Embedded Files
AUGUST 2022
AUGUST 2022
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Colleagues,
It is hard to believe that summer is about to come to a close and that students will be moving back to campus this weekend! I hope everyone had an opportunity to take time away from the office and refresh as we embark on the start of a new year!
On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with the incoming Resident Assistants as they were going through their orientation. Their enthusiasm and happiness to be back on campus were contagious and reminded me of the privilege that we all have to accompany all of our students in their academic journey. Thank you to Student Affairs for inviting me.
The Board of Trustees had a productive and successful retreat on campus on Friday August 12. Among other topics, the Board discussed the importance for the Board and the entire College to redouble our efforts for a Diverse, Equitable, Inclusive, and Just campus community. Cabinet members presented the College's high-level priorities for the coming year, in light of the challenges that institutions like us face in the current environment. We look forward to sharing those priorities with you at the next campus Town Hall.
Along with the exciting start of a new academic year, I am also delighted to announce that Dr. Andrew Coston has accepted our offer to join the Elms College community as our next Vice President of Student Affairs. He plans to start the week of October 3. Dr. Coston will come to the College from Gustavus Adolphus College, where he held the title of Assistant Dean of Students and Executive Director of the Center for Career Development. I am confident that he will be a great addition to the Elms due to his wide-ranging background and collaborative approach.
I would like to thank the search committee, co-chaired by Vice President Jon Scully and Professor Laura McNeil, for their hard work throughout the search process. I also want to thank the entire Elms community for taking the time out of your very busy schedules to meet the final candidates and offer your feedback. Your input was invaluable in determining who would be the best fit for our tight-knit community. I trust that you will join me in welcoming and onboarding Dr. Coston when he joins us. All of our success, both as individuals and as an institution, is dependent on how we work together as a team, something I feel we do quite well here at the Elms.
This is one of my favorite times of the year as we welcome new and returning students, making each other feel a part of one vibrant, nurturing, and inclusive learning community. I want to wish a happy and successful Academic Year to all the members of the Elms College family!
Harry E. Dumay, Ph.D., MBA
President
FUTURE ELMSNEWS
Submission pieces can be shared with the following department contacts:
Academic Affairs - Deb Methe
Admissions - Jenna Stolarik
Athletics - Sean Milbier
Finance - Katie Longley
HR - Cheryl Smith
Marketing - Megan Eischen
Student Affairs - Liz Newland
Institutional Advancement - Lynn Korza
The deadline for submissions is the third Friday of each month.
UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS
September 2 -Coffee Drop In/ Q&A-
Room BH110 or Zoom; 0:00am-10:00am https://elms.zoom.us/j/96217729122
September 3- Come From Away
8:30-10:30am
September 4- New Student Move In
8:30am-11:30am
September 5 - Elms Essentials
9:00am-7:00pm
September 6- Elms Essentials
8:00am-4:30pm
September 8- Work Study Job Fair
10:00am-2:00pm
September 12, 19 and 26- Hispanic Lay Ministry
5:30-9:30pm
September 16- Coffee Drop In/ Q&A-
Room BH110 or Zoom; 9:00am-10:00am https://elms.zoom.us/j/96217729122
September 22 & 29 21 Day Challenge for Racial Justice
12:00-1:30pm
September 23- Hall of Fame Induction Dinner
6:00-10:00pm
September 28 - Mass of the Holy Spirit
12:15pm
September 28- Opening Convocation
4:00-5:00pm
September 30- Coffee Drop In/ Q&A-
Room BH110 or Zoom; 9:00am-10:00am https://elms.zoom.us/j/96217729122
September 30- Innovation Challenge
9:30am-6:00pm
CAMPUS MINISTRY
Elms College hosted the St. Aloysius Youth Group in Devine Hall on July 29-31. The group traveled here from New Canaan, CT to participate in the Steubenville Youth Conference held at the MassMutual Center the last weekend in July. Staff members of Elms College greeted the group, helped them get set up in the Residence Hall, and gave a tour of the campus and St. Joseph Chapel. And Admissions gifted each member of the group with some Elms swag! #Elmshospitality
STUDENT AFFAIRS
A big thank you to all those who helped to make The Mercantile a great success for our students over the Spring 2022 semester! Whether you volunteered your time staffing it during lunch, donated items, or just raised awareness of The Mercantile among your students, we could not have done it without all of you.
