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New and Updated Items…
UVI Board OKs FY 2013-14 Appropriation Request; Discusses Increasing Enrollment and Retention
Trustees voted to request an appropriation of $27,417,712 from the Government of the Virgin Islands for fiscal year 2013-2014. In his presentation to the Board, Finance and Budget Committee Chairman Edward E. Thomas said that his committee was proposing the appropriation request “reluctantly,” as it is $1.4 million less than UVI's current budget, but met the expenditure ceiling set by the VI Government's Office of Management and Budget. In a lengthy President's Report, Dr. David Hall focused largely on enrollment and retention challenges at UVI. A news release with details on these topics and other actions taken by the Board of Trustees is available from the UVI homepage – http://www.uvi.edu – and from this direct link.
Bucs Take Homecoming Victory, Downing Central Bayamon 94-75
UVI’s Buccaneers men’s basketball squad clinched a convincing 94-75 home coming game win over Central Bayamon on Saturday, March 9. Following that, both the Bucs and Lady Bucs traveled to Puerto Rico on Sunday to play rescheduled games against Metropolitan University. The Buccaneers dropped their game 86-63, while the Lady Bucs fell 60-41. That was the final game of the regular LAI league for the season. The Bucs season record is 4-6, with the Lady Bucs record at 0-7.
See team photos, headshots and more coverage on the Bucs’ Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UVIBucs.
SGA to Host St. Croix Campus Shadow Our Students Program on March 13
The Student Government Association on UVI’s Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix will host its seventh annual SOS (Shadow Our Students) Program on Wednesday, March 13. The program is designed to enhance UVI's recruitment efforts and build mentoring relationships between UVI students and graduating seniors in the local high schools.
This year’s theme is "SOS: SWAGG (Students With A Greater Goal) Edition." The goal is to inspire those in attendance to transition from good to great. The program will highlight “SOS Alumni” who have made a significant impact at UVI and in the wider community and the many successes they have attained. The presenter will be Stan Pearson II, a salsa-dancing, Spanish-speaking presenter who uses comedy, interactive activities and real-life, easy-to-apply expertise to connect to his audience. He has spoken in more than 40 states in the U.S., Mexico, the British Virgin Islands and Canada. His presentations are designed to connect, entertain and educate everyone regardless of race, cultural or socio-economic backgrounds.
For details, contact SGA President Kevin Dixon, at Dixon_Kevin@live.com or call (340) 692-4191, or SOS Program Coordinator Raydiance Watts-Clarke, at Ray_Clarke6@live.com or call at (301) 204-6080. Information is also available from Student Activities Supervisor/SGA Advisor Hedda Finch-Simpson at (340) 692-4228.
UVI Town Hall Meeting on Proposed Budget Reductions Set for March 14
UVI President Dr. David Hall will host a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the University’s response to the most recent proposed budget reductions facing the University at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 14. He will also solicit ideas from the community about how to address the proposed $1.4 million reduction to the University’s Fiscal Year 2014 appropriations.
The meeting will be hosted from Chase Auditorium (B-110), with videoconference access in the following locations
· St. Croix – Great Hall
· St. John – St. John Academic Center Room 103
· St. Thomas – Administration and Conference Center Room 303 (additional meeting room)
Dr. Hall will also discuss the budget situation at the Faculty Executive Committee meeting, also on Thursday, March 14. He encouraged faculty to attend either one or both meetings, and staff to attend the Town Hall Meeting if work schedules and responsibilities permit.
UVI Charter Day Ceremony Set March 15; UVI Community Invited
UVI will celebrate its annual Charter Day with a ceremony on Friday, March 15. Students, faculty, staff and the community are invited to join as UVI celebrates its 51st anniversary. The ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. via videoconference in the first-floor conference room of the Administration and Conference Center on the St. Thomas campus and the North West Wing’s Great Hall on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. This year’s theme is “Our Journey to Greatness.” It will focus on building upon UVI’s solid foundation, developed over the past fifty years, which has positioned the institution to expand its commitment to enhancing the lives of the people of the Virgin Islands and the wider Caribbean.
