Staff Spotlight

Arielle Parker, Marketing Intern 

The Study is excited to announce Jim Breslin as our Staff Spotlight of the Month! Jim is the Associate Director at Academic Enhancement (AE).  When Jim isn't maintaining the day to day operations of AE, he enjoys spending time with his wife and cheering on Notre Dame with his dog, CJ.  Read on to learn more about what makes Jim such a great addition to The Study.

NAME:

Jim Breslin

DEGREE(S):

BA, Anthropology, University of Notre Dame

MS, Higher Education, University of Kentucky

PhD (in progress), Higher Education, University of Kentucky

OCCUPATION:

Associate Director, Academic Enhancement

I’m responsible for the day-to-day operations of all programs and services that Academic Enhancement provides for the UK community. My goal is to help create an atmosphere of collegial learning and to facilitate effective, efficient communication. I work very closely with Dr. Karin Lewis, Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education and Director of Academic Enhancement to provide leadership for all AE staff, establish and monitor progress toward strategic goals, and serve as a resource and partner for colleagues across campus. I am also responsible for maintaining the AE assessment plan, providing supervision and support for the AE staff, and for designing and implementing new, impactful programs and services to benefit UK students.

HOMETOWN: 

Louisville, KY

HOBBIES: 

I love to spend time with my wife, Farrah Dicken. We enjoy traveling, watching/going to football games, and playing with our pup, CJ.

FAVORITE FOOD:  

Farrah’s spaghetti and meatballs

MUSIC: 

I listen to lots of different music, but if I’m in the car I’m listening to NPR on WUKY.

FAVORITE MOVIE: 

That’s a really hard question, but given that it’s currently football season I’ll say “Rudy”

PET: 

Our dog, CJ (short for Claudia Jean, named for a character in “The West Wing”), who (we think) is a mix of Golden Retriever, Lab, and Chow.

FAVORITE RESTAURANT: 

 El Rancho Tapatio

COLOR: 

Blue

HOLIDAY: 

Thanksgiving

BEST PLACE TRAVELED TO:

San Francisco, CA

MOST DARING MOMENT: 

Trying to transfer from one master’s degree program to another after starting graduate school.

WHY UK: 

I originally came to UK to pursue an MA/PhD in Anthropology. However, I applied for a teaching assistantship in Academic Enhancement, which was a new department at the time, and once I started working I was hooked! I then transferred to the MS program in the Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Department in the College of Education.

FAVORITE CLASS AT UK: 

It’s a tie among Post-Secondary Transitions, Theory to Practice in Support of Student Learning, and Legal Issues in Student Affairs

FAVORITE TEACHER/INSTRUCTOR: 

Definitely all four of my doctoral committee members:

Jane Jensen

Neal Hutchens

Karin Lewis

Mike Mullen

ADVICE TO OTHERS AT UK:  

Don’t hesitate to reach out and make connections with others on campus. Whether you’re a student, staff member, or faculty, it’s been my experience that people want to work together to create a university community that truly is supportive, rich, and enjoyable. Don’t miss an opportunity to strike up an informal conversation. Putting myself out there and being open to change has altered my path both academically and professionally and I am so grateful for that!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB:

The combination of knowing, and literally seeing, that the work I do can have very positive impacts on the UK student experience and getting to do so with such a capable, talented, diverse staff that includes undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals.

DESCRIBE WORKING AT AE IN THREE WORDS:

Exciting

Evolving

Meaningful

IF YOU COULD BRING ANYONE BACK FROM THE DEAD WHO WOULD IT BE:

My mom, who passed away back in 2010 after a second battle with cancer.

How To Email Your Instructor

Alex Newby, Marketing Intern

Do you have a problem in class? Are you going to miss an assignment or exam?  Whether it's happened already or not, there comes a time in every college student’s life when they have to email a professor.  Rather than avoiding the inevitable, read these guidelines on how to compose a professional and productive email to your instructor.