For those new to Elms or who may not be aware, the Mercantile is a room for students to pick up school supplies and/or personal/household items at no charge. The Mercantile is located across from the Student Affairs office in Dooley (CC110). Scores of students used the Mercantile and were incredibly grateful for the items. If you have not had a chance to visit the Mercantile please stop in and take a look!
We would like to be fully stocked for the coming semester and wanted to share our wish list. Currently Staples, Target and Walmart are having their Back to School sales with lots of great deals on supplies.
Below is a list of our most needed items at the moment:
Spiral Notebooks
Legal Size Notepads
Loose Leaf Paper
Post it Notes
Two-Pocket Folders
Note Cards
Pens
Mechanical Pencils
Deodorant (Men's and Women's)
Shampoo
Conditioner
Natural Curly Hair Products
Feminine Product
Laundry Pods
Shaving Cream
Razors
Q-Tips
Small Packages of baby wipes
Body Wash
Toothpaste
Tooth Brushes
Quart Size Zip Lock Bags (we use these to separate items into smaller batches. Ex. Feminine products and laundry pods)
If you have anything that you would like to donate, please drop it off in the Student Affairs office. THANK YOU!
INNOVATION CHALLENGE
The 2022 Live Innovation Challenge final presentations will be held in Veritas Auditorium starting at 2:00pm on Friday, September 30! All 170+ first year students will be put into teams of 5-6 students to learn about design thinking, innovation, problem solving and teamwork. Students then pitch their innovative ideas LIVE! Student teams can win prize money and move forward with their innovation. If you have any questions, contact Amanda Garcia at garciaamanda@elms.edu or 413-265-2574.
Watch this exciting competition in Veritas Auditorium:
Friday, September 30, 2022
Final Presentations- 2:00pm-4:45pm
Judges Deliberations-4:45pm-5:00pm
Awards- 5:00pm-5:30pm
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
On August 11, the Office of Institutional Advancement/Alumni Engagement traveled to Cape Cod for the annual ‘Escape to the Cape’ luncheon event. About 40 alumni gathered together for a wonderful day at the Popponesset Inn in Mashpee. Alumni from the classes of 1961 to 2020, enjoyed lively conversation, dined on a delicious full course meal, received updates from President Dumay, and entered a drawing to win some fun raffle baskets. A great time was had by all!
Come join us for a Sweet Summer Social!
Faculty and staff are invited and encouraged to attend. Here is the link to register: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/6wuzsw?vid=ti0rr
EXCITING NEWS!
Elms College Awarded National Science Foundation Grant
Elms College is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $1.5 million over six years by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through an NSF S-STEM grant. The grant, Growing STEM Student Success through Scholarship and Community Building with Experiential Learning and Data Science, will provide need-based scholarships to at least 40 high-achieving First Year and Community College Transfer students in the STEM majors of Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Computer Information Technology and Security, and Mathematics.
Dr. Beryl Hoffman, professor of Computer Science and principal investigator, and Dr. Nina Theis, professor of Biology and co-principal investigator, designed the program to provide accessible STEM pathways for students. The program will provide scholarships, cohort-building experiences, faculty advising, career advising, peer mentoring/tutoring, individual student supports, and experiential learning such as research and internships enhanced by a strong community-engaged data science component to improve the retention, transfer, graduation, and success of low-income students.
The new grant builds on the success of a 2014 NSF S-STEM grant completed by Dr. Hoffman and Dr. Theis.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
For Faculty and Staff: 21 Day Challenge for Racial Justice
The Institutional Diversity Committee at Elms College has curated a 21-Day challenge for faculty and staff to enhance a deeper understanding of topics related to racial justice. This 3-week program runs from September 16-October 6, 2022 and will focus on three weekly themes: Historical Context of Race and Racism; Whiteness and Privilege; Steps Forward. Together with their peer accountability partner, each participant will be expected to review a series of selected articles, short videos and/or podcasts in a weekly sequence, inspired by Dr. Eddie Moore's 21 Day Challenge Partners will then come together each week for a Community Open Dialogue Workshop over lunch in the Faculty Dining Room. A Certificate of completion will be provided to participants present for all meetings.
