VIPs - Very Important Ponies  

Some of our VIPs this month are:

Alison Odom - thanks for taking over coordination of the Division Birthday Celebration! 

Stephanie Nonnemacher - was such a help.  She was very pleasant and I enjoyed meeting her and speaking with her.  Everyone should know about Stephanie's kind and warm demeanor!

Division of Enrollment Services - [Administrative Systems Training Team] - First, we want to send a overwhelming thanks to the Division of Enrollment Services for catering all 10 sessions that introduced PeopleSoft Higher Ed 8.0 (ACCESS.SMU) to our end user community.  Additionally, the Training Team would like to personally thank Kathy Rowe and Erin O'Neil for helping us out in a pinch with our sessions.

Susan Earp - I have taken several different 8.0 security issues to Susan Earp today and have been meeting with nothing less than total enthusiasm, a smile and great amount of knowledge. I personally told her how much we appreciated her today.  I feel we sometimes forget to tell those in higher power how lucky they are to have a team player like Susan. 

Sylvia Wiseman - early in finals week a student came to Perkins at 8am in a panic to find a copy of the examination schedule.  Sylvia came to the student's rescue as she walked in the office. Sylvia printed the schedule for the student even though we were not open.  Thank you, Sylvia!

Darrah Rippy - [Bill Byerly-UG Cox] I wanted to share my appreciation of the dedication that Darrah Rippy has for her duties here at SMU.  Each time I call Darrah for assistance, she is very prompt on resolving the issue.  I admire her professionalism!  Darrah is truly a valuable part of your team!  

 Darrah Rippy and Sunsharae Smith - Kudos to Darrah Rippy and Sunsharae Smith and their co-workers for implementing automated pre/co-requisite checking.  Requisite checking is delivered PS functionality that was deferred when SR went live.  It had not been part of the legacy system and also, the academic departments were not prepared to use it.  About a year ago, a pilot project was implemented for a hand full of undergraduate Cox courses. The pilot project went very well and this Spring the program was expanded to include Engineering.  Again, seeing excellent results, the use of automated requisite checking has been opened up to all departments.  Automated requisite checking is an important enhancement to the enrollment process, helping assure that students have the necessary preparation before being allowed to enroll in course -- creating a better class room situation and providing the departments with overall better management of their course enrollments.  In the case of Engineering, implementation of automated requisite checking helps them comply with suggestions made during a recent accreditation visit.  

Transfer Admission Area - a transfer student admitted to SMU returned the Transfer Survey Card.  The student noted on the card that they would not be attending SMU, but instead chose another institution in the area.  However, he checked "very positive" for Admission Counseling, Telephone contact, General Admission contact, and SMU Admission website.  He added, "Very friendly and helpful people in the office of undergraduate admission." Then added in comments, "It may not be much to SMU, but to show my appreciation for a great experience, I went ahead and made my $400 deposit.  Thank you very much." 

        

10 Tips for Getting It Done 
When You NEVER have Time

Do you never seem to have enough time -- just can't find enough hours in the day to get it all done?

You're not alone!  Most professionals occasionally feel overwhelmed with the hectic lives they lead.  But if you find yourself continually stressed out because you're swamped at work and snowed under at home, its time to take stock of what's going wrong.

Typical reasons things don't get done:
1.  We procrastinate
2.  We get distracted
3.  We can't say no
4.  We don't delegate
5.  We're perfectionists
6.  We take on too many commitments at once

Regardless of why you aren't getting things done, don't let circumstances dictate what happens to your precious time.  Here are 10 proven ways to regain control of your time and get things done, both at work and at home.

Just Say No
The word "no" is a powerful time saver! Saying "yes" all the time doesn't guarantee career advancement or popularity.  

Learn to Delegate
When you delegate, you instantly increase time you have available -- and you help others learn new skills.

Schedule Major Projects
If you have a number of major projects gathering dust because you're going to do them when you find time, stop waiting and start scheduling.

Do first the thing you like least
This is an excellent time saving habit to get into.

Avoid procrastination
Procrastination is Enemy No. 1 if you're serious about getting things done.

Maintain a master calendar
Keep track of plans for the entire family on a master calendar, and be sure to include any overtime or business travel you're scheduled for.

Use lists
Most people who manage their time effectively rely on lists as organizational tools.

Recognize distractions and eliminate them
Distractions come in a zillion forms -- from chatty co-workers to a TV at home that's never turned off.  Identify major distractions and eliminate them.

Don't over-commit yourself
Getting over-committed is a huge time trap.  Learn to say "no" and learn to accurately estimate how long a task will take to complete.

Avoid perfectionism 
Perfectionism saps your energy and wastes your time.  Many tasks we do are non-critical, so let "good enough" be good enough and move on.

From National Seminar Group - Enews. 

DON'T FORGET

Staff Assoc. Picnic
Wed, May 21st
11:30am - 1:30pm
Main Quad

May
Division Meeting
June 4 - 8.0 Presentation
8:30am H-T Forum