• Know your professor’s name: Don’t assume anything in college. Check the syllabus for what he/she wants to be called. Some teachers might get offended or annoyed if they’ve worked really hard for a doctorate, and you’re still calling them Mr. or Mrs. Also, don’t assume based on a name that the professor is male or female. If you haven’t met them, ask around or find them online. 

• Have a subject line: With all the emails that instructors get, you need to include a subject line so they know your email isn’t spam. In the subject line, include your class number or something that actually helps identify what the email is talking about. Don’t just hit reply to an old email or write “Question.”

• Send the email from a school account: Using your school account helps the professor know that your email is from a student and not spam. If you don’t have a student account, use another professional-sounding account. For example: John.Smith@gmail.com. The point is to avoid emailing your instructor from an email account you created when you were 12. They’re not going to know who SoccerGurl09@yahoo.com is. 

• Don’t treat your professor like your best friend: Emailing your professor using Internet lingo, texting phrases or made-up nicknames is not professional and looks bad on your end. For example, if your teacher’s name is Megan, DON’T decide on a whim that you’ll address her as Meg or “Hey girl!” If you have to email a professor, don’t use shortened words like u, r, y, or ttyl. Use black font and don’t add any distracting backgrounds. This is an email, NOT your AIM profile.

• Don’t write a novel: Professors often juggle multiple classes as well as other professional projects. Keep your emails concise and to the point in order to respect your instructors’ time. If you’re upset over something, opt to schedule a meeting or go into their office during scheduled Office Hours. Ranting for four paragraphs about the grade you received on the latest quiz will probably only annoy your professor and may not help your case.

• Be aware of your tone: Voice your frustrations or questions in a calm, mature way. Yelling at your professor through an email isn’t going to get you anywhere. If you feel that strongly, wait and voice your opinion on the end of the year evaluation. Additionally, if the tone of your email is too casual your professor may not take you seriously.

•  Identify who you are: Signing an email with just your first name won’t cut it when you’re one of 200 students the teacher might have. When writing your email, make sure you identify who you are, what class you’re taking, and what section you’re in. If you’re referencing a certain class, give as many details as possible and use specific dates.

• Sign Your Email: This might seem like a no brainer but sending an email without signing it at the end is like hanging up on someone without saying goodbye; it’s just weird. Along with your name, it’s polite to also thank them for their response, their time, or their help in whatever you are asking.

• Emails are forever: Remember that anything written in an email is permanent. Once sent, an email can’t be changed. What’s this mean? You have one shot! Re-read the email before sending, check spelling and punctuation, and rethink what you’re trying to say.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Internship

Nicole Brown, Marketing Intern

Whether you’re pursuing a career in public relations, nutrition, physical therapy, or any range of professions, one of the best things you can do for yourself is find an internship. Internships not only give you vital job experience, but also get your foot in the door at a company you could potentially work for full-time in the future.

At the University of Kentucky there are many resources for finding internships, including the Stuckert Career Center (www.uky.edu/careercenter), but what should you do once you’ve found an internship? Follow the tips below to make sure that it is a positive experience for both you and your employer:

• Research it beforehand. Before you accept an internship, make sure that it is a good fit for you. Find out what your duties would be and make sure that they align with you career goals—while many internships may include aspects like getting coffee and making copies, be sure that you also get to help with actual work projects.

• Be professional. Even if you do not get paid as an intern, your internship is a job. Do not miss it if it isn’t absolutely necessary. Treat your co-workers with respect, and be sure to write all correspondence professionally.

• Work hard and get noticed. Do not only do what is asked of you; go above and beyond when possible. Internships are a wonderful place for networking. Even if the company does not later hire you full-time, the people with whom you worked are good connections and can provide you with referrals.

• Ask questions. Questioning is one of the best ways to learn. Let people know if you don’t understand something. Be sure that you are doing what is asked of you to the parameters specified.

• Ask for more responsibility if you want it. More often than not, companies are willing to give you more responsibility. The more varied your tasks are, the more experience you get, allowing you not only to boost your resume, but also to make sure that this is the right career for you. If you have ideas, speak up!

• Ask for honest feedback. Employers don’t expect you to come into an internship knowing everything and working perfectly right away. Internships are a learning process.

