New & Updated Items - May 12, 2008

UVI Commencement Scheduled
May 12 on St. Thomas, May 13 on St. Croix

The University of the Virgin Islands will hold its 44th Annual Commencement Ceremonies today (Monday, May 12) on St. Thomas and tomorrow (Tuesday, May 13) on the St. Croix campus. The St. Thomas campus ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. in the Sports and Fitness Center. The St. Croix campus ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on the campus grounds. During the ceremony the first cohort of students in UVI's Master of Arts in Mathematics for Secondary Teachers will receive their degrees. A news release is available on the UVI web site - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link.

St. Thomas Campus Students, Staff
Honored at 2008 Graduation Ball

Ten UVI seniors on the St. Thomas campus were presented with Senior Leadership Awards during the annual Graduation Ball held Sunday, May 11, at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Resort. Receiving the awards for exhibiting outstanding leadership while maintaining 3.2 grade point averages were: Toriefa Alexander, Jahtara Francis, Mikyla Fredericks, Sonja Fyfield, Sandra Gumbs, Hannah Jacobs-El, Aisha Mussington, Chenel Nolan, Mahalia Pencheon and Digna Washington. In addition to student awards, members of the UVI staff were also recognized. Prof. Eustace Esdaille was named the most supportive professor. Prof. Roy Watlington received the funniest professor award. Dr. Theresa Turner was named the most dedicated member of the faculty. Outstanding service awards were presented to Miriam Cannonier as the best custodian, Cheryl Mingo for outstanding office service and to Security Officer Theodore Glasford. Professors Aurelia Donald and Sharon Simmons were named Faculty Advisors of the Year.

Golden Dragon Acrobats Shows Postponed

Performances by China's Golden Dragon Acrobats, scheduled for May 10, have been postponed. The group encountered problems shipping their cargo items to St. Thomas from their previous destination. The Reichhold Center is working with the group to reschedule a date.

Ticket holders have three options: Use the tickets at one of the rescheduled Acrobats shows, receive credit toward another Reichhold 2008 season show or get a full refund. The rescheduled shows will be announced as soon as possible.

St. Thomas Campus Meeting
on Shared Governance Set May 14

One remaining town hall meeting to discuss Shared Governance at UVI is scheduled Wednesday, May 14, on the St. Thomas campus. (The St. Croix campus meeting was held on May 9.) Information about UVI's ongoing initiative on shared governance is available from the Shared Governance section of the UVI Announcements web page - http://announce.uvi.edu.

• The St. Thomas campus meeting will take place from 11 a.m. to noon on May 14 in the ACC first floor conference room.

Low-Cost Loans for Assistive Technology
Offered by VIATF and Banco Popular

Individuals in the Virgin Islands with disabilities will be provided access to low-interest bank loans for the purchase of assistive technology devices and services during a special, one-stop loan processing event scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27. The session will take place at the Sunny Islands Branch of Banco Popular on St. Croix. The program is offered in partnership with the Virgin Islands Assistive Technology Foundation (VIATF), part of the Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. For more information, contact VIATF Project Coordinator Diane Hampton at 692-1919.

HBCU-ETS Collaboration Conference Set
May 18-20 at UVI; Registration Due May 14

The Office of the Campus Executive Administrator (St. Croix campus), in collaboration with the Educational Testing Service, invites the Virgin Islands community to participate in the Tenth HBCU-ETS Collaboration Conference scheduled May 18 to 20 in the Administration and Conference Center on UVI's St. Thomas campus. The conference is titled Improving Student Achievement and Teaching Quality. It is part of a series of collaborative meetings organized on behalf of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Educational Testing Service (ETS).

There is no charge for registration. All registrations must be received by 3 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, May 14. All participants must use online pre-registration through the ETS website. The web site also features a draft agenda. To register click here:

• https://programs.regweb.com/ETS/HBCU_USVI/

For more information contact Linda H. Scatton (ETS: at 609-734-5637 or via email at lscatton@ets.org) or Monique Guillory (UVI: at 340-692-4001 or via email at mguillo@uvi.edu.

Other Current Items ...

