Strengthen the Ship!
Enhance your professional skills with our six-part staff development series designed exclusively for Shippensburg University staff. This series covers essential topics to boost your workplace effectiveness and personal growth. Each session focuses on a different transferable or digital skill.
Participants will receive a ticket for free breakfast at Reisner Dining Hall the day of the session. They will also receive a certificate after each session they attend. Those who attend at least four out of the six sessions will earn a Certificate of Completion and a special gift to showcase their commitment to professional development.
ShipU-cation!
ShipU-cation is a mini-series designed to provide quick, practical learning opportunities on topics specific to Shippensburg University. Each 45-minute session dives into SU-focused tools, systems, and challenges to help faculty and staff strengthen their day-to-day work.
Unlike our Strengthen the Ship Professional Development Series, ShipU-cation sessions do not include meals or refreshments and do not count toward the certificate of completion. Instead, they are short, targeted learning experiences to give you the insights you need—when you need them.
Sessions & Speakers
Wednesday, September 16 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Excel Training – Intermediate Level
This session builds on the intermediate-level Excel topics from last year with additional examples, and by introducing some new concepts such as data filtering, advanced functions, decision making and analysis, data modeling and validation, and more. Bring a laptop if you want to follow along!
Speaker: Jamie Rhine
Jamie Rhine has been a member of the IT staff at Shippensburg University for more than 20 years, beginning his career as a student employee in the department. He leads the department’s help desk services, desktop and user support initiatives, and the Media Services office. Jamie earned both BSBA and MBA degrees from the John L. Grove College of Business at Ship and is heavily invested in the Ship community!
Thursday, October 22 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Discover Your Strengths: Using CliftonStrengths at Work
What do you naturally do best and how can you use those talents more intentionally in your role at Shippensburg University? This interactive one-hour workshop introduces participants to the CliftonStrengths approach and explores how identifying and developing your natural talents can enhance your work, collaboration, and professional growth.
Designed specifically for employees who have never taken the CliftonStrengths assessment, participants will learn about the 34 CliftonStrengths themes, explore the value of a strengths-based approach, and discover how strengths can show up in everyday workplace situations.
Participants will leave with a better understanding of CliftonStrengths and practical ideas for leveraging their unique talents to contribute to their team and the Shippensburg University community.
No previous CliftonStrengths experience is required.
Speaker: Victoria Kerr
Victoria Kerr is the Executive Director of the Career Center at Shippensburg University, where she has served since 2013. She is passionate about helping students connect their interests, strengths, and experiences to meaningful academic and career pathways. Throughout her time at Shippensburg, Victoria has focused on developing innovative programs and partnerships that strengthen career readiness, expand work-integrated learning opportunities, and help students recognize and articulate the skills they bring to the workplace.
Prior to joining Shippensburg University, Victoria served as Director of the Career Center and Undeclared Students at Shepherd University. She also brings more than eight years of human resources experience from the American Bar Association, American Woodmark, and ATPCO, providing her with both higher education and employer perspectives on career development and workforce readiness.
Victoria earned a Master of Arts in College Student Development from Shepherd University and a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society from American University. She is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and holds certifications in DiSC, the Strong Interest Inventory, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and as a Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP).
Victoria is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Shippensburg University. Her professional and academic interests center on career readiness, experiential and work-integrated learning, and creating intentional connections between students’ academic experiences and their future careers from K-12 through higher education.
Tuesday, November 17 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Leadership Connections
Speaker: Nicole Hill
Tuesday, December 15 | 1 PM – 2 PM
ShipU-Cation: SAP/BI Training
Join us for a review of essential procurement procedures and best practices designed to promote effective, compliant, and cost-efficient purchasing across the organization. Attendees will gain basic knowledge of procurement tools and a clear understanding of who to contact with procurement questions, which will help departments make more informed purchasing decisions and maintain compliance with institutional and PASSHE policies.
