In an Employee Appreciation Day to remember, DSF was treated to a hot lunch from Chick-fil-A and bonus homemade chicken tamales from Jimmy Reyes.
DSF Interim Vice President Baxter Goodly and FPCM Interim Associate Vice President Adam Aaronson conveyed their heartfelt gratitude to their teams. Baxter praised the dedication and achievements across DSF’s many groups, highlighting their critical roles in ensuring campus safety, sustainability efforts, and operational excellence.
In Adam Aaronson’s message to FPCM, he lauded the team’s tireless efforts directly enhancing the GW community’s day-to-day life. He celebrated the collective hard work that keeps the campuses operational, fostering an environment where students, faculty, and staff can prosper.
Check out pictures from both the lunch held on March 1st and the late-night dinner held on March 5th!
We encourage you to read all emails sent to university employees, but we realize it’s easy to miss the details in the barrage of content sometimes. Below we’ve compiled a few highlights from recent editions of Focus on Yourself Friday, Digital Download, and The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter.
A newsletter highlighting Staff Council initiatives and events
Staff Merit Increase Survey Each issue of the Staff Council Newsletter contains a brief survey regarding a current important topic for GW staff. This month, the council is interested in learning more about merit vs. cost of living increases. All feedback will be kept anonymous but will be used to guide initiatives within the council. Launch the survey
Campus Safety Advisory Committee Safety & Facilities is developing a new Campus Safety Advisory Committee to increase the GW community’s awareness of and engagement on campus safety. GW staff will be a strong voice in this committee. Please consider applying to take part. Learn more and apply
HR’s newsletter focused on self improvement and professional development.
Leaders at All Levels: Managing Up Friday, March 15, 2024 from 11:00am-12:00pm on WebEx This month’s Leaders at All Levels session will define managing up, explore why managing up is important, and provide skills needed to manage up successfully. The session will also explore examples of managing up in day to day work. Register for the the WebEx.
LinkedIn Learning: How to Manage Your Manager Online audio course from LinkedIn Learning In this course, adapted from the popular podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job, you’ll explore how managing up isn’t about flattery or brown-nosing. It’s about consciously building a good relationship with your boss: understanding how you both like to work, and then taking adaptive strategies to really work well together. Launch the course.
Quick tips from GW Communications & Marketing Digital Support
GW Drupal Overview March 15, 2022 | 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Communications and Marketing will present an overview of GW Drupal. This will be an online presentation and walkthrough of how to create and edit content on your GW Drupal sites. Register for the GW Drupal Training
Employee Appreciation Day was last week, but we’ve still got more high fives and backslaps to share.
From Brian Snyder and Betty Freyre (President’s Office) to Natalie Addison regarding President Granberg’s office renovation:
Betty: The President is extremely happy and everyone that has seen the office just loves it! GREAT JOB!! Brian: Great Job Natalie! Kudos to your attention to detail and customer service skills for successfully executing this important project!
From Pam Smith to Stephanie Stinfort, Natalie Addison (again!), and the BIG Admin Team:
I wanted to thank Stephanie Stinfort and the entire admin team for being patient and putting together nice touches for the new HR self service area. Thank you also to Natalie Addison for being patient and helping us make new selections for chairs in the new HR office space. 🙂
From Don Chamberlain to Pandorra Dickerson and the Ross Hall Housekeeping Team:
Just wanted to give a shout out to the Ross Hall housekeeping team. Too many names to list in this email but they are all appreciated. Today Pandorra cleaned up B43A for me because the floor was messy. The whole team does a great job.
Difficult to find and a tight squeeze to shop in, GW’s Campus Store has been hidden away in the basement of the University Student Center for as long as most of us can remember. That is until last month when the brand new space on H St. was unveiled to much fanfare. Decked out with all the modern amenities and an enormous stock of Stanley mugs, it’s truly a sight to behold.
Adam Aaronson thanked everyone involved for helping to make the project a reality. “Bringing GW’s Campus Store to this huge, multi-level space is an amazing improvement for our campus,” Adam wrote. “The high ceilings, large windows, and stunning video wall are key design elements that make this such a special space. This was a true team effort to deliver the project, and I want to give a big thanks to Chris Todd, Senior Project Manager, for leading the way!”
Chris for his part also gave a special shoutout to Steve Ferrara for beginning the project before leaving the university.
Below you’ll find pictures from the star-studded grand opening. All the faces you recognize from around campus were there, including George. And don’t forget to check out GW Today’s coverage.
