College News

Rethinking the Role of MOOCs in Higher Ed

2013-05-24T15:35:27Z

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Listen to the full interview with Dr. Christopher Davidson:

Sociologist Dr. Christopher Davidson, an adjunct instructor at Excelsior College, joins the podcast to discuss Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and what role, if any, they can or should play in higher education. Dr. Davidson argues that the reality of MOOCs is differs from how they are portrayed by the mainstream media and advocates.

Time Topic

1:30 Thoughts on “Academically Adrift”

4:28 Who do MOOCs serve?

6:35 MOOCS are resources, not courses

8:00 Faculty backlash

10:15 What is the purpose of higher education?

11:45 Tapping into MOOCs strengths

12:35 Faculty concerns

15:25 Decoupling the learning process from assessment

19:12 “My Question on MOOCs”

21:38 Best practices for course development

22:02 MOOCs in 2023

Commencement Stories: Terry Bedard and a Dream No Longer Deferred

2013-05-23T13:05:16Z

Name: Terry Bedard

Position: Director of Same Day Surgery and Endoscopy, Saratoga Hospital

Degree: Master of Science in Nursing, 2013

Hometown: Waterford, NY

Terry Bedard, Director of Same Day Surgery and Endoscopy at Saratoga Hospital in Saratoga Springs, New York, is passionate about learning. It’s in her DNA, part of the culture of her hospital, and a trait she tries to instill in each of her 65 employees. She believes in leading by example, and why the grandmother of seven went back to school and will graduate with a master of science in nursing from Excelsior College this year.

Of course, while Bedard is living out her dream, it was a “dream deferred.”

“I always knew this is what I wanted to be, what I was meant to be” says Bedard. “I tried to enroll in nursing school after high school, but was rejected. So I got married, had children and in my 30’s said ‘I’m going to do this.”

Bedard headed back to nursing school, before continuing on for her bachelor’s and, finally, graduate degree via distance learning.

“It just gives you the flexibility to learn when you want, where you want at the time that you want,” says Bedard on the online model. “I was able to achieve my goals and finish my degree part-time, whether I was on vacation, whether I was home, whether I was at work. I could get online and talk to my teammates. It gives you that flexibility.”

That’s not to say there weren’t challenges along the way.

“For anyone my age, juggling (school, family and works) is challenging.” says Bedard. “(My job) isn’t a 9-5 job by any means….and I have grandchildren and children.”

Her family though, helped her overcome.

“My husband, my family, my friends are my biggest support system…there are times you think ‘I can’t do this anymore’ and they are cheering “you are almost there,” says Bedard, who also credited her fellow co-workers and mentors at the hospital for her success.

Her hardwork and dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed either as she’s proved an inspiration to not only her employees, but her family.

“My daughter is now a nurse, back in school, she is following in my footsteps. My step daughter just went back to school to be a nurse. I try to lead by example and motivate others. For my 65 employees, I try to motivate them, share my learning with them…inspire others to follow their dreams, pursue them, even if they are deferred.”

Her own dreams no longer deferred, Bedard will walk across stage this summer, degree in hand. Her husband, sisters, daughters, sons and grandchildren will be there to support her, just as they have along the way.

Benefit Alert: Convert Criminal Justice Training to College Credit

2013-05-23T20:16:41Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff --

For those working in the criminal justice field, an inconsistent schedule and lack of time are two of the main barriers to pursuing a higher education. That’s one of the reasons Excelsior College offers the Criminal Justice Training Assessment (CJTA) program, which helps law enforcement officials convert training to college credit.

“More than 50 agencies in over 30 states had 62,000+ hours of training academies assessed,” says Dr. Michael Verro, Excelsior College’s criminal justice program director.

CJTA has made more than 2,000 credit recommendations to date. In New York State, the two well-known agencies, New York State Police Training Academy and Zone 5 Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy, have also participated in this program. Excelsior Life sat down with Dr. Verro to discuss CJTA and answer frequently asked questions on the program.

Excelsior Life: How does this Criminal Justice Training Assessment program work?
Verro: Agencies and training academies participating in the CJTA program provide their students with a tremendous opportunity. Excelsior College assesses curricula and finds many of their criminal justice training courses worthy of college credit. Agencies requiring higher education degrees for promotion or assignment to certain positions may start their graduates off with a significant portion of the required credits, through this program.

