/news-archive/tag/rachel-jones/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Wed, 11 Apr 2018 14:37:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2018/04/11/college-social-sciences-communication-starts-mentoring-program-graduating-students/ Wed, 11 Apr 2018 14:37:51 +0000 /news/?p=70080 ... College of Social Sciences and Communication starts mentoring program for graduating students]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Social Sciences and Communication is making the transition from college life to professional life a little easier for graduating seniors by starting a new mentoring program.听 鈥淎 lot of graduating students do not have a mentor and are not experienced at networking,鈥� said Rachel Jones, assistant dean of learning and student success. 鈥淪tudents are wondering, 鈥楬ow do I transition from a student to a professional? How do I take what I learned in a classroom and make that relevant in the real world?鈥欌�� The new mentoring program pairs graduating seniors with College of Social Sciences and Communication alumni as well as career professionals. More than 35 mentoring pairs have already joined the new program, which began with a welcome reception on April 3 where the mentors and mentees met for the first time. This is a flexible mentoring program with mentors participating from as far away as Yemen. Jones thinks that the mentoring program could be an important way to guide graduating students during a key time in their early professional careers. Mentors can help mentees understand the job market, make decisions about graduate school, and gain professional experience and contacts. 鈥淢any of the students are just looking for help and for someone to voice their concerns to,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚t can be hard to share those vulnerabilities with friends and family, but it鈥檚 easier with a professional in their field who knows what they are going through.鈥� The new mentoring program is a key component of the college鈥檚 College to Career program, a series of workshops and events designed to help graduating seniors get a job or accepted into graduate school. The CSSC Signature Experience: College to Career program includes CSSC Research and Creative Works Showcase, CSSC Career Day, career preparation and graduate school workshops, and site visits to potential employers. 鈥淭his is a win-win situation for everyone involved,鈥� said Dr. Julien Mirivel, interim dean of the College of Social Sciences and Communication. 鈥淲e are offering graduating students a good mentor at a key time in their lives. Mentors who want to help students are making a meaningful impact in their lives. This is a relationship we hope will continue well beyond graduation.鈥� In the upper right photo,聽Dr. Julien Mirivel addresses the participants of the College of Social Sciences and Communication’s new mentoring program on April 3.听]]> /news-archive/2017/09/26/merci-cssc/ Tue, 26 Sep 2017 09:13:08 +0000 /news/?p=68028 ... College of Social Sciences and Communication launches Merci Initiative to recognize positive acts]]> On Sept. 1, Jasmine Avery鈥檚 ordinary Friday afternoon turned extraordinary when she was surprised by the delivery of a note and chocolates to sweeten her day. Avery, a student worker at the Link in the College of Social Sciences and Communication, was surprised to receive a note from her boss, Rachel Jones, assistant dean of learning and student success, thanking her for her good work. 鈥淚 felt more than happy to receive Rachel鈥檚 positive comments,鈥� Avery said. 鈥淢s. Rachel is more than just my boss; she is someone I personally look up to.鈥� The positive note is part of a new initiative in the College of Social Sciences and Communication, where students, faculty, and staff are learning that a kind word or good deed can go a long way. The college rolled out its 鈥淢erci CSSC鈥� initiative in August, which allows people to recognize those from the college who have made a positive impact by performing an act of kindness or going above and beyond to help someone. 鈥淭his allows us to reflect on the people who help and support us and show them thanks,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚 wanted to utilize the Merci Initiative to just let Jasmine know how thankful I was for all of her hard work for the first couple of weeks of the semester and encourage her to continue being awesome.鈥� Dean Julien Mirivel said the initiative was a way to celebrate the students and employees within the college. 鈥淚n the college, we want to create a really positive culture for faculty, staff, and students,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne way of doing that is to find opportunities where people can celebrate each other.鈥� Mirivel, who is a well-known scholar on the effects of positive communication, said that acknowledging goodness and kind acts will encourage more people to perform similar acts. 鈥淭here is a lot of research in positive psychology that shows gratitude is a way to experience positive communications both for the receiver and the sender,鈥� Mirivel said. 鈥淲e should try to find ways of creating positive energy, and this is one way of doing that.鈥� Receiving a positive note so early in her new job did motivate Avery to work harder. 鈥淭he positive comments I received by Rachel gave me more motivation to keep being myself, working hard, and putting a smile on everyone鈥檚 face who comes by my job, just like Ms. Rachel!鈥� Avery said. Sending a positive message of gratitude to someone in the College of Social Sciences and Communication is as simply as filling out an online form. The college had more than 20 submissions in its first week alone. The messages are reviewed by a member of the College of Social Sciences and Communication dean鈥檚 office. The message will then be printed and hand delivered to the recipient along with a few chocolates on Fridays.]]> /news-archive/2017/02/06/cssc-student-success-center-2017/ Mon, 06 Feb 2017 16:26:49 +0000 /news/?p=66215 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock college promotes internal student success center]]> The College of Social Sciences and Communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has extended its reach by launching a student success center that supports students at any stage of their academic journey. The Link, located on the first floor of Ross Hall, was a vision of the college鈥檚 dean, Lisa Bond-Maupin, that came to fruition in 2015. 鈥淭he Link was designed to provide resources to our students, such as connecting them to the right people and places on campus and helping them to figure out their career goals,鈥� said Julien Mirivel, interim associate dean of the college. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also trying to improve student retention rates, help students finish their degrees, and try to get them to think about graduate school.鈥� To accomplish these goals, Bond-Maupin and associate deans gathered a team of student specialists to provide students with academic success coaching, supplemental advising, and success workshops and events. 鈥淭he Link is like a one-stop shop for student needs,鈥� said Rachel Jones, assistant dean of learning and student success. Besides using the computer lab or study area, students can make an appointment with a Link advisor to plan and take steps toward a successful college career and future. 聽 鈥淲e want to help our students to be proactive and focused on the things that they really need to do,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淥ften times students wait until it鈥檚 too late to get help, but we want to jump in early and make sure we鈥檙e taking active steps to get things done.鈥� Aside from appointments, students can also be referred to The Link by professors. 鈥淲e care about our students, which is why we now watch for early warning signs or red flags,鈥� Mirivel said. If a student becomes excessively absent or tardy, doesn鈥檛 participate in class, or has low test scores, advisors from The Link take the opportunity to step in and intervene before it鈥檚 too late. 鈥淣ot all of our students are full-time college students,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e juggling a bunch of demands and sometimes GPA is not the focus. We鈥檙e here to help students focus, prioritize, and come up with concrete steps to take to be successful.鈥� Students who visit The Link can also look forward to getting help exploring majors, finding internships, learning interviewing techniques, and writing resumes and cover letters. For more information, visit The Link or contact 聽Rachel Jones, assistant dean of learning and student success at rejones@ualr.edu.]]>