 March 13, 2008 |
||
|
||
|
|
Charter Month Notes ... UVI to Honor 100th Anniversary The University of the Virgin Islands will sponsor a Centennial Symposium in honor of the 100th birthday of the late Gov. Ralph Paiewonsky on Sunday, March 16th. The symposium will take place from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m. in the Administration and Conference Center on the University's St. Thomas campus. Dr. Auguste E. Rimpel, Jr., chair of the UVI Board of Trustees, will make opening remarks. Dr. Bernard Paiewonsky, chair of the Planning Committee of the UVI Board of Trustees, will attend the symposium that will honor his father. Faculty, faculty emeriti, students, trustees, staff and the public are encouraged to attend. A news release is available from the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link. 2008 Carnival Troupe Costumes to be UVI's Student Government Association will unveil the 2008 Carnival troupe costumes at the "Happy 46th Birthday Party" it is sponsoring for students, faculty and staff from 3 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 16, on the St. Thomas campus golf course. The party's theme will be "Old School Style" and the party will feature old time cultural events such as musical chairs, rounders, stealing the old man bundle, dominoes, piñata, red light-green light, cricket, football, kickball, kite flying, candle light story telling at sunset and cutting the birthday cake. Music and a barbecue are also planned. For details, contact the Student Government Office at 693-1098 or 693-1111. Charter Day Ceremony UVI's official Charter Day ceremony - marking the University's founding on March 16, 1962 - is set for 9 a.m. on Monday, March 17, in Chase Auditorium (room B110) on the St. Thomas campus, with a videoconference link to the Theater of the Evans Center (room EC401) on the St. Croix campus. Sixth Spring Research Symposium The St. Croix Community is invited to attend the Sixth Annual Spring Research Symposium, which will be hosted on the St. Croix campus by the Emerging Caribbean Scientists (ECS) Program, an honors program administered by the Division of Science and Mathematics, at the University of the Virgin Islands. The two-hour special event will take place on Saturday, March 15, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the UVI Cafetorium. A news release is available from the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link. Morgan State University Choir Reichhold Center for the Arts and the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts present the return of the Morgan State University Choir to the Virgin Islands. The choir performs on Friday, March 28, at Island Center on St. Croix and Saturday, March 29 at the Reichhold Center on St. Thomas. Both shows start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 and $25 on St. Croix and are available at Alliance Clothing, Urban Threadz and UVI Bookstore. On St. Thomas, tickets are $15, $18 and $25 and are available at Modern Music, UVI Bookstore, V.I. Bridal & Tuxedo, Urban Threadz, Essentric Shoe Boutique, Island Video (Nisky), Home Again (Red Hook) and the Reichhold Center Box Office at 693-1559. Major Charter Month Activities List For a complete listing and more details, visit
New & Updated Items posted March 13, 2008 UVI Web Redesign Effort Continues Work on the redesign of UVI's presence on the World Wide Web continues today and tomorrow (March 12-13), with focus group sessions designed to begin obtaining input from all components and offices on the St. Thomas campus. Focus group sessions and one-on-one visits were conducted on the St. Croix campus on Tuesday and Wednesday. The St. Thomas sessions continued today (March 13) and will resume from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, March 14. Friday's session is slated for the Administration and Conference Center's third-floor conference room. The University is working with the systems engineering and consulting firm OmniSystems, Inc. to implement the web site redesign. (Read the text of the OmniSystems announcement.) To help stimulate the discussion, three "concept pages" have been developed and are available via a Web Redesign button on the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link. Bucs Drop Final Regular Season Game; Final Lady Bucs Home Game Set March 14 UVI's Buccaneers men's basketball squad lost their regular LAI season game with Inter American University, 74-73, in a home contest on March 12. UVI's Lady Bucs are scheduled to play their final regular season and final home game against UPR-Ponce on Friday, March 14. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Sports and Fitness Center. Environmental and Marine Science The UVI-St. Croix Environmental and Marine Science Club will meet at 5:30 p.m. today (Thursday, March 13) in front of the Cafetorium. All interested members of the UVI community are invited to attend. The club will discuss plans for the Caledonia Gut Hike scheduled for Sunday, March 16. Anyone interested in joining the hike but unable to come to the club meeting should call Emily Tyner at 692-4144 or send email to etyner@uvi.edu for details. Homeland Security Requires UVI's Human Resources (HR) Department has announced that, based on Department of Homeland Security rules, all employees are required to update and re-verify employment eligibility. Information about this requirement - including a list of documents that may be used to verify status - has been provided to all employees. Employees are asked to visit the HR department for updating between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For details, call 693-1410. PRAXIS II Exam to be Offered The PRAXIS II Exam will be administered in the Nursing Education Building on UVI's St. Thomas campus on Saturday, March 15. All examinees must be present by 8 a.m. Only persons who have registered with ETS will be tested. No walk-ins are allowed. Those persons registered for Sabbath testing should report upstairs of the Library by 8 a.m. on Monday, March 17. Call 693-1462 with further questions. Renowned Jackson State Chemist UVI's Emerging Caribbean Scientists (ECS) program will host Dr. William McHenry, executive director of the Mississippi eCenter at Jackson State University, for a series of free, public lectures from March 18 through 20. Dr. McHenry, a chemist, developed the Science Diversity Center as a web-based, comprehensive one-stop science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational resource/cyber tool. He holds patents for work with neurotoxic compounds and is a former program officer at the National Science Foundation. The lectures are:
The series is sponsored by UVI's ECS program and the Science Diversity Center at Jackson State University. For details, visit the ESC web site: http://ecs.uvi.edu. St. Croix Health Services Plans UVI's Health Services Office on St. Croix will host the campus' 9th annual Health Fair on March 18 and 19. Events will begin both days at 10 a.m. at the Great House. For details, contact Irene Hatchett-Sealey at 692-4208. Seminar on Plant Nutrition Offered A seminar on plant nutrition - "Understanding how plants feed " - will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, at the UVI Administration and Conference Center on the St. Thomas campus. The seminar is designed for members of the Virgin Islands agricultural community and for anyone with an interest in developing local farming. The event has been organized by UVI's Cooperative Extension Service and the V.I. Department of Agriculture. For details contact Dr. Richard Pluke at 776-7600, the Department of Agriculture at 774-5182 or the Cooperative Extension Service at 693-1080. ITS Newsletter Available Online The February issue of UVI's Information Technology Services department newsletter is now available from the "Latest Links" menu of the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu. The February 2008 newsletter features stories on UVI's implementation of Web 2.0 tools, Internet capacity improvements and an update to student email service. Also highlighted are new ITS staff members and several individuals who were recently promoted. Also included are items on Blackboard/Banner integration, a tablet PC distribution project and employee recognition awards presented to Celia Prince and Erik Pattison. Also recognized is Cynthia Richards, UVI's Public Services Librarian at the Ralph M. Paiewonsky Library, who has been named Librarian of the Year by the St. Thomas-St. John Library Association. Click here for a direct link to the ITS Newsletter (PDF file). Summer Internship in Agriculture UVI's Agricultural Experiment Station has announced that it has funding to support the attendance of one student from UVI at a four-week summer internship/course in agriculture at the University of Puerto Rico. The course goal is to provide an experience in Caribbean tropical agriculture to students from member institutions of Cari-Pac Consortium. For more information, contact Dr. Bob Godfrey, Assistant Director of UVI's Agricultural Experiment Station at 692-4042. Program details are also available at this link (PDF file). Presidential Search Notes ... Presidential Search Firm Announced With the term of office of Dr. LaVerne E. Ragster, the fourth president of the University of the Virgin Islands, set to expire in 2009, the UVI Board of Trustees has retained Isaacson, Miller, a leading national executive search firm, to assist the University in its search for a new president. A news release is available from the UVI web site - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link. UVI Community Invited to Meet On March 12 through 14, consultants from Isaacson, Miller - the national executive search firm retained by the UVI Board of Trustees to assist in the search for the University's next President - will visit UVI's St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses. The goal will be to learn more about the University and the challenges and opportunities that will face a new President. Dr. Auguste E. Rimpel, Jr., chair of UVI's Board of Trustees, announced the presidential search in an email message to the University community on Friday, Feb. 22. (Click to read the text of Dr. Rimpel's announcement.) Dr. Rimpel has also invited members of the University community - students, faculty, staff and alumni - to participate in meetings with members of the search firm to share their thoughts. Email messages have been sent that list the scheduled meetings with specific groups as well as open sessions for faculty, staff, students and alumni on both campuses. Details for UVI students, faculty, staff and alumni are also available on the UVI Announcements page of the UVI web site - http://announce.uvi.edu - or from these direct links: For details, contact Gail Steele at 693-1008. |