Excelsior Life: What should students know about this program?
Verro: For a fee of $270, a graduate can garner up to 44.5 credits documented via OneTranscript® (depending on their assessment). It is a very simple process which involves providing an official copy of their training documentation and filling out an application.

Excelsior Life: Does CJTA provide a summary of college credit for different training programs for law enforcement officials to estimate how much their training was worth?
Verro: Yes. The college provides information not only on the program itself, but on those credits currently assigned to the agencies involved.

Excelsior Life: Can you share an example of training equivalency converting to college credits?
Verro: Let’s take the New York State Police as an example. Their curriculum was assessed in 2004. At that time, they were awarded 33 college credits for their graduates’ training. The courses reviewed ranged from Criminal Procedures for Law Enforcement Officers (3 credits) to Defensive Tactics and Physical Training (2 credits) to Radar Speed Measurement (1 credit). Specialized and advanced in-service training course were also assessed and were awarded 11.5 additional credits.

Excelsior Life: How much can a student save?
Verro: The savings to an academy graduate is astounding. At the present rate of approximately $390 per credit for undergraduate college courses, that would equate to $17,160 if the student took traditional courses, instead of simply transcribing their academy training for a total savings of $16,890! Students may also apply the awarded credits toward an Excelsior College degree or the credits may be transferred to other educational institutions.

Excelsior Life: Where can you find information about this program?
Verro: Feel free to contact me at mverro@excelsior.edu or visit our website.

Thirst for Knowledge: Learning Occurs At Any Age

2013-05-23T20:16:25Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff --

Photo of Bill Kudon

With graduations during this time of year, it is a good reminder that learning can occur at any age. Excelsior Life caught up with William Kudon, an 87 year old Alum with a thirst for knowledge, sense of humor, a humble demeanor, and fond memories of Albany, NY. The place where his education began.

Excelsior Life: Can you tell us about the place where you were raised and your education?
Kudon: I grew up in Albany, NY and graduated from Albany High School in 1942.

I went to aviation school before joining the Army (Army Air Corps). After returning home from service in WWII, I took courses at several different colleges. I also attended Siena College in Albany at its sister institution, the College of St. Rose, where I was the only male student.

I then attended Excelsior College when it was called University of State of New York in the mid-1970s, and earned my associate’s degree. I continued on to receive a bachelor’s degree, studying business administration and religion. I later earned my private pilot’s license, as well as undergoing a five and a half year apprenticeship as a cantor.

Excelsior Life: So education was a big part of your life. Did you use your degrees toward furthering your career?
Editor’s note: Bill’s sense of humor was evident again.
Kudon: “No…my wife and two of my sons got PhDs. I didn’t want to be the only dummy in the family.”

Excelsior Life: Tell us about your career and what are you doing now during retirement?
Kudon: I was married for over 68 years and moved to Georgia recently with my wife to be closer to my sons. After living in Connecticut for 51 years, I retired from the auto parts business. My life in Connecticut ran the gamut from serving as a chaplain for the state to serving on the local zoning board. Bill says he is doing “nothing” now with a sense of humor.

Today, Bill's thirst for knowledge continues. It is convenient that he isn’t too far from the University of Georgia where he has taken a continuing education course and even attended basketball games. Bill also paints in his spare time and sings regularly, occasionally serving as a volunteer Cantor for his local Hillel.

"Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model" Webcast

2013-05-20T18:10:17Z

On May 17, Excelsior College hosted academic and educational technology experts from across the United States on campus for the private, nonprofit distance learning institution’s second annual gaming symposium.

The diverse panel of experts explored a number of issues at the two-hour symposium, including, whether games can improve student persistence, retention, and success and how games can transform curriculum and lead to greater student engagement and better learning outcomes.

Symposium participants will include educational technologists Clark Aldrich, managing partner of Clark Aldrich Designs, and Dr. Jon Aleckson, CEO of Web Courseworks Ltd, as well as gaming entrepreneur Dr. Tobi Saulnier, Founder and CEO of 1^st Playable Productions. Dr. Ben DeVane of the University of Florida’s Digital Worlds Institute, Columbia University Teacher’s College’s Dr. Joey Lee and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lee Sheldon, rounded out the academic side of the panel.

