Today@Dal

Darren Ferguson and Lee Long, Student Services.

September 17-21 is National Learn at Work Week, a celebration of the importance of workplace learning and development. Here at Dalhousie, the Employee and Organizational Development (EOD) team encourages all employees to engage in learning activities and professional development events throughout the year. There are countless ways to learn — check out the HR blog for some ideas.

Student Services is doing just that, with several of its employees participating in learning opportunities. In Student Services, the goal is continual improvement of the Dalhousie student experience so they are constantly in learning mode with each other, through student feedback and with campus colleagues. Every staff member is encouraged to also participate in more formal learning, which looks different depending on the person.

Variety of opportunity

For Melissa MacKay, with Residence Life, continual learning is, in part, completing a combined honours degree in history and gender & women’s studies. Darren Ferguson, Student Services Communications, is also committed to learning, as he completes a graduate degree in electronic commerce.

For others like Lee Long, Athletics and Recreational Services, and Jennifer Volsky Rushton, Counselling Services, participation in Human Resources programs developed new skills and understanding. Kim Bonin, Registrar’s Office, recently added student affairs expertise to her enrolment services background through a secondment to Academic Advising. Other creative opportunities include participation on university-wide or departmental event or project committees or arranging a coach or mentor. All these activities add value to the student experience, by rounding out and expanding staff members’ knowledge base for their jobs.

Supporting life-long learning

Bonnie Neuman, vice-president Student Services, also hosts an all-staff event twice annually to talk about the department’s strategic direction and it gives employees a first-hand view of how Student Services contributes to the university’s strategic focus. Employees also learn about the university’s strategy for improving the student experience, and new and exciting initiatives on that front, through the office's Annual Report to Students, published and distributed across campus every fall term.    
 
“Learning happens on many levels,” says Dr. Neuman. “We are all very fortunate to work for an employer who values life-long learning. I encourage everyone to take advantage of it, especially staff that don’t have a university degree yet to start taking credit classes part-time. The university provides great tuition support annually and it’s a powerful learning experience to walk our talk. Your experience as a student, as well as a staff member, helps identify where we could be doing better.”

For more information on the many ways to learn at Dalhousie, contact EOD (eod@dal.ca or 494-1115) or see our calendar of events.