|
Other Current Items ... MBA Comprehensive Exam at UVI UVI's Business Administration Division will offer the MBA Comprehensive Examination from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11, on the University's St. Thomas and on St. Croix campuses. The rooms to be used will be announced at a later date. The deadline for registration is Friday, March 14. Applications are available in the Business Administration Division offices on St. Thomas and St. Croix. For details, call Jacinthe Proctor at 693-1300 or Renise Johnson at 6 92-4150. Chamber Business After Hours The UVI community is invited to attend a Business After Hours event held by the St. Thomas/St. John Chamber of Commerce in UVI's new Administration and Conference Center (ACC) at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13. The event is designed to help acquaint chamber members with the University's new facilities. Music, food and the Chamber's "Famous Cash Bar" are planned. Raffle prizes, including tickets to Reichhold performances, will also be presented. For details, contact Liza Margolis at 693-1053. Renowned Drummer Dion Parson UVI Music Professor Martin Lamkin has scheduled a jazz clinic with renowned jazz drummer Dion Parson at noon on Thursday, March 13, in the Music Suite on the St. Thomas campus. The clinic is free and is open to the public. Parson, who was born on St. Thomas, began his musical career playing trombone. He took up the drums at the age of 15, and obtained a grant from the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts to study at the prestigious Interlochen Music Academy in Michigan. Parson has performed with John Faddis, Terence Blanchard, Babatunde Olatunji and Baaba Maal (to name a few), and was a co-founder of the 21st Century Band with Ron Blake. On Saturday, March 15, Parson will be the guest performer at a UVI Jazz Ensemble concert at Pilgrim's Terrace at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 ($10 for students) and can be obtained from UVI Band members, Lamkin and the Humanities Division. For further information call Lamkin at 693-1194. 'UVI Got Talent' Show Set The St. Croix campus Office of Student Activities will host a "UVI Got Talent" show at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, in the Cafetorium. Individuals interested in performing - those who can sing, dance, recite poetry, perform a skit, make jokes or play instruments - should call Hedda Finch-Simpson at 692-4228 or send email to hfinch@uvi.edu. Employee Benefits Office Hours Valena Veda Richards, Director, Employee Benefits and Immigration Services, will conduct office hours on the St. Croix campus from 9:30 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 14. Employees with questions or concerns about Flexible Spending Accounts, benefits, retirement, health and life insurance, and vendor services (AFLAC, MASA, SPECTERA, CIGNA HealthCare), should email or call Richards to schedule an appointment. Office hours will be held in Evans Center room 408. Send email to vrichar@uvi.edu or call 693-1429. March 14 is Application Deadline March 14 is the deadline for juniors or seniors at UVI to apply for the Heyward G. Hill Memorial Scholarship. The one-time-only scholarship is for $5,000 in tuition assistance. For details on requirements and the application process contact Honors Program Director Professor Germaine Lewis at 693-1262 or UVI's Office of the Provost at 693-1200. The St. Croix campus Bookstore will offer measurement for commencement regalia (caps and gowns) through March 14. Measurements completed after March 14 will incur a $15 shipping charge. After March 21 there will be a $25 express shipping charge. Students need to present receipts from the business office to take part. For details, call 692-4162. Annual UVI Queen Mary 5K The seventh Annual UVI Queen Mary 5K Walk/Run - a UVI Charter week event - is scheduled for Friday, March 14. The entire UVI community - students, alumni, faculty and staff - and members of the general public are encouraged to participate. The run will start at 6 a.m. at Sunshine Mall and conclude on UVI's St. Croix campus. Awards will be presented to the top male and female finishers. Light refreshments will be served at the end of the event. Transportation will be provided to the Sunshine Mall. Registration forms are available in the St. Croix Campus Executive Administrator's office. Registration is $12 for UVI faculty, staff and others, and $7 for students and children. For