Watch the archive of the webcast below:

Excelsior College Alumni Study Connects Emotional and Physical Well-Being

2013-05-22T15:00:49Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff --

Robert Wright, Jr., Ph.D., is an alumnus, who completed a study on nitric oxide connecting emotional and physical well-being to stress and feeling good. The study has potential impact to the healthcare industry and could save money on wellness. Dr. Wright shared with Excelsior Life his motivation for the study and how the results are also connected to grief and loss.

Excelsior Life: What made you decide to attend Excelsior College? Did graduating with a college degree mark a milestone?
Dr. Wright: There were primarily three reasons.

First, the college provided me with an elegant way to tie together my previous undergraduate college courses into a coherent framework so that I could finish my degree and graduate.

Second, external parental pressure. When I learned that as a working adult I could finish up my degree studies without having to do it full time and in person, I was elated.

Third, from time to time I would be asked in varied social settings “So, what year did you graduate from college?” Such external pressures provided fuel for me to complete the program.

Excelsior Life: Did graduating with a college degree mark a milestone?
Dr. Wright: Although long delayed—twenty years from the time I left Yale—graduating Excelsior College in '97 with my B.S. degree has proved to be a key turning point in my life. I still fondly recall walking across the stage in Albany, NY to receive my degree. Participating in the Excelsior Commencement exercises was definitely a lifetime highlight. I feel I owe a most sincere debt of gratitude to Excelsior for those reasons. Becoming fully immersed in such subject matter allowed me to pursue a lifelong hobby and passion—stress management and wellness.

Excelsior Life: What was your field of study? How did graduating from Excelsior College change your life?
Dr. Wright: I graduated with a dual degree concentration in Political Science and Sociology from Excelsior which allowed me to apply to and earn a Master’s degree with a concentration in psychology from Union Institute & University. My Master’s degree opened the door to a new world of ideas especially in the fields of philosophy of mind and science, neuropsychology, and neuroscience.

In August 2012, I graduated from the doctoral program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). My dissertation on Motherloss and Existential Grief is now published on ProQuest. During my dissertation, I uncovered a large gap in the medical, neuroscience, and clinical psychology literatures whereby my study is now the first published study to link together the concepts of grief, stress, and nitric oxide. I am very proud of the fact that my study is groundbreaking in that it is the first to connect the dots among these co-variables: concluding that any method that causes a Relaxation Response to occur spikes nitric oxide.

Moreover, my study validates the capacity of June Davidson’s Brain Pattern Interrupt technique as a helpful tool which can eviscerate and dissolve traumatic grief and PTSD-like memories. Since Excelsior has a large contingent of students and alumni who are or have served in the military, a high level stress management technique such as BPI may be of interest to veterans or active duty personnel with PTSD symptoms. This may include family members who are struggling to deal with the changes they may be seeing in their loved one’s behavior or thinking.

Excelsior Life: With the degrees you earned, what do you do for a career?
Dr. Wright: I am a researcher and writer with a recently released eBook. I am in the process of developing my stress and wellness coaching business that will offer workshops. My website helps to dissolve and deal with stress, emotional and physical pain, grief, and anxiety in practical ways.

Excelsior Life: I noticed your areas of expertise include the field of neuropsychology and you wrote a dissertation. How did you first become interested in studying grief and stress?
Dr.Wright: For almost 40 years I had believed and thought that I was seven when my Mother died—seeing her death certificate showed me that I had apparently been scarred so deeply that I “lost” and could not recall two years of my childhood.

As it turned out, working to resolve my Motherloss grief led to a full blown dissertation and gave my life added meaning such that I now realize that healing myself can also result in healing for many others as I spread the word about a taboo subject such as Motherloss especially for men.

Excelsior Life: Can you explain your dissertation findings on nitric oxide spiking in motherloss in layman’s terms?
Dr. Wright: When we are not relaxed or feel pain or stressed, this means that our nitric oxide cycle is flatlined somewhere in the body (think heart attack flatlining which is definitely not good). On the otherhand, when we feel good and are healthy that means our nitric oxide cycle is spiking. There are three forms of nitric oxide, and one type helps boost our immune system and increases our capacity to fight off disease and sickness.