A panel of distinguished alumni and friends of the University will discuss the positive foundation they gained from UVI, how that foundation transferred to success in their present positions and achievements, and the role each of us can take to help UVI on “Our Journey to Greatness.” Panelists will include UVI Rhodes Scholar I. Quincy Quinlan, Kurt Vialet, Aimee Sanchez and Deputy Marshall Kwesi Howard.
There will be displays of the scholarly activities of students and faculty, and the work of various University components on display prior to the ceremony – beginning at 9 a.m. In addition there will be presentations on the Historic Publication and Time Capsule as a culmination of the 50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee.
The Charter Day ceremony will be preceded by the 12th Annual Queen Mary 5K Walk/Run at 6 a.m. from Sunshine Mall in Frederiksted to the Albert A. Sheen Campus. The 2013 Charter Day Committee is co-chaired by Dr. Gloria Callwood and Dr. Bernard Castillo. The 5K Walk/Run is chaired by Nereida Washington, director of Campus Operations on St. Croix.
GERS to Launch New Self-Service Module for Members
The VI Government Employees Retirement System (GERS) has announced plans to launch a new online member self-service module to provide secure access to member data in GERS files. It also provides access to downloadable forms and applications, viewing annuity check stubs and more. Demonstrations in advance of the March 15 launch are planned on St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix on the following schedule:
· St. Thomas – Monday, March 11 – in the first-floor Tech Center at the GERS Complex
· St. John – Wednesday, March 13 – at the St. John Administrator's Office in Cruz Bay
· St. Croix – Thursday, March 14 – at the GERS Complex in Orange Grove
For more information call the GERS Member Services Division at (340) 776-7703 on St. Thomas or the (340) 718-5480 on St. Croix.
Cooperative Extension, VI Energy Office Plan Energy Conservation Workshops for St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John
The University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and the VI Energy Office invite all St. Croix, St. Thomas and John residents to participate Energy Conservation Workshop planned in the observance of “Energy Education Week.” The workshops are scheduled as follows:
· St. Croix – 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 19 – in Research and Extension Center Room 133 on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix
· St. Thomas – 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 20, in the Small Business Development Center’s Training Facility at Nisky Center on St. Thomas
· St. John – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, March 21, at UVI's St. John Academic Center in Cruz Bay.
For more information on St. Thomas, call Carlos Robles at (340) 693-1080 or send email to crobles@live.uvi.edu. For details on St. Croix or St. John call Carmen Wesselholft-Hendrington at (340) 693-1587 or send email to cwessel@live.uvi.edu.
11th Annual St. Croix Spring Student Research Symposium on March 23rd
The College of Science and Mathematics invites the UVI community and the general public to attend the 11th Annual Spring Student Research Symposium. The symposium will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, in UVI’s Great Hall on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix.
The goal of the symposium is to showcase student research conducted with faculty at UVI and other institutions. UVI hosts students during the summer to conduct research at both campuses, but many students travel off-island to institutions like Boston University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Western Michigan University, University of Puerto Rico, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Johns Hopkins University, Michigan State University, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Texas A&M University. Approximately 30 undergraduate and graduate students will be making poster presentations to display the results of their research experiences.
The symposium is a collaborative effort between the Emerging Caribbean Scientists (ECS) Program and the College of Science and Mathematics. The mission of the ECS Program is to increase research training and promote excellence for students majoring in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), psychology and nursing at UVI. The program provides opportunities for student research through funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information visit the program’s website at http://ecs.uvi.edu. For more details about the symposium, contact Dr. Velma Tyson on St. Croix (vtyson@uvi.edu, (340) 692-4157) or Aimee Sanchez on St. Thomas (aimee.sanchez@uvi.edu, (340) 693-1249).
Commencement 2013 Notes…
Deadline for Students to Apply for UVI Spring Graduation March 15
UVI students who are prospective 2013 spring semester graduates must make a formal application to graduate by March 15, 2013. Applications are submitted online using the University’s BanWeb records system. To apply, login in to www.mycampus.uvi.edu. On the myCampus home page, select the BanWeb link, then the Students tab. Click on the Student Records link to find the Online Registration link. The graduation fee of $75 must be paid online. The fee covers the cost of the diploma, cap and gown. For more information, please call the Registrar's Office at (340) 693-1160 or the Associate Registrar at (340) 692-4103.
