This is going to sound way more boring than it was, but here goes: Over the summer, in an effort to better understand my role in the grants office, I read books including “Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager” and “Meeting Design.” In those books, I learned some valuable tips, like this one: The most important job of the project manager is to make sure the team is clear on ROLES and GOALS. The rhyme makes it easy to remember. And this one: We can roll our eyes at the thought of another staff meeting, but what if we approached our routine meetings as opportunities to build better relationships — a way to change the culture and model the value of lifelong learning? Too boring? OK, maybe. But here’s the twist: One of the best books I read about project management was really a book about … Hollywood. In high school, I dreamed of becoming a film director … without a true understanding of what this meant. I’ve always been fascinated by their process, even more so after I’ve worked in organizations full of creative people with their own ideas. How do these leaders galvanize so many talented people… Continue Reading Sunny? Cloudy with a chance of rainbows? You have the power to make the weatherRead More
Hello, and welcome to the Virginia Western Game of Trivia, which is really a quiz, but GOT is the only acronym that makes any sense. (Cue the laugh track) The game is a quick way to relay important data points and random bits of trivia about our college … and also an excellent excuse for our game host to learn how to use Google Forms. (Ba-dum-tisssss!) But first … do yourself a favor and play this background YouTube music to get the full quiz show experience! Can you hear those happy horns? OK, much better. Our first question was sent in by the amazing (and brave) Natasha Lee, our Student Activities Coordinator. Thanks for all you do, Natasha! (Please clap!) So let’s get to today’s one and only question … (and be sure to click “View score” after you answer) … Loading… Did I hear someone ask about a prize? Ahhhhh, yes. We all win a valuable prize pack full of … knowledge! And hopefully some laughter. 🙂 Thanks again to Natasha for sharing these knowledge nuggets for our very first (deep, dramatic voice): GAME OF TRIVIAAAAHHH (echo, echo, echo). GOT some fascinating trivia? GOT data points we should share… Continue Reading Time to play the Virginia Western Game of Trivia!Read More
“Transform yourself to transform the world.”Grace Lee Boggs, author and social activist, 1915-2015 Long before Virginia Western was awarded our Title III grant, I had a crush on Achieving the Dream (ATD). I first learned about ATD as our team prepared our first Get REAL grant proposal in 2017; our budget includes money to pay for membership in the ATD network. In the years since, I’ve explored ATD’s website and found *free* resources in their “Knowledge Center,” including data-rich reports and toolkits full of practical advice, from designing college for part-time students to this practitioner’s guide to engaging adjunct faculty. ATD’s mission is to “lead and support a national network of community colleges to achieve sustainable institutional transformation through sharing knowledge, innovative solutions and effective practices and policies leading to improved outcomes for all students.” I’m emphasizing the “transformation” part, because it’s reminding me of this simple but profound quote by social activist and author Grace Lee Boggs: “Transform yourself to transform the world.” I had just read that quote in “Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds,” where author Adrienne Maree Brown explained the concept of fractals, or never-ending patterns, in nature … and she emphasized what we practice at… Continue Reading We transform ourselves by learning like our studentsRead More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys  seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
Recent Posts
- Have you heard? October 28, 2024
- The Game of Life – Innovation Edition! August 29, 2024
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024
- Grant Nerds Unite! March 12, 2024
- The Power of Collaboration November 17, 2023