Professional Development Training Reminders
Human Resources Training & Other Reminders
Upcoming Training
Empowering Caregiver Series
This education series offers skill-building courses that teach caregivers how to navigate the responsibilities of caring for someone living with dementia. Caregivers can register for individual courses to meet their needs or complete the entire series. Zoom link will be shared prior to the training.
2/18, 2:00 - 3:00pm, Building Foundations of Caregiving (Zoom)
Explores the role of caregiver and changes they may experience, building a support team and managing caregiver stress.
2/20, 10:00 - 11:00am, Supporting Independence (Zoom)
Focuses on helping the person living with dementia take part in daily activities, providing the right amount of support and balancing safety and independence while managing expectations.
2/24, 10:00 - 11:00am, Communicating Effectively (Zoom)
Teaches how dementia affects communication, including tips for communicating well with family, friends and health care professionals.
2/25, 2:00 - 3:00pm, Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors (Zoom)
Details common behavior changes and how they are a form of communication, non-medical approaches to behaviors and recognizing when additional help is needed.
2/27, 10:00 - 11:00am, Exploring Care and Support Services (Zoom)
Examines how best to prepare for future care decisions and changes, including respite care, residential care and end-of life care.
Presented by: Alzheimer's Association, Hudson Valley Chapter www.alz.org/hudsonvalley
Supervising Union Employees
NEW DATE: Tuesday, February 24th, 9:00 - 11:00am, College Center MPR (CC 224)
This workshop will focus on supervising unionized employees. It includes an overview of the contracts on this campus, active practice navigating challenges and key areas where Human Resources can offer support. This workshop is intended for individuals who supervise union employees.
Presented by: Rocio Salvatierra, Director of Employee & Labor Relations
Delegation
Thursday March 5th 9:30am -11:30am, CC MPR (College Center, 223)
It can feel more efficient to just handle every task yourself, but overburdening your plate limits your capacity for strategic work and stifles growth. In this training, we'll explore when and how to delegate, providing clear instructions, and establishing effective accountability. Open all employees.
Presented by: Ginger Jurecka Blake, Associate Vice President of Human Resources
Upcoming Training from The Office of Institutional Equity
Ethnicity, National Origin, and Bias: Title VI in Everyday Moments
Thursday, February 12, 7:00-8:00 PM, via Zoom
Friday, February 20, 2:00-3:00 PM, Thompson Library, Class of 1951 Reading Room
Title VI issues tend to emerge through “everyday moments” that feel minor in isolation yet can intensify during high-visibility cultural moments. Open to the entire Vassar community, this workshop will help participants recognize where bias and discrimination can hide in plain sight, particularly around race, color, national origin, shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, and accent or language-based targeting. Through short, practical scenarios, participants learn to distinguish protected expression from harmful behavior and actionable harassment under Title VI, with emphasis on impact, context, and patterns over time, while also building bystander skills to interrupt harm without escalating conflict. The session concludes with clear guidance on what to document, what to report, and how to support those who are harmed. Attend virtually or in person.
Sign Up for Spring into Wellness: Campus Movement Challenge!
Despite what the temperatures say, Spring is just around the corner, and we’re ready to shake off the winter cold! Taking small, intentional breaks to clear your head, boost your energy, and enjoy some friendly competition with your colleagues improves wellness, focus, builds community, and develops healthy habits.
That's why we’re launching a month-long, campus-wide movement challenge in order to Spring into Wellness. Our goal is to see which department can clock the most active minutes in March. Whether you’re a power-walker, a stair-climber, or a mid-day stretcher, every minute counts toward your team’s total!
How to Participate
We are looking for teams to pledge their participation for our Spring into Wellness Movement Challenge starting March 1st!
To keep this light and fun, we are opening sign-ups to teams. A team can be:
- An entire Department (i.e., "The Human Resources Department")
- A "squad" of colleagues (i.e., 3 or more colleagues from a different or same department)
Feel free to use fun and creative names!
We need to ensure we have enough interest to launch. Please have one person in your squad or department act as "Captain" and fill out the form below by February 26th.
Once we have our list of teams, we’ll send out everything you need to get moving!
Spring into Wellness: Team Sign Ups!
What Movement Counts?
We are tracking minutes, not miles– no fancy tech here; all you need is to keep track of your movement time (which will be quick and painless, we promise!)
- Intentional movement: Any time you spend specifically focused on moving your body for your health counts. When in doubt, we’re operating on a simple honor system: If you think it should count, then it counts!
- Examples: A 10-minute walk on your own across campus, a run after work, a lunchtime yoga session, or a dedicated 5-minute stretching break with your squad.
- The minimum: Any activity 5 minutes or longer counts!
The Leaderboard
Every Friday at 4:30 PM, we’ll pull the totals. On Monday mornings, we will announce the department and team standings so you can see where your team stands!
The challenge officially begins on March 1st! Let’s get moving, have some fun, and see which department has the most spring in their step!
Blood Drive: February 11th, 11:00 - 5:00PM, Villard Room
There is a current blood emergency in our area and in an effort to help our local community, Health Services is hosting a blood drive on-campus on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from 11:00am - 5:00pm in the Villard Room.
Please email health@vassar.edu with any questions.
