HSU Academy

HSU Academy is the result of Staff Senate efforts to create a joint learning opportunity for both faculty and staff. The goal of HSU Academy is to bring faculty and staff out of their classrooms and offices to meet people from other departments and learn about the inner operations of the University.

The first meeting of HSU Academy took place Sept. 22 on campus.

Shannon West, Director of Admission

Each month, participants from across campus come together to learn the “who, why, and how” of a different department. For the September session, Shannon West, Director of Admission, pulled the curtain back of the inner workings of her department.

Participants learned the differences in recruiting and admission, the strategic planning that takes place, how potential students are targeted, and more.

It was a timely presentation, as West described it, because her teams are currently restarting their calendars. The start of the Fall semester is the culmination of a year’s work for her department. September through July, they travel across the state, make hundreds of phone calls, send emails and letters, provide tours of the campus, and create relationships with prospective students and their families. These months of hard work and relation-building result in move-in day and the manifestation of students we currently have on campus.

The calendar restart button has already been pushed as the team has already begun to travel and recruit HSU’s next batch of students for Fall 2022.

Jodi Zachry, Assistant to the Provost, attended and shared, “For me, the information presented makes me more mindful of the department’s workflow and the different stages they move through in the recruitment/admissions process.”

Ultimately, a more mindful workforce can participate more fully in operations and be empathetic to coworker’s causes. A major goal of HSU Academy is to provide the opportunity for faculty and staff to recognize and appreciate each other’s importance to the success of the University.

From the HSU Academy’s original proposal, “If employees understand how work is done, and more importantly why, HSU can have more collaboration and creativity across departments. If there’s a deeper understanding of HSU’s operations with more shared knowledge across the campus, there will be more heads to brainstorm, problem solve, and create new initiatives.”

Next month’s HSU Academy will feature Andrew Briscoe, HSU’s construction manager.

If you would like to know more about HSU Academy, reach out to Mary Burke, Staff Senate President.