Deadline for Ordering Commencement Regalia Set for March 18 on St. Thomas Campus
UVI faculty and professional staff on the St. Thomas campus are reminded that the deadline to place orders for commencement regalia is March 18. The deadline for graduating students to be measured for their regalia is also March 18. The St. Thomas campus UVI Bookstore has announced that, in addition to accepting regalia orders, it has an inventory of used regalia for sale. For more information visit the Bookstore or call (340) 693-1560.
St. Croix Bookstore Commencement Regalia Deadline Set for March 18
UVI faculty and professional staff on the St. Croix campus are reminded that the deadline to place orders for commencement regalia is March 18. For more information visit the Bookstore or call (340) 692-4162. An Express Mail delivery fee will be charged for orders placed after March 18.
Other Current Items…
Center for Spirituality and Professionalism to Host Ethics Workshops at UVI March 12 and 13
UVI’s Center for the Study of Spirituality and Professionalism (CSAP) will present a half-day ethics workshops titled “Resolving Ethical Issues in the Workplace” at UVI on March 12, on St. Thomas, and on March 13, on St. Croix. The workshops will feature the following panel: Attorneys Tamika Archer and Carol Jacobs, UVI education professor Dr. Nancy Morgan, UVI Vice President for Administration and Finance Shirley Lake-King and entrepreneur, consultant and performing artist Claudette Hinds-Young.
The sessions will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the first-floor conference room of the UVI Administration and Conference Center on St. Thomas and in a room to be determined on the Alfred A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. Participants should register online by Wednesday, March 6, using the CSAP website, which is available from the Communities tab of the UVI homepage – http://www.uvi.edu – and from this direct link.
Information is also available from the CSAP’s Dr. Wendy V. Coram at (340) 693-1499 or csap@live.uvi.edu.
UVI’s MBA Comprehensive Exam Set for April 5 on Both Campuses; Application Deadline is March 15
The University of the Virgin Islands Spring 2013 Master of Business Administration (MBA) Comprehensive Exam is scheduled to be administered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, April 5, simultaneously on the St. Thomas and Albert A. Sheen campuses. Exam locations are Teacher Education Room 103 on St. Thomas and Evans Center Room 405 on St. Croix.
Students who plan to take the exam must complete and submit an Application Petition by March 15. All information needed to prepare for the examination – including the Application Petition – is accessible through the MBA Program’s Blackboard site. Students should direct any questions to School of Business, MBA Program Director Dr. Utha Williams – at uwillia@live.uvi.edu.
Last Call for Submissions for UVI 50th Anniversary Time Capsules; Deadline March 29
The Time Capsule Subcommittee of UVI’s Golden Jubilee Committee has issued a last call for submissions of historical items for inclusion in time capsules that will mark the University's first 50 years. The committee is also seeking letters from students, staff, faculty and alumni describing what they think UVI will be like in 50 years. There will be time capsules placed on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. Please submit items and/or letters for inclusion in the time capsules by March 29, 2013, to Raquel Silver at rsantia@live.uvi.edu or call (340) 692- 4061. The time capsules will be capped later this year, not to be opened for 50 years – in 2062.
UVI’s Global Leaders Institute Expands Offerings, Gets New Name; Application Deadline April 2
The University of the Virgin Islands’ popular Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders in the Caribbean enters its 18th year with a brand new name, a wider array of opportunities and an expanded audience.
The new name is the Global Institute for Leadership and Management Development or GILMD. “The name change reflects our determination to expand the program to involve a wider array of participants and to offer programs at any time, instead of being restricted only to summer programs,” said GILMD Director Dr. Gabriel Ogunmokun. “The institute’s expanding focus also allows us to offer courses in both leadership and management, not just in leadership.”
Applications are now being accepted for the Institute’s traditional Certificate in Global Leadership Development Course that is scheduled for May 13 to 27, on UVI’s St. Thomas campus. The course has been expanded to admit professionals involved in all aspects of the general workforce, in addition to college graduate and undergraduate students, as in the past. The deadline to apply is April 2. Details are available in a news release on the UVI homepage – http://www.uvi.edu – and from this direct link.