details, contact Irene Ramos at 692-4000. UVI Scholarship Application March 14 is the deadline for students to apply for UVI scholarships for the fall 2008 and the spring 2009 semesters. A variety of scholarships are available, from one-year awards to four-year scholarships. Scholarships are limited to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Specific requirements for high school, undergraduate and graduate applicants can be obtained from the University's Financial Aid, Institutional Advancement and Student Activities offices on the St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses. Details, as well as online application forms, are available from the Financial Aid section of the UVI web site - http://www.uvi.edu or from this direct Financial Aid/Scholarship link. Details are also available on St. Croix at 692-4193 and on St. Thomas at 693-1090 or from the Office of Institutional Advancement at 693-1040. Hammond to Bring 'Lover's Rock' The "King of Lover's Rock," Beres Hammond returns to Reichhold Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. Hammond is known for his sultry voice and hypnotic lyrics. Among his numerous hits are: "Groovy Little Thing," "What One Dance Can Do," "Tempted To Touch," "Putting Up Resistance," "No Disturb Sign," "They Gonna Talk," "Rock Away" and "Music is Life." Tickets -- $25, $36 and $45. A news release is available from the UVI web site - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link. UVI Board of Trustees The University of the Virgin Islands Board of Trustees will hold its quarterly meeting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, in the Great Hall North West Wing on the St. Croix campus. It will be the Board's first meeting of 2008. The meeting will convene with regular session agenda items. President LaVerne E. Ragster will give the President's Report, followed by Chairman's Comments from Board Chairman Dr. Auguste E. Rimpel, Jr. Following the Chairman's Comments, the Board will consider the items that require action. Rotaract Club Sets Car Wash on March 15 UVI's Rotaract Club will conduct a car wash at Tutu Park Mall (in front of the Innovative office) from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. The event is part of the club's participation in World Rotaract Week activities. Prices are $7 for cars and $10 for vans. Larger vehicles will cost more. Tickets will be made available before the event to secure your space. Senior citizens qualify for discounts (with identification). For details, call Sharifa Maloney at 626-9268. GRE Study Sessions Continue UVI's St. Croix campus Psychology Club is sponsoring Graduate Record Exam (GRE) study group sessions for individuals interested in preparing for the GRE. The final session is set for 3 to 5 p.m. on March 15, in Evans Center room 902. The sessions are not limited to psychology majors. Additional sessions will be scheduled if necessary. For details, contact Dr. Aletha Baumann at 692-4178. Librarian of the Year Luncheon Postponed Cynthia Richards, Public Services Librarian at UVI's Ralph M. Paiewonsky Library, will be honored by the St. Thomas-St. John Library Association (STSJLA) as Librarian of the Year. A luncheon scheduled in her honor for March 16 has been postponed. Further information will be made available when the event is rescheduled. For details call Bethany Wilkes at 693-1372. World Water Day Festival Postponed The first annual United Nations World Water Day Festival and Conference - originally scheduled for March 21-22 on UVI's St. Croix campus - has been postponed. The conference will focus on water conservation and protection and creating public education campaigns. A news release and an extensive list of activities is available on the UVI Web site - http://www.uvi.edu - and from this direct link. UVI Employee of the Year Friday, March 28, is the deadline for fulltime UVI employees to submit nominations for individuals they think should be honored as UVI's 2008 employees of the year on the St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses. The objective of the program is to recognize employees who have made demonstrated contributions to the improvement of the quality and performance of the University. Employees of the year will be recognized during Service Awards ceremonies set for April 17 on St. Thomas and April 18 on St. Croix. Each will receive a $200 savings bond, an engraved plaque, and fruit and flower baskets. Employee of the Year program rules and regulations - including selection criteria and a nomination form - are available from the HR Section of the UVI Announcements web page - http://announce.uvi.edu - or from this Employee of the Year link. The material is also available from the Forms section of the Human Relations web site - http://hrweb.uvi.edu/forms. For more information contact UVI's Human Resources Office at 693-1410. UVI to Administer Noel-Levitz UVI's Office of Institutional Research and Planning has announced that it will administer the Noel-Levitz 2008 Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) Survey from March 24 through 28. The