OK, here's the point: spiking nitric oxide makes you feel better and improves almost every aspect of your emotional and physical well-being. And, when your nitric oxide is flatlined, it means you experience pain, stress or anxiety and may be headed for chronic disease states if flatlining persists. Additionally, spiking nitric oxide not only reduces your pain, anxiety, and stress, many studies also indicate that morbidity and mortality rates are impacted positively, e.g. better quality of life and increased probability of lengthening our lifespan.

Excelsior Life: What is the link to grief, loss of a mother, stress reduction and healing?

Dr. Wright: In my study I was able to show the connection between the nexus of variables of grief/stress/nitric oxide flatlining and grief recovery/stress reduction/nitric oxide spiking. Common sense would tell us that when a person is grieving they are experiencing high levels of stress. There are many studies which show this connection.

There are very few studies which examine the possible connection between grief and nitric oxide. The few studies which do exist were primarily conducted from a nursing perspective, e.g. what was the emotional grieving effect on parents who had premature babies who were being given inhaled nitric oxide to enhance chances of survival. There are no published studies besides my own which show a correlation between nitric oxide and grief—both spiking and flatlining.

Therefore the gap in the literature I uncovered—grief/grief recovery, stress/stress reduction, nitric oxide flatlining/nitric oxide spiking—is the first to show that there is a connection between and among these three (3) variables.

Excelsior Life: To date, did these research findings have industry or health implications?

Dr. Wright: A key finding of my study was that any method which engenders a Relaxation Response may spike endogenous cyclic nitric oxide. Since the health benefits of nitric oxide are widely known and have been documented in thousands of studies, there may be a health policy implication—if confirmed by other studies.

Now that health care cost containment has become the new mantra, prevention is more profitable than pathology. Therefore, my study findings can contribute to a paradigmatic shift in America health care towards wellness. The financial implications are truly astounding since health care accounts for approximately $2.5 Trillion dollars of the American economy annually. Shifting to a wellness paradigm is estimated to provide savings of 10-20% annually while simultaneously improving the health of Americans. Translated into dollars this means annual savings of $250 to $500 billion if implemented.

The Science of Criminal Profiling with Dr. Timothy Emerick

2013-05-24T12:53:17Z

Click Here to Subscribe to Excelsior Life podcast series via RSS (non-iTunes feed)

Listen to the full interview with Dr. Tim Emerick:

In this episode of Excelsior Life: Distance EDU on Demand, we welcome Dr. Timothy Emerick, adjunct instructor at Excelsior College with three decades of service in law enforcement and human services, specifically as an investigator for the Abused Child Unit in the Emergency Response Unit. Dr. Emerick discusses the truth behind criminal investigative analysis and separates the myths from the facts when it comes to how criminal profilers are portrayed in pop culture.

1:15 Criminal profiling – separating myth from fact

2 :19 Profilers – their role in the law enforcement process

3:28 Inductive vs deductive profiling

5:10 Digging through a stranger’s garbage

6:35 Stalking habits of serial violent criminals

8:10 Thoughts on Ariel Castro and the Cleveland abduction case

9:35 Using profilers to prevent crime

11:38 Hannibal Lecter to CSI: Profiling in Pop Culture

12:42 Plausibility of portrayals

14:28 The “CSI Effect”

17:08 Drawn to criminology

Excelsior College launched MS in Health Sciences (MSHS) program

2013-05-20T12:52:39Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff

On May 15, Excelsior College launched the MS in Health Sciences (MSHS) program, comprised of an 18 credit core and a 15 credit area of specialization. The MSHS will currently include two options for an area of focus: health professions education and a flexible area without specialization.

The School of Health Sciences created the health professions education specialization to meet the growing need for careers in an allied health field. Demand for a focus in education is higher than ever and now it’s easier than ever to specialize in health professions education at the graduate level. Designed for practicing health professionals who desire to move into a faculty role within their profession the MS in Health Sciences health professions education specialization will provide skills in:

Curriculum development
Assessment and evaluation
Technology applications
Classroom and clinical instruction
Principles of teaching and learning

The courses within this specialization are:

Principles and Theories of Learning
Assessment and Evaluation - *to be developed
Technology Application in Education
Classroom and Clinical Instruction - *to be developed
Curriculum Development

The Master of Science in Health Sciences degree also offers an option for a flexible area of specialization (no specialization) that is perfect for students with previous graduate level coursework or for those students who prefer to choose among the many graduate courses offered by Excelsior College. The fully online MSHS program is specifically designed for working adults and other nontraditional students. For more information about The Master of Science in Health Sciences, click here.