Registration opens soon! Join us for the Kick off on Friday September 16 over zoom https://elms.zoom.us/j/98727166805
ATHLETICS
Our fall teams are set to begin their second season in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
Field Hockey opens up on the road at Castleton State University on 9/3 and starts conference play on 9/8 at Lasell University.
Women's Soccer kicks off the season at home vs Suffolk University, and jumps into conference play on 9/10 vs Emmanuel College on Leary Field.
Men's Soccer starts off on the road at Fitchburg State University on 9/1, and begins conference play at the University of St. Joseph's (CT) on 9/10.
Women's Volleyball gets back on the court on 9/1 when they host Rhode Island College at Picknelly Arena. The Blazers start conference play on 9/24 when they host a tri-match with Norwich University and St. Joseph's College (ME).
Golf tees off the 2022 season in Boston at the Emmanuel Invitational
You can find all team schedules, livestream and live-stats on our updated website ecblazers.com
MENTAL HEALTH
Mark your calendars for the monthly Faculty/Staff Mental Health Consultation Groups! The purpose of these consultation groups is to create a space to have an open, relaxed discussion about mental health related topics/situations here at Elms. Perhaps you have a situation that you're not sure how to navigate, or a student who may be struggling and you want to explore how you can be most helpful, etc.
This is an open group so any/all Elms faculty and staff are welcome to sign up at any given month. I hope to see you there!
Below are the dates/times for the academic year:
Thursday September 8th 12-1
Thursday October 6th 12-1
Thursday November 3rd
Thursday December 1st
Thursday March 2nd
Thursday April 6th
Thursday May 4th
Location: Wellness Center (15 Gaylord Street- Red brick house behind campus center)
Zoom Link: https://elms.zoom.us/j/92294684296
Also, the Counseling Center recently launched a digital self-help mental health toolkit located at the bottom of the Counseling Center website for any/all students, faculty and staff to access. If you have found a website, app, resource, or article that you found particularly helpful, please send any ideas to Nicole Sacco at saccon@elms.edu.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Welcome to new employees:
Robert Cross- Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
Valerie Boucher- Graduate Admissions Counselor
Claire Wright- Director of Student Engagement & Leadership
Jeffery Dupaul- Director of Facilities & Management and Operations
Evelyn DeVaux- Sports Information Director
Nicolas Critz - Assistant Athletic Trainer
Morgan Church-Assistant Director of Sports Medicine & Head Athletic Trainer
Claunton Kum- Graduate Assistant Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Sally-Lynn Brewster- Financial Aid Counselor
Jillian Perry- Alumni Engagement Specialist
Liam Liang- Helpdesk & Media Technical Support Technician
Danielle Johnson- Student Accounts Representative
Olga Torres- Academic Coordinator, Center for Equity in Urban Education
Maranda Carter- Graduate Assistant
Grace Onwuchekwa- Graduate Assistant
Best wishes to departing employees:
Maira Pantoja- Director of Residence Life
Andrew Mercado- Assistant Director of Campus Ministry
Bohdan Martin-Graduate Assistant Residence Life
Michelle Jarvis-Lettman- Director of Financial Aid
Heidi Mendes- Graduate Admissions Counselor
Imani Gladden- Admissions Counselor
Aneesah James- Graphic Designer
Matt Goulet- Senior Programmer/Analyst and DBA
Jessie Chenier-Health Center Director
Kayla Casamento-Cheer Coach
Congratulations to those starting new roles:
Tara Loos- Enrollment Data and Software Manager
Anne Medina- Assistant Director of Admissions
Rebecca Lescarbeau- Educational Technology Specialist
Paulina Lisheness- Director of Enrollment Communication and Event
A representative from TIAA-CREF will be available on Sept 20th for virtual meetings for anyone who has questions regarding their retirement plans.
Please use the link below to sign up for a consultation.
https://shared.tiaa.org/public/publictools/events/meetingAndSeminar?employerId=1-B5F6-35
TIAA-CREF will also be offering a series of web seminars for information as to your retirement plans. Please refer to the following schedule of web seminars:
Keep your financial goals on track with TIAA’s live webinars.
