Showcase offers earlier options

Early risers will get more out of Showcase 2005, which highlights efforts to improve work, learning and climate on campus.

For the first time in its six years, the event will offer “early-bird” sessions, beginning at 7:15 a.m. on Monday, April 4, at the Fluno Center, designed to help the campus get more out of the day’s activities.

“We’ll offer a session aimed at helping people decide how to use Showcase in a way that is most productive to them and gain access to the information they need,” says George Watson of the Office of Quality Improvement.

Sponsored by the Office of Quality Improvement and the Office of Human Resource Development, the event is a venue for solving problems, finding better ways to communicate and sharing ideas.

Four Early Bird sessions, which run concurrently from 7:15-7:45 a.m., will offer participants a window into Showcase and provide a tool kit that will help in finding solutions to problems.

In addition to the session on how to use Showcase, these sessions will be offered:

• Project Management Essentials: Three Simple Steps: Provides an overview of project management and describes templates for a project charter, a dashboard report and a project closeout report.
• A Strategic Approach to Staff Development: Lays out the process of identifying essential knowledge and skills to address staff development, creating an “opportunity curriculum” and aligning professional development, job descriptions and goal-setting with strategic directions.
• Hands-on Demonstrations Using e-Tools: Learn about Web-based surveys, the WisLine Web meeting system and blogging.

This year’s event, which runs through noon, also will feature more than 30 poster exhibits highlighting improvement efforts, hands-on demonstrations and a series of presentations and panel discussions.

For more, visit the Showcase 2005 Web site.