Study Abroad, Minors, Involvement on Campus

Our last few classes together will be focused on opportunities within Poole, across campus, and beyond.  We will specifically focus on study abroad programs, minors that fit well with management degrees and how to get involved in campus organizations.  There will be several guest speakers joining us, as well.  We are lucky to have the Early Career Network Group from GSK back to discuss the transition from student to professional and interviewing tips.  As the semester draws to a close, we will also look forward to planning for future coursework.  We will also welcome all professional mentors back on December 2nd to reunite with their SNGs.  It is sure to be an exciting few weeks.

SNG Events

The students are busy attending their second SNG event of the semester.  The professional and student mentors have been quite creative in planning activities.  Here is a recap of a recent event:

This past Monday, October 24th the international student network group and I went to Neomonde Bakery located off of Hillsborough. We had the manager, Sam Saleh, speak to us about his travels from Lebanon. He spoke about how he started his business and what he does now to keep it thriving. He also explained the differences in cultures and that being proactive and responsible is a major part of success. He was a really great speaker and the students responded to him very well. It was a successful event!

This week in class, we will continue our diversity discussion - focusing on how we can develop skills to be inclusive leaders.

First Impressions

We are thrilled to have Ms. Harris back in class this week to present the First Impressions exercise to our students.  This activity helps us to explore various stereotypes that we hold and discuss how we came to develop certain perceptions of various identity groups.  In the past this class has been very popular with the students, so we look forward to it each year!

Students will also be sending their mid-semester check-in email to their mentors this week. 

Career Development

After a short recess for fall break and advising, we are back in M100 class this week.  Mr. Brian Newton, Director of Career and Graduate Development, will be working with the students on enhancing their resume.  Once the resumes are polished, students will be sending them to their professional mentors for review.  Students are also turning in their Reality Check assignment this week.  This activity requires them to review their grades up until midterm to approximate their current semester GPA.  This allows advisors to know if any students are experiencing academic difficulty and plan interventions as needed.

Happy Fall Break!

This week is fall break, so M100 classes are cancelled.  We are in the process of grading SNG Event Reflections, and it sounds like many exciting activities have already taken place this semester!  After fall break, students will be heading into midterms and advising for the Spring 2012 semester.  I can hardly believe we are halfway through the term.  Happy fall!

International SNG Cultural Exchange

Academic Success

Last week in class we focused on Learning Styles.  The students completed an assessment to identify how they learn best, and then we had a class discussion to develop strategies to employ when professors teach differently than how one learns best.

This week we focus on GPA calculating, consequences of good and bad grades, and academic integrity. 

The students should have completed their first SNG event by this Friday, September 30th.  I hope to post pictures soon from some of the  events that everyone has been attending.  If you have photos, please feel free to pass them along!

Mentors hosting events

Thanks to our wonderful mentors for planning several exciting SNG events this semester!

Last week, Lauren hosted a dinner and panel of professional women in the disciplines of marketing, human resources, accounting/finance, and supply chain.

Peyton and Tamara hosted a Multicultural Pig Pickin' for the rural SNG and the Latin American SNG. Peyton said, "Everyone brought dishes representative of their culture. After the meal, we had some great presentations and discussions. One of the students from the LA SNG was from El Salvador and she spoke about the differences between her family's culture and American culture, and some of the unique aspects about her family life. Students were given the opportunity to ask her questions and then we began a discussion about the main differences in business culture that her parents faced when coming to the US. That opened up into a great general discussion about the things students may need to prepare for in dealing with other cultures in business and life here in the US and abroad. Several students shared experiences they had had while traveling outside of the US and even within NC. We had a great some great comments about how people living in different parts of the same county may even bring different cultural views and perspectives to a variety of situations. I led the discussion with the students and provided them with examples from my transition from country life to Raleigh and then from Raleigh to France and the rest of the world. Following our discussion, we ended the evening with a Latin dance lesson where I taught the students some basic bachata moves and provided some background on the dance."

Next month, Diane will host a Customs Exchange event, where students will meet and connect with each other while learning customs and practices from other cultures. Each student will be asked to bring at least 2 facts from other culture(s) and one American professional business tip that they can share with the group. For example, how business cards are exchanged in China, the tradition of gift giving in Japan and why one should wear your name tag on your right collar. These gems of knowledge in a casual, fun setting.

Dennis will hold a "Resume / How To Interview" workshop for the students in the Asian Pacific SNG.  A Human Resources Manager from Eaton Corporation has volunteered to run the workshop for the students.

We are grateful for all of the time and energy the professional mentors are investing in the program and look forward to reading the student reflections on the events.

Counseling & Career Center Resources and Academic Success

Today in class we have guest speakers from the Counseling Center and the Career and Graduate Development Office.  Their presentations will help students become more familiar with the resources located on campus.  We will also cover tips on how to be academically successful during the first semester of college. 