Miss UVI Competition Set for April 6 on St. Croix
The 33rd Miss UVI Ambassadorial Competition is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, at the St. Croix Educational Complex. Miss UVI pre-pageant interviews will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 24, at UVI’s Great Hall on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. The candidates are St. Thomas student Murchtricia Charles, a sophomore majoring in mathematics and computational biology, and St. Croix students Estella Obando and Denicia Suarz, both of whom are nursing majors.
UVI Sets English Proficiency Exam Set for St. Croix, St. Thomas on April 11
UVI’s English Proficiency Exam (EPE) will be administered on April 11 at UVI.
On the St. Thomas campus the EPE will be given in Rooms 223, 224 and 225 of the Sports and Fitness Center. The exam begins at 8 a.m. Students should bring blue or black ink pens, and a dictionary in hard copy, and white out, if needed. For more information, contact English Proficiency Exam Coordinator Dr. Vincent Cooper at (340) 693-1351 or vcooper@uvi.edu.
On the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix the EPE will be given in Rooms 302, 303, 305 and 308 of the Evans Center. Students should be seated with photo IDs by 8:30 a.m. For more information, contact Professor Valerie Combie at (340) 692-4126 or vcombie@live.uvi.edu.
VIUCEDD Plans Annual Autism Conference for April 17 and 18 at UVI
The Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD) will conduct the Virgin Islands’ 6th Annual Autism Conference on April 17, on St. Thomas, and April, 18, on St. Croix. Dr. Georgina Peacock, a medical officer and developmental-behavioral pediatrician at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be the keynote speaker.
The conference, which is offered in collaboration with the Virgin Islands Autism Network, will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. On St. Thomas it will take place in the UVI Administration and Conference Center. On St. Croix it will be held in the Great Hall on the Albert A. Sheen Campus. Early registration is available online by visiting http://autism.viucedd.org. For more information call (340) 692-4266 or send email to slouis@live.uvi.edu.
UVI Community Invited to Website Committee Content Meetings
Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend a series of meetings to collaboratively share ideas for the next generation of the UVI website. The Website Content and Layout Subcommittee will meet weekly to develop content outlines for the gateways and non-departmental sections of the new website. Sessions and the planned areas of focus are:
· March 15 – UVI homepage
· March 22 – Prospective Students gateway
· April 5 – Parents, Families & Community gateway
· April 12 – Educators & Guidance Counselors gateway
· April 19 – Research section
· April 23 – Access & Enrollment Services section
· May 3 – Academics section
· May 10 – Community Services section
· May 17 – Student Life section
All meetings will begin at 10 a.m. in the library conference rooms on both campuses. Upon request, video conferencing is available to the St. John Academic Center. For more information about the new UVI website, visit the Website Management webpage in the Public Relations section of the UVI website – www.uvi.edu – or email mpinket@uvi.edu.
Human Resources Office New Hires/Separations List Available for February 2013
The UVI Human Resources Department has released the University's New Hires, Promotions and Separations report for Feb. 1-28, 2013. The list is available to the UVI community via the HR Document Library on the HR/Benefits page of UVI’s myCampus web portal – http://mycampus.uvi.edu – and from this direct link.
UVI Employees Reminded to Keep Track of ‘10,000 Steps’ Progress Online; Signup Remains Open
UVI employees participating in the “Just Walk – 10,000 Steps A Day” wellness program are reminded to log their daily step totals into the dedicated 10,000 Steps website hosted by CIGNA, the V.I. Government’s health insurance provider. Watch for other 10,000 Steps promotional walks on both St. Croix and St. Thomas and feel free to join in.
Registration for the program remains open until March 22. Anyone interested in joining should visit this website click the link http://www.cornerstonefitness.com/uvi-viport/10ksteps.html to sign-up online. UVI Physical Plant and Security employees can register on paper at their department offices. All other employees must register online.
More information and the link to the online signup page are available from the Human Resources section of the UVI website – http://www.uvi.edu – and from this direct link. For more information contact Veda Richards at (340) 693-1429 or send email to veda.richards@uvi.edu.