Fighting the Flu and Other Health Concerns

Now that students are back to school, there is a heightened concern about the spread of the H1N1 flu and other viruses. However, Ann Brophy, Director of Webster University Health Services, says there are many things that individuals and campuses can do to minimize the risk of spreading disease. The University has developed an informative Pandemic and Infectious Disease Information Web site that gives some of the background of the H1N1 virus, lists the symptoms, and provides precautions and recommendations for prevention. There are also links to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), where you can get more specific information for combating the spread of H1N1 in your own community.

Ann, who received her nursing degree from St. Louis University, has been a nurse for 30 years, specializing in surgery and intensive care. She came to Webster last September and heads a staff of nurses who, under standing orders from a supervising physician, treat students for minor illnesses and injuries and make referrals to physicians. You can contact Ann at Student Health Services at 800-839-0996, or e-mail her at annbrophy26@webster.edu.

More Help

To specifically help schools and colleges where the environment is susceptible to the spread of flu viruses, the CDC has prepared some targeted information that may be helpful to you:

• Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Institutions of Higher Education
• Cover Your Cough flyer

The University is also preparing materials that should be available shortly that will help you spread the word about stopping the spread of the flu.

Directors, What Can You Do?

Would you like to have an automatic (batteries required) hand sanitizer for your campus? 

If yes, we are happy to announce that Academic Affairs has partnered with Administration and Finance to provide each extended campus its own frontline defense against the H1N1 virus.  We will provide you with one pedestal, dispenser, and initial refill cartridge that will be shipped to your location. 

If you have interest, with the full knowledge that further supplies will need to come from your budget, please fill out this brief request form and submit it by September 4.

"Educating America's Patriots"

Last month, AVPs Randy Wright and Carol Adams (left) and several directors attended the 2009 DoD Worldwide Education Symposium in Atlanta, GA. The theme for the conference, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, was “Educating America’s Patriots.”

The conference drew more than 2600 attendees, including a sizable number of military personnel. A special appearance by our Gorlok (aka Margaret Reed) was a hit with attendees and the news media--maybe even more so than Erik Estrada of 1970s CHiPs fame (seen here with Margaret sans alter-ego costume).

Seen in the photo below are Carol Adams, Monique Kottwitz, Joyce Peavy, Michelle Cannon, Margaret Reed, and Debra Ingles.

For more information on conference workshops and to view more photos of the event (including some of our Webster folks), visit the Symposium Web site.

Important Numbers!

For the most efficient service, please use these numbers when calling Academic Affairs:

Don't Forget...

...beginning with the Fall 2 term, adjunct faculty letters of appointment will only be e-mailed to the faculty member's Webster e-mail address. Therefore, it is important that faculty know and use their Webster e-mail address. We have provided a handy flyer that you may print and post to help prepare your faculty for the change.

Graduate Advising Training Courses for Fall

Two opportunities for the course will be offered:

• The Fall 1 course is set for September 4-October 2 (GATC 5000-28), taught by Joe Ancona.
• The Fall 2 course is set for October 23-November 20 (GATC 5000-29), taught by Rita Braunegg.

Anyone interested in either course should contact Dana Jones to register.

Coming Up: the 2009 Worldwide Directors Meeting

Plans are being made to welcome our directors to the home campus for this annual get-together. The theme this year is "Welcome Home! Celebrating Consistency, Collaboration and Change." Details and registration information can be found on the Worldwide Directors Meeting Web page.

And while you're in the neighborhood...

check out the resources on our Extended Campus Administration page. We have tried to make this page a one-stop shop for your most frequently-needed office processes. It includes links to popular forms, as well as a list of Academic Affairs Responsibilities, so you can directly contact the person you need to talk to.

We are always looking for ways to improve the site, so if you have comments or suggestions on how that might be done, e-mail us.

Yellow Ribbon Program and the Post- 9/11 GI Bill

As previously announced, Webster joined the Yellow Ribbon Program effective August 1, 2009.  The Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) and provides additional tuition assistance to eligible veterans who served 36 months of active duty or were honorably discharged from active duty for a service connected disability after serving 30 continuous days since September 10, 2001.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays up to the highest in-state undergraduate public tuition rate.  Webster will be listed on the Yellow Ribbon Program website as participating in states where Webster’s tuition rate (graduate or undergraduate) is higher than this limit.  The University contributes 50% of the additional tuition assistance needed and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) matches this amount.  Webster will offer this tuition assistance only to eligible veterans certified at 100%. 

• Remember:  Regardless of whether the University is listed as participating in a specific state on the VA website,  a VA certification form should be submitted for eligible veterans at all campuses.  For the Yellow Ribbon Program, the veteran must present a certificate of eligibility to the campus before the enrollment can be processed.

University Registrar Don Morris announced that a new choice has been added to the “Veteran Benefits/Chapter” field in CARS.

• The “Veteran Benefits/Chapter” field can be found in the lower right hand corner of the Program Enrollment screen.
• After selecting “Y”, choose “33Y:  Chapter 33 & Yellow Ribn” for this program. 
• A new report is being created that will list students with VA benefits and the assigned chapter/program.
• The Registrar’s Office would like us to begin filling in the chapter/program for all VA benefits.  Academic Affairs is developing a brief tutorial to assist with this.  Stay tuned to the Extended Campus Administration web page for this future addition.

Once the student is certified to receive benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program is selected, the VA payment should come directly to the University.  However, it is unknown when payments will be processed by the VA and electronically sent to the University.

• To prevent holds on students’ accounts and to assist in the reconciliation process, the campus certifying official should forward a copy of the certification form and the Vet Rep Listing Report to Janet Babinsky in the Bursar’s Office.

The Registrar’s Office and the Office of Academic Affairs are available to answer questions.

Luke AFB Graduation

The Webster Family Tree

Welcome to those staff members who recently joined our worldwide community:

Michael Dean, Lab Assistant, Ft. Leavenworth, KS

Lewis Jones, Academic Director, Kansas City, MO

We would like to hear from you!

Email the
Office of Academic Affairs
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September 7, 2009