Speakers: Stephanie Decker and Stacey Poulsen
Wednesday, January 13 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Do You Know Who you Know? Building Relationship, Strengthening Your Brand, and Expanding Your Impact
This presentation focuses on authentic relationships, community (internal academic community and external community) involvement, and personal branding can help employees build trust, collaborate more effectively, and increase their impact within the university and broader community. The session will emphasize how strong professional relationships become even more valuable during times of organizational change, helping individuals navigate challenges, share knowledge, and support one another. Attendees would leave with practical strategies to strengthen their professional brand and build meaningful connections that enhance their effectiveness in their current roles.
Speaker: Brad Garfinkel, VP Learning and Development at Members 1st
Brad is Vice President of Learning and Development for Members 1st Federal Credit Union. He is a graduate of Elizabethtown College with a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership and Organizational Development as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Shippensburg University. Brad also attended Harrisburg Area Community College. A 2014 graduate of the Leadership Harrisburg Area Community Leadership Series, Brad served on the Board of Directors, Executive Committee as well as co-chair of the Alumni Engagement Committee with LHA. He currently serves on the Alumni Engagement Committee and is entering his third year as an Alumni Advisor. Brad is an active volunteer with the United Way of the Capital Region, participating with the Bridges Society. Brad is a past recipient of the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Award. An avid runner, Brad is the Race Director of Open Stage’s Capital 10-Miler where he is one of two remaining legacy runners that have completed the race each of its 16 years. Brad currently serves on the YMCA Harrisburg Marathon race committee. Brad served on the Girls on the Run Board of Directors for seven years, two terms as board chair. This was after three years as a founding coach of the Girls on the Run team at Fishing Creek Elementary School in the West Shore School District. Brad has also participated as a volunteer fundraiser for Girls on the Run while being part of the Solemates team.
Brad is the founder of the Harrisburg Beer Runners and is part of the local River Runners running club. To date, Brad has completed 80 full marathons and is working towards completing a marathon in all 50 states. He has completed 33 of the 50 states.
Tuesday, February 16 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Getting Things Done with Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Express
This session covers an overview of the Adobe software applications that Ship employees and students have access to, with a special focus on using some of the tools inside of Adobe Acrobat. These tools include combining files, converting files to other formats, editing PDFs, accessibility tools, and signature management. This session will also include an introduction to Adobe Express, the web-based application that allows you to easily create visually appealing designs of all sizes and formats.
Speaker: Jamie Rhine
Jamie Rhine has been a member of the IT staff at Shippensburg University for more than 20 years, beginning his career as a student employee in the department. He leads the department’s help desk services, desktop and user support initiatives, and the Media Services office. Jamie earned both BSBA and MBA degrees from the John L. Grove College of Business at Ship and is heavily invested in the Ship community!
Wednesday, March 17 | 12 PM – 1 PM
AI Prompts
Learn how to write clear, effective AI prompts that can help you work smarter and more efficiently. This hands-on session will introduce practical prompting techniques for using AI to support common workplace tasks such as drafting emails, summarizing information, organizing ideas, creating documents, analyzing data, and developing content. Participants will learn how to provide the right context, instructions, and desired outcomes to get more useful and relevant results from AI tools. The session will also cover common prompting mistakes and strategies for refining AI-generated responses to better meet your needs.
Participants will leave with practical prompting techniques they can immediately apply to their daily work.
Speaker: Dr. Viet Dao
Thursday, April 15 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
ShipU-cation: DocuSign
This training provides an overview of DocuSign and how it can be used to efficiently create, send, sign, and manage electronic documents. Participants will learn how to prepare documents for signature, assign recipients, track document status, and securely manage completed agreements. The training is designed to improve efficiency, reduce paperwork, and support a streamlined electronic signature process.
Speaker: Matthew Maser & Crissy Diehl
Matthew Maser is a seasoned leader with more than 10 years of experience in program and project management, strategic planning, workforce development, and organizational leadership. He serves as Associate Director of Workforce Development and Project Manager at Shippensburg University, where he helps develop and lead workforce training programs, and builds partnerships that connect education and industry. Matthew holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership from St. Bonaventure University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Shippensburg University and is passionate about creating training opportunities that support the growth of individuals, organizations, and communities.