Congratulations to Miguel Angel Fuentes Garcia for being selected as this month’s Student Affairs Student Spotlight due to his embodiment of the Golden Eagle values. Miguel, who is originally from Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, is a Senior Mechanical Engineer major who hopes to become an engineer in the biomedical field. Miguel’s desire to work within this industry stems from his dream of helping “people heal faster than ever using vanguard technology while we create a personalized solution for each patient’s own needs.” This is evident through his current research, which is already being funded by URECA and CISE, into the strength of the Achilles tendons with the hope to develop a way to produce tissue for this cord instead of having it donated. He continues to make a difference as the president of Tennessee Tech’s SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) chapter. This position allows him the opportunity to fulfill his goals in better preparing his peers for the work force and encouraging the advancement of Hispanic students in STEM. Miguel’s strong leadership can additionally be found at the Upper Cumberland Hispanic Heritage Festival where he was the Arts & Crafts Coordinator and he helped to organize the first SHPE Sub-Regional Retreat. It is Miguel’s bold fearless leadership style and passion for pursuing vital knowledge that make him such an excellent choice for the Student Affairs Student Spotlight.
Category: General
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What is ESTAR Sanos (To Be Healthy) Outreach Program?
ESTAR Sanos is a unique health resource available through Tech’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing to regional rural and Hispanic communities. The program started in 2020 with an award from the Rebecca Tolbert Faculty Research Program at the university.
Professor Melissa Geist, other faculty members, and future nursing professionals, on the ESTAR team secured grants from external resources. The funding provides not only access, but also health education, support, training, awareness, and resources to underserved groups.
“A major motivator for the initiative was Covid vaccine hesitancy experienced by the rural and Hispanic communities,” offered Melissa Geist, Professor of Nursing and practicing Pediatric and Family Nurse Practitioner. “The opportunity to provide necessary services, give children/families positive experiences, and introduce nursing students to real-world practice is invaluable – to us all.”
See https://www.tntech.edu/nursing/estar/ or email behealthy@tntech.edu for more.
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CSB Black History Month Trivia- This Week’s Questions
The Committee on the Status of Blacks is offering daily and weekly prizes, plus three grand prizes at the end of the month. Each weekday, all the respondents who got the answer right will be eligible for the grand prize, and will be entered into the weekly prize pool.
Everything worked well on Day One, but we experienced some technical issues after that… so ALL of the questions for this week are now available at:
https://forms.office.com/r/acPkYFwHAM
And thanks to our sponsors!
290 Barbeque and Jerk
Lamp and Light House/Cumberland Mountain Outdoor Store
City Girl Soaps
ZagSwag
The College of Education
SMASH Martial Arts Studio
Chartwell’s
History Club
TTU Athletics
Address any questions or issues to Dr. Troy Smith: tdsmith@tntech.edu
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Employee Performance Evaluation Time is Here
Beginning this month, the HR department will provide mandatory performance evaluation training to all supervisors for staff positions and elective training to staff employees.
- Mandatory Supervisor Training will be assigned through the BeAware application in Tech Express. The training is self-paced, takes approximately one hour, and should be completed by March 31st.
- Elective Employee Training will be provided until April 13th via Microsoft Teams. Sign up for training here: https://go.tntech.edu/training
The training for supervisors and staff employees will include an overview of key changes to the performance evaluation form for 2023 that includes new sections covering the Wings Up Way and Training and Development.
Key Dates to Keep in Mind:
- Supervisors review job descriptions by February 28.
- Employees complete elective performance evaluation training by March 31st.
- Supervisors complete mandatory performance evaluation training by March 31st.
- Supervisors create a plan by March 31st.
- Employees complete their Self Evaluation by April 15th.
- Supervisors complete Employee’s Evaluation by May 1st.
- Reviewing Officers review Supervisor’s Evaluation by May 15
- Evaluation Review Meeting between Supervisor & Employee by May 31st.
- Employees Acknowledges Evaluation by May 31st.
If you have any questions regarding training, please contact Dawn Thompsen, HR Training and Development Specialist at dthompsen@tntech.edu. For performance evaluation process questions, please contact Sherry Howard at showartd@tntech.edu.
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Jeff Hobbs speaks on “Cherokee Freedmen” with Associate Professor Troy Smith
Mr. Jeff Hobbs, Native American/African American activist, pow wow singer and drummer will speak on the “Cherokee Freedmen” with Associate Professor Troy Smith. Join us on Thursday, February 9th, at 6pm in the Tech Pride Room of the University Center. Bring friends. Everyone is welcome!
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Drop-in space
The counseling center is providing student drop-in space for processing and reflection regarding recent events in the local community on Thursday, February 9 from 11:00am-1:00pm in the Eagle Resource Room, RUC-387. For more information please contact the counseling center
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Consider serving as a judge for 18th Annual Research and Creative Inquiry Day
The 18th Annual Research and Creative Inquiry Day is planned for in person at the Hooper Eblen on Wed. and Thurs., April 19 and 20. The event, which is designed to promote and provide a venue for presenting student research and creative inquiry, is open to undergraduate/graduate students from all departments. We need judges from across campus to evaluate the students’ work. If you are an advisor, we encourage you to work with your students and sign off on their submission forms.
Poster judging will be from 4 p.m to 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 19 at the Hooper Eblen centre this year. Students are invited to be available to discuss posters, and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Judges should register at the judge registration link (you may have to log into Tech Express with your TTU credentials). Visit the Office of Research website for a complete schedule and updates as they become available. Call or email us at 372-3374 or research@tntech.edu for more information.
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“Flipping” Traditional Approaches to Teaching
Join the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning for this Tuesday’s Tech Teaches workshop on Flipped Classrooms. In this session we will be “flipping” the traditional approaches to teaching while offering some examples of ways to incorporate effective strategies. Instructors can use various tools such as Flip or Video Note to create assignments and assessments that involve video responses, such as having students record themselves explaining a concept or giving a presentation. These platforms are popularly used for the Flipped Classroom pedological model of teaching, where students can engage with the content prior to class so they can maximize opportunities of learning during class. Join us on Tuesday, February 7th at 11 AM for this session as we “Flip” out over these strategies! Register below and contact the CITL at citl@tntech.edu.
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Nominations Open for the 2022-2023 Academic Affairs Awards
The Tennessee Tech Academic Affairs Awards recognize faculty and staff across campus who are promoting an atmosphere of excellence through their service, teaching, and research activities. Recipients are recognized at the fall Academic Affairs Awards Ceremony. Nominations for this year’s Academic Affairs Awards are now open. You can view a list of the awards and nominate below. Nominations close on February 28th. Please contact Amy McCoy at abmccoy@tntech.edu with any questions.
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What is Title IX
Title IX is a federal law that prohibits colleges and universities from discriminating “on the basis of sex” in any education program or activity. For additional information regarding Tennessee Tech Policy 144, Title IX Policy and Grievance Procedures, and other available resources, contact the Title IX Office at titleix@tntech.edu or 931-372-6062