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W@D May.09
The May 2009 issue of Working@Duke, a publication for faculty and staff of Du...
From Pgram
2
NAVIGATINGCHALLENGINGDIALOGUES
Workshops by theOffice for InstitutionalEquity offerconversation tips.
4
BUILDING ASTRONGER DURHAM
Tallman Trask III,Executive VicePresident,discusses Duke’srole in helpingrevitalize Durham.
5
A PIECE OF THEAMERICAN DREAM
Duke partners withlocal organizationsthat offer affordablehomeownership foremployees.
NEWS YOU CAN USE :: Volume 1, Issue 5 :: August 2006
WORKING
@
DUKE
wen Rogers hasaccumulatedthousands of dollars in studentloans while working on abusiness technology degreeat North Carolina CentralUniversity. A staffassistant in Women’s Studies at Duke,she’ll be the first in herimmediate family to earna four-year college degree.“You have to givesomething up to get some-thing,”said Rogers,who is42.“I’ve given up severalyears ofmy life for this.I’vemissed family gatherings,movies with friends,going out to dinner or going shopping because I’ve hadto study or write a paper forschool.But today,withoutan education,you are notgoing to get very far.” With a year and a half ofclasses left,Rogers hopesto limit her future debt by tapping intoa new tuition assistance program forDuke employees.Beginning in January 2007,the new Employee Tuition Assistance Program will reimburse staffup to $5,000 peryear for tuition related to an employee’sjob or continued career growth at Duke. The benefit can be used for up to twoclasses per semester or quarter at any higher education institution in NorthCarolina that is accredited by theSouthern Association ofCollegesand Schools – not just Duke. The new benefit program evolvedfrom the 2003 recommendations of the Women’s Initiative,which called forgreater opportunities for professionaldevelopment.It is designed to providemore employees with an opportunity forprofessional development by offering access to classes not offered at Dukeor courses at local community or statecolleges with lower tuition. A pilot program was launched in November 2004 to assess interestin a new benefit that provided tuition reimbursement for courses outsideDuke.The pilot results suggested broad interest in such a benefit.Underthe current benefit,whichonly covers courses at Duke,fewer than 300 employeesreceived more than $1.6 mil-lion for tuition expenses in2004.Clint Davidson,vicepresident for Human Resources,said the new program,whichconsolidates the pilot andcurrent Educational AssistanceProgram,is more than anaddition to Duke’s benefitspackage;it helps support Duke’slong-term staffing strategy.“We want to invest in ourown people in ways that helpthem grow and develop butalso prepare them to fill criticalstaffing needs at Duke,”hesaid.“This program can helpenhance job satisfactionamong staff,while expanding the internal pool oftalentavailable for the future.”Rogers,who has workedat Duke for nearly 20 years,believes her education will only help her continued success at Duke.She was at the front ofthe line for the pilotprogram after her supervisor,LillianSpiller,brought it to her attention.Spillerhas supported Rogers’education by using flexible work arrangements toenable her to leave early or come in latefor classes.“I got an e-mail about a pilot program with limited funding,”Spiller said.“So,I told Gwen to call right now because Ididn’t know how much was available.”Duke provided $100,000 for thepilot,but because ofits popularity,theavailable funds were committed in aboutthree weeks.At the end ofthe pilot,more than 120 Duke employees receivedfinancial support for classes at Durham Technical Community College,NCCU,UNC-Chapel Hill,and N.C.State,among others.Rogers received $468 through thepilot,and she was thrilled to learn that it will return in January 2007.Ifapproved,tuition for two ofher classes eachsemester – up to $2,500 – could be covered completely by Duke.
SEE
BACK TO SCHOOL
, BACK PAGE
G
This paper consists of 30% recycledpost-consumer fiber.
New Duke Benefit Expands Professional Development Opportunities
Gwen Rogers, staff assistant in Duke Women’s Studies, will graduate from North Carolina Central University nextDecember. She sits on NCCU’s campus next to a statue of NCCU founder James Edward Shepard.
DUKE EMPLOYEE TUITIONASSISTANCE PROGRAM
• Provides tuition reimbursement up to $2,500 for twoclasses per semester ($5,000 annual maximum)• Classes must be related to job or continued career growthat Duke• Classes can be at any North Carolina school accreditedby the Southern Association ofColleges and Schools – including Duke• Must receive “C”or better for reimbursement• Two or more years ofservice required to be eligible• More information is available at <www.hr.duke.edu/benefits/education> or call (919) 684-5600
If someone is going to pay for your tuition,you’d be a fool not to take it.”
—Gwen Rogers
“
Apply within – Duke unveils new job applicant system
Duke introduced a new Web-based applicant tracking system in lateJuly to improve the process of posting, searching and applying for jobs. Applicants will see three points of entry – an image of threedoorways – on the Jobs section on the Duke Human ResourcesWeb site. Existing Duke employees, external candidates and nurseshave access to the same job listings. The new system also offersimprovements for hiring managers. They can post jobs within30 minutes, read candidate resumes and track actions on applicantsonline. Resumes posted since January 2006 have been transferredto the new system, but all applicants are encouraged to access thesystem to update their information.
Awards celebrate Duke values
Nominations for the 2006 Diversity and Teamwork Awards arebeing accepted. The awards recognize employee achievementmade in the spirit of Duke’s guiding principles of diversity andteamwork. Winners of the Diversity Award receive $750 and anengraved Orrefors crystal bowl. Winners of the Teamwork Awardreceive a commemorative plaque and $1,000 to spend on a teamactivity. Recipients are honored at an awards luncheon at DukeGardens by President Richard H. Brodhead, Provost Peter Langeand Victor J. Dzau, chancellor for health affairs and president and CEOof the Duke University Health System. The deadline for nominationforms for the diversity award is Sept. 8; the Teamwork award, Sept. 22.For nomination forms and more information, call (919) 684-9040or visit <www.hr.duke.edu/recognition/teamwork.html> or<www.hr.duke.edu/recognition/diversity.html>.