Reserve your spot today: www.tiaa.org/webinars
Opening doors to the future—save in a 529 college savings plan
You can learn how 529 college savings plans work and how to invest in one for a child, grandchild, yourself or other loved one.
September 13 at 12 p.m. (ET), 11 a.m. (CT), 10 a.m. (MT), 9 a.m. (PT)
Strategies for staying on track
No matter how much or how little money you can save for retirement, it’s important that you start now and stay invested for your future. You can learn how taking smart financial steps today may help lead you to a solid financial future after you’ve stopped working.
September 13 at 3 p.m. (ET), 2 p.m. (CT), 1 p.m. (MT), 12 p.m. (PT)
Help protect you, your family and your money
Are you concerned about identity theft and your family’s security online? TIAA’s Information Security team will discuss how you can protect yourself and your family from cybercriminal social engineering.
September 14 at 2 p.m. (ET), 1 p.m. (CT), 12 p.m. (MT), 11 a.m. (PT)
An Introduction to Alternative Investments: Real Estate
Interested in alternative investments? This webinar will help investors understand TIAA’s innovative approach to real estate and how it can help diversify an investment portfolio. Participants will receive an in-depth look at the TIAA Real Estate Account, its investments, performance and strategy.
September 15 at 12 p.m. (ET), 11 a.m. (CT), 10 a.m. (MT), 9 a.m. (PT)
At Your Fingertips: Manage your money from wherever you are
Learn about TIAA’s commitment to digital, and how we’re leveraging the latest technologies in our online and mobile tools to help you save time and achieve financial success while you’re on the go.
September 15 at 3 p.m. (ET), 2 p.m. (CT), 1 p.m. (MT), 12 p.m. (PT)
TECH TIPS
Saving Important Files on your Elms Device
If you need support from any member of the IT department, please submit your request by emailing helpdesk@elms.edu.
All Elms staff and faculty are provided with access to a personal folder within the "Z" drive. It is essential that you save any files that you cannot afford to lose to the "Z" drive to ensure that they are properly backed up and stored.
When saving files to your desktop, you are risking losing them permanently if your device is damaged, crashes or needs to be replaced unexpectedly.
To locate the Z drive, access File Explorer on your Elms issued device, and under "This PC" you will look for the last drive listed which will show your Elms username along with the file path and the letter Z.
If you have any further questions or concerns please contact our Help Desk at x2309 or email helpdesk@elms.edu
FINANCE UPDATE
I want to thank each and every one of you for the careful stewardship of your budgets this fiscal year. As we close the year in preparation for the audit, our projected margin is 4% - 1% better than our budgeted margin of 3%. This is great news. In addition to the careful stewardship, the College applied for an Employee Retention Tax Credit, which provides $3.1M of additional revenue to the bottom line. As mentioned in our budget meetings, this allows us to push all of the HEERF stimulus money that we were reliant on this year to help balance our FY23 budget.
As we kick off FY23, please note that the budget is still a work in progress. Our goal is to submit a budget to the Board of Trustees that has a positive 3% margin, and that provides sufficient funds to support not only our students in their academic endeavors but also our workforce so as to provide the best student experience in and out of the classroom. To date, we still have a small gap to close in the FY23 budget. The budget includes enrollment assumptions derived from the most recent funnel and retention reports, realistic residential numbers, full utilization of the remaining HEERF stimulus funds, and a small raise pool. To close the gap, each Cabinet Member will work with each budget manager to finalize necessary adjustments.
Below are frequently asked questions I typically receive. If you have a question that is not listed below or would like further clarification on a response, please feel free to reach out to me. Thank you all, again, for your commitment to the College, the careful stewardship of the resources available, and for your time in planning for FY23.
Q: If we had net income last year, why can’t we just roll it over and use it next year?
A: Net income is a measurement of activity for a one-year period. All expenses incurred during that time frame count toward that year’s net income and cannot be rolled forward to any future year.
Q: When will I find out what is included in my FY23 operating budget?
