy work-life balance, eating with a healthy intent and setting wellness goals for the future. Feedback from both groups was positive and has given our team many ideas for future wellness institutes.

Quotes from Participants

“This institute has re-emphasized my goals for me and I’ve been able to sharpen what my goals are and how to get there, particularly occupational.”

“The institute helped me think more about spirituality in ways I had not before.”

“It provided me with a lot of practical ways to attend to my wellness.”

“I now feel empowered to achieve balance in everything I do.”

“The eight weeks for me has been life changing and breathtaking.”

We are looking forward to providing the Wellness Institute in the future. We are happy to tailor it to your department or a group of co-workers. If you are interested, contact Georgia Childs, Associate Director of Wellness and Fitness Programs at Campus Recreation and Wellness at childsg@ecu.edu.

Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society Induction Ceremony

Written by Lisa Brown, Student Veteran Services Coordinator

East Carolina University’s chapter of Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society induction ceremony was held April 10, 2018 at the Murphy Center in Harvey Hall. Parents, relatives, and friends gathered to witness and congratulate 77 freshmen students receive the honor of induction into the prestigious Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.

Dr. Mary Beth Corbin, chapter co-advisor, provided welcoming remarks and thanked all for attending. The event was organized by chapter co-advisor Lisa Brown with help from office staff member Dr. Angela Marshall. Guest speaker Dr. Lathan Turner, Associate Director for the Office of Student Transitions, spoke on the importance of obtaining a higher education and leadership. The ceremony concluded with dinner and the presentation of certificates and pins.

Phi Eta Sigma is a national honor society rewarding first-collegiate-year scholarship. Our goal is to encourage and reward academic excellence among full-time, first-year students in institutions of higher learning.

Learning, Voting and Engagement

Written by Alex Dennis, Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement Assistant Director

The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) began in 2013 and now provides federal voting rates for more than 1,000 colleges and universities and over 9 million students. NSLVE is a signature initiative of The Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.  Publicly available voter data is paired with campus enrollment records submitted to the National Student Clearinghouse to create a unique report for each campus.  ECU is a participating campus for NSLVE and has received data for the 2012 and 2016 elections.

The 2016 ECU report includes our numbers from the 2012 election, which provides us with a basis of comparison. According to the report, we saw an increase in our total student enrollment, total number of eligible voters, number of students registered, and the number of students who voted. The voting rate of registered students increased by 1.4%, which is on pace with other institutions in the study. While the number of students who voted increased in the 2016 election, our overall voting rate remained constant at 46.2% and our voter registration rate dropped slightly from 71.9% to 70.2%. The number of our students who voted “early” increased by 3.6% between the 2012 and 2016 election. Early voting was definitely the most popular method of voting for our students, accounting for 58.9% of total votes. When accounting for age, our vote totals increased for every age group except one, 18-21 year old student voting rate dropped by 2.4% compared to the 2012 election. The voting rate for women decreased by 10.2% and for men it decreased by 6.5%. The NSLVE report breaks down student voting data by student’s field of study, which showed that Library Science majors voted at the highest rates (75.8%), followed by History (57.1%), English (55.7%), and Education (51.8%). The STEM majors (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) had the lowest voting rates, all less than 50%.

The Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement (CLCE) utilizes this data, in partnership with the Andrew Goodman Foundation (AGF) and the Campus Vote Project (CVP), to create a nonpartisan action plan to increase student registration rates and student voting rates for upcoming elections like the 2018 midterm elections.  One of our action steps this year was to create more issue driven programming for students. We developed two discussion series’, Race in Our Space (Fall 2017) and Politics in Our Space (Spring 2018), as a way to increase student engagement with our democratic process and to encourage educated voting.  With the assistance of our AGF and CVP students we were able to increase our voter registration tabling efforts and intend to hold voter registration drives in the dining halls during move-in this upcoming fall.  Our goal is to further institutionalize voter registration and make it an expectation for all Pirates.  CLCE will be creating a Democratic Engagement Coalition to help advise our work with democratic and voter engagement on campus.

If you are interested in serving on this coalition feel free to contact Alex Dennis (dennisa15@ecu.edu), Assistant Director for curricular programs in CLCE.

Taking the Next Step – A Career in Student Affairs

Written by Dave Hilbert, Public Communications Specialist for Campus Living

Taking the next step toward a career in student affairs, five ECU senior resident advisors (RAs) attended the 39th annual Oshkosh Placement Exchange (OPE) at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in late February. The three-day event proved fruitful as all five students – Hannah Hensley, Hayden Raynor, Katie King, Ashley Konarski, and Geoffrey Whitley – secured a graduate assistant position.

According to ECU Director of Residence Life Waz Miller, the five students represented the largest contingent of ECU students ever to attend the event.

