03/04/2016

· Teamwork - the combined action of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient. Google dictionary.

· Beware the Ides of March. Did anybody else have to read Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in high school English…or Latin, as I did?

· The UT Board of Trustees will meet on the UT Martin Campus March 31-April 1. At some point of the agenda, Herb will have an opportunity to tell the Board about all the good things going on in IPS and part of his presentation will be short selfie videos produced by some customers of the IPS agencies. Steve Thomas (yep, the same Steve Thomas who helped us with “UT Day on the Hill”) is a council member in Lewisburg and he will tell about the good things MTAS is doing for Lewisburg. Some of us produced short selfies about our roles with MTAS and they were scrolled across a video screen that was part of the IPS display at “UT Day on the Hill”. They attracted quite a bit of attention by the display visitors.

· This is the last day of “Dr. Seuss Week” at Maynard Elementary School in Knoxville, which is about a good three-iron shot (or pitching wedge for Patrick) up the street from the University Avenue offices. Kelley Myers, Warren Nevad and Armintha Loveday have been readers of various Dr. Seuss tales to first and second grade classes this week. They’ve been joined by Kim Raia, Lori Barton Herb Byrd, Susan Robertson, Steve Thompson, Jill Marling and Scott Gordy. One of the MTASers was not only a reader, she also dressed up and portrayed the “Cat in the Hat” character during the children’s’ lunch time in the school cafeteria. Any idea who that might be? Check out the photos here
https://goo.gl/photos/MjnqM2HgQB2cZ2UE9 . Thanks, Frances, for the pictures.

· Amazing what I learned when I wondered about Dr. Seuss earlier this week. Interesting fellow…and on a dare (somebody told him he couldn’t do it), he wrote the 62-page long Green Eggs and Ham using only fifty different words…only one of which was longer than five letters and more than one syllable - anywhere. Now I Know (
www.nowiknow.com )

· I’ve been asked this week what my plans are regarding salary adjustments this year. While I’ve thought about it a lot, I’ve made no certain plans because until the Governor’s budget is adopted by the legislature…and we know what that means to MTAS…it’s impractical to make firm decisions. My commitment to you right now is that if there are sufficient resources to make adjustments, they will be made. Across the board? Don’t know. Merit based? Don’t know. A combination? Don’t know…but you will as soon as I do.

· Lastly, remember a few things…
o What each of you do every day for our customers and each other is recognized and appreciated. Really! It is!
o Happy birthday to Michelle Buckner next Tuesday, March 8 ^th ! Her 39 ^th , I believe.
o Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success . - Henry Ford
o Folklore has it that a golf course has 18 holes because in early Scotland, a player hit the ball after taking a swig from a flask of Scotch at the beginning of each hole and usually emptied it after 18 swigs. Snopes says this ain’t so. Has nothing to do with how much Scotch was in the bottle…and I’m glad to get to the bottom of this because if that was the case, I’ve played with some folks who would have finished their round on about the 7 ^th or 8 ^th hole. Made for an interesting (and sometimes ugly) rest of the round.

· A comfortable weekend is my hope for all of us!

Jim Thomas, Executive Director
(O) 615. 532.4950 (C) 615.972.9219

jim.thomas@tennessee.edu

www.mtas.tennessee.edu