Category: Employee News

Faculty and staff encouraged to sign up for service day

OLLU faculty and staff are invited to participate in a service project as part of “OLLU Employee Service Day,” Oct. 17, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Each day, 40 children are diagnosed with Type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes. The mission of the foundation is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Faculty and staff are encouraged to consider this service opportunity as a collective response to giving back to the community.

Participants will assist the foundation with organizing its annual fundraising run/walk and will help with one or more of the following tasks: assembling bags for the runners, creating posters, setting up the course, organizing and moving boxes, labeling awards, and other administrative tasks. A few lighter tasks will be available for those who require lighter physical activity. Most work will be indoors, but some work will be outdoors.

OLLU Service Day is a University-approved initiative so employees do not need to submit vacation time in order to participate. Staff must obtain approval from their supervisor before signing up. Employees who wish to participate should sign up at www.ollusa.edu/ServiceDaySignup.

Participation is open to the first 40 employees who sign up. Those who wish to participate should sign up by Oct. 8.

Visit the sign up webpage for more information or contact Jennifer Bendele, director of the Center for Service-Learning and Volunteerism, at 210-434-6711, ext. 2393 or jbendele@ollusa.edu.

Spring 2015 Adviser’s Workshop next week

The Registrar’s Office will hold an Adviser’s Workshop for spring 2015 early registration on Oct. 14 from 12:20-1:30 p.m. in Providence Hall, West Social Room. Topics to be covered include, the academic calendar, degree audits, course schedules, deadlines to submit grades, and more. Representatives from the Financial Aid Office and the Student Business Office will also be available to answer questions.

For more information, contact Betty Galvan at 210-431-3959.

Special Education students and faculty get view into life with learning disabilities

George Williams Jr., PhD, assistant professor and coordinator of Special Education, along with several Education graduate and undergraduate students, participated in a Learning Disabilities (LD) simulation at The Winston School San Antonio. The Winston School is a local special day school designed to educate grade school students diagnosed with LD. Students experienced walking in the shoes of a child with LD through an intense hands-on workshop.

The simulation created an increased awareness of the difficulties and frustrations students with reading and language disabilities encounter daily. Graduate student Carolina Trevino commented, “Going through the simulation gave me a better understanding of the frustrations dyslexic children face. It was an enlightening experience. I’m so glad I went.”

History faculty member awarded planning grant for project

Cody Ferguson, PhD, assistant professor of History, together with his co-principal investigators at Arizona State University, received a planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the multi-year public and digital humanities project, “Nature, History, and Culture at the Nation’s Edge.”

The project currently involves more than 50 community partners in 15 historical and cultural organizations in 12 borderland communities along the Arizona-Sonora border. It will eventually include a travelling exhibit; an educational website and mobile application; support for cultural and educational events and indexing and digitizing oral history; and photo collections in small museums throughout the region.

Faculty members complete accomplishments out of the classroom

While sharing their expertise with students in the classroom, OLLU faculty members are also completing great professional accomplishments.

Check out a few recent faculty accomplishments:

Aimee Villarreal, PhD, assistant professor of Mexican-American Studies, was a producer on the animated short documentary, “Frontera! Revolt and Rebellion on the Rio Grande.” Latino Public Broadcasting premiered the film on PBS.org as part of its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. “Frontera!” uses humor, hip-hop, and comic book style animation to tell the story of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Watch the video here.

Mark Green, PhD, professor of Leadership Studies, self-published the textbook, “Graduate Leadership: A Review of the Science of Leadership.” Green began work on the book after having a hard time finding a first-semester textbook for doctoral students that was academically rigorous and easy for students to use.

Transamerica group meetings

For employees who missed the meetings in August, there will be another round of group meetings with Transamerica, OLLU’s new retirement plan provider, Sept. 3-4 in Main Building, Room 311.

Meetings are scheduled for the following times:

Sept. 3:

  • 9 a.m.
  • 10 a.m.
  • 12 p.m.
  • 1 p.m.
  • 2 p.m.
  • 3 p.m.

Sept. 4

  • 9 a.m.
  • 10 a.m.
  • 11 a.m.
  • 12 p.m.
  • 2 p.m.
  • 3 p.m.

Human Resources providing training on Interview Exchange system

The Human Resources Office will be providing training on the employee selection process and the new Interview Exchange application system. Topics covered during the trainings include:

  • The Hiring Process
  • Accessing Applications
  • Reviewing Applications
  • Navigating through Interview Exchange
  • Interviewing
  • Key Skills for Interviewing
  • Legal Problems in Interviewing
  • Evaluating the Applicant
  • Background Investigations
  • Making the Employment Offer

The last trainings will be held on the following date:

  • Friday, Sept. 5 – 11 a.m. – noon – Providence Hall, Blue Room

For more information, contact Erika Ramirez at ejramirez@ollusa.edu or 210-434-6711, ext. 3970.