University Police will offer rape awareness defense (RAD) training in April. The course is free for Missouri S&T students, staff and faculty. Classes will be held noon to 3 p.m. Sundays, April 2, April 9, April 16 and April 23. The first class on April 2 will be at the University Police department.

Lt. Letha Young will lead the training. To enroll, contact Young at young@mst.edu. To learn more about RAD, please visit www.rad-systems.com.

The summer and fall 2017 Schedule of Classes information is now available on the registrar’s website or through Joe’SS. Priority registration will begin Tuesday, April 4. Information about priority registration has been sent to students and faculty. For more information, please contact the registrar’s office.

Annual performance appraisals provide employees with feedback and ensure we better ourselves and our university community. The appraisal process opens Wednesday, March 15. Preparing for your appraisal now can help make it is a success. Access guides, tutorials, on-demand seminars, and more at http://hr.mst.edu/development/myperformance/.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2017 Woman of the Year as well as the inaugural Dr. Elizabeth Cummins Women’s Advocate Award. Nominations are due Friday, March 24.

• The Woman of the Year Award recognizes female, full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty who serve as valuable role models for female students at Missouri S&T. Recipients contribute to the university through their research, scholarship, teaching and service. For more information and to submit a nomination, please visit mst.edu/WOY.
• The Dr. Elizabeth Cummins Women’s Advocate Award has been created to honor an S&T employee, regardless of gender or job title, who demonstrates commitment to women on campus through mentorship and advocacy. The award was named in honor of Dr. Elizabeth Cummins, Missouri S&T’s first Woman of the Year and a professor emerita of English and technical communication. For more information and to submit a nomination, please visit mst.edu/WAA.

Due to new duct bank installation, the north entrance to Schrenk Hall will not be accessible for at least one week, beginning Monday, March 13. In the meantime, please use the building’s northeast, south or southwest entrances. For more information, please contact Ron Boggs, senior construction project manager, at 308-7066.

Get more information about retirement planning and upcoming retiree insurance eligibility changes at a seminar 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, March 14. The seminar will be broadcast via telepresence in Room 201A Curtis Laws Wilson Library. Get more information and register online. For additional information, please contact Lee Miller at 341-6105.

Women continue to be underrepresented in the fields of physical sciences, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Multiple and complex factors contribute to the gender gap in STEM participation; one factor that has received considerable empirical support is the role of gender bias. Dr. Jessica Cundiff, assistant professor of psychology will review evidence of gender bias in STEM, as well as strategies to address gender bias during a presentation 1-1:50 p.m. Monday, March 13, in Room 254 Toomey Hall.

Local business owners are optimistic about business opportunities, according to a survey conducted by Missouri S&T’s Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC). “Of those surveyed, more than 81 percent of businesses expect their business to improve somewhat or improve greatly over the next one to three years,” says Keith Strassner, director of technology transfer and economic development at Missouri S&T. “Although we expected most to have a positive outlook, it was surprising to see this number that high.”

Employees, retirees and community members are invited to participate in “Stay Strong, Stay Healthy,” an eight-week strength training program beginning Monday, April 3. A trained instructor will guide participants through a warm-up, eight muscle-strengthening exercises and a cool down.

If your Miner card is missing, you can now deactivate it via the lost card application on the Miner Card ID Office website. Simply log in and change your card status from “active” to “deactive.” Please note that deactivating your Miner Card only affects access to buildings using Miner locks or residential life locks. If you find your card after marking it “deactive,” you may log into the application and mark it “active” again or purchase a replacement ID from the Miner Card ID office, Room 106 Centennial Hall. For more information, please contact the ID office at 341-4996.