A weekly newsletter to build community through updates, opportunities, and celebrations | |
January 30, 2025 | Volume 11 | Issue 20 | |
Spotlight on Gregg Massenburg | |
By Gregg Massenburg, Assistant Director of Student Engagement & Success | |
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I grew up in Elkin, NC but I lived in WNC for most of my life. I started here at Davidson in November but I have also worked at Johnston, Wilson, and Pitt Community Colleges. Please stop by Advising and see me because I love meeting new people. I stay busy after work with my wife of 9 years, 5 kids, and my zoo (5 cats, 1 dog, and 1 turtle). In my spare time I love to play pickleball and ride around on electric skateboards, one wheels, and bikes. My esk8 crew won Super squad of the year 2 years in a row in Las Vegas at Esk8con.
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Travel: I haven't traveled much other than visiting family lately but we are planning a big Disney trip for 2026. (Pray for me)
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Music: My radio stays on K-Love.
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Food: I love pizza, chili, and tacos
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Show: Landman
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Dinner with someone? My dad because there is still so much I want to ask him and he is no longer with us.
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Zombie Apocalypse? I love the Walking Dead so I would survive. I have been training my whole life for this, lol.
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Professional Learning Events
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Summer Institute Application Reminder | |
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By Gloria Johnson
Don’t forget that the application period for the 2025 Summer Institute is currently open and will close on Tuesday, Feb 11, 2025.
The CTL invites all interested faculty, both full-time and part-time, to submit the 2025 Summer Institute Application Google Form.
The Summer Institute will run for four days from July 28 through July 31, 2025, and be followed by a Faculty Learning Community during Fall 2025. A $1500 stipend will be provide to selected participants, with participation limited to 15 faculty members.
Please contact the CTL if you have any questions.
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Scheduled Maintenance - Moodle will be unavailable | |
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By: Gretchen Benton
We have a Moodle update scheduled for the early morning hours on Thursday next week. During this time Moodle will be down and unavailable. Please save or submit any open Moodle activities by the end of the day on Wednesday, February 5th to prevent the loss of your work. The site will go down shortly after midnight and should be back up and available several hours prior to the start of business hours (8am) on Thursday, February 6th.
Moodle Update Scheduled - Thursday, February 6, 2025, 12:30 AM - 4:30 AM
Please note that maintenance and upgrades may be completed sooner than expected or may take longer than expected. End times are estimates. In this update I don’t not expect large changes or new features, but we should have some more permanent fixes applied to help with recent bugs including some fixes for some question bank issues.
Need help?
If you experience any issues with Moodle after maintenance or updates please send an email with details to moodle@davidsondavie.edu or edtech@davidsondavie.edu
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International Intrigue
“Signs, Signs, Everywhere There [Are] Signs”
By Sarah Wright
Of course, the title is a nod of homage to the band Tesla, but the truth is that I really like signs. I love literal and metaphorical signs. I love road signs–the green kind–the special–the super ornate and the super ordinary. I just like signs. Sometimes the literal and metaphorical signs culminate for a major life event–a new mission, mantra, manuscript, something.
I lived in Massachusetts for eight years. And while I am from Mount Airy, I consider Massachusetts home. It is the place that I think I became me. I realized who I was and who I wanted to be. For many years, I made the long drive back and forth to visit North Carolina and later, after I moved, to visit Massachusetts and Rhode Island (and sometimes Maine). There was a particular road sign in Connecticut that always intrigued me. It was exit 66 off I-95, Spencer Plain Road, also known as Connecticut State Road 166. During the years of driving that stretch, I knew there was a short story somewhere in my head that involved that sign. I did, eventually, birth a short story that was set on that road and has the road in the title, but I never actually took the exit. I knew it was just meant as a catalyst to produce a work of fiction.
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As a child living in Mount Airy, the thing to do every weekend was to go to the big city of Winston-Salem, and I remember from childhood that traveling north on several different roads pointed to Mount Airy and south on the very same roads led to Lexington. For over a year, I have burned those roads up going back and forth, and each time I navigated my car in the southward direction and chose the exit for Lexington instead of Mount Airy, I never felt like I was making the “wrong” turn. Though, I was constantly overwhelmed by my overall commute that was as short as 1 hour and 8 minutes to as long as 3 hours to the one day that every route I knew to campus was closed, and I truly felt like all roads were leading somewhere else (I did make it that day too, shockingly). During all of the commutes, I still felt like there was work to do, things to accomplish, students and people, in general, to reach.
I was fortunate enough to move from haphazardly looking for a house closer to campus to buying a house closer to campus, so now, only about once or twice a week when I go to my house in Mount Airy to pick-up a load of my belongings do I see that sign where I have to choose the direction–Mount Airy or Lexington–because I chose Davidson-Davie permanently when I purchased a new home.
Why is this International Intrigue? This particular part probably isn’t, but I firmly believe being in this community will help me be better at my job for all of you and our students. In the words of Dr. King, loosely translated from Spanish: “Even if the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant the tree today.” Let’s keep planting these seeds for International Education.
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Now What? Moving from Industry to the Classroom | |
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By Grant Jolliff
Congratulations on securing a teaching position! Transitioning from industry to academia is an exciting journey that comes with new challenges and opportunities. This session is designed to equip instructors in their first three to five years of teaching with practical strategies to excel in the classroom.
What You’ll Gain:
- Leverage your industry experience to enhance student learning
- Develop and refine your teaching philosophy
- Strengthen your classroom management skills
- Build a strong professional network
Meet Your Speaker: Myles Regier
Myles Regier, a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast and highly skilled mechanic, transitioned from the shop floor to the classroom, bringing a wealth of hands-on expertise to education. With formal training from McPherson College’s Automotive Restoration Program and the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Myles specialized in Harley-Davidson and Yamaha before working at renowned industry names like Hacienda Harley-Davidson, Classic Heaven Restorations, and Max Speed Cycles.
In 2017, inspired by his wife’s encouragement, Myles discovered his passion for teaching as an adjunct instructor at Forsyth Tech. His rapid ascent from adjunct to Program Coordinator and now Associate Dean of Engineering and Transportation Technology Programs speaks to his commitment to education and leadership. He now oversees multiple technical programs, bridging the gap between industry and academia.
Join us for this insightful session and gain the tools you need to thrive as an instructor!
Date & Time: February 4, 2 P.M. - 3 P.M.
Location: Virtual (Recording sent out to all who register)
Register Now!
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an experienced educator who has successfully navigated the transition from industry expert to academic leader!
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Do You Have a Story to Share? | |
We want to promote faculty and staff stories! Please contact Amy Holmes (amy_holmes@davidsondavie.edu) with ideas or referrals for stories. | |
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