UVI's Eastern Caribbean Center
to Conduct '08 V.I. Community Survey

The Eastern Caribbean Center of the University of the Virgin Islands will conduct the 2008 Virgin Islands Community Survey (VICS) during the months of May, June and July. This scientific survey of a sample of households is a follow-up to the one conducted in 2007 that collected information similar to that gathered in the census of 2000. VICS data for 2008 will be gathered on two topics - population and housing. A news release is available on the UVI web site - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link.

UVI Community Invited to Share
Hospitality with Visiting Youth Leaders

Members of the UVI community are invited to share their hospitality with aspiring global leaders who will be visiting UVI's St. Thomas campus for the 2008 Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders in the Caribbean. The Institute opens May 15 and runs through May 29. This provides the UVI community an opportunity to play host for a day to a diverse group of young people - French, Spanish, Dutch and English speaking - representing universities in the Caribbean and the U.S. mainland. Hosts will share their choice of church services, and/or home cooking, or just the beauty of our island. Sunday, May 18, is the day set aside for their visits with local families. Details were sent to the UVI community via email on May 7. Individuals interested in being a host to one or two of our potential future global leaders are asked to contact Dr. Solomon Kabuka at skabuka@uvi.edu or 626-7588 or 693-1310.

Faculty, Staff Proposals Sought
for Special Projects Funding

Interested faculty and staff are invited to submit proposals for the funding of projects under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA), which provides temporarily increased support to the Title III, Part B program. A Request for Faculty and Staff proposals form, which provides the guidance needed to submit a pre-proposal that can be considered internally for submittal to the U.S. Department of Education, was distributed along with associated documents to all faculty and staff via email on May 6. For more information, contact Dayle Barry at 693-1054.

Master Class for Dance Students
Set May 16 at Reichhold Center

Complexions Contemporary Ballet will host a master class for dance students at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 16, at UVI's Reichhold Center for the Arts. The class is free. Interested persons must register by Wednesday, May 14. Complexions, a New York-based dance company with performers from around the world, will perform at UVI's Reichhold Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 16. Call 693-1550 for more information or visit the Reichhold Center's web site - www.reichholdcenter.com.

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 is scheduled 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.

UVI to Host Tom Joyner May 22

The University of the Virgin Islands will host radio personality and philanthropist Tom Joyner as he and passengers from his annual Fantastic Voyage cruise disembark in St. Thomas on Thursday, May 22. The cruise raises money for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The "party with a purpose" starts at 11 a.m. and continues until 3 p.m. on the lawn of the Reichhold Center for the Arts and Brewer's Bay Beach with Cool Sessions Brass providing the music. Food and drinks will be on sale. The community is being invited to extend their lunch time to come out and party with UVI, Tom Joyner and the crew.

UVI volunteers/ambassadors will be needed to assist with many aspects of the event. Prof. Aurelia Donald (at 693-1316) is coordinating volunteers. For more information about the event, call Patrice Johnson in the UVI Public Relations Office at 693-1058.

Other Current Items (Cont.) ...

June 6 is Deadline to Submit Student
Worker Requests for Fall Semester

UVI's Student Employment Office on the St. Thomas campus has announced that the deadline to submit Request for Student Worker forms for the fall semester is June 6. The forms, which were distributed to supervisors via email, are also available from the Counseling and Placement web site or this direct link.

St. Thomas/St. John Alumni Chapter
Sets Awards Breakfast for June 7

The UVI St. Thomas/St. John Alumni Association will hold its sixth annual alumni awards breakfast on the St. Thomas campus at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, in the Dining Pavilion. Tickets are $30 per person and the proceeds go toward the chapter's annual scholarship fund at UVI. Information on honorees will be forwarded shortly.

Performance Incentive Nominations
Accepted Thorough Aug. 20

UVI is accepting nominations for the 2008 Performance Incentive Awards program. The nomination process continues through August 20, 2008. The program's goal is to promote consistent and exceptional performance by recognizing the achievements of those who have exceeded personal, unit, and organizational goals, and who have contributed significantly to the progress of UVI and the Virgin Islands community. Details of the 2008 program and links to online nomination forms are available from the "University Compensation Committee" area in the Archives section on the UVI Announcements web page - http://announce.uvi.edu - or from this direct link.

