College Offers Free January Seminars Through Extended Break

St. John Fisher College has organized a series of seminars throughout the month of January in response to students interested in looking for ways to continue to connect and engage with each other and members of the faculty and staff through the extended break.

The Liberal Arts at Lunch Series and the January Seminar Series hosted by faculty in the School of Business begin on Monday, Jan. 4 and Wednesday, Jan. 6, respectively.

Liberal Arts at Lunch Series

The Liberal Arts at Lunch Series will offer five seminars that will each be offered twice during the first two weeks of the month. Students are invited to attend any day at noon, but must register ahead of time. Seminars will include:

Contemporary Issues of Liberty, led by Dr. Carolyn Vacca and Dr. Fred Dottolo
Mondays at 12 noon (Jan. 4 and 11)

Examine issues of personal liberty and public health, voter participation, and protest through the lens of historical concepts of liberty.

Resilience and the Human Body, led by Dr. Zach Murphy
Tuesdays at 12 noon (Jan. 5 and 12)

Investigate case studies of pathologies and traumas that lead to either death or demonstrate the extreme resiliency of the body.

Art and Imagination in the Time of COVID, led by Prof. Jonas Gage and Prof. Anastasia Nikolis
Wednesdays at 12 noon (Jan 6. and 13)

These workshops will be an opportunity to reflect on this past year and think creatively about our future.

Learning About Learning, led by Dr. Sara Goodman
Thursdays at 12 noon (Jan. 7 and 14)

When learning and studying, students often rely on long-standing practices that yield mixed results, but can be easily modified to improve learning.

Guided Meditation, led by Dr. Melissa Goodwin
Fridays at 12 noon (Jan. 8 and 15)

Pause to explore mindfulness practices and meditation and progress through learning, practicing, and reflecting on various practices used for relaxation and well-being.

If you are interested in attending any of these sessions, register online.

School of Business January Seminar Series

The January Seminar Series hosted by faculty in the School of Business will take place every Wednesday evening throughout the month from 7 – 8:30 p.m. Topics include:

Kick-Off Session, led by Dr. Carol Wittmeyer
Wednesday, Jan. 6

Join the Salerno C Suite staff and the Dean’s Student Advisory Council Leaders for an introduction to the series and a discussion on goal setting in 2021.

Professional Selling Tips – Developing Professional Selling Skills, led by Prof. Ron Sicker
Wednesday, Jan. 13

Every business discipline needs to understand the selling process. Whether to sell an idea, attract a client, bring in more business, or sell themselves in an interview, understanding sales is a critical skill for all business professionals. This workshop introduces a sales methodology that is tried and true and has made many sales professionals successful in all types of industry and will help you understand what it takes to make a sale in any given situation.

Skilled Incompetence - Recognizing & Changing Ineffective Communication Behaviors, led by Dr. Jason Berman
Wednesday, Jan. 20

In business, the ability to sustain professional relationships is viewed as a virtue. But what if it comes at the cost of surfacing conflicts and solving complex problems? Good communicators may be driving sensitive issues underground. And the culprit is a skill - a finely honed capacity to control conversations and mask problems such that they cannot be addressed. Therein lies the essence of what Harvard Professor Chris Argyris called “skilled incompetence”; behaviors performed without awareness that stifles individual and organization learning.

What Makes a Super Bowl Ad Likable? Is It Worth It? led by Dr. Rama Yelkur
Wednesday, Jan. 27

Yelkur has spent over 20 years drawing up the game plan for Super Bowl ad success, and will share her research on the elements that make a winning Super Bowl ad. She will share historical trends and what contributes to the success of investing in this event as part of an overall advertising strategy. In 2021, there will be more viewers watching the game and commercials on television, making it an opportunity for advertisers to capture the attention of a larger audience.

Registration is not required for the School of Business seminars, and students are invited to join via Zoom for any or all sessions.

OIT Sessions

Finally, Robin Schmid, senior support specialist in the Office of Information Technology, will host two sessions focused on Microsoft Excel and Google Drive.

Excel Session
Thursday, Jan. 7, 3-4 p.m.

Build your confidence creating worksheets within Excel and learn tricks of the trade.

Zoom: https://sjfc.zoom.us/j/92050781613

Meeting ID: 920 5078 1613

Google Drives Session
Thursday, Jan. 21, 3-4 p.m. 

Digitally organize your drive!

Zoom: https://sjfc.zoom.us/j/91419532189

Meeting ID: 914 1953 2189