Letter from the Chair
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My Dear Service Professional Colleagues,
Another academic year is upon us. I’d like to say a few words here
on behalf of your colleagues on the Service Professional Advisory
Council (SPAC).
We know you’re out there occupying unique positions within the NAU
community and providing services that are critical to the university
mission. Perhaps you are the only service professional in your unit.
Perhaps it just seems that way. You might be surprised to learn
there are over 500 service professionals at NAU.
As our mission statement states, SPAC is dedicated to advocating for
service professionals. This year, part of our advocacy involves a
concerted effort of outreach to all service professionals. If you’re
new to NAU, a SPAC member will be knocking on your door to say
welcome and to introduce you to the SPAC mission. If you’re an old
hand, we hope you’ll let us know when you have a question or a
concern.
For both new and seasoned service professionals, I encourage you to
participate in our online survey which will be distributed November
5. We conduct surveys biennially to
solicit input from all service professionals. The results of the
survey guide SPAC advocacy efforts and help us design workshops that
meet your professional needs.
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So, I encourage you to view SPAC as the advocacy agent it is. I
invite you to attend the monthly SPAC meetings (date/time/locations
are posted on our website at
www.nau.edu/spac.). Stay in touch. Let us know what’s on your
mind. You can reach us by e-mail at
Ask-SPAC@nau.edu or you can call me directly at 523-8927.
Sincerely,
Tom Carpenter
SPAC Chair and
Director of Graduate Admissions and Services |
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SPEED Project - Inn at NAU Renovation
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The Inn at NAU will be renovated as part of NAU's $170 million
share of the
SPEED project. The renovation team has been selected and the
work has begun on what will be an exciting new chapter of student service from
the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management.
The team is working with architects
and the construction company to implement their vision of a "homey, comfortable
space" that includes the retention of the living room and dining area for
student space and a place to have fireside chats with students and industry
partners. The plans also include two large, 60-seat classrooms and a new demo
kitchen
complete with windows that will allow prospective students to see what's going
on without disrupting classes. |
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Service Professional Spotlight
Steve Saville, Business Development Director, The
Lumberjack Student Newspaper
“Trying to harness the creative energy of over a hundred really sharp NAU
students is a challenge I compare to trying to herd cats!”
Steve Saville has been inspiring students in the Student Media Center in the
School of Communications for the past three years. As an NAU alum, he is
often reminded of the tremendous experiences he received as a sales rep for
The Lumberjack student newspaper 25 years ago.
“I was able to enter into my career with an edge over the competition from
the invaluable lessons I learned by working on The Lumberjack, and to this
day, I still draw from those experiences.”
More... |
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And the Survey says…
You asked and SPAC Delivered
It’s survey time again! The 2008 Service
Professional survey will be opened November 5 and the Service Professional Advisory Council (SPAC) is again asking for your input.
In 2006, SPAC distributed a survey encouraging your input on issues you deemed important. As a result of your response, SPAC quantified your needs and delivered the following results:
- In response to your interest in seeing a conflict
resolution service implemented on campus, SPAC and CSAC formed the
Alternative Dispute Resolution committee. The committee conducted a
needs assessment and recommended the reinstatement of the Ombuds office.
The recommendation was approved and is currently on the list of
university priorities when funding becomes available.
- SPAC hosted the 2006 employee development
conference, "Mountains of Possibilities" and was involved in the
cooperative effort of the 2007 conference, "Sustaining Ourselves, Our
Work, Our World," providing professional development opportunities in
areas such as supervisory skills, personal growth and university
business.
- Based on positive feedback, SPAC continued to
host the highly successful Brown Bag Lunch series, and presented on
strategic planning, maintaining a positive atmosphere in the workplace,
diversity, sustainability, and several other topics.
Let us know what is on your mind. You will be notified by email when the survey is available. Please take five minutes out of your busy schedule to respond to it. The survey results effectively direct the Council’s efforts to best serve your needs.
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SPAC Home page |
