During the summer after I graduated from George Mason University — almost 20 years ago — I remember buying exactly three books to signify my passage into adulthood. I was wise enough to know that my new bachelor’s degree did not address some important life skills, like cooking and managing money. One of those books was “Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties” by Beth Kobliner — a book that prompted me to make small sacrifices (i.e., no cable TV) in order to pay off my student loans quickly while also taking advantage of my employer’s 401(K) match early in my career. I’m grateful for reading that book, but now I wish I had read another title that summer: “Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence,” by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. This bestseller was originally released in 1992 … and I just read the revised edition for 2018. The book emphasizes frugality — but in a much more meaningful way than “The Millionaire Next Door,” the 1996 bestseller that I read for the first time last week. Not only will “Your Money or Your Life”… Continue Reading The money book I wish I read in collegeRead More
So two related things happened this past week: I finished a book by Harvard business professor Clayton Christensen — “Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice,” — one of the books recommended during the Data-Driven Innovation Boot Camp at RAMP, the new business accelerator in downtown Roanoke. I wrote about my top takeaway from that training here.I attended the 5th annual Instructional Technology Mini-Conference here on the Virginia Western campus. Our own Dr. Carrie Halpin has done an amazing job organizing these annual summer conferences, which have been funded by the Paul Lee Professional Development grant from the VCCS. The keynote speaker was Dr. Barbara Lockee, a professor from the Instructional Design and Technology program at Virginia Tech. Her keynote focused on adult online learners. Honestly, I could write essays about each of those experiences and how they relate to Virginia Western, but I wanted to boil down some highlights into three powerful numbers specifically about online learning: 1. Dr. Barbara Lockee of Virginia Tech presents the keynote talk during the 5th annual Instructional Technology Mini-Conference, held July 13 at Virginia Western Community College. First, the ugly number: Research shows completion rates of less than 20% for… Continue Reading 3 numbers that blew my mind about online learningRead More
So I’ve probably mentioned that I have an “Idea Shelf” in my office. This is a whiteboard where I collect all kinds of random ideas as they might relate to this community college, ranging from outdoor preschools to a trades academy for historic renovation to a “Made in Roanoke” fair. I love ideas. I *live* for cool ideas. But ideas aren’t the only important ingredients when it comes to innovation. Earlier in June, I had the privilege of attending a Data-Driven Innovation Boot Camp at RAMP, the new business accelerator in downtown Roanoke (which features a nifty mural designed by our own Joe Collins). There was a lot to cover in two days’ worth of presentations by Mike Abbott and Lisa Garcia, who both teach NSF Innovation Corps programming to Virginia Tech students (among other impressive international gigs). They were in Roanoke to help coach the latest batch of RAMP entrepreneurs, a cohort of eight companies specializing in STEM-H fields. So the focus of the training was on these startup companies and explaining a lot of business jargon (minimum viable product?), but my biggest takeaway — especially as it relates to my grant work at Virginia Western — was: Focus… Continue Reading The most important lesson from Innovation Boot CampRead 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
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024
- Grant Nerds Unite! March 12, 2024
- The Power of Collaboration November 17, 2023
- Time to Innovate October 4, 2023
- How to tackle grant season? August 14, 2023