New & Updated Items posted March 31, 2008

Career Exploration Week Opens Today
with Law Fair on UVI's St. Croix Campus

Representatives from more than 35 companies and 11 law firms will be on hand on the University of the Virgin Islands' St. Croix campus for the 2008 Career Exploration Week scheduled for today (Monday, March 31) through Thursday, April 3. Sponsored by UVI's Student Affairs and Counseling and Placement offices, the week's activities are designed to help "open the eyes of students to the world of work and the opportunities that are available," according to Doris Farrington-Hepburn, UVI's supervisor of counseling and placement on St. Croix. The week's scheduled events, including today's Caribbean Law Fair, are included in news release available on the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link.

March Issue of Dateline: UVI Available Online

The March 2008 issue of the newsletter Dateline: UVI has been distributed on the St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses and is available online from a link on the UVI homepage - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link. The newsletter features a roundup of UVI Charter Month activities, a story on the CVI/UVI Choir Reunion held on March 1 with former CVI/UVI Choir Director Dr. Gloria Quinlan and a sneak peak at costumes to be worn by participants in three of the five sections in the UVI 2008 Carnival troupe.

Testimonials Needed by April 7
for UVI Service Awards Programs

Monday, April 7, is the deadline for UVI employees to submit testimonials to be included in the programs for the 2008 Employee Service Award ceremonies set for April 17 on St. Thomas and April 18 on St. Croix. During the ceremonies, the service of UVI employees will be recognized. The employees of the year will also be announced on each campus. For more information contact UVI's Human Resources Office at 693-1410.

Deadline Extended for UVI Seniors
to Take CLA Test; Cash Awards Offered

Additional UVI seniors are needed to participate in the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) test program offered on the St. Croix and St. Thomas campuses. In order to meet the goal of involving 100 UVI students, the deadline for taking the test has been expanded until April 7. The goal is to have 50 seniors take the test on each campus. The test - organized by the national nonprofit Council for Aid to Education - is designed to measure critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving and written communication. 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.

Next Student Trustee Election
Set for April 22 on Both Campuses

UVI students will elect the next student representative to the UVI Board of Trustees in balloting scheduled for Tuesday, April 22. The vote will take place on both campuses, with the student trustee candidates to come from the St. Croix campus. The student trustee position alternates each year between campuses. The current student trustee for 2007-2008 is St. Thomas campus student Dwayne Petersen. The next student trustee will begin service on the UVI Board of Trustees during the upcoming fall semester.

SGA Elections Scheduled in April

Student Government Association (SGA) elections are slated in April on both campuses.

On St. Thomas, the elections - to select a president, vice president, secretary and three student senators for the sophomore, junior and senior classes - are slated for April 15 and 16. The deadline to apply as a candidate on St. Thomas is Tuesday, April 1. For details, contact Junie Violenes at 693-1111.

On the St. Croix campus, the SGA election is scheduled for April 22. Along with a president, vice president and secretary, St. Croix students will select three student senators for the sophomore, junior and senior classes. The deadline to submit a petition to be an SGA candidate on St. Croix is April 16. For details, contact Hedda Finch-Simpson at 692-4228.

Cooperative Extension Service Office
on St. Thomas Temporarily Relocated

The Cooperative Extension Service (CES) offices on UVI's St. Thomas campus have been temporarily relocated to the University's former Business and Finance Office building (behind the golf course). The relocation was necessary to allow the CES's quarters in the Newhouse Building to be renovated and repaired. Full service, which was limited during last week's move, has been restored from the new, temporary location. For more information, contact the CES office at 693-1080.

STX Basketball Intramural
Playoffs Set for Early April

Playoff action in St. Croix campus spring semester intramural basketball league is slated for the first two weeks of April. Quarter final games begin at 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 3. The semi-final games are set for 9 p.m. on Monday, April 7, with the championship game to follow at 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 10. Regular season standings (to date) have Danger Zone on top with a 4-0 win/loss record. Danger Zone II has a 2-1 record, while UVI-Staff and Soldier Boyz are tied at 2-2. Battleground has a 1-4 record. For details, contact Bruce Wray at 692-4139.

