UO Vice President for Student Affairs

Student Affairs Town Hall Meetings

shannon — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 01:43:30 +0000

For all the Student Affairs Staff and Faculty who were able to make it to one of our town hall meetings (Jan. 31 or Feb. 4) to provide input on the strategic plan — THANK YOU! It was wonderful to see so many people participating and hear the many great ideas that were discussed.

Thank you to all of the members of the strategic plan committee as well. Remember, if you have questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to let one of the committee members know about it. It takes all of us to truly set the tone and direction of our Division. Each and every one of you are important members of the Division of Student Affairs. We are who we are because of you!

Minority Women in Senior Leadership Positions—Research Participant

shannon — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:22:50 +0000

Today I participated with 5 of my colleagues at various institutions across the country on a research project looking at women in senior leadership positions. Vernell Bennett, a doctoral candidate at University of Kentucky, interviewed us on various aspects of our careers including our academic backgrounds, preparation, and desire for senior leadership in higher education. Some of the most interesting questions had to do with perceived roadblocks or external threats to our success and how we addressed those threats. Although the 5 of us were all at different institutions and had different trajectories, the stories were very similar: being at the right place at the right time, having solid mentors, and a strong drive to succeed. Many of us were the only women on the presidential cabinet or one of only a few. We need to continue to strive for equity and representation at every level of the institution.

Second Annual “Run with the Duck” Healthy Oregon Challenge

shannon — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 09:15:59 +0000

Another successful year of the “Couch to 5K” and “Run with the Duck” occurred this week. Thanks to the Healthy Campus Initiative-Healthy Oregon in partnership with Pacific Source Health Plans we were once again able to hold these great events for our campus community. With hundreds of runners and walkers participating, it was a great example of the commitment to fitness and living a balanced, active life that we Oregonians believe in. I was sorry to have missed it this year, but I will look forward to participating next year. Congrats to the winners!

Results of the student referendum to renovate the EMU

shannon — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:08:52 +0000

This week students voted to approve a fee that will help fund the renovation of the Erb Memorial Union. The next step will be to gain approval from OUS, then the State Board of Higher Education, and finally the state legislature. If successful in these endeavors, construction will begin in earnest with a proposed completion date of fall 2016.

Global Scholars Hall Grand Opening!!

shannon — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:59:46 +0000

Today we marked the opening of our latest residence hall—The Global Scholars Hall—with a grand celebration ably MC’d by faculty-in-residence Dr. Robert Davis. The event was a fantastic tribute to all the key players who had a hand in brining this much anticipated facility to fruition. Special thanks to University Housing, Gregg Lobisser, Campus Planning and Real Estate, and Campus Operations for their roles in this important project. This residence hall is truly an example of us moving toward the realization of our goal of becoming the preeminent residential university.

Second Annual Multicultural Reunion

shannon — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 10:07:01 +0000

Good times were had by all at the second annual multicultural alumni reunion. This relatively new event which was first conceived by the Division of Student Affairs and subsequently arranged and handled by the Alumni Association, is an outstanding opportunity for alumni of color, young and old, to gather, celebrate, network, and rekindle old friendships. Key note addresses by Dr. Carla Gary and Dr. Yvette Alex-Assensoh were inspiring and right on point. It was truly touching to see the amount of UO pride in the room. Looking forward to next year’s gathering!

We ARE Student Affairs 6th Annual Student Affairs Breakfast

admin — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:29:38 +0000

The annual Student Affairs breakfast is, by far, one of my favorite activities. It is so great to see so many of the staff and faculty within the Division laughing, smiling and bonding together. Each year, the breakfast and the activities that occur during the event seem to get better and better. And frankly, each year, the Division of Student Affairs seems to get better and better, too.

This year, we spent some time highlighting some of the wonderful accomplishments of each of the departments. We also had a great keynote address from our Vice President for Enrollment Management, Roger Thompson. He and his staff have recruited a great crop of students to the University and we want to do everything we can to ensure they have a great student experience in and out of the classroom.

We ended the morning with our annual recognition awards. In reality, we could give awards to just about everyone in the Division—folks are just that good. This year’s recipients were as worthy as last year’s; it was so gratifying to see their faces full of appreciation and surprise! Clarice Wilsey received the Anne Levitt Award; Paula Staight received the Big Ideas Award; Consuela Perez-Jefferis received the Core Values Award; and Unpack the Quack was recognized with the One Oregon Award. Be sure to check out the fall Student Affairs Newsletter (due out in a few weeks) for pictures and highlights from the breakfast.

It was a great morning. Now, the fun begins! Happy fall term!

They’re baaaaaack!!!

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 22:50:46 +0000

I love this time of the year. The students are here, ready for the year. Finally, 13th avenue is bustling with traffic from The Duck Store, vendors are giving out free items to students, various orientations and open houses and the new Global Scholars Hall are coming to life with the arrival of students. It is a great time of year, and we are excited to welcome the most gifted, diverse, promising class of students in the history of the University. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for the class of 2016!

New EMU Board

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:43:55 +0000

The EMU Board is one of the oldest organizations on the campus, and every year during the annual EMU Board retreat we welcome a new group of dedicated students, faculty and staff who share a passion for our Union. They have the responsibility of assisting the EMU Director in the affairs of the Union—including allocation of space, budget, resources, and overall strategic planning. It is a great learning opportunity and a very important responsibility. This year the Board seems well positioned to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors and accomplish great things. Thanks to all of the students, faculty and staff who give tirelessly of our time to make sure that our Union accomplishes all of its goals.

http://emu.uoregon.edu/

Student Affairs Leadership Retreat

admin — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 22:41:39 +0000

The school year is upon us! The members of the Student Affairs Leadership Team (SALT) have an annual tradition of spending quality time planning, prioritizing, and cultivating new ideas for the Division. As always, we had a good time and left the retreat refreshed, re-energized and closer as a team. We focused on a concept called “appreciative inquiry”, a great method that allows us to move away from identifying problems and more toward solutions. We also prepared ourselves to launch the next 5 years of our strategic plan.

The members of SALT also spend a portion of our retreat sharing about the excellent professionals in our Division and the great work they do every day. It is always exciting and almost overwhelming to hear about all of the great things Student Affairs employees do each day on behalf of our students. Way to go Student Affairs!