{"675372":{"#nid":"675372","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tropical Celebration Highlights Critical Role Teamwork Plays in College\u2019s Success","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EHawaiian shirts, colorful leis, and a relaxed aloha vibe were part of a recent College of Computing staff luncheon.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA strong showing of 135 staff members from the college community attended the Tropical Celebration for Staff held on June 11. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/dean-vivek-sarkar\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECollege of Computing Dean Vivek Sarkar\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E hosted the team-building event.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe celebration was held in the Tech Square Research Building ballroom. Highlights included remarks from the dean, school updates, and team-building games.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESarkar, who took the helm as dean on June 1, used the occasion to underscore the critical roles community and teamwork play in the college\u2019s success.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWithout teamwork, we can\u2019t achieve our full potential. Teamwork starts with getting to know each other, and I think this event is a great start from that perspective,\u201d said Sarkar during his remarks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe dean encouraged staff members to take ownership of their organizational roles. He also emphasized the importance of learning about other teams and their business objectives to facilitate a more holistic approach to teamwork across the college community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou\u2019ll never get that information dropped on you, partly because our organization is too complex. So, you must be active learners and take ownership of your role to help ensure the college\u2019s success,\u201d said Sarkar, who holds the John P. Imlay Jr. Chair in Computing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring his remarks, Sarkar announced another initiative fostering teamwork throughout the college community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Staff Leadership Council results from conversations between the dean, the school administrative officers (SAO), and others leading up to the start of his tenure. These conversations revealed an opportunity to develop better staff connections throughout the college.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe council is a resource for staff members to provide input and feedback about their jobs and the college community. They advise the dean and his executive leadership team on staff-related issues. Council members include College of Computing Chief of Staff Tonya Peoples and each of the five school SAOs:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EConnie Irish, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sci.cc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Computing Instruction\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAshtria Jordan, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ic.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EJan Morian, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scp.cc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Cybersecurity and Privacy\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EKelly Rockwell, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scs.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Computer Science\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EArlene Washington-Capers, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cse.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Computational Science and Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI expect the Staff Leadership Council to be a conduit between the staff and the dean\u2019s office. It provides for two-way communication to ensure all parties feel included and informed,\u201d said Morian, who\u2019s been with the college since 2017.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMorian and her peers provided school updates following the dean\u2019s remarks. Each SAO shared background about their respective schools, including current enrollment numbers, funding expenditures, and other statistics. They also introduced their team members and shared recent faculty and student news highlights.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It was so informative to learn the background of other schools and how each manages their workload,\u0022 said Connie Irish, the SAO of the School of Computing Instruction. \u0022The college is very large, so you do not always get to put a name to a face.\u0026nbsp;This celebration went a long way toward building our community together.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce the SAO presentations were complete, staff members enjoyed lunch. Island macaroni salad, huli-huli chicken, coconut rice, and pineapple upside-down cake were just a few of the tropical dishes on the menu.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.canto.com\/b\/Q9O0I\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E[PHOTO GALLERY: GT Computing Tropical Celebration for Staff]\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe luncheon concluded with team-building games and staff members competing for college swag prizes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMingle Bingo required participants to meet new people and learn something about them \u00ad\u2013were they in a band; do they prefer mountain or beach vacations; or do they have cats\u2013 to get five consecutive horizontal, vertical, or diagonal signatures on their cards.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe staff then enjoyed a rousing game of trivia. The game tested their historical knowledge of Georgia Tech and the College of Computing. Questions about Dean Sarkar\u2019s hobbies and favorite band were also part of the quiz.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMorian said, \u201cI loved Mingle Bingo! It is always great to get together with our colleagues from across the entire college whom we do not necessarily see often.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI believe community and team building are critical to the success of any organization. The college has always supported staff. And this luncheon is another example of leadership\u2019s commitment to staff.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe college\u2019s events management group organized the Tropical Celebration. It\u2019s one of several team-building activities for staff that the group organizes each year. Upcoming events include a staff retreat scheduled for October.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECollege of Computing Dean Vivek Sarkar recently hosted a team-building event for staff members from the college and its five schools. Sarkar, who took the helm as dean on June 1, used the occasion to underscore the critical roles community and teamwork play in the college\u2019s success.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Reflecting his commitment to building community, College of Computing Dean Vivek Sarkar recently hosted a luncheon for staff members. "}],"uid":"32045","created_gmt":"2024-07-08 14:20:24","changed_gmt":"2024-07-08 14:29:33","author":"Ben Snedeker","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"674310":{"id":"674310","type":"image","title":"Hawaiian shirts and colorful leis were part of a recent Tropical Celebration for Staff at the College of Computing","body":null,"created":"1720448465","gmt_created":"2024-07-08 14:21:05","changed":"1720448465","gmt_changed":"2024-07-08 14:21:05","alt":"Hawaiian shirts and colorful leis were part of a recent Tropical Celebration for Staff at the College of Computing","file":{"fid":"257808","name":"CoC Tropical Celebration_P9A1839.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/08\/CoC%20Tropical%20Celebration_P9A1839.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/08\/CoC%20Tropical%20Celebration_P9A1839.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":157524,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/07\/08\/CoC%20Tropical%20Celebration_P9A1839.jpg?itok=x04igxGT"}},"674311":{"id":"674311","type":"image","title":"Dean of Computing Vivek Sarkar hosted a Tropical Celebration for Staff on June 11","body":null,"created":"1720448626","gmt_created":"2024-07-08 14:23:46","changed":"1720448626","gmt_changed":"2024-07-08 14:23:46","alt":"Dean of Computing Vivek Sarkar hosted a Tropical Celebration for Staff on June 11","file":{"fid":"257809","name":"2X6A9896.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/08\/2X6A9896.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/08\/2X6A9896.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":68879,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/07\/08\/2X6A9896.jpg?itok=AqElwCZ1"}}},"media_ids":["674310","674311"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"}],"keywords":[{"id":"11075","name":"The Whistle"},{"id":"10199","name":"Daily Digest"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBen Snedeker, Comms. Mgr. II\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech College of Computing\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Ealbert.snedeker@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}