The second annual Adelante Training and Development Conference, held May 22-23, was a rousing success.
The theme for the conference – “The Difference You Make” – focused on the tremendous impact OLLU employees have had on our students.
Participants had a chance to hear Trellis Strategies representatives share on customer service while delivering great tools, examples, and interactions with the crowd in order to relate, inspire, and reflect on personal and interpersonal skills in customer service. OLLU staff, faculty, and Trellis volunteered as session speakers with professional development topics to share during the two day conference.
Staff Assembly would like to express its gratitude to OLLU President Abel Chávez, PhD, for his welcoming address, Vice-President of Mission and Ministry, Gloria Urrabazo, for her prayer to pause and focus on the theme, and Assistant Vice President of Administration, Mary Scotka, for her leadership in these preparations. Staff Assembly also thanks all of the speakers, participants, and Adelante committee team for supporting this conference and making this event so memorable!
Give to OLLU’s annual United Way Charitable Workplace campaign by Friday to be entered into a drawing for a $25 Chartwells gift card. Ten gift cards will be given away.
Employees are encouraged to give to one of the United Way’s impact areas or to a specific United Way agency partner. Any donation helps the United Way strengthen individual and family well-being, and to provide a safety net of emergency assistance for our neighbors in urgent need.
Support OLLU’s United Way Employee Charitable Campaign
Contributions support over 80 community agencies and focus areas.
You have the option to designate your pledge to a specific Impact Partner on the E-Pledge drop down menu.
United Way of San Antonio and Bexar county is one of the most efficient and effective non-profits in the country
Employees are encouraged to make their donation online using the United Way E-Pledge portal: www.giveuw.org/OLLU
Use your OLLU email as your log in and your employee ID# without any proceeding zeros as your password
Once you have signed in, you will be asked to create a new password prior to making your donation
Pledge Options include: Payroll Deduction, Credit/Debit Card, Check, or Direct Bill.
Should you decide to use the payroll deduction option, your donation will begin on Jan. 1, 2024.
Be recognized by United Way for donations of $250 or higher — Emerging Leadership ($250-499) & Leadership Level ($500 or higher)
Wings Up to Living our OLLU values of Service and Community!
Community – We are a community that values inclusivity and embraces:
Respect for diversity of thought, culture, creative expression, and experiences; and Compassionate support for each other’s successes and challenges.
Service – We are called to:
Use our time, talent, and knowledge for the benefit of others; and Advocate for social justice which embraces equity, access, and care of creation for the common good.
For questions about the campaign, contact Mary Scotka, Interim Vice President for Administration and the United Way Campaign Chair, at mscotka@ollusa.edu.
Representatives from United Way will be on campus Wednesday from Noon-1:30 p.m. in the Mall Area during the university’s SAFE Event. Stop by to learn about the United Way’s 2-1-1 hotline and agency partners that assist our community. Representatives will share how United Way community charitable donations are leveraged with local grant funding, advocacy for bipartisan policy and volunteerism to provide maximum community impact.
OLLU’s annual United Way Charitable Workplace campaign is underway and will run through Nov. 3. Employees are encouraged to give to one of the United Way’s impact areas or to a specific United Way agency partner. Any donations help the United Way strengthen individual and family well-being, and to provide a safety net of emergency assistance for our neighbors in urgent need.
OLLU employees are encouraged to make contributions online, using the United Way E-Pledge portal at http://www.giveuw.org/OLLU.
Please be on the lookout for email messages from the United Way during the OLLU campaign period.
If you have any questions about the campaign, please contact Mary Scotka, Interim Vice President for Administration and the United Way Campaign Chair at mscotka@ollusa.edu.
The OLLU athletics program has welcomed and helped graduate international student-athletes for more than 17 years. International students are an important part of the OLLU community and help carry the OLLU experience to all parts of the world. According to 2022 data, of all the international students who attend OLLU, 75 percent of them are student-athletes and they marked a 3.6 GPA compared to the OLLU average of 3.2.
Mary Scotka is OLLU’s Assistant Vice President for Administration and the F-1 Visa (academic student) Principal Designated School Official (PDSO). As the PDSO, Scotka provides recommendations to F-1 students enrolled at OLLU regarding maintenance of nonimmigrant status and to support timely and complete record-keeping to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
She commented, “OLLU provides our international students with services support resources and programs, so they have a strong, vibrant experience while studying in the United States. International students are encouraged to be engaged in their studies and to take advantage of the many co-curricular, on-campus activities and opportunities throughout San Antonio.”
Other Designated School Officials (DSO) at OLLU are J. Carlos Laird from Undergraduate Admissions in San Antonio; Cindy Mata-Vasquez from the OLLU Rio Grande Valley campus; and Jamina Scippio-McFadden from the OLLU Houston campus. Information on the international admission requirements, admitted students, English proficiency requirement, credential evaluation, where students are from, the international team and other helpful resources, go here.
Whereas other universities may have more international students, OLLU’s receive hands-on learning and have faculty who serve as mentors and guides, both of which are hallmarks of an OLLU education. They also receive invaluable support from the athletics and coaching staffs.
The most popular majors for international students are kinesiology and business. All programs offered are designed to ensure their success during their time here and upon graduation. Scotka said, “We embrace them from the start, and we make sure we give them a good experience. We meet with them as soon as they come on campus and at the end of their semester. In between, we are available to help them along the way.”
The men’s basketball team has the most international student athletes, largely because of the relationships fostered by Head Coach Chris Dial. He is the founder of The Basketball Embassy, a multinational, nonprofit organization that builds community through basketball and assists National Basketball Federations as well as other organizations in their quest to grow and develop the game of basketball in their country or region. He has been able to bring in student-athletes from throughout the world.
In addition, the women’s basketball, volleyball, tennis, golf and soccer teams have all had international student-athletes from such countries as Argentina, Australia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Equador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Lithuania, Montenegro, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Sweden, Uganda, Venezuela, Wales and Zimbabwe. However, the majority have been from Mexico, the United Kingdom and Brazil. Sixty-six percent are male, 75 percent are undergraduates, 16 percent are pursuing a master’s degree and nine percent are in a doctoral program. Forty percent of the international students are employed on campus.
