08/11/2020
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Welcome to August MTAS,
Wow, it’s really August already. While it seems that the year has really flown by, when I think of COVID-19, there have been days that felt like a week. Time is a fascinating concept. Who has recalled the movie Groundhog Day during this pandemic?
So, last week we had our virtual MTAS retreat/IPS annual conference. Never before has this been accomplished in four hours! Speaking of hours, Sherri has recorded 3.5 hours of professional development for everyone for the two days. Please don’t forget to ensure you get 32 total hours for the year. I have not heard about any exemption from the policy HR128 requirements. The training is definitely different this year, but certainly attainable. Also, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of Tonya Brown’s offer to give you a half hour of one-on-one training for Outlook and Teams. The overview was meant to be just that, an overview. Please use your Outlook calendar to find a half hour slot on Tonya’s schedule and invite her to a meeting with you to teach you more. Her email address is: tlbrown@uthsc.edu. This training is not mandatory, but it sure will help you as we transition away from Skype and the itinerary database. Let’s be the efficient and effective organization that we envision ourselves to be.
Congratulations to all of the MTAS award winners! I am so very proud of you for your accomplishments and achievements. These awards are so special because they come from your peers. Your coworkers are recognizing what you’re doing and are taking the time to write a meaningful nomination. Here’s a recap:
MTAS awards
Hobday – Pat Hardy
Trailblazer – David Moore and Emily Godwin
Customer Service – Armintha Loveday and Sarah Curtis
This Bud’s For You – Johanna Owenby
IPS awards
Robert S. Hutchison Outstanding Public Service Professional Award – Dennis Wolf
Five Franklins – Brad Harris and Chris Shults
Collaboration of the Year - Women in Criminal Justice Program (Abb Oglesby)
Project of the Year – Barry Brady Act (Melissa Ashburn, Steve Cross, Elisha Hodge, Richard Stokes, Dennis Wolf)
Vice Presidential Citation - Unicoi Food Forest (Pat Hardy)
10 Year Service Award – Dana Deem and Stephanie O’Hara
20 Year Service Award – Frances Adams-O’Brien and Gary Jaeckel
Mary and Jack Jinks Scholarship – Hadley O’Hara, Parker O’Hara, Kaylee Sheppard, and Cate Spencer
I’m not done celebrating just yet. Over the last two weeks we had some work anniversaries and birthdays. Dennis and Justin both started to work with MTAS on August 1, one just happened to be several years behind the other. Happy Anniversary to both of you! As for the birthdays, Happy Birthday to Elisha who celebrated on July 27, and Chris on July 28. There were a few years in between those events too, but I’m not sayin’ who or when! I wish you both best wishes for the year ahead. I have one more celebration to note: Wes got married on August 1 – congratulations! I’m so happy for you and Mikia.
Last week was remarkable for me because I completed the UT Executive Leadership Institute. This is a year long program that focuses on getting to know the entire university, at the enterprise level. I have met some amazing people, learned way more than I realize right now (I’m still processing), and I have a far better appreciation for everything that UT does and what UT really means to this state. I couldn’t be any prouder right now to be a part of this amazing organization (and that’s after two graduation ceremonies from the UT system). Throughout this year I have also come to appreciate MTAS and IPS even more because I realize that very few parts of the university have the reach that we do within the Institute. We literally take the university to every community and make a positive impact while we are there. How incredibly cool is that?! If you ever struggle to find the love that I do for what we do, please let me know. I will gladly share with you.
Okay, that’s probably enough sap and sugar for most of you so I’ll end it here. I hope you have an amazing week and that you stay safe, healthy and well.
Margaret
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