Free College Humanities Course

Looking for more free educational opportunities? SHARE Executive Board Member Larry Madden points out that the August interview deadline for the Worcester Clemente Course in the Humanities is coming up quickly.

Larry himself is a graduate, and an advisory board member to the Clemente Course, which offers 6 free college credits, all-expenses-paid (including books, daycare, and public transportation). For more information, visit the Clemente Course website, or email Larry.

SHARE Career Development Workshops

Feeling confident? Come to the Interview Skills Workshop to hone your strengths

The first workshops of the new SHARE Career Development Series are on the books. Sign up now! These are designed to help SHARE members advance their skills and their careers at UMass Memorial. The workshops are being organized by the SHARE-UMass Memorial Workforce Planning Partnership Committee, created in our most recent contract negotiations.

The sessions will provide strategies, tips, and resources for maximizing your strengths as an internal candidate. We encourage you to register in advance to ensure your place in the workshop, although walk-ins will be welcome if there are empty seats. To Register, visit EL4U (additional instructions for first-time users below).

The following sessions are open for registration:

RESUME DEVELOPMENT

*Articulate your skills and work history, and put your best foot forward in the application process. Gain an understanding of different resume formats, effectively market your experience, and avoid pitfalls by learning what should and should not be included in a resume.

University Campus

Thursday, July 20th 12:00-1:00

Goff S2-309C  (Capacity: 25)

Memorial Campus

Tuesday, July 25th 12:00-1:00

Memorial 1 Conference Room (near the cafeteria, toward the ED) (Capacity: 15)

INTERVIEW SKILLS

*Participants will review the steps necessary to prepare for an interview including homework before the meeting, and what to expect during the interview.   Gain confidence answering various types of interview questions, create and practice responses, and learn how to effectively follow up.

Memorial Campus

Tuesday, August 1st 12:00-1:00

Memorial 1 Conference Room  (near the cafeteria, toward the ED) (Capacity: 15)

University Campus

Thursday, August 3rd noon-1:00

Goff S2-309C  (Capacity: 25)

We hope you can join us! And, if you aren’t able to make it to one of these Summertime workshops, there will be more opportunities. In the Fall, we will repeat these topics and include additional Career Planning sessions.

To Register for classes posted in EL4U:

Log In Page  http://healthstream.com/hlc/ummhc

User ID: Employee ID Number

Password: The first time you log in, your password is the same as your User ID; Users are then asked to create a new password

If you have questions, please call the SHARE office (508-929-4020).

2018 Union Plus Scholarships

The Union Plus Education Foundation is now receiving applications for their 2018 Scholarship Program. The awards range from $500 to $4,000.

The application deadline is Tuesday, January 31, 2018.

This is a competitive scholarship, and applicants are evaluated according to academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended.

Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. The Scholarship Program is open to current and retired members of unions participating in any Union Plus program (e.g., AFSCME), their spouses and their dependent children (as defined by IRS regulations). At least one year of continuous union membership by the applicant, applicant's spouse or parent (if applicant is a dependent). The one year membership minimum must be satisfied by May 31, 2018. Past applicants may re-apply.

The applicant must be accepted into a U.S. accredited college or university, community college, technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. Awards must be used for the 2018 - 2019 school year. You do not have to purchase any Union Plus product or participate in any Union Plus program to be eligible.

Applicants should note that the application requires you to list the national or international union name, local union number, local union's address, phone number and the name of the local union President or Business Manager.  You need this information for your union, your spouse's union or your parent's union (if you are a dependent).  If you or your family members are affiliated with multiple unions you must list this information for all.

As a member of SHARE, you are also a member of our parent organization, AFSCME, a qualifying union. Please note that the “local number” for SHARE on the hospital-side is AFSCME Local 3900. The SHARE hospital-side co-presidents are Bobbi-Jo Lewis and Rita Caputo.

For more details, and to access the online application dashboard, please see the Union Plus Scholarship website.

Tidbit Time: Week of January 25, 2016

Welcome back! These tidbits are starting to add up. Speaking of adding up . . .

MORE PARTICIPANTS, EASIER WORK

“Many hands make light work” has become a fairly well-known aphorism. The phrase can be attributed to the English playwright John Heywood, who wrote during the sixteenth century. The idea can also be found in many other languages around the world. A related Tanzanian proverb says, “Two ants do not fail to pull one grasshopper.”

ONE BILLION ACTS of PEACE

Here, Chade-Meng Tan explains how cooperation can change the world, in describing a project undertaken by Tibetan students in India that is doing just that.

JANUARY IS NATIONAL BLOOD-DONOR MONTH

The Blood Donor Center at UMass Memorial accepts the important gift of blood year-round, and January is a great time to resolve to give. Blood is required for a number of medical conditions, including, of course, transplants, cancers, and traumatic injuries. UMass Memorial uses about 31,000 blood products each year to meet the needs of patients. The Blood Donor Center is located on the University Campus, downstairs from the Emergency Department. Walk-ins are welcome for whole-blood donations, or to schedule an appointment, please call 508-421-1950. To find other locations to give, visit the Red Cross website.  

LEARN IT and KEEP IT

In his book Outliers, writer Malcolm Gladwell develops the idea that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. Many critics and studies have worked to debunk this theory. Author and podcaster Tim Ferriss aspires to teach readers how to be world-class performers in a fraction of that time. But how long does it take to lose a skill? HopesandDreams recently spoke with several leading experts to find out the answer.

BUT HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE to GET to the CENTER of a TIDBIT?

A tidbit is, as Merrium-Webster tells us, “a choice or interesting bit (as of information),” or “a small piece of news or information.” Outside of the US and Canada, the preferred spelling is “titbit.” Obviously the word also often refers to a select little piece of food, and grammarist.com tells us that “the first syllable likely comes from the archaic colloquialism tid, meaning tender.”

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and that things are off to a very good start for you this week. See you here next time . . .