Interim Vice President of Safety & Facilities Baxter Goodly sent a note to the division after three team members passed away over the span of a week. Please see the email in your inbox if you need access to Employee Wellbeing Resources. The Staff Council has also established an In Memoriam page on its website.
Dear Teammates,
Over the last week, our hearts have been saddened by the loss of three extraordinary colleagues who graced our lives with their presence for decades – Jeff Dean, Donald Gibson, and Calvin Williams. Jeff, Donald, and Calvin were true friends who loved the university and cherished the many GW friendships they cultivated during their years of service. Their values of dedication, humility, and kindness will continue to inspire us all to be better versions of ourselves, as they inspire me. As we mourn their deaths, let’s also celebrate the countless ways in which they touched our lives, and strive each day to honor them by embracing the values they held dear.
Experiencing this much sorrow in such a short span can be difficult to navigate alone. This is a time to come together to lean on and support each other. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support.
Terry Branch for making keys for a new mechanical lock at SEH: “Mr. Terry Branch is a model of both kindness and efficiency … plus, he knows his locks and keys!”
Aaron Ferebee for repairing a drain stopper in a Mitchell Hall sink: “The guy that came was really nice and worked quickly, and showed me what he did. Very cool.”
Raymond Wallace, Souk Vongs and Tim Lindsey for assisting in an event set up and breakdown at Enterprise Hall: “The room looked very nice and just as requested.”
Jose Guzman for replacing stained ceiling tiles in Ross Hall: “Everything was great.”
DSF had the opportunity to meet colleagues from across GW at two All Hands Meetings held by EVP, CFO & Treasure Bruno Fernandes and attended by President Granberg on February 28. DSF ultimately reports up to Bruno through Interim DSF Vice President Baxter Goodly.
Staff members were encouraged to mingle and eat delicious catered food from Chartwells before and after comments from Bruno. Prizes-a-plenty were also given away to lucky GW employees, including several from DSF.
Take a look at pictures or download the slideshow from the event to see if you were mentioned in the long list of kudos.
We spend a lot of time talking about GW’s Service Priorities in DSF, so we’re always excited to share moments that exemplify our progress. FPCM got a big efficiency boost recently when Adam Poplin‘s Zone 2 team managed to cut the cost of a Lerner Health and Wellness project by more than 75%. An original contractor quote of $39k dropped all the way to a final total of just $9k when the work was done in house by the excellent Zone 2 staff.
Collette Coleman asked for FPCM’s assistance refreshing the Rec Sports Suite and the team delivered a high quality solution. When all was said and done, the suite got a fresh coat of paint, brand new ceiling tiles, and updated lighting. DSF Interim VP Baxter Goodly had this to say: “The successful completion of this project is a testament to the tremendous talent and dedication of our Facilities team. Not only did they refurbish and brighten this office suite, they saved GW over $30,000. Well Done!”
Each week we’ll be sharing the upcoming training and professional development opportunities available here at GW.
Tuesday 2/27 – Thursday 2/29
APPA Virtual – Level II: Interpersonal Effectiveness Effective managers use interpersonal and team skills to motivate, communicate, and inspire those around them. This Level focuses on understanding the dynamics of working together and successful ways to sustain trust which can be used to support successful relationships and team efforts. Level II will help you hone the skills needed to ensure that you are not only an effective leader, but also an effective manager.
Introducing the new myGW The new myGW is designed to provide centralized access to the GW resources that are important to you through a customizable interface. Join us for an introduction to the new tool. We’ll cover the essential features and how you can personalize your experience. This training will be offered twice in February.
Digital Roundtable – Webform Spam Prevention This month’s roundtable discussion will be focused on GW Drupal webforms and how you can prevent spam submissions. Join to learn about form validation and spam prevention configurations.
These roundtable sessions are open to anyone, whether you’re looking for answers to specific questions or just want to listen in and learn from the expertise of others.
Debebe Demeke for repairing a washing machine at 1959 E Street: “I wasn’t home when someone came to fix our laundry machine, but I just wanted to extend a sincere thank you for getting it back up and running again. Your assistance was greatly appreciated!”
Steven Wilson for replacing a window bind in a Shenkman Hall room: “They were great!”
Leule Ambaye for unclogging a bathroom sink at Mitchell Hall: “Very efficient and helpful.”
Kevin Thomas for assisting in an FSK wall repair: “GWU supervisor named Kevin visited twice to check things were going well.”
Julio Martinez for creating and installing a few cubicle hanger signs at Support Building: “Julio is a master at signage. No matter how complicated the request, he is always perfectly accurate!”
