Successful events this week!

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Linda

ITS: hosted two successful events this week (week of May 2, 2016): The open house at 818 N. Tejon (better known as LindaLand) on May 2 and the student “Thank you!” on May 3.

With the open house, folks across campus had an opportunity to view ITS:’s new space by touring the whole house and mixing and mingling with the ITS: staff that work there, as well as many of our ITS: colleagues that reside in other campus locations.  People seemed to really like the new space and were surprised at how light and bright the building is.  And of course, everyone loved the treats that were provided:

Adjusted pic - Note on white board - 5-2-16

 

At our student “Thank you!” event, we wanted a little more of a laid back vibe (Who needs the stress of an official function during Block 8?), so we showed “The Lego Movie” and provided Lego blocks for everyone to play with.  We even had an opportunity for students to win complete Lego sets!  Everyone seemed relaxed as they chatted with each other, watched the movie, munched on pizza and treats, and built interesting things with their blocks.

Adjusted pic - Student event on 5-3-16

 

Celebrating with our campus colleagues and our valuable student workers was a great way to cap off a busy and productive school year!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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TED O’clock – Try Something New for 30 Days – April 22, 2016

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Linda

Weston facilitated today’s TED O’clock discussion based on Matt Cutts’ talk entitled, “Try Something New for 30 Days.”  A few of the takeaways from the discussion that followed were:

  1. Time becomes more memorable when you have something that you are focusing on.
  2. An individual’s confidence can grow when accomplishing the task of doing something for 30 days.
  3. Anyone can do almost anything for 30 days.
  4. By making small, sustainable changes over the course of 30 days, it makes it easier for those changes to stick (for example, if you are trying to start or quit a habit).
  5. This is something anyone can do on their own; you don’t need to be held to someone else’s schedule or needs to do this.
  6. However, this does have applications for groups of people who would like to accomplish something similar or work on a project together (the idea was suggested that ITS: could have blockly projects within our own division where several division teammates get together to accomplish a common goal in 30 days).
  7. Weston offered to be a buddy for anyone who wanted to set a task for themselves for 30 days by following up with the person to see how they are doing.  Please reach out to Weston directly if you would like to take him up on his offer!

Other ideas generated during the session included starting an ITS: book club, an ITS: laugh club (where people gather just to laugh together), and an ITS: picture-taking challenge (where those who want to participate take a picture a day on campus and share it with others…if you are interested in participating, because those in attendance decided they wanted to do this, and don’t have access to the One Drive site Chad started for this purpose, please let me know).

Weston even shared the idea of standing in a superhero stance for two minutes once a day for 30 days (it has been proven that standing this way helps improve confidence).  Here is his version:

Weston's superhero stance!

Weston’s superhero stance!

Thank you, Weston, for facilitating this TED O’clock talk!  If anyone else has suggestions for a TED talk we should watch and would like to lead the discussion, please let me know!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Compassion Works

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Linda

Hi everyone,

I recently read a great article in Mindful magazine called “Compassion Works,” which focuses on why it is good to care for others we work with (good for you, them, and our work community).  It’s a short read, so I thought I’d share it with all of you.

I’d be interested in knowing what you think!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Minutes from the March 30, 2016, Division Meeting

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Linda

Here are the minutes from the March 30, 2016, division meeting:

In December, we discussed team members taking turns interviewing each other and sharing summaries at division meetings.  For our first interview, Angie shared her summary about Randy Babb.  Brian will conduct the next interview and present his summary at the next division meeting.

Kudos were shared.  We tried something a little new this time, with team members not only spontaneously sharing kudos at the meeting, but sending them to Linda in advance so that they can be read at the meeting.  Linda received two kudos in advance and read them at the meeting.

Brian briefly shared a couple of additional thoughts about ITS:’s workplace survey results, specifically about the new questions that appeared on the survey in 2015 and how to better interpret the numbers in the results.  He will be sending the survey results presentation to everyone after the meeting.  Team members are welcome to ask Brian questions or meet with him to discuss the results.

Vish led a negotiation skills exercise and shared tips for negotiating, as well as what characteristics make a good negotiator.  The information he shared came from a class he participated in at the end of 2015.