LOOKING
AHEAD
@
DUKE
AUGUST 23
: :
Convocationfor new undergraduate students(11 a.m.) and graduate andprofessional students (4 p.m.)
SEPTEMBER 12
: :
PlasticSurgery: Getting Out of CreditCard Debt, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.,Searle Center off Research Drive.To register, e-mail agoetz@duke.eduor call (919) 684-6704 ext. 337.
SEPTEMBER 30
: :
DukeGardens Fall Plant and CraftsFestival, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.,Doris Duke Center.For more events, check theuniversity’s online calendarat http://calendar.duke.edu
News
briefs
I read with interest your article on (interview with)Sam Wells in the June/July issue.You inadvertently pointed to the main problem that has historically plaguedthe Duke campus,which some ofthe committee reportsare beginning to highlight but nobody names when they list the supposedly main issues (which you and otherslist as race,class,and gender).Those certainly were involvedin the lacrosse situation and other situations on campus,but behind most ofthe noticeable problem events,suchas the lacrosse party and the date rape the following month,is alcohol abuse.Why do you never name it inthe list ofproblems? Ask any alumni from the last thirty years,and they will name it as the number one problemon campus.When one administrator sent around a notesaying that we would talk about the issues raised by thelacrosse “scandal”– race,gender,and class – he said that,ofcourse,we don’t know exactly what happened that nightbut we can talk about the issues in general.When I pointedout that we do know that there was alcohol abuse thatnight (on all sides),his response was,oh yes,that’s right,I wish I had thought ofthat and I would haveincluded itin the list.I don’t think anyone on campus,administra-tors,faculty,or news information folks,takes it seriously yet.And therefore it will never be dealt with seriously.Richard P.Heitzenrater Wm.K.Quick Professor ofChurch History The Divinity School
Letters to the Editor must include your name and contact information. E-mail letters to working@duke.edu or mail themto Working@Duke Editor, HR Communications, Box 90496, Durham, NC 27708. Fax letters to (919) 681-7926.
letters
to the Editor
Navigating challenging dialogues at work
W
ant to talk with a co-worker about an offensive joke?Is a supervisor’s behavior inappropriate? Do youneed to deliver an unfavorable performance review? These are “challenging dialogues,”according to Polly Weiss,director ofdiversity and equity programs for Duke’sOffice for Institutional Equity.“The stakes are high.There are differing opinions.Andemotions run high,”Weiss told participants in a recent Dukefaculty and staffworkshop,
Challenging Dialogues at Work: Race, Sex, and Religion
.“What do you do when the stakes arehigh and people bring a lot ofemotion to a conversation?”First,know the right timeto confront an issue,Weissexplained.Ifyou feel angry,takea few minutes to cool off.Whenyou discuss the matter,center theconversation on your personalneeds to get your messageacross.The goal is dialogue andresolution,she said.“Shift the conversation froma tug-of-war to a more authenticdiscussion,away from labeling and value judgments and moral-izing,to what you
need
,”Weisssaid.“For example,your needmight be for a comfortable work environment or respect inthe workplace.” The voluntary workshop in June was the second ofitskind and drew 10 participants – all women – from variousdepartments ofthe university and health system.The next workshop is Aug.23.Weiss said the Office for InstitutionalEquity created the new session after receiving inquiriesfrom Duke community members about how to talk aboutsensitive topics such as religion and sexuality.Carlisle Harvard,director ofInternational Housesince 1986,said the workshop title piqued her interest.She thought the insight would assist her in work dialogues.“Talking about difficult topics such as sexism,racism orreligion can be difficult,particularly when people are fromdifferent cultures,”she said.During the session,participants acted out dialogues with a professional actor.In one,the actor played anemployee receiving a critical performanceevaluation.In another,she was a super- visor who did not take an employee’sconcern about a co-worker’s behaviorseriously.Megan Lynam,associate director of marketing and admissions for the full-timeMBA program,also attended the work-shop.For the first time in her career,Lynam is responsible for providing formal feedback to staffmembers.“The most valuable takeaway for me was understand-ing the difference between interests – the topics that arenormally being bantered about in a conversation,and theneeds – the below the surface,deeper concerns that are theones that actually need to be addressed,”Lynam said.“Thinking through what the needs are for each party andhaving the conversation at that level was an excellentinsight for me.”
— By Leanora Minai Editor,Working@Duke
OFFICE FOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY HOSTS STRATEGY WORKSHOPS
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TIPS FORMANAGINGCHALLENGINGDIALOGUES
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Be calm
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Be an active listener
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Seek understandingthrough information
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Respect and valuedifferences
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Be open to adaptingyour position
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
Call (919) 684-8222 or visit OIE online at <www.duke.edu/web/equity>to register for a workshop.
Correction
In the June/July edition,Tracy Futhey’s name wasmisspelled in the “Talking With Tracy Futhey”columnon Page 5.
It is the policy of Working@Duke to get it right the first time. When we make a mistake, let us know. We’ll correct therecord. Call (919) 681-4533.
Megan LynamPolly Weiss, center, discusseschallenging dialogues.
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Harassment
Diversity Films
Office forInstitutionalEquityNumber ofWorkshopsPresentedin 2005
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Working@Duke - August, 2006
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| Upload Date: | 07/14/2009 |
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