News You Can Use

For the first message of the new year, some quick updates on items of interest in response to some NOVA questions that came up last week.

Higher education employees are in Phase 1C of Governor Northam’s COVID-19 vaccination plan; what does that mean?
Virginia is using local public health departments to coordinate and deliver vaccinations. Our Office of Emergency Management Director Tom Mayhew will be doing “lunch and learns” this week at noon on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to discuss the state’s plan and NOVA’s role. Look for the Zoom links and registration information in the Daily Flyer beginning tomorrow.

What’s NOVA’s plan for summer classes?
The summer schedule needs to be finalized soon, making this an urgent question. We are planning for a majority remote summer; it will look very much like last summer with priority for on-campus delivery given to hands-on classes.

What’s the deadline for completing the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training videos?
All employees should complete these training videos by the end of this semester. I completed them last week; it took about 75 minutes. I commend the DEI Council and Human Resources on selecting these videos. They are engaging, direct and positive, focusing on how DEI strengthens workplace culture and the responsibility we have to each other for creating an environment that allows everyone to bring their best to and thrive at NOVA. If you have questions or feedback on the training, please share it with our CDEIO Nathan Carter.

Do we have to do “Meeting Free Fridays”?
The goal of “Meeting Free Fridays” is not to add stress to anyone’s week. If you have meetings on Fridays and want to keep them—that’s great. The goal of MFF is to encourage some calendar space and breathing room that is Zoom-free. If you want to block off your Mondays or Thursdays or every day after 3 as meeting free times and that works best for your division or department, please do. The important thing is that you find some time each week when you can move away from the screen to reflect and renew. We’re all in about mile 80 of our remote ultra-marathon and still running, so pace yourself.