“The community college can be the catalyst to end poverty in our community.” I sat through hours of sessions during the VCCS Hire Education conference earlier this month in Hot Springs. But this message got my attention. I’m still thinking about it, so I’ll repeat: “The community college can be the catalyst to end poverty in our community.” That quote came from Ridge Schuyler, who spent his hour talking about the Network2Work program at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) in Charlottesville. He was full of energy — animated by his passion for helping folks get decent-paying jobs, which moved me to tears as Schuyler fought back his own. As Schulyer stressed during his presentation, the community college doesn’t have to own every piece of this poverty mission. Instead, we just make sure the work gets done. To play the role of convener, facilitator, connector. In a nutshell, his Network2Work program is a job network that matches jobs that pay a minimum of $25,000 (or $12.50 per hour) with job seekers through volunteer “connectors” in neighborhoods, schools, places of worship, and other parts of the community. Earlier this year, a C-Biz article described Network2Work as “the employment version of ‘it takes… Continue Reading Superheroes, assemble! How we can all help end poverty in the Roanoke ValleyRead More
OK, so when I use the word “joy” in this headline, I don’t necessarily mean obvious, delicious joy, like, surprising everyone with their favorite candies or work snacks or flowers … (but you can do that with a joy survey). I have broadened my definition of joy-bringing to include making our lives easier. Case in point: Time and Effort forms (arrrrgggggh). I can’t magically make these required grant forms go away — which would indeed be joyful — but I can make them more convenient. So I’m working on digitizing the signature process. That’s sort of a microburst of joy, right? Another example of small joy bursts: Sending Outlook meeting invites whenever you plan events or meetings with your teams. This may seem strange or obvious, but it would be a big help, according to members of our Campus Engagement Workgroup. Back in September, as the new facilitator of this group, I took the time to send out meeting invites for each of our five Tuesday meetings through the end of the fall semester. I have to admit I felt like I was spamming everyone. But several times, our team members have expressed gratitude that I sent them. It made… Continue Reading Bring joy to your coworkers … with Outlook?Read More
With as much as we talk about pathways, I have to admit I love my totally non-linear approach to books. Sometimes I find books through random recommendations that float through my Twitter stream … sometimes it’s what’s on the “New in Nonfiction” shelf at the public library (my favorite shelf!) … and sometimes it’s because an author of a book I’m really loving cites a book so often, I figure I need to check it out myself. “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization” by MIT lecturer Peter Senge, falls into the third category. As you may recall, I have been very inspired by the books about joy by author Richard Sheridan. He stressed the most important thing a leader can do for her organization is to stay in “learner” mode. Sheridan cited “The Fifth Discipline” numerous times, so off I went to Brown Library to check out their copy. In this classic management book, which was originally released in 1990, Senge explains the five disciplines, which include systems thinking and team learning. He also emphasizes the importance of reflection — to develop our ability to see regular events (and crises) as opportunities to grow and… Continue Reading My next Halloween party will be fa-boo-lous thanks to ‘The Fifth Discipline’Read 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