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February 2019

MESSAGE FROM THE VICE-CHAIR


The Professional Staff Council has been hard at work in the new year to offer new, engaging professional development opportunities, a streamlined scholarship application and recommendation process, and a new and improved newsletter medium.

Show us some love this February and let us know how we’re doing! We welcome your feedback to our confidential online comments form. Please share with us your experiences using the new scholarship recommendation process or new newsletter format as well as your wish list for professional development.

Read on for details about our next professional development seminar and don’t forget to remind your students to apply for the PSA Scholarship by the March 15 deadline.

Finally, save the date and watch for details for the PSA Annual Meeting, May 21st in the Student Union Ingman Room.

Stay warm and GO ROCKETS!
Melissa Gleckler
Professional Development Assistance Award
Professional Staff Council is proud to present our Professional Development Assistance Award. If you would like to attend a conference or other professional development program, you can apply for up to $100 to help offset the cost of your professional development.

The funds to support this award come from the Professional Staff Association’s progress fund at the foundation which have been raised through various PSA-sponsored fundraising activities.

It is our hope this award will enable staff to attend professional development opportunities that will benefit themselves and their position.

Guidelines, qualifying expenses, and reimbursement procedures can be reviewed on the Professional Development Assistance Award web application, which will be reviewed by the  professional development committee for approval upon submission. Submissions will be accepted and considered on a rolling deadline based on availability of funds. 
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

Justin Ballard

Director of Learning Technology, Instructional Design, and Faculty Development

How long have you been a Rocket and in what capacity?

I have enjoyed serving our students, faculty, and staff in various roles with Distance Learning, Distance and eLearning, eLearning and Academic Support, The College of Innovative Learning (COIL), Learning Ventures, UT Online, and a few others. All the same outstanding department, but with many names! My earliest years with UT Online were spent on the server team supporting the infrastructure for WebCT, Blackboard, Echo360, and various other technology tools. Now, over 14 years later, I serve as Director of Learning Technology, Instructional Design, and Faculty Development.
 

How would you describe your job?

Fulfilling. As one of the directors at UT Online, I get to observe “behind-the-scenes” the passion our team has for providing students and faculty with a high-quality online teaching and learning experience. To see that passion put to work by the amazing staff at UT Online and have their efforts be met with gratitude from faculty and stories of student success is very rewarding.
 

What distinguishes UT from other workplaces?

To see the diversity of the UT community. UT is home to such a beautiful cross-section of the human race.
 

What resources from UT are your “must-haves” to perform your job?

Common goals. It is so helpful being surrounded by co-workers, both in UT Online and throughout the university community, that share the common goal of helping our students succeed. Having that united purpose breaks down so many barriers. Also — my computer, tablet, phone, and access to Google, of course.
 

What is your favorite thing about UT?

The atmosphere. Go take a quick walk and look around. There is always something fun and exciting happening at UT! Where else do you find that?
 

Can you tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know or would be surprised to learn?

I am absolutely fascinated by all things related to space exploration. I just had an opportunity to witness my first in-person rocket launch at Cape Canaveral last July. After being at Universal Studios the entire day before, I’m not sure my family was exactly excited about staying awake and driving an hour to get to the 1:50 a.m. liftoff… but I had a “blast!”
Want to be in the Spotlight, or know someone who should?
Nominate yourself or a colleague for a Spotlight feature
in an upcoming newsletter with our web nomination form.
New PSA Scholarship Process Uses Electronic Forms for Application and Recommendations
The PSA Scholarship application is now open, with a new, streamlined process! The scholarship application form, due no later than 5 p.m. Friday, March 15, 2019, is now an electronic form and can be found on the PSA Scholarship page. All application materials must be submitted electronically through this webform, including the name and email address of a PSA member for recommendation. Upon submission of the student’s scholarship application form, an email and electronic form to complete for recommendation will be automatically sent to the listed PSA member. This is also a change from years past that we hope will make it easier for busy PSA members taking the time to recommend a student. Both the scholarship and recommendation forms are designed to send automatic confirmation of submission to the student, as well.  
 
Please encourage students to apply for this non-college specific scholarship, which can be used to fund tuition, fees, books, or other educational expenses, and let them know if they can list you as their recommender! Applicants must be UT students enrolled for a minimum of 6 credit hours with at least sophomore standing (30 earned hours) and a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. In addition to the application form and name of a PSA recommender, students must list 3 personal or professional references, write a 500-word essay, and have a completed FAFSA on file, as financial need is also considered for this award.
 
The PSA Scholarship Award recipients are announced at the PSA Annual Meeting in May. If you have any questions, please contact the scholarship committee chair, Deborah Krohn, by phone at 419.530.2549 or email Deborah.Krohn@utoledo.edu
 
Upcoming Professional Development Event
Please join us for the next professional development workshop on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 from 8:30 - 9:30 am in the Student Union 2591. Sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Success, the Latinx Initiatives (Un)documented Student Ally Training will create and support awareness, advocacy, and alliance. To participate, please register online. Questions? Contact Aleiah Jones at Aleiah.Jones@utoledo.edu
Before winter break, 19 staff members came together for an Introduction to Microsoft OneDrive. OneDrive is a feature of Microsoft Office 365 which was introduced to campus in September. Current success coach Lauren Shackleford, who utilized OneDrive at her previous campus, led the session. Lauren walked the participants through accessing OneDrive and creating documents. OneDrive allows the user to access and save files from any device, anywhere. All information saved is encrypted and every user received 1 TB of storage. The presentation that was shared can be found on the professional development page of the PSA website.
You're Invited  - SAVE THE DATE!
February is Black History Month. Embrace the power and honor the history with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office of Multicultural Student Success (OMSS). Visit the OMSS website for a list of events. For more information, email OMSS@utoledo.edu or call 419.530.2261
Logo of The University of Toledo Medical Center. Healthcare that benefits you.
Photo of Glendale Medical East
Family Medicine Clinic at Glendale Medical East expands evening hours
The UTMC Family Medicine Clinic at Glendale Medical East now has additional evening hours to better serve patients. The clinic hours are:
  • Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Tuesday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Saturday: 8 a.m. – noon
The providers at the Family Medicine Clinic care for patients of all ages, from infants to seniors. They diagnose and treat acute and chronic illnesses, as well as offer preventive health screenings and lifestyle counseling. To schedule an appointment, call 419.383.5555.
Directions to Glendale Medical East

The Professional Staff Association (PSA) of The University of Toledo consists of all classified exempt, classified salaried, and unclassified administrative and professional employees who do not belong to a bargaining unit and do not have faculty rank. The group of approximately 1,200 employees
was officially recognized by the University in 1992.

The Professional Staff Council (PSC) is the elected body that represents PSA to the administration on topics such as the past PSA compensation study, changes in health benefits, assisting with the Outstanding Staff Awards and other various issues.

Please contact PSC with any questions, concerns and ideas.
There is also an anonymous feedback form.
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