Recognizing National Military Appreciation Month

2013-05-20T13:10:52Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff

At Excelsior College, approximately 30% of our students are active-duty or reserve military personnel. In recognition of National Military Appreciation Month, Excelsior Life celebrates current students and graduates who have served and continue to serve our country.

Meet Robbie Robinson, an Excelsior graduate, with a "Can Do Attitude”.

Excelsior Degree: BS Liberal Arts, 2009

Robbie started college at Boise State, Idaho and then entered the Army where he made a career for 33 years. He served 18 months in Vietnam and was a trainer.

Upon retirement, Robbie opened up a photography store in Boise, aptly named Can Do Photography. He decided to continue his education for personal satisfaction after his Army buddies at Ft Drum recommended Excelsior.

Working toward his degree, Robbie used his credits from Boise State and from Army training. He studied between 2:30 and 5:30 in the morning so he could tend to his photography business.

Robbie recalls, “I pursued my degree to increase my personal potential and to show that learning is possible with dyslexia. With dyslexia, I learn better online than in a classroom setting. There is less distraction and I can concentrate on hearing the lesson and assignments. Through special software, the written word is translated to sound and I can dictate my homework and reports.”

Currently Robbie works at Ft Drum, NY as Intern Staff Photographer.

----

Meet Erick Dillard, whose decision to pursue a degree was one born out of necessity.

Excelsior Degree: BS in Communication, 2012

Despite his veteran status, 25 years direct sales experience and a good-paying job, Erick continuously asked himself one question: What would I do if I ever lost my job? With his family staring down significant annual medical bills, it’s a question that would keep many of us in the same position up at night.

His wife had urged him for 22 years to earn a degree, but life always seemed to get in the way. While it certainly wouldn’t guarantee employment, he knew that if he invested in himself the better his chances that a prospective employer would invest in him.

So Erick Dillard, husband and father of two, headed back to school. And he knew Excelsior College was the place to do it because of its reputation as a military-friendly institution. Plus, as someone who drives 800 to 1,000 miles every week, often spending time in three different states on a given day, attendance at traditional schools was out of the question.

Excelsior’s flexibility allowed Erick to complete coursework on his own time. And the school’s transfer policy - Erick was able to secure 10 college credits for his military training and earn an additional 48 credits through Excelsior College Examinations, CLEP, DANTES programs - kept tuition costs low.

He enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies program, but soon switched his major to communications. As an experienced sales representative he was intrigued to learn the theory behind many of the tactics he employed every day as part of his job. He was pleasantly surprised to the extent his education improved his presentation skills.

During the tougher times, and there were some in the decade it took to complete his degree, Erick persevered due in large part to his faith and his wife. Never once, Erick says, did his wife protest when he was putting 15 to 20 hours of class work each week, in addition to his hectic travel and work schedule. Prayer, sacrifice, discipline and self-confidence aided him on the rest of his journey.

In July 2012, Erick graduated with a 3.86 GPA and the winner of Robert P. Mahoney Award, presented to a graduate who completed a degree in the face of significant challenges and a dedication to community and volunteer service. As he walked across the stage at Commencement, his family watching from the stands, Erick was able to look ahead towards the next chapter.

But, he admitted, he remains happiest to learn that his passion for education has rubbed off on his children. His daughter just traveled abroad within an ambassador program, teaching foreign citizens about America and learning leadership and teamwork.

Erick couldn’t be prouder.

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Meet Keith Taylor, who graduated with ZERO student debt.

Excelsior Degree: BS in Liberal Studies, 2012

Turning 50 years old is an important milestone in any individual life. Most see it as moment worthy of celebration and reflection upon half century of life’s work. Keith Taylor, the 2012 Ewald B. Nyquist Award winner, saw it as an opportunity to begin anew.