As a follow-up to the workplace survey discussion, Brian shared a set of questions created by Gallup to gauge a person’s satisfaction with their workplace and teammates.  As there will be three years before the next college-wide workplace survey takes place, Brian proposed that ITS: take the Gallup survey annually to keep updated on how things are going with the team.  Those in attendance at the meeting agreed that this was a good idea.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

Thank you, Angie, for your notes!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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TED O’clock – Got a meeting? Take a walk. – from March 25, 2016

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Linda

We had our very first guest TED O’clock leader today…it was Chad Schonewill!  Chad showed the talk by Nilofer Merchant titled “Got a meeting?  Take a walk.”  Here were a few of the key takeaways from the discussion that followed:

  1. Sitting all day is bad for your health.
  2. You can take care of your health and your obligations if you do creative things like meeting while going for a walk.
  3. Meeting while walking can provide an opportunity for fresh, out-of-the box thinking.
  4. The weather is getting nicer now (other than the occasional blizzard), so the idea and practice of meeting and walking will be easier.
  5. When Chad had more individual meetings, he implemented this practice of meeting and walking.  For many, the walking greatly improved the interaction, as the other participant was more engaged.  In no case did the meeting and walking make the meeting worse.
  6. Some felt that walking, or at least standing, helped them to be more creative in certain circumstances.
  7. While it can be more complicated to meet and walk with multiple people, perhaps having standing meetings with the group could help.
  8. Meeting and walking can help get the basement dwellers out of the basement and into some sunlight and fresh air.
  9. Stand-up or sit-to-stand desks were also discussed in the effort to do more standing/walking throughout the day.  Talk with your supervisor if you have an interest in having this option available to you.

Please let me know if you have any additions or corrections to the above.

A big “Thank you!” to Chad for leading the discussion today!  If you have a TED talk you’d like to lead, please let me know.  We’ll get you on the list of leaders (I have leaders for the next two talks!) for mid to late summer.

Thanks to all of you who came to this talk…I hope to see you and anyone else who is interested for block 8’s TED O’clock talk!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Minutes from the February 24, 2016, ITS:Division Meeting

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Linda

Here are the minutes from the February 24, 2016 division meeting:

Agenda

  • President Jill Tiefenthaler visit
  • Kudos – everyone
  • ITS: and Information Technology distinction for internal and external communications – Brian
  • ITS: Interview – Angie will be sharing her summary about Randy Babb (postponed from January’s meeting)
  • Other business – everyone

Brian started the meeting and Tulio, as the Staff Council representative, introduced President Jill Tiefenthaler.

Jill thanked ITS: for the following: 1) being a leader in innovation on campus, 2) the network and Banner upgrades, 3) AV’s support at last-minute events, and 4) helping with faculty/staff IT skills development.

Jill also shared that we will break ground on the east housing complex in May. The Tutt Library renovation is moving forward with fundraising  and within $3 million of the goal. Admissions received nearly 8,000 applications, and the anticipated acceptance rate will be between 15-16%. The new comprehensive campaign goal is $200-$250 million, with $90 million raised in the first year to year-and-a-half.

Jill answered questions and asked for feedback.

Brian spoke about the ITS: and Information Technology distinction for internal and external communications. In following CC’s master communication plan, our division will be referred to as the Office of Information Technology to external audiences and ITS: internally. There is a template on the Communications’ website that can be used to update your email signature to the preferred format.

Due to time restraints, the remaining items will be shared at future division meetings.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

Thank you, Angie!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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TED O’clock on February 19, 2016 – The Power of Introverts

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Linda

In this edition of TED O’clock, we watched Susan Cain discuss “The Power of Introverts.”  Here were a few takeaways from the discussion that followed:

1) We need to make sure we are accommodating a wide range of needs when designing spaces or scheduling meetings (not just for introverts, but for all people) and that may or may not be happening enough (for example, will the new library accommodate the need for quiet and privacy, as well as the need to collaborate?).

2) When scheduling meetings, it might be helpful to assign “homework” prior to the meeting, so that individual brainstorming (something introverts often like as it can be done in quiet) can be done in advance and then team collaboration can happen at the meeting.

3) Susan Cain wrote a book on this topic called, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking.”  We will be getting a copy of it for the ITS: library (located in Angie Bardsley’s office in 818 N. Tejon).

As an FYI from the last discussion topic, we have acquired the book “How to Say Anything to Anyone” by Shari Harley.  It is now in the ITS: library (still in Angie’s office).