This was a busy week in the Poole College of Management.  Yesterday we hosted a welcome back party and organization fair.  Many of the M100 students came out to learn about clubs within the college.  We were very excited about the turn-out, since stress the importance of getting involved early.  Here are some photos from the big event

Fall Mentor Day

Our fall mentor day was a huge success!  Thanks again to all who participated.  Don't forget to check the SNG calender for upcoming events and connect with your group to attend.  Here's the link.  Today in class we will be covering Professional Communications and then the student mentors will facilitate a discussion time where will will explore diversity topics and the first year common reading.  Hope you enjoy the pictures below:

SNG Student Mentors Retreat

On August 26th, training began for our new SNG Student Mentors.  Our retreat was packed with useful information and we learned lots of new skills - particularly related to facilitating diversity discussions, communicating with professionals and students, and being inclusive leaders.  With the help of the National Coalition Building Team on campus, we explored personal biases and worked on strategies to respond to hurtful and prejudiced comments.  We also prepared to meet our students and professional mentors on September 2nd.  My thanks to all of the students for an outstanding, successful retreat!

Welcome Fall 2011 Mentors!

Next Friday, September 2, the new M100 SNG mentors will be introduced in class.  We are so excited to have a wonderful group of upperclass students and professional volunteer their time to be with us.  Companies represented by our new mentors include:
GlaxoSmithKline
Credit Suisse
Eaton
ADP
Railinc
Hughes, Pittman & Gupton
Siemens Healthcare
Visionpoint Marketing
SkillsUSA
and more...!
We are excited that our recruitment efforts this summer have yielded the largest mentor team to date!  This is sure to be a great semester!

Class updates

Last week, we had three special guest speakers come to class to talk to students about potential career paths in each of our three major areas - business administration, accounting, and economics.  This week, we will be discussing opportunities to study abroad and to pursue a minor at NC State.  The semester is quickly coming to a close.  On April 29th, we will be inviting all of our student and professional mentors back to class.  We will introduce the professional portfolio assignment and collect final Student Network Group Reflections. 

Religion & Spirituality Mentor Extends Invitation

Ms. Erin Degerman, Religion and Spirituality SNG mentor, invites students to experience a passover seder at the Duke University Jewish Life Center on April 18th.  This event will count for class credit and can be used to complete an SNG reflection.  I hope that some of you will consider joining Ms. Degerman for this special opportunity.

Diversity Exploration

Last week, Ms. Lynn Harris, Director of Diversity Initiatives for US Pharma at GlaxoSmithKline, came to class to lead us in an exercise examining our First Impressions.  The students had a wonderful follow-up discussion on the nature of stereotypes and began to reflect on some of the ideas they hold regarding individuals who exhibit visible differences.  As a follow-up, we will be exploring strategies for leading inclusively this week.  We will focus on how to approach new situations and discuss how microaggressions, hidden biases and privilege systems can undermine our ability to work effectively on teams.

Tunnel of Oppression - Campus Event

The Tunnel of Oppression is designed to create an awareness of different types of oppression, and its effects, within society and the campus community.  The primary goal of the project is to create an experiential program for students, staff and faculty.  The program is supposed to challenge the senses and feeling of participants in a safe environment. 

 

The Department of Multicultural Student Affairs along with a large host of campus partners have come together to create NC State's first Tunnel of Oppression. 

 

Event Dates and Times:

     March 21 - 4:00 PM to 8:30 PM

     March 22 - 4:00 PM to 8:30 PM

     March 23 - 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM

 

To see tour availability, visit http://go.ncsu.edu/tunneltouravailability.

To request/register for the tour, visit http://go.ncsu.edu/tunneltourrequest.

Registration Advising

It's that time of year!  Students are preparing to register for their summer and fall courses.  In M100 this week, we will be working on academic planning.  Students who are in class on Friday will have their registration holds removed, and they will not be required to attend a group advising session.  More information on registration advising is located here.

Student Network Groups featured at the state NACADA Conference

On Friday, February 25, Dr. Brown and I presented the Student Network Group model at the National Academic Advising Association state conference.  Our session was well-received by participants, and we will be sharing the same material at a first-year experience conference in May.

While we were gone, Dr. Rakes, the college's career coach, delivered a "Jumpstart Your Career Workshop" to the M100 students.   The Jumpstart session is focused on helping students understand what they need to be doing each semester in order to best position themselves as future employees. 

Academic Success

This week and last week, our focus in M100 has been academic success.  Angel, a representative from the university counseling center, visited class to discuss strategies for managing stress, time, and academic demands.  She also told students about the various resources offered at the center including personal counseling and workshops on study skills, test-taking, and procrastination.