As an office supply salesman, he saw the writing on the wall for his industry some time ago, as paper ceded market share to the electronic revolution. Two of the companies Keith worked at were bought out, another went bankrupt. A fourth resorted to massive layoffs to stay afloat. Keith knew he needed to retrain, to become a better-rounded and educated employee. Going back to school was his only option.

Those in his church discouraged him. His wife remained hesitant over cost concerns – student debt was a mainstay on the evening news after all. Even he had to overcome his own doubts: at his age, would a degree even matter? But overcome he did. His wife and son eventually became his biggest cheerleaders, the latter always there to offer words of encouragement the night before a big exam.

He knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight. Because he needed to continue working, Keith planned to earn his degree at his own pace, exam by exam, credit by credit, degree by degree until his dream was fully realized. He used Excelsior College Examinations and those from DANTES, CLEP and to make his dream come true.

His first exam was on the Civil War, a topic he knew well, but he remained unsure whether his knowledge would translate to testing. Translate it did, and quite well. Keith earned an ‘A’ and college credit for the knowledge he had obtained outside the classroom. From then on, he never looked back. He earned an associate degree from Excelsior College in 2010. But that wasn’t enough for Keith. He understood that to truly compete in the 21^st Century economy he needed a bachelor’s degree. Exams were once again his chosen pathway.

Even after the economic downturn cost him his job, he persevered, eventually completing all of his course requirements for a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies on New Year’s Day, 2012.

“It was a great New Year’s Day celebration for my family…the accomplishment of my bachelor’s degree was the realization of a dream and the achievement of a vision.”

It was also an affordable journey. Because of the low-cost of the exams, Keith graduated this past July with zero college debt. On July 13, he will walk across the stage to receive his diploma as his wife of 37 years and son proudly cheer him on from the crowd as they have so many times before.

And with a degree in hand, he knows the future is bright. He’s already received offers from several Midwestern-based companies near his home in northwest Indiana.

Excelsior College Adds New School on September 1st

2013-05-21T13:09:43Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff

Today, Excelsior offers more than 34 degree and certificate programs across four schools---Business and Technology, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Nursing. Beginning on September 1, 2013, Excelsior College will be adding a fifth school, The School of Public Service (SPS). Initially, the existing criminal justice and military studies programs will be moved to the new school. Down the road, the School of Public Service will include new curriculum and master’s degree programs.

During the first year of operation, Dr. Scott Dalrymple will serve as the as the dean of both the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Public Service and in July 2014 a new dean for the School of Public Service will be selected.

Dr. Dalrymple shared some insight with Excelsior Life about The School of Public Service.

Excelsior Life: What will the new school include? Was there a need?
Dalrymple: The main reason for the new school is that SLA is currently stretched so thin-- we offer education in everything from Shakespeare to Microbiology to Counterterrorism. All liberal arts schools include the first two, but rarely the third. Criminal justice and military studies will thrive and grow with more focused attention.

Excelsior Life: How will the School of Liberal Arts (SLA) change?
Dalrymple: The reconfigured SLA will still have around 7,500 enrolled students, so it won't change significantly. It will still house all programs in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

Excelsior Life: Can you share some of the current and future plans for the new school?
Dalrymple: When it opens for business in September, SPS will house our bachelor’s and master’s programs in criminal justice and our new bachelor’s program in military studies. Going forward, we plan to ask New York State for permission to add new graduate programs, including a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree.

Excelsior Selected “Top Workplace” by Albany Times Union for Second Consecutive Year

2013-05-13T13:15:00Z

Excelsior College today announced that it has been selected as one of The Times Union Top Workplaces for the second consecutive year. Excelsior College is home to more than 500 employees in the Capital Region with a local economic footprint of $112 million.

The Top Workplaces are determined based solely on employee feedback. The employee survey is conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, LLP, a leading research firm on organizational health and employee engagement. WorkplaceDynamics conducts regional Top Workplaces programs with 37 major publishing partners and recognizes a list of 150 National Top Workplaces. Over the past year, more than 5,000 organizations and 1 in every 88 employees in the U.S. have turned to WorkplaceDynamics to better understand what’s on the minds of their employees.

