Goshen College ‘Lunch and Learn’ series to support and encourage administrative staff

GOSHEN, Ind. – This year Goshen College’s Management Development Program will continue its six-week “Lunch and Learn” series targeted to administrative support staff looking to improve work habits and the work environment through lunchtime seminars in Goshen piloted by experienced community leaders.

Classes will be held each Tuesday from Sept. 11 to Oct. 16 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Goshen College Church-Chapel Fellowship Hall, 1700 South Main Street.

Classes include:

·    Sept. 11 – “Strategies for Tackling Three Common Health Concerns Women Face” led by Ingrid Friesen Moser, the stewardship of health manager at MMA and author of Body Talk and Speaking the Words of Health.

                Coping with the stresses of daily life, living with the challenges of weight management, and dealing with the task of caring for loved ones can overwhelm and take their toll on women. This session will provide simple strategies to improve health and well-being in each of these areas.

·    Sept. 18 – “Digging through the Piles: Handling Paper Overload at Work” led by Bethany Swope, owner of Simplify Organizing and Decluttering.

                Workplaces rely more and more on electronic communication and record-keeping. Why, then, does the paper keep flowing and growing? Hear tips for reclaiming the top of your desk and remembering where things are filed. As a professional organizer, Swope will help you identify and change patterns that lead to disorganization so you can keep your living and work spaces clutter-free.

·    Sept. 25 – “Overwhelmed & Overloaded: Regaining Your Balance at Work” led by Kara McClure, vice president of human resources for Welch Packaging.

                Long gone are the days of the “cushy” job – sitting at a desk just watching the clock until quitting time. With the advent of “lean” techniques, productivity programs and fewer support staff, everyone is working harder to deliver more. When the demands of a busy family life and personal responsibilities are added, the need to multi-task expands dramatically. How can one get it all done without getting completely overwhelmed? With her background in behavioral sciences and business, McClure offers valuable tips that will help you survive and grow during seemingly impossible times.

·    Oct. 2 – “Speaking and Writing at Work Without Fear” led by Pat McFarlane, associate professor of communication at Goshen College.

                Speaking and writing are easy, even at the office. Right? This session will focus on tips for public speaking, one-on-one oral communication as well as written communication at work.

·    Oct. 9 – “Becoming/Being ‘American’ – An Intergenerational Dialogue on Immigrant Experience”with Lisa Guedea Carreño, the director of the Harold and Wilma Good Library at Goshen College, and Ruperto (Tito) Guedea, a retired printer and minister who came to the United States in 1946 from Coahila, Mexico.

                The melting pot, a nation of immigrants, diversity, multiculturalism: We hear these words and phrases so often that it is easy to tune them out or become desensitized to their significance in the lives of others in our community. In this session, a father and daughter discuss their experiences as “minorities” in the U.S. and share their views on cultural identity and assimilation. Through stories and photos illustrating one family’s journey and its continuing ties to an immigrant past, Lisa and Tito highlight facts and figures about local and national demographic shifts.

·    Oct. 16 – “The Power of Small Teams”with Paulette Brown, the chief operating officer for Goshen Health System.

                Learn the tactics involved in effective meeting leadership by establishing participant roles to enhance communication through a series of steps resulting in positive improvements or change. Discover superior organizational systems or processes using problem-solving strategies. With a successful history at Goshen Health System of recruiting nationally-renowned physicians and developing world-class cancer programs to meet the needs of patients, Brown will help bring insight into the power of working in small teams.

The six-week series costs $99 per person. Cost is $95 per person if three or more people register from the same company. Lunches are included. Attendance of four or more sessions is required to earn .6 continuing education credits.

For more information or to register for the classes call the Management Development Program at (574) 535-7150.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.