Graduate who posed for her future now poised for it

In 1999, a 5-year-old Taylor Smith posed for an ad for UTA's School of Nursing. Smith is now 22 and graduating from that very same school, now the College of Nursing and Health Innovation. Commencement ceremonies continue through Saturday. See the Commencement schedule. LEARN MORE.

UTA expanding five graduate nursing degrees online

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation will offer five of its graduate nursing degrees online beginning in spring 2017, a move that is expected to significantly expanded opportunities for registered nurses to enhance their careers. The degrees include four master’s and one doctorate. LEARN MORE.

Maverick basketball continues to be noticed

Accolades continue for the Maverick men's basketball team, this time from the Dallas Morning News. The team returns to the floor tonight, Friday, Dec. 16, at Bradley in Peoria, Ill. The Mavericks are unranked with their 8-3 record and seven-game winning streak. The Lady Mavs , who are 6-2, play Texas A&M-Commerce at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, at College Park Center. LEARN MORE.

Winter Break hours

Winter Break hours are online for Dining Services, the E.H. Hereford University Center, the Maverick Activities Center, the UTA Bookstore, UTA Libraries, and Planetarium at UTA.

Shop at utagear.com, bookstore; use Maverick discounts

Include some Maverick spirit in the season of giving. Go to utagear.com for Maverick sports-themed items, including apparel, hats, drinkware, office essentials, bags, golf supplies, tailgating accessories, and more. The UTA Bookstore has everything from clothing and electronics to popular books and plush toys. Take advantage of Maveric Discount Program, which offers deals both in stores and online.

UTA Box a free cloud service

With UTA Box, faculty and staff have free access to simple, fast, online collaboration and content sharing. You can access stored documents and files up to 25GB anywhere, anytime, and from any device, such as a desktop, laptop, phone, or tablet. UTA Box is like a J:\ drive or another hard drive in the cloud. With Box Sync, files from your local hard drive automatically backup to Box online.

UTA Box should not be used on non-encrypted or non-University owned devices to prevent unauthorized users from viewing sensitive University data.

To join, contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@uta.edu or 817-272-2208. LEARN MORE.

Maverick Cyber Security's December issue online

The December issue of Maverick Cyber Security Awareness—the Information Security Office's e-newsletter—focuses on personally identifiable information, or PII, and why it is important to protect it.

Blazing Construction blog has details on electrical outages, maintenance

Read details in Facilities Management's Blazing Construction blog about:

• Business and Fine Arts buildings electrical outage Monday-Sunday, Dec. 26-Jan. 1.
• Carlisle Hall ground floor elevator lobby closure starting Monday, Dec. 26.
• Life Science building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning maintenance Wednesday-Friday, Dec. 28-30.

Space heater use must be approved

The Office of Facilities Management reminds employees that space heaters are generally prohibited on campus and using them requires written permission. For details, see UTA’s Handbook of Operating Procedures, Policy 5-310, Space Heaters and High-Current Small Appliances Use in UTA Facilities. For questions, contact Patty Goodloe at patty@uta.edu.

Power energy savings by turning off electrical devices

A few actions on your part can help conserve energy on campus during the winter break. The Office of Facilities Management suggests these steps to realize maximum energy savings:

• Turn off and unplug electrical devices. Many devices remain in a standby mode or use power even when turned off, including computers, monitors, scanners, printers, copiers, chargers, power supplies, appliances, and other electrical devices. If items are plugged into power strips, simply turn off the power strips.
• Lower the heating temperature and turn off air conditioning. Areas controlled directly by an occupant should have the air conditioning and fans turned off. Heating and air conditioning in many campus buildings are controlled by a computerized energy management system that will set these areas to maximize energy conservation during the break.

Clean up now to prevent post-holiday surprises

The Office of Facilities Management suggests cleaning break rooms before the winter break

• Wipe down and clean out break rooms or common areas of any food items or candy to keep from attracting insects.
• Empty the refrigerator and turn off the ice maker.
• Remove all perishable items from the refrigerator and freezer. Check all expiration dates and dispose if expired.
• Clean the inside of the refrigerator. Wipe down the drawers, shelves, sides, and floor of the fridge. Dry thoroughly.
• Place baking soda, a bowl of dried oats, or a shallow bowl of dry, fresh coffee grounds and crumbled newspaper inside the refrigerator to combat mildew, mold, and bad odor. When you return, remove newspapers and oats/coffee grounds and wipe down the drawers and sides.

Coming Up

Sunday, Dec. 18—Women's Basketball vs. Texas A&M-Commerce

Friday, Dec. 23–Sunday, Jan. 1—Winter break. No winter intersession classes.

Thursday, Dec. 29—Women's Basketball vs. Appalachian State

Saturday, Dec. 31—Basketball Doubleheader: Lady Mavs and Mavericks vs. Coastal Carolina

Monday, Jan. 16—Martin Luther King Jr. holiday; University closed.

Tuesday, Jan. 17—First day of class for spring semester.

See more on the UTA events calendar.

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