A: As we work to solidify the FY23 budget, additional work needs to be done. Each division VP will work with their areas to close the gap and will work in partnership with the Business office to communicate what is in your budget.
Q: When will I find out which capital projects I submitted will be funded?
A: When the operating budget is finalized, in late August, the capital projects budget will be solidified as well. The business office will communicate with each area that has received an allocation of capital funds so that they are aware and can spend them accordingly.
Q: What do I do if I encounter unexpected expenses throughout the year?
A: If you encounter unexpected expenses, you should reach out to your division's Vice President who can assess each of their areas to determine how and if funding can be allocated for that expense. If they cannot find additional funding, they may apply for Presidential Strategic funds from the President's office.
FACULTY & STAFF DINING
We are happy to be a part of the Elms community and we are looking forward to serving not only the students but also the Faculty and Staff. We currently have a few options available for anyone employed by the college to dine with us!
Discounted Meal Plan & Flex Dollar Options:
25 Meals PER Semester at $175 = Breaks down to $7 per swipe. Great value for Lunch Or Dinner!
Flex Dollars – Add Flex Dollars to your campus ID account in any amount and receive 10% of the purchase price added to the card.
Retail Door Rates: Using Cash, Credit/Debit or Flex Dollars
Breakfast = $6.25
Lunch = $8.15
Dinner = $11.15
Faculty/Staff $5 Friday Lunch
Every Friday during regular Academic Calendar Year (advanced notice will be provided if conflicting campus events occur on a Friday)
Must present your staff ID at the register
Payment options will be Cash, Credit/Debit, Flex Dollars
The above can all be purchased in the dining hall at the register. If you purchase FLEX dollars, they transfer from one semester to another HOWEVER the 25 Meal Plan is PER Semester only and does not transfer.
Menus will be viewable SOON on the Elms website. Our link is https://elms.campus-dining.com/
This will feature our Catering Guide also and all the meal plan information for students and anyone else to see if they have questions. Our hours of operation are also posted there.
Our Elms Café will also open soon. We are repairing the Espresso Machine and actively hiring a team to run it! More to come soon!
Kelly Wilkinson, Executive Chef, and I welcome you to Aladdin Campus Dining at Elms College!!! Enjoy your MEALS.
David Ingala
Food Service Director – Elms College
Mobile: 203-217-0194
Office: 413-265-2211
Email: david.ingala@aladdinfood.com
FACILITIES UPDATE
Rose William Renovation is complete!
The Dooley Loading Dock Safety Project is also complete!
ELMS IN THE NEWS:
July 14, 2022: HealthcareNews.com published a story listing the Class of 2022 graduates from the School of Nursing.
July 15, 2022: The Telegraph in Illinois published an article that an Elms student from Dorsey made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July 18, 2022: The Athol Daily News published an article that four Elms students in the Athol area made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July 21, 2022: The Common News in Vermont published two Elms students from southern Vermont made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July, 22, 2022: The Ellsworth American in Maine published an Elms student from Surry made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July 22, 2022: Turner Publishing in Maine published an article that an Elms student from Skowhegan made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July 23, 2022: CentralMaine.com published an article that an Elms student from Skowhegan made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July 24, 2022: The Worcester Telegram & Gazette published an article that two Elms students from the Worcester area made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July 24, 2022: The Grafton News in the Worcester area published an article that one Elms student from the Grafton area made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July 27, 2022: The Chester Telegraph in Vermont published an article that one Elms student from West Townsend made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July 28, 2022: The Landmark in the Worcester area published an article that one Elms student from Rutland made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
July 28, 2022: The Valley Breeze in Rhode Island published an article that an Elms student from Manville made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
August 3, 2022: The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in New Hampshire published an article that an Elms student from New Ipswich made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
August 18, 2022: The Sanford Herald in North Carolina published an article that an Elms student from Spring Lake made the spring 2022 Dean's List.
A QUICK NOTE FROM THE STACKS...
Please always check the Alumnae Library web page when you are looking to see what the library's hours are. The business listing by Google is not always correct, and it is something we have only limited control over, and never in real time. By the same token, Google does not always list the correct web link to our databases for articles and documentary films. For that as well, you should always go to the library's web page (mouse over "Find").
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