Please let me know if you have corrections or additions to what was discussed.

We’ll be meeting again in block seven, so look for that invitation in the coming weeks!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Congratulations, Jessica!

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Linda

Jessica Badgeley, our GIS paraprofessional, has some exciting news to share:

The University of Washington in Seattle accepted me to be a graduate student in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) on a PhD track. As one of the most prestigious programs for studying the cryosphere (the world of ice), ESS collaborates closely with Oceanography, Atmospheric Sciences, and the Program of Climate Change. I will be working with Dr. Eric Steig in ESS and Dr. Greg Hakim in Atmospheric Sciences to use ice core-derived precipitation information and climate models of the past 12,000 years to reconstruct the past Greenland Ice Sheet extent. This work is highly collaborative across universities and disciplines and is important for forecasting sea level rise from ice sheet melting as Earth’s climate warms.

Congratulations, Jessica; ITS: wishes you the very best on your new adventure!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Minutes from the January 27, 2016 ITS:Division Meeting

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Linda

Below are the notes from the January 27, 2016 division meeting:

Agenda

  • Paul Kuerbis – Ombudsperson to introduce himself and talk a little about the ombuds office
  • Budget – Brian
  • ITS: Interview – Angie will be sharing her summary about Randy Babb
  • Negotiation Training Overview – Vish will share what he learned at a recent training class he went to, as well as conduct a group activity
  • Other Business — Everyone

1) Brian introduced Paul Kuerbis.

Paul gave a brief history of ombuds. As the ombudsperson, Paul reports to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. His services are available to every staff member. He is not a formal reporting avenue, nor does he perform investigations.

The ombud’s principles are confidential, informal, independent and neutral. More details about the principles and the ombuds office services can be found in the ombuds office brochure. Angie has copies if you’d like one or you are welcome to contact Paul for a copy (ombuds@coloradocollege.edu).

Paul’s office is currently located in Tutt Library #212. He will have a new location once the library renovations start.

2) Brian noted that he’s been asked budget-related questions in the staff one-on-one meetings.

Due to campus contingency funds being unavailable this fiscal year, ITS: needed to pay back part of the $1.4 million invested in the network upgrade during the last fiscal year (2014-2015).  The $917,000 that was to be added to the ITS: operating budget (beginning in 2015-2016 and to continue in an ongoing basis) was used to do this (minus a small portion that was used to create a position within the division).

For the 2016-2017 fiscal year, there is a potential that half of the additional $917,000 could be used for a payback to cover part of the approximately $1 million spent on the network upgrade in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.  This would occur only if there are no campus contingency funds available.

Endowment funds are not available for use.  Brian will provide updates about the budget process and what funds ITS: will have in the coming fiscal year as they become available.

3) Due to time running out, the remaining items will be shared at future division meetings.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

Thank you, Angie, for taking great notes!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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TED O’clock on January 22, 2016 – Dare to Disagree

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Linda

On January 22, 2016, ITS: gathered once again for TED O’clock, this time watching Margaret Heffernan’s talk, “Dare to Disagree.”  Here were some of the comments from the discussion that followed:

1) We need to become more afraid of silence than conflict.
2) Creating an open, safe environment is just the beginning.
3) People that disagree well see conflict as thinking.
4) You need to be prepared to change your mind in a meeting; you can’t just go into it planning only to defend your position.
5) We need to learn to appreciate the risk takers among us.
6) There is productive and unproductive conflict.
7) Debriefing after a conflict can help.
8) We need to work on separating the argument from the person.
9) Many people often take conflict personally.
10) Meetings can be better with conflict.
11) It is difficult to be in meetings with people that create conflict just to create conflict.  It is hard in those meetings to know what to say and not be considered insubordinate.
12) Excel@CC’s “The Great Communicator” class talks about conflict, so would be a good resource for those looking for more information.  I have a copy of Shari Harley’s book, How to Say Anything to Anyone, on order to arrive later this week (she is the facilitator of “The Great Communicator” class).

Please let me know if I missed any comment, suggestion, or question.

Also, please let me know if you have a TED talk that should be featured with TED O’clock.  We can add it to the list and you can lead the discussion!  This isn’t just my thing…this is for everyone in ITS:!  Please help to make this a great half hour once a block for everyone!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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