• Pay attention to office culture. Do you fit in? Could you see yourself working in this type of environment full-time? Do you feel comfortable?

• Work carefully—double check things. Your internships aren’t like a class, where mistakes only affect you. Mistakes can be big problems and effect large parts of the company. Spell check, read through your work before it’s finalized, and generally pay attention to detail. If you do make a mistake, just be sure to fix it.

• Dress appropriately. Follow the office policy so that they know you are serious about your work. Be sure to ask your supervisor what the dress code is.

• Be organized. It is much easier to get work done when you know what you are doing. Buy a planner, keep track of your assignments and due dates. Always have a pen and paper ready because you never know when you’ll need to take notes.

• Meet deadlines. Deadlines are important and you are expected to meet them. Staying organized will help you with this—plan ahead and give yourself enough time to work on all of your projects far enough in advance that you will complete them ahead of schedule.

• Communicate. Too much communication is better than too little. Keep your boss and colleagues up-to-date on where you are with projects and let them know if you are having any difficulties. If you are having difficulties, people will help you if they know that you need it.

For more information, read these and other articles online:

• http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/career/10-easy-ways-to-impress-your-boss
• http://advertising.about.com/cs/advertising/a/internship.htm
• http://career-advice.monster.ca/job-hunt-strategy/getting-started/how-toget-the-most-out-of-your-internship-canada/article.aspx
• http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/02/07/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-an-internship
• http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/01/17/10-tips-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-internship

Or get this book for a more in-depth look:

• http://www.amazon.com/The-Intern-Files-Keep-Internship/dp/1416909214

If This, Then That

Alex Newby, Marketing Intern

If This, Then That?

“If This, Then That” (IFTTT) is a new site dedicated to creating chain reactions throughout your social media accounts and programs. These chain reactions, called recipes, set in motion a list of actions once you trigger the first one.  Designed to help “put the internet to work for you, “ IFTTT is a new way to cut back on the steps and time you spend doing simple tasks online. https://ifttt.com

Before you can fully understand IFTTT, you have to learn the lingo.

Channel – Channels, as IFTTT puts it, are the “basic building blocks” of this process. Examples of Channels are Facebook, Twitter, Evernote, and Blogger. There are over 50 different channels to choose from!

Trigger - A trigger is the “this” part of the recipe.  In other words, it’s the beginning action. Examples are “If I change my Facebook status…” or “If someone new follows me on Twitter…”

Action- As you can guess, the Action is the “that” part of the recipe. It’s a result of whatever your trigger was. Examples of actions are, “Sends me a text” or “ Follow the person back.”

Polling Period – The If this, then that “polling period” is the time it takes IFTTT to recognize that the trigger has happened. Personal Recipes will check for updates every 15 minutes!

So you got the lingo down. Now how do you use it?                                                                                            

To start using IFTTT, students can go to the website and create an account. From there, you are free to explore the hundreds of pages of popular recipes. Whether you’re interested in apps like Dropbox or sites like Craiglist, IFTT can help you find recipes to help make your life easier.  You can also download the IFTTT app.

One of our favorites is: If you’ve lost your phone, you can send an email to IFTTT with the hashtag #lostphone and IFTTT will call the phone to help you find it! 

Here are some other popular recipes and the ones that we’ve found useful at The Study!

• If you post a new Instagram à IFTTT can automatically upload it to your FLICKR or Tumblr
• If a tweet has a certain hastagà IFTT can download it and save it into Dropbox
• If it’s going to rain à  you can receive a text message
• If you add a tweet to your favorites list à IFTT can automatically save it in Evernote
• If someone new follows you on Twitter à Your account can automatically follow them back
• If you favorite Blogger site posts a new blog à You can receive an email or text
• Mark on your schedule that rent is due à Receive a text or email every month reminding you about rent!
• Send a text to IFFTà Receive a phone call! (Great for getting out of awkward situations!)
• If you change your Facebook profile picture à IFTTT can change your Twitter profile picture as well
• Anytime you write a new post on Blogger à The blog can download into Dropbox