Today, Ms. Edward will lead the students in exercises to help them better understand their learning styles and, more importantly, how to cope when professors teach in a manner that is not compatible with their individual preferences.

The students have already begun having exams in their courses, and midterms are right around the corner.  Now would be a great time for mentors to check in with their students to see how everything is going academically.

This week in M100...

we discussed professional communications and systems of support.  The students will be contacting their professional mentors over the next week and practicing email etiquette.

Black History Month at NC State

The Student Network Group Event calendar has been updated to include the many events across campus being held to celebrate Bllack History Month.  Check it out.

WomenNC United Nations Presentations

Four young female college students will be giving presentations at the Woman’s Club of Raleigh as part of their WomenNC CSW Fellowship before they share their research at the United Nations in February 2011. The presentations will be about sex trafficking, access to reproductive health, violence prevention in higher education, and immigrant girl workers in NC. Click here for more info.

Poole College of Management to host Black History Month Event

Student Network Group credit will be given for this event.  We hope you'll join us!

On February 21 at 4:30 pm in Nelson Hall 3400, The Poole College of Management will be hosting a screening and panel discussion of the documentary Change Comes Knocking.  Change Comes Knocking is the tumultuous story of a bi-racial anti-poverty organization called the North Carolina Fund (NCF) that boldly confronted the explosive issues of race, class and politics during the turbulent 1960s. The tensions that built in North Carolina around issues of economic inequality were mirrored across the country, as riots broke out in Watts, Newark and Detroit. The story of the North Carolina Fund unfolds in this context, and presents a case study of what happened in one southern state and the impact that continues to be felt there today. As the cycle of poverty continues to be a grim reality of American rural and urban life, exploring the victories and the defeats of the North Carolina Fund’s 1960s war on poverty can help to create a new battlefront to attack the entrenched poverty and racial divisions.  Special guests include Producer and Director Rebecca Cerese and NC Fund activists Rubye Gattis, Ann Atwater, and Joyce Nichols.

Welcome to our Spring 2011 Professional Mentors

Peyton Holland, Rural SNG, Skills USA State Advisor/Motivational Speaker

Tara Roebuck, Nontraditional SNG, Education Project Specialist, Siemens Healthcare

Shannon Cook, Women's SNG, Director of Human Resources, Hughes Pittman and Gupton, LLP

Tracy Hall, Commuter SNG, IT Knowledge Manager, Credit Suisse

Erika Martinez, First Generation SNG, Human Resources Manager, Piedmont Air Conditioning

Jonathan Perry, Men's SNG, Managing Director, Fidelity Bank Trust & Investment Management

Bearta Powell, International SNG, Author

Paco Roman, Hispanic/Latino/Latina SNG, Manager World Wide Sales Enablement, CISCO

Stephanie Skaff, Out-of-State SNG, Operations Senior Analyst, Credit Suisse

Christina Moss, Multicultural/Mixed Heritage SNG, Admissions Counselor, NCSU

Dennis Tran, Asian/Pacific Islander SNG, Engineer, Eaton Corp.

Joanne Woodard, African American SNG, Vice Provost for Equal Opportunity & Equity, NCSU

Susan Keely, Military/ROTC SNG, Air Force ROTC Commandant of Cadets, NCSU

Erin Degerman, Religion & Spirituality SNG, Admissions Coordinator, Duke University

College of Natural Resources Diversity Lecture Series

The CNR Diversity Speaker Series continues.  Please join us for:

Understanding the Disconnect between African Americans and the Outdoors

Biltmore Hall, Robertson Wing room 2221. 11:30am-1pm.  Dudley Edmondson, Nature Photographer and Author (Black and Brown Faces in American's Wild Places) will join us. RSVP by February 2, 2011 to Thomas Easley if you will be attending.

Special Campus Event

Human Trafficking: Slavery Still Exists
Documentary Screening of Cargo: Innocence Lost 
January 13th, 2011
South Side Lobby - Talley Student Center (2nd Floor)
6:30pm - 8:30pm
cost: free

Upcoming Campus Event

The African American Cultural Center is hosting political analyst and author Juan Williams as the 2011 NCSU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Campus Commemoration speaker. The title of Mr. Williams' presentation is "American Leadership: Stories of Inspiration and Power Behind Proven Leaders." This event will take place on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 11:30 a.m. in Stewart Theater, Talley Student Center. http://www.ncsu.edu/aacc/index.php/events/entry/dr.-martin-luther-king-jr.-campus-commemoration/

DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCEDULED TO THURSDAY, MARCH 3RD AT 11:30AM IN STEWART THEATRE.

Classes start 1/10

Our first M100 meeting will be January 14th at 10:15am.  We will be choosing our Student Network Groups and look forward to welcoming our mentors to class on January 28th!