SSI is the first survey of its kind to measure student satisfaction and the importance of campus issues to students. UVI will benefit from consulting and data services provided by Noel-Levitz by identifying where attention is needed, especially in the area of student retention and enrollment. An initial overview of the survey and details of the requirements for UVI students, faculty and staff are included in this Noel-Levitz 2008 Student Satisfaction Survey document. For more information, call the Office of Institutional Research and Planning at 693-1013. Workshop on 'Managing Visitor Use A workshop on managing visitor use in marine and coastal protected areas is planned for March 26 through 28 on St. Thomas. It will be presented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center. Included will be an overview of the human dimensions of protected area management, examples of visitor use and associated impacts to natural resources and visitor experiences, and suggestions to help managers address the people side of resource management. In addition to training sessions, presentations will be made by Hubert Brumant, director of the Magen's Bay Authority, Elba Richardson, a concessions specialist at the Virgin Islands National Park, and Sybille Sorrentino, owner of VI Ecotours. Days one and two of the workshop will take place at UVI's Small Business Development Center at Nisky Center. An optional field exercise is planned for day three. Workshop registration is now open and available to all at this Workshop Registration link. For details, contact Sylvia Vitazkova at 693-1427. Accounting Association Seeking The UVI Accounting Association is looking for couples on St. Thomas who will have celebrated their golden or silver wedding anniversaries on or before April 1, 2008. Nominated couples that are selected will be honored at a dinner dance and presented with awards and gifts. To nominate a couple, contact Prof. Sharon Simmons at 693-1314 or send email to ssimmon@uvi.edu. The Accounting Association's Anniversary Committee is asking for the names, phone contact information, anniversary dates and reason for nominating your special couple. Ongoing Items ... UVI-Human Resources Selects In an effort to improve the University of the Virgin Islands' human resources processes, UVI's Human Resources (HR) Department has selected the web-based company PeopleAdmin to provide the solution needed to help improve efficiency and make improvements. PeopleAdmin is a web-base HR information system that is utilized by over 400 hundred Higher Education Institutions within the United States. In keeping with VISION 2012, adopting the PeopleAdmin system will enhance service delivery through the implementation of process improvements in the Human Resources Department. The complete text of the announcement, which was provided via email to the UVI Community is available from this link. Summer Session Dates, Fall Semester Dates and detailed registration information on UVI's two 2008 summer sessions, as well as for the upcoming fall semester are available on the UVI web site. UVI's Summer Session I is scheduled for May 19 through June 23. Summer Session II will run from June 25 through Aug. 1. UVI's fall semester classes begin on Aug. 18 and end on Dec. 3. Direct links to this information is available from the Academics link and the BUCSS - Banner Utilization Central for Self Service - button on the UVI home page: http://www.uvi.edu. Online registration for both summer sessions and the fall semester begins on March 17. Students must confer with advisors on course selection and obtain personal information numbers before they can register online. SBDC Notes ... CELL to Host One-Day Excel Workshop The University of the Virgin Islands' Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (CELL) Center will hold a one-day workshop for individuals interested in becoming proficient with the features and techniques of Microsoft Excel. The workshop will be held 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, on UVI's St. Croix Campus. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn the basics of using Excel tools and commands, learn shortcuts to save time, and master the formulas that make working with Excel much easier. For more information or to register, call 693-1100 or visit UVI CELL on-line at http://cell.uvi.edu. UVI CELL Reschedules The University of the Virgin Islands' Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (CELL) Center is rescheduling its Basic Computing for Beginners course. Classes will be held 1-3 p.m. every Wednesday from April 2 to May 7 on UVI's St. Croix Campus. The course is designed for individuals interested in learning the basics of using a computer. Participants will learn the essentials of computing such as working with windows, using the internet, emailing, safe computing and much more. For more information or to register, call 693-1100 or visit UVI CELL on-line at http://cell.uvi.edu. |
|
|
Other Sources of UVI Information
UVI Press Releases | dateline:UVI | President's Report | UVI Magazine | UVI Catalog | UVI Home Page |