“Excelsior’s mission is to make higher education possible for those traditionally underserved and our success is entirely dependent on the tireless hard work and dedication of our staff here in the Capital Region and throughout the country,” said Excelsior College President John F. Ebersole. “As an institution we are committed to putting our employees first, and we’re honored to have been selected a Top Workplace once again by the Times Union.”

Excelsior

Excelsior College http://www.excelsior.edu is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Excelsior College to Host “Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model” Gaming Symposium on May 17

2013-05-13T13:19:52Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

On May 17, Excelsior College will host academic and educational technology experts from across the United States on campus for the private, nonprofit distance learning institution’s second annual gaming symposium. The event, “Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model,” will begin at 10 am eastern and be livestreamed online for free to those who pre-register.

[Register now]

The diverse panel of experts will explore a number of issues at the two-hour symposium, including, whether games can improve student persistence, retention, and success and how games can transform curriculum and lead to greater student engagement and better learning outcomes.

Dr. Ben DeVane of the University of Florida’s Digital Worlds Institute, Columbia University Teacher’s College’s Dr. Joey Lee and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lee Sheldon, round out the academic side of the panel.

Excelsior has also established a LinkedIn group, Gaming in Education (Excelsior College) to create an opportunity for registrants to network with panelists and other educational technology experts prior to the event, ask questions and share best practices. The topics discussed within the group will guide the symposium discussion.

For more information, including attending the event in-person on Excelsior’s campus in Albany, New York, contact public relations manager Mike Lesczinski at mlesczinski@excelsior.edu.

Online event registration for Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model powered by Eventbrite

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About Symposium Participants

Clark Aldrich, Clark Aldrich Designs

Clark Aldrich is one of the top educational simulation and interface designers in the world. As well as the founder and Managing Partner of Clark Aldrich Designs, Aldrich is a global education visionary, industry analyst, and speaker who serves on boards of universities, of companies, and in the intelligence community (where he has Top Secret clearance). He is also the author of five books and editor of www.ClarkChart.com, a free database of simulations and serious games. Previously, Aldrich was the founder and former director of research for Gartner’s e-learning coverage. He earned a BS in Cognitive Science from Brown University (during which he also taught at a leading environmental education foundation), and earlier in his career worked on special projects for Xerox' executive team. He also served for many years as the Connecticut Governor's representative on the education task force Joint Committee on Educational Technology and volunteered on several non-profit organizations aimed at child advocacy.

Jon Aleckson, PhD, Web Courseworks
Dr. Jon Aleckson has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the educational media industry. As CEO of Web Courseworks, Ltd., Aleckson has teamed with Clark Aldrich to lead the design and development of award-winning educational games for the World Anti-Doping Agency and the
University of Minnesota’s Intelligent Transportation Studies Institute. Aleckson’s team is currently completing the transition from Flash-based development to HTML5, and much of his current speaking in the field of game-based learning relates to the change management issues involved in that transition. Aleckson earned his BA and PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His doctoral research on collaboration among experts and developers was published as MindMeld: Micro-Collaboration Between eLearning Designers and Instructor
Experts (Atwood, 2011, with co-author Penny Ralston Berg).

Ben DeVane, PhD, University of Florida

Benjamin DeVane is assistant professor of digital arts and sciences at the University of Florida. He earned his BS from Virginia Tech University and MS and PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Wisconsin, where he helped found the Games, Learning & Society research initiative. His research mobilizes methods from design research and qualitative analysis to investigate how young people learn about science inquiry, historical thinking and computational literacy with games and digital media. His innovative research on learning within game environments by means of commercial based “off-the-shelf” history games, place based mobile media games and browser based science games has been funded by the National Science Foundation, and published in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Joey J. Lee, PhD, Columbia University

Dr. Joey J. Lee is an assistant professor of technology and education at Columbia University (Teachers College) where he directs the Real-World Impact Games Lab, part of the TC Games Research Lab. Lee designs, develops and researches innovative approaches to education that address real-world problems, with a specific emphasis on sustainability, and motivation and engagement for learning. Projects include Scholar's Quest, Science City Heroes, and Greenify: EcoImpact Missions. Lee earned his BS with Honors in Computer Science and PhD in Information Sciences and Technology from Pennsylvania State University. His website is www.gameprof.com.

