Recognition Round-Up

April 27, 2020

A weekly report of Spiders at their best

Each week during the University's modified operating status, HR will collect stories about the amazing work that faculty and staff have done to transition to remote classes and work, to maintain the campus during a pandemic, and to contribute to our greater community. Submit your stories to sbuschin@richmond.edu.

Lindsey King Transitions Sharp Speaker Series Online

I am grateful to Lindsey King, Scheduling and Event Specialist in the Office of the President, for her extraordinary effort organizing the last Sharp Viewpoint Speaker Series event of the year. There was no shortage of obstacles to overcome to bring the program online, not least of which was mastering new technology in just a matter of weeks. But Lindsey – with excellent support from Pam Harper, Susan Kirby, and John Reeves from IS – remained undaunted, quietly working behind the scenes to ensure the program went off without a hitch. In so doing, she helped make it possible for our community to enjoy a meaningful conversation about spirituality, inclusivity, and hope – skillfully led by University chaplain Craig Kocher – at a time when we could all use a bit of inspiration and encouragement.

- Dr. Ronald A. Crutcher, President

Fess Khan Keeps Us on Track During Remote Work

We’d like to thank Fess Khan at the Help Desk for his assistance in bringing back the screen on Lori Schuyler’s laptop. It is impossible to work remotely when your laptop screen won’t turn on, and it seemed inevitable that we would have to procure a new machine. Fess saved the day by investigating other fixes to restore the video drivers. He not only saved the day but also saved us from spending University resources. Thanks Fess, for your speedy, thorough, and expert help!

- Martha Pittaway, Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Enrollment Management, and Dr. Lori Schuyler, Vice President for Planning and Policy

Stephanie Charles Facilitates Remote Classrooms

Stephanie Charles purchased Windows and VMWare Fusion so students who own Macs could run Windows applications on them. She also managed to procure applications from Adobe, as well as SPSS, MATLAB, and Stata to the students for free for the rest of the semester. She purchased devices to extend the home wireless network, and she advised and approved faculty and staff direct purchases. All of these purchases and procurements have helped to make it possible for students to continue their classes using expensive software and hardware.

- Keith W. “Mac” McIntosh, Vice President of Information Services and Chief Information Officer

IS Team Provides Remote Streaming Environment

Vickie Brady, Dora Douglas, Jamie Fairley, Dora Douglas, and Mark Nichols extended a pilot project from the fall. The Apporto pilot allowed us to provide remote access to software (in the cloud) as if it were software in a campus computing lab. They expanded the Apporto streaming pilot to make ArcPro, a geospatial application that works only on Windows. Students were able to log into the streaming environment and run the programs as if they were loaded on the computer.

- Keith W. “Mac” McIntosh, Vice President of Information Services and Chief Information Officer

Rebecca Buffington Streamlines PAM Summer Mailing

Rebecca Buffington was simply phenomenal in the work she provided in putting our PAM application in Slate along with the queries and data that she put in place for the PAM summer mailing. ASC staff members are excited!

Every year, we send letters and now emails and text messages to all first-year students who have accepted the Admission Office’s offers to enroll. These communiques go to parents and students. The initial letter describes the PAM program and invites 800+ students to apply for only 90 spaces as first-year mentees. This year, text messages will also be sent to parents and students reminding them of the June 3 application deadline. Students who are selected will be paired with upper-class students who will serve as mentors to mentees throughout the entire freshman year of student mentees.

We are so excited to have our application in Slate and to have this entire process streamlined. Many thanks are also extended to Julie DuPont, Beth Anne Spacht, and Andy Gurka for their work in making these processes so seamless.

- Hope Walton, Director of Academic Skills, Academic Skills Center

Pulling Together: Spider spirit shines bright as faculty and staff respond to COVID-19 pandemic

Many departments and employees were recognized in the article "Pulling Together" in the latest issue of Spider Insider, including University Communications, Information Services, faculty from various departments, Custodial Services, Mail Services, Student Health, University Facilities, the Office of International Education, the Office of Undergraduate Admission, and more!

Read the full story here.

Fred Hagemeister & Mike Miller Print Face Masks and Make Hand Sanitizer

The University of Richmond Police Department is benefiting from the ingenuity of Fred Hagemeister and Mike Miller, who have made face masks and hand sanitizer, respectively, to keep URPD stocked with needed supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full story here.