September 17, 2012

Top 5 reasons to read The Source

Why should you read The Source? Editor Vanessa Holmgren shares the top 5 reasons The Source can make your life easier.

As the editor of The Source—some call me the Sourceress—I am writing to inspire you to check out the latest happenings from The Source news desk this week and every week.

Why should you read The Source? The following list sums up the top reasons why The Source always has your best interests in mind.

1. Reduce your inbox overload.

Now that school is back in session, there has been a natural increase in the frequency of nonemergency email communications sent to the L&C community via the staff and faculty listservs.

By gathering relevant news in one place, The Source eliminates mass emails, duplication, and unnecessary overload.

Every Monday, a single promotional email highlighting recent updates is sent from source@lclark.edu to all faculty and staff. This strategy cuts down on a dozen or more mass emails per month, and ensures that in-box clutter does not cause important information to be deleted, ignored, or forgotten.

2. Get to know your colleagues.

The Source regularly profiles staff and faculty in an effort to build community among all three schools and celebrate our collective values and accomplishments.

Did you know Ombuds Valerie White grew up in northern Japan, New York, and Honolulu? Can you name the four CAS faculty awarded tenure this year? Do you have a sense of what admissions goes through during each admissions cycle? What do you know about James Richardson BS ’70, JD ’76, the current chair of the Board of Trustees?

It may also interest you to learn that the childhood aspirations of your longtime fellow employees vary wildly from their current positions:

  • Mark Dahl, director of Watzek Library: carpenter or construction worker
  • Robert “Safety Bob” Tomlin, risk management coordinator: garbage collector
  • Brad Wilkin, director of information systems: the mailman in Mister Roger’s neighborhood
  • Martha Spence, associate dean for academic affairs: nurse or psychologist
3. Get to know Lewis & Clark.

How do you reply when people ask you, “What’s it like to work at Lewis & Clark?”

The Source creates a campus-wide awareness of vital L&C news that is not conveyed through any other medium. It is an online resource that demonstrates our impact on the world and offers ways to be engaged.

4. Stock up on tips and tricks.

The Source provides must-have information, including the following resources:

5. Make your voice count.

The Source strives to be the most important online communication tool for Lewis & Clark employees. We always invite story ideas, announcements, and article submissions from members of our community.

We also invite feedback about how the site is working. The current design of The Source was informed by the results of an online survey given to all L&C employees in 2007. Please take a moment to complete our new survey, tell us how you use The Source, and how we might improve its functionality. As a thank you for completing the survey, you can enter to win a gift card from one of ten local businesses. Survey closes on Monday, October 1, 2012.

Take the survey