President's Corner. . .

Bill Gates as a featured UMA speaker? The 1998-99 UMA Board is currently identifying new "stretch" goals for the year, although we're not quite sure we will be acting on the suggestion to call Bill Gates. The new Board (Sharon Bowers, Trevaughn Brown, Ann Dodd, Hilda Durham, Ann Edwards, Sharon Grayden, Jim Mergner, Lindsay Reeves, Patti Smith, and Steve Weiss) spent an afternoon in July setting goals to strengthen UMA.

After studying input from members, we determined that our overall goal for the year is to strengthen member services and networks. We will establish goals and action plans in the areas of member support and networking, strengthening membership numbers and participation, manager education, and recognition and visibility. Each Board member will identify specific action items for his or her committee, and the Board will create a monthly timeline for the year to help us accomplish the goals. Tentative ideas to be developed include the following:

Member Support and Networking 

• Enhance social interaction and meetings.
• Increase entertainment value of meetings.
• Create a tracking system to target topics.
• Be inclusive rather than exclusive.
• Need to make people feel good about being UMA members.
• Designate people as greeters.
• Start a mentor program for new UMDP graduates.
• Start a get acquainted program.
• Create a membership list on the web (UNC domain) and pictures.
• Outreach by Board members.
• Map out entire year to reach goal.
• Find way to reach all eligible people.
• Create a membership directory with areas of expertise to use as a resource.

• Focus on increasing participation.
• Mention faculty more in solicitations.
• Increase participation of senior managers.
• Target academic leadership.
• Increase participation.

• Hold forum(s) to share management practices and how they vary between areas _ how to get things done at UNC _ may evolve into mentoring.
• Offer products _ e.g. how to get mailing lists.
• Use UMA as vehicle to become more familiar with other areas of the university.
• Post list of management seminars.
• Sponsor for credit classes in evening.

• Clarify role of Forum, UMA, and HR.
• Create distinct identity again.
• Increase visibility.
• Publicize UMA at orientation for SPA, EPA NF, and yearly for faculty.
• Reconsider sponsorship of fair.

We welcome your feedback on these ideas and any other issues you would like to discuss. Please contact me or any other Board member, or send email to UMAB@unc.edu.

Ann Dodd, UMA President
 

On April 23, at the UMA Roundup/Annual Meeting, the Morale and Recognition Committee announced that Janet Tysinger was the recipient of the Manager-of-the-Year award.

Tysinger is the manager of Academic Technology and Network's Computer Training Center. She is one of the founding members of Carolina Technology Consultants, a voluntary, cooperative effort aimed at professional computer support providers at UNC-CH which strives to enhance departmental computer support efforts. Among many other achievements, Tysinger was also instrumental in bringing computer based training to campus and making the service available over the World Wide Web.

UMA Training Committee

The UMA Training Committee is the group that plans the Annual UMDP Update and the facilitates the selection of the recipient of the University Managers Training Grant. The committee is ready to begin its work for the year. To date the committee members are:

Sharon Grayden, Dentistry, Chair

Fran Allegri, Health Sciences Library

Phyllis Daugherty, Institutional Effectiveness

Ray Dubose, Cogeneration Systems

Reba Sullivan, Medicine

There is plenty of room for anyone who would like to be part of this committee. Please contact me at Sharon_Grayden@dentistry.unc.edu if you would like to join the Training Committee.

Sharon Grayden, Chair

UMA Listserv Notice!

If you change email addresses or work places, please let Linwood Futrelle know so that he can update
the UMA listserv. You can reach him by  email at linwood_futrelle@unc.edu  or by phone at 962-5265.

Linwood Futrelle, UMA List Administrator

Tip of the Day

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

Mark Twain

NewsSurge is produced by the University Managers' Association's Communications Committee. If you have any news that you would like to share through NewsSurge, please send information to UMANews@unc.edu.

Communications Committee Chair:  Sharon Bowers

Communications Committee Members :  Robert Dermody, Nadine Kinsey, and Michael Phillips