New & Updated Items posted March 17, 2008

Trustees Approve New
Criminal Justice Degree Program

The University of the Virgin Islands Board of Trustees unanimously approved a proposal to establish a Criminal Justice Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree cohort at UVI. Humanities and Social Sciences Division Chair Dr. Malik Sekou presented the proposal to the UVI Board of Trustees at its meeting Saturday on UVI's St. Croix campus. Sekou said law enforcement officials and students themselves had requested the Criminal Justice cohort program. A news release is available from the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link.

Lady Bucs Facing Rio Piedras in LAI
Playoffs; Home Game Set March 19

UVI's Lady Bucs will host UPR-Rio Piedras in the second game of their three-game, LAI league playoff series on Wednesday, March 19, at the Sports and Fitness Center. Game time is to be announced.

The Lady Bucs lost the series' opening game 84-25 on Monday, March 17, in Puerto Rico. If needed, game three in the series would be played in Puerto Rico on March 20.

The Lady Bucs downed UPR-Ponce 59-56 in their final regular season game at home on Friday, March 14. The win earned the Lady Bucs admission to the playoffs.

UVI CES to Present Results
of Agri-Tourism Linkage Project

Farmers, producers, restaurateurs, hoteliers and persons interested in agriculture are invited to hear the results of a study on the link between agriculture and tourism in the Virgin Islands in UVI presentations on St. Croix today (March 17) and Tuesday, March 18, on St. Thomas. The information should present a clear picture of how the agriculture and hospitality industries can have an improved and strengthened relationship. The Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program funded the project. A news release is available from the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link.

Remaining Charter Month Activities List

• March -- Charter Day Library Displays - both Campuses
• March 17 -- 9 a.m. - 46th Charter Day Ceremony - STT/STX
• March 17 -- 6 p.m. - Cooperative Extension Service presentation based on Agriculture/Tourism Linkage - STX
• March 21 -- 6 p.m. - Poet and educator Nikki Giovanni is the featured speaker at the Alfred O. Heath Distinguished Speaker Series
• March 28 -- 8 p.m. - The Morgan State University Choir performs at Island Center on St. Croix. - STX
• March 29 -- 8 p.m. - The Morgan State University Choir performs at the Reichhold Center. - STT

JDPP Awards Scholarships
to Three UVI Freshmen

The Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Program (JDPP) recently awarded scholarships to three University of the Virgin Islands freshmen. Khamila Benjamin, Kandice Victoria and Chene Warner each received a $1,000 scholarship from JDPP toward their UVI education.

JDPP was founded in 2002 by VI Police Officer Steven Payne as a way to eliminate delinquency in the community and schools, by providing structured and positive activities geared towards education. The St. Thomas/St. John-based program consists of three segments: a marching band, the Jammers band and the X-Klusive band. The scholarship funds were raised from the sale of the JDPP Jammers 2007 Carnival CD. Board members hope to continue raising funds in support of scholarships for UVI students.

Celebrated Poet, Activist Nikki Giovanni
to Give Heath Lecture on March 21

World-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni will be the featured speaker at the University of the Virgin Islands Alfred O. Heath Distinguished Speakers Series. The event, part of UVI's Charter Week activities, is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 21, at the Reichhold Center for the Arts on UVI's St. Thomas campus. A news release is available from the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link.

UVI Seniors Sought for Learning
Assessment Test; Cash Awards Offered

UVI is seeking seniors who will graduate in May of 2008 to participate in the Collegiate Learning Assessment test. The test is organized by the Council for Aid to Education, a national, nonprofit organization. The tests - which measure critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving and written communication - will be administered beginning today (Monday, March 17) , and continuing through Thursday, March 27, on the St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses. Cash awards will be given to participants who score 65 percent or above. Participants who score 80 percent or above will be given $300, and $100 will go to participants who score 65 to 79 percent. Interested graduating seniors should contact the following individuals: Linda Wymer (693-1346 / lwymer@uvi.edu) or Dr. Lonnie Hudspeth (693-1315 / lhudspe@uvi.edu) on St. Thomas, or Jewel Ross-Brathwaite (692-4123 / jbrathw@uvi.edu) on St. Croix.

UVI Physical Plant Announces
Drinking Water Change on St. Thomas

UVI's Physical Plant has announced to the St. Thomas Campus community that effective today (Monday, March 17) the delivery of bottled, drinking water will be performed by Virgin Beverages, Inc.

If any additional drinking (bottled) water services are needed, such requests should be forwarded to the Physical Plant department at extension 693-1500. The department added that individuals should not to contact the vendor directly.

UVI to Close for Recess March 21-23

UVI will close for recess from March 21 through 23. Classes will resume and administrative offices will reopen on their regular schedules on Monday, March 24.

Golden Key Honour Society Sets
Important Membership Meeting

The Golden Key International Honour Society on UVI's St. Croix campus will hold an important membership meeting at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, in the UVI Cafetorium. Members to be inducted on March 20 are asked to attend in order to receive invitations and finalize the induction ceremony. Members are also asked to participate in the decorating of the Great Hall in UVI's North West Wing for the induction ceremony.

Other Current Items ...

Summer Internship in Agriculture
Available at UPR-Mayaguez

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).

St. Croix Health Services Office Plans
9th Annual Health Fair March 18-19

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. in the Great House. For details, contact Irene Hatchett-Sealey at 692-4208.

Renowned Jackson State Chemist
Sets Lecture Series at UVI March 18-20

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:

• Science Diversity Center - a cyber education tool -- Tuesday, March 18, noon to 1 p.m. in Business room 110 on the St. Thomas campus, with video conference link to Evans Center room 401 on the St. Croix campus.
• Science & Technology Centers STARS Internship Program -- Wednesday, March 19, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in Business room 110 on the St. Thomas campus, with video conference to Evans Center room 401 on the St. Croix campus.
• Preparing a Globally Competitive Workforce -- Thursday, March 20, from noon to 1 p.m. in Evans Center room 401 on the St. Croix Campus with video conference to Business room 110 on the St. Thomas Campus.

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.

Other Current Items ... (Cont.)

Seminar on Plant Nutrition
Offered March 25 at UVI's ACC

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 (ACC) 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.

UVI to Administer Noel-Levitz
Student Satisfaction Survey in March

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
in Protected Areas' Set March 26-28

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.

Morgan State University Choir
to Perform at Island Center, Reichhold

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.

UVI Employee of the Year
Nominations Sought by March 28

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.

Ongoing Items ...

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 Session Dates, Fall Semester
Information Available on UVI Web Site

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.

CELL 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
Basic Computing Course

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.