Dear Service Professional Colleagues,

As you know NAU is changing faster than ever.  If your days are like mine, you find very little time to take a breath and reflect on all the activity.  This newsletter as well as other SPAC activities are an attempt to synthesize information that may be relevant or interesting to Service Professionals at NAU.  SPAC is an organization dedicated to keeping up on current issues, initiatives, and happenings.  You’ll find the results from our 2010 survey posted on the SPAC website – take a look!  This Spring – we’ll host two exciting Brown Bag sessions, recognize a leader on campus with our SPAC Leadership award, clean up our adopted avenue, and host our annual meeting/mixer.

If you are interested in participating in SPAC –watch for a call for new member nominations that will be coming out soon.

Best,

Terri Hayes, Chair
Service Professional Advisory Council

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All employees are welcome to attend SPAC Brown Bag discussions.  Bring your lunch, connect with colleagues and learn something new!

“You Drive Me Crazy! Why?”  True Colors

Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2011, Noon to 1:00pm
Presented by: Deidre E. Crawley, Assistant Director, Civic Service Institute
Location: Pattea Conference Room, Blome (Bldg. #2)

This workshop will help to answer the above question in a positive way.  Come and join Deidre Crawley and learn how True Colors can help you learn why people do the things they do and to understand and appreciate the diversity of our fellow human beings. 

True Colors is a lighthearted, but well researched communication tool that can help you understand yourself and others in a safe environment.  It is a tool that can assist service professionals to have more effective leadership and teamwork in the workplace.

Navigating the Maze of Diversity in the Workplace

Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2011, Noon to 1:00pm
Presented by: Jennie Marie Durán, J.D., The Center for International Education
Location: Pattea Conference Room, Blome (Bldg. #2)

Come and join Jennie Marie Durán, J.D. and learn how to navigate the complex realm of diversity.  Unintentional or not, actions may have legal ramifications.  This brown bag lunch will not only be interactive but also provide you with hypothetical scenarios to give you the insight and the know-how to become a more educated and knowledgeable supervisor about diversity issues and concerns.

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NAU is a community with a wealth of amazing employees and it is time to recognize those leaders on our campus.  Every year SPAC recognizes one Service Professional who exemplifies outstanding leadership qualities.   We are looking for someone who contributes in two or more of the following areas:

• Creativity in leadership

• Going above and beyond the usual assignments

• Outstanding efforts on behalf of the University

• Significant outcomes from leadership in projects, events, committees, or other areas

• Excels as a role model and mentor for others

• Demonstrates involvement with students and programs

• Demonstrates outstanding service to the University or community

If you know of someone who fits these criteria, we encourage you to nominate him or her for this award. It’s a great way to recognize someone who is making a difference in the campus community. Nominations for the SPAC Leadership Award are being accepted through April 4, 2011:  Nomination Form  The award recipient will be recognized at the SPAC Annual Mixer on April 21, 2011.

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Both the full (raw) and the coded results of the 2010 SPAC Service Professionals Survey are now available from our homepage: Raw Results Coded Results

Many thanks to SPAC member Kelly Harris for all of her hard work coding the results!

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Paul Wagner is a homegrown Northern Arizona University Service Professional. 

Paul came to NAU as a freshman in 1992.  Since then, he has completed his undergraduate degree in Business Management, earned his MBA, and is currently an Academic Computing Team Lead in ITS. He has worked for NAU for over 15 years.

In a nutshell, Paul is responsible for many aspects of student technology services on campus. His team, ITS’s Student Technology Center, manages the 24x7 Help Desk; ResNet support; a computer drop-off center, where his team fixes students’ computer issues; the 14 ITS computer labs on the mountain campus, most of which are open 24 hours per day; the Google Apps for Education student e-mail system; and many other student services pertaining to students’ use of technology at NAU.  Being a self-proclaimed “gadget guy,” Paul’s knowledge and enthusiasm is perfectly suited for his current position.  I marveled at the scope of Paul’s work and asked him how he does it.  With genuine humility, Paul responded, “I have an incredible team.” With the various round-the-clock services his team provides, he notes that scheduling is critical: in addition to five full-time staff, Paul’s team employs about 40 student workers.  Paul says “seeing things through students’ eyes lends a fresh perspective to any situation.”

Read more...

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