Thurgood Marshall Leadership
Institute Seeking UVI Students

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund is seeking UVI students interested in developing their leadership skills by attending the organization's ninth annual Leadership Institute and Recruitment Conference scheduled in New York City for Oct. 24-27. The institute is designed to introduce students to representatives from some of the nation's top companies, governmental agencies and non-profit organizations. More than 900 students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities attended last year's institute. This will be the fourth consecutive year that UVI students have attended the institute. Recruiter Christopher Binn will visit the St. Thomas campus on May 8 and the Croix campus on May 9. Interviews will be held between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day. Prospective participants must be juniors and have a 3.0 GPA or higher. The deadline to apply is May 7. Sign-up sheets are available in UVI's Counseling and Placement Offices. For details contact Doris Farrington-Hepburn at 692-4187 on St. Croix or Verna Rivers at 693-1087. Information is also available from Ardrina Scott-Elliott in UVI's Office of Institutional Advancement at 693-1087.

Volunteers Sought for V.I. Study
Focusing on Health Status of Women

Volunteers are needed in the Virgin Islands to participate in a research study looking at the health status of African American and Afro Caribbean women and at their access to health care services. The study, which seeks to involve 200 women in the territory, is being conducted by the Caribbean Exploratory Research Center in the Division of Nursing at the University of the Virgin Islands. For details, call 693-1212.

A news release is available from the UVI web site - http://www.uvi.edu -and from this direct link.

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: www.uvi.edu.

Online registration for both summer sessions and the fall semester is under way. Students must confer with advisors on course selection and obtain personal information numbers before they can register online.

Young People Sought for Reichhold's
2008 Youth Moviemaking Workshop

UVI's Reichhold Center for the Arts is accepting applications for its 2008 Youth Moviemaking Workshop. The workshop starts Monday, June 23. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 30. Applications are available at the Reichhold Center's office at 693-1550 or via email from ffenton@uvi.edu. For more information on the Youth Moviemaking Workshop visit Reichhold Center's website at www.reichholdcenter.com. A news release is available from the UVI home page - www.uvi.edu - or this direct link.

Rotary Offering Scholarship
to UVI Student for Study Abroad

Rotary of St. Thomas is presenting students in their first or second year of study at UVI with the opportunity to compete for an ambassadorial scholarship for international studies. The scholarship is valued at $23,000 per year. Please call Ardrina Scott Elliott at 693-1040 or Yegin Habtes at 693-1323 for additional information.

SBDC Notes ...

Small Business Week 2008
Activities Set for May 19-23

UVI's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will coordinate this year's annual Small Business Week activities from May 19 through 23. The week is designed to promote entrepreneurship and small business training opportunities. The week will be highlighted by Small Business Week awards ceremonies set for Wednesday, May 21, on St. Croix and for Friday, May 23, for the St. Thomas/St. John awards. For more information, contact the SBDC St. Thomas/St. John office at Nisky Center at 776-3206 or the SBDC St. Croix office in Sunshine Mall at 692-5270. Details are also available at the SBDC web site - http://www.sbdcvi.org/.

SBDC/FirstBank Schedule Seminars
for Individuals, Small Businesses

UVI's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in collaboration with FirstBank will present two free seminars in May covering financial questions important for individuals as well as small business owners. Both seminars will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the SBDC Training Facility at Nisky Center on St. Thomas. The first seminar is titled Credit: A Key to Empowering Personal Life and Your Business. It is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14. The second is titled ABCs of Small Business Loans. It will be held on Wednesday, May 21. While the seminars are free, pre-registration is required. Call the SBDC at 776-2306 to pre-register of for more information.

CELL Notes ...

One-Day PowerPoint Workshop
Set for May 29 on St. Croix

UVI's Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (CELL) Center will hold a one-day workshop for individuals interested in building presentations with the Microsoft PowerPoint application. The workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, on UVI's St. Croix campus. Participants will gain the skills needed to create effective presentations, choose effective design elements, add special effects and deliver web-based presentations. For details or to register call 693-1100 or visit UVI-CELL online at http://cell.uvi.edu.