Tobi Saulnier, PhD, 1^st Playable Productions

Dr. Tobi Saulnier is founder and CEO of 1st Playable Productions, overseeing company operations and all aspects of product development. A veteran of both handheld and console games, she sees handheld game development as offering a unique blend of challenging hardware and fast pace, that complements the creative culture of a small independent studio. Prior to founding 1st Playable, Saulnier spent five years overseeing product development at Vicarious Visions, a role in which she was responsible for delivering over 60 game titles ranging from Blues Clues GBC to Doom III Xbox, including launch titles for the GBA, DS and PSP. Before joining the game industry, Saulnier managed R&D in embedded and distributed systems at General Electric Research and Development, where she also led initiatives in new product development, software quality, business strategy, and outsourcing. She earned her BS, MS, and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Lee Sheldon, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Lee Sheldon is associate professor and co-director of the Games and Simulation Arts program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After a distinguished Hollywood career as a writer/producer, he has written and designed over two dozen video games, MMOs and ARGs. Lee's book The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game (2011) helps teachers turn their entire classrooms into games. His book Character Development and Storytelling for Games (2nd Ed. 2013) is a standard text at the world's top game programs. Building on his research into sustained storytelling, Lee is head of the team constructing the Emergent Reality Lab at Rensselaer, a massive 3D mixed-reality space for research, education and intervention; and is working on the sequel to his alternate reality game teaching Mandarin that will be the first client of the lab. Other new projects include writing and designing a game for Indiana University to teach business ethics; and The Lost Function Episode 2, the second in a series of sustained storytelling games he is writing to teach high school math. Pre-production has just begun on These Far Hills, which will teach engineering by following the adventures and conflicts of an extended Irish family emigrating to Mars. Sheldon earned his MFA from California Institute of Arts and BFA from Boston University.

About Excelsior College

Hudson Whitman/Excelsior College Press to Release 'The Call of Nursing'

2013-05-10T13:45:07Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff

In recognition of National Nurses Week, Hudson Whitman/Excelsior College Press today announced their next release, The Call of Nursing, will be available at the end of May. Compiled by William B. Patrick, the books is a collection of stories from 23 Excelsior College School of Nursing grads who talk about the profession.

From the Hudson Whitman/Excelsior College Press website:

The Call of Nursing is not a typical book about nurses. It takes us behind the curtain of silence that often hangs between us – the patients who rely on the health care system – and the women and men who form the backbone of that system, and who are entrusted with our intimate care. It lets us hear why nurses today do what they do, and it allows those nurses to show us, in their own words, what has mattered most to them in their professional careers.

Compiled from dozens of first-person interviews, The Call of Nursing offers twenty-three riveting stories from the front lines of health care. The book not only underscores a compelling call to practice, but reveals a deep personal motivation to help people in need.

Ekaterina Huelster describes a search for ethical practice that led her from Russia to the United States. Aaron Judkins talks about the rigors of training and working as a flight nurse. Cynthia Smathers describes easing the father of two young children through his final days in hospice. Christi Siedlicki explains her unwavering devotion to victims of sexual abuse.

The Call of Nursing succeeds at helping us see more clearly the kinds of challenges nurses face and accept on a routine basis, and offers a rare glimpse into the lives of women and men committed to lives of care and service.

“These first-person testimonies capture the full sweep of the profession, and, in every role they play, these skilled and experienced nurses help make the difference between life and death.”

—Suzanne Gordon, coauthor of From Silence To Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public

The Call of Nursing will be available via paperback and eBook. Hudson Whitman is also working on a companion website that will include photos of nurses and an audio excerpt.

National Nurses Week: Caren Kaziyev's Story

2013-05-07T13:36:06Z

Click Here to Subscribe to Excelsior Life podcast series via RSS (non-iTunes feed)

Listen to the full interview with Caren Kaziyev:

Caren Kaziyev left her life as an RN to become “CEO” of her growing family. When she returned to the field 18 years later, she realized how much the nursing industry had advanced during her time away. Now enrolled in Excelsior College’s Master of Science in nursing program, Kaziyev joins this week’s special “National Nurses Week” Distance EDU on Demand podcast to discuss her career, what drew her to Excelsior College’s online program and her advice for other