UVI St. Croix Employees
Win Tickets to Choir

Congratulations to St. Croix UVI employees Ann Marie Hendrickson and Fiola Alexander who won tickets in a UVI Announcements online contest to last weel's performance by the Morgan State University Choir. The choir performed on March 28 at Island Center on St. Croix and on March 29 at UVI's Reichhold Center for the Arts on St. Thomas. Employees should watch for future UVI Announcements online contests.

Other Current Items ...

Carnival Troupe Participants
Sought for 2008 Adults Parade

Members of the UVI community are invited to join in the fun of Carnival 2008 by becoming members of the University's Carnival troupe. UVI's 2008 theme is "Aquatic Escape - Coral Reefs ... a Learning Environment." A web page featuring the 2008 costumes will be posted in the near future. The troupe will consist of five sections - mermaids, turtles and coral reefs for women, and sea horses and stingrays for men. The adults parade is scheduled for Saturday, April 26. Individuals interested in participating should call Liza Margolis at 693-1053 or Sean Georges at 693-1112.

Other Current Items ... (Cont.)

Staff Council Seeks Committee Members

The UVI Staff Council is seeking members to serve on its Standing Committees. Each of the four committees has a number of assigned responsibilities outlined in the bylaws. Now, after several months of work by the Executive Committee, tasks are being assigned to each committee to fulfill the mission of the Staff Council. Employees are asked to contact committee chairpersons directly to indicate interest and willingness to serve. A description of the role each committee plays and the names of the committee chairpersons is available from this Staff Council Membership link.

Student Employment Appreciation Week
Set on St. Thomas; Nominations Sought

The week of April 7 through 11 has been designated Student Employment Week on UVI's St. Thomas campus. Students will be recognized for their dedication, desire and determination. Nominations are now being accepted for the student employee of the year and the "Lighter Side" awards. Click here for details of the award process and a nomination form. The deadline for making submissions is 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1. The award winners will be announced on Thursday, April 10. There will be a reception for the student employees and supervisors immediately following the award presentations. For more information, contact Mary Myers at 693-1088 or send email to mmyers@uvi.edu.

Workshops on Autism Slated
April 14 and 15 by the VIUCEDD

Workshops on autism will be offered by the Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD) on St. Thomas on April 14 and on St. Croix on April 15. The workshops will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with breakfast and lunch included. The St. Thomas session will take place in the UVI Administration and Conference Center. The St. Croix session is scheduled for the Great Hall in the North West Wing. For details or to reserve space call 693-1322.

Luncheon to Honor Cynthia Richards
as Librarian of the Year Set for May 18

The St. Thomas/St. John Library Association's VI/Women's History Month luncheon to honor Cynthia Richards as Librarian of the Year, which was postponed, has now been rescheduled for Sunday, May 18. The luncheon will take place at 2 p.m. at Pilgrim's Terrace. For more information, call Bethany Wilkes at 693-1363 for more information.

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).

Ongoing Items ...

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 ...

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.

Real Estate Sales Course
to be Offered on St. Thomas

Individuals interested in learning more about the real estate industry are encouraged to register for the Real Estate Sales course offered by the University of the Virgin Islands' Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (CELL) Center. Classes will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays beginning April 19. All sessions will be held at the UVI-CELL Center on the St. Thomas campus. The Real Estate Sales course is designed to prepare individuals for the Real Estate Salesperson licensing examination. A variety of topics will be covered including Real Estate Theory, Mathematics, USVI Rules, and Regulations and all applicable sections of the VI Code. For more information on the course, call 693-1100 or visit UVI-CELL on-line at http://cell.uvi.edu.

Building High-Performance Teams
Is Subject of CELL Workshops

The University of the Virgin Islands' Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (CELL) Center will host workshops titled "Building High-Performance Teams" on Friday, April 4. The day-long sessions, which begin at 8:30 a.m., will be offered on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. It is the third in a 10-part series of management skills workshops designed to help managers develop and refine the skills needed to manage their workforces more effectively. On St. Croix, the workshop will be held at the Joseph A. Simpson Building at #23A Hospital Street in Frederiksted. On St. Thomas, the workshop will be held at the UVI-CELL Center on the UVI campus.

The workshops are being held in collaboration with the American Management Association (AMA). Participants may elect to complete six of the workshops offered to obtain a Certificate in Management Skills in the Workplace from UVI and the AMA. For details or to register, call 693-1100 or visit UVI-CELL on-line at http://cell.uvi.edu.