“All five of our students have enjoyed their experience as RAs. It’s neat that they want to become our colleagues,” said Miller. “Many schools’ graduate programs are set up to provide their GAs with two years of very good housing experience as well as the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in those two years.”

For the complete story click here.

That Big Idea

Written by Hank Bowen, SGA Associate Director

For the second year in a row, ECU sent two teams of students to regional competitions of the Hult Prize. The Hult Prize is an international social entrepreneurship challenge that gives $1million in seed money to the winning student business. Over 50,000 students from around the world compete to tackle a pressing global issue with large market opportunity, and this year’s challenge is the energy crisis. This is part of a project called “That Big Idea Challenge” from Student Involvement and Leadership that enables students to turn their ideas into realities to change our campus and the world. The Hult Prize at ECU is carried out through collaboration with faculty in the Miller School of Entrepreneurship in the College of Business.

Three students, Samuel Carraway, Jean Culbreth, and Magus Pereira traveled to compete in the Boston regional. Their idea is to place kinetic plates under roads, sidewalks, and buildings with a lot of foot traffic such as schools and hospitals that will capture wasted energy from the traffic on top that can be converted into electricity and stored for later usage. The team got a call back from the judges to further discuss their project but didn’t get selected as finalists. Said team member Samuel Carraway “We had an amazing experience meeting people from around the world and being able to pitch our product to a group of our peers.” The team is currently preparing for the Wild Card round, a second chance for teams that do not make it to the finals.

Two students, Meredith Klinedinst and Michael Zarro, competed in Nairobi, Kenya. They won the ECU pitch competition and their idea focuses on renewable energy and its issues with intermittency. Their product is a battery storage system that uses renewable energy from solar panels, wind turbines, and hydropower and stores it for customers to use even when the power sources aren’t available. This team received a call back from judges to discuss their idea more, and were selected as one of six teams to go on to the regional finals. While they didn’t end up winning in Nairobi, they also are applying for the Wild Card Round. “Our team had a wonderful experience in Nairobi networking with entrepreneurs around the world” said team member Meredith Klinedinst.

For more information, contact Hank Bowen in Student Involvement and Leadership at bowenh@ecu.edu.

Public Service as a Future Career

Written by Brittney DeWitte, AmeriCorps VISTA Member (CLCE)

Where does your interest in service begin? For Brittney DeWitte, the answer to this question is pretty clear. She was born and raised in Winterhaven, Florida by parents who were both nurses, and she believes this foundation and their example sparked her desire to serve others. DeWitte would volunteer at the nursing home where her father worked after school, and this experience — somewhat unknowingly at the time — helped to pave the way for her future work in the community. Fast forward many years later, and she now serves as a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) through ECU’s Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement.

Following an undergraduate career packed with service at nonprofits around Pitt County, DeWitte knew that she wanted to continue to be involved in the community in any way that she could. At first, she wasn’t exactly sure how she would do it. Reflecting on how she learned about the opportunity, DeWitte says, “I was a participant in LeaderShape, and I was learning about a bunch of different post-college public service programs from different faculty leaders, and the VISTA opportunity kept coming up in different conversations, and I realized that it would be great for me because it fits with my values.”

But once she graduated from ECU and signed on the serve as a VISTA, she quickly found her place working with local afterschool programs and youth centers.

For the full story click here.

Assessment Workshop Series

On May 15th from 10AM-3PM, Student Affairs will be holding an assessment workshop in the Mendenhall Student Center.  During this workshop, you will have the opportunity to “construct” your tool box and learn new skills to help in the assessment process of your unit.  During this event, you will be able to attend three different sessions of your choice which will also include a lunch regarding how you can help implement the Student Affairs strategic plan.

If you are interested in attending, please talk with the director of your unit and let Student Affairs Assessment, Research, and Retention office know.

Safe Zone Training’s Announced

The LGBT Resource Office announces the following Safe Zone training’s:

• Monday, May 14, 2-5pm in MSC, Room 244
• Thursday, May 17, 9am-Noon in Laupus Library, Room 1504
• Thursday, June 14, 1:30-4:30pm in the ECHI Auditorium
• Friday, June 15, 9am-Noon, in MSC, Room 244

Safe Zone training is an opportunity for people to talk, learn, and ask questions about sexuality and gender in a non-judgmental, safe, educational environment.  The purpose of Safe Zone is to create a network of allies who are willing to talk to students about sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Training’s are offered throughout the year on Main Campus and the Health Sciences Campus. Each session is three hours in length and includes a panel of students who share their experiences as members of the LGBT community on campus.

Registration for ECU faculty and staff is open through Cornerstone.

For more information, please contact Mark Rasdorf, Associate Director for the LGBT Resource Office, at (252) 737-4451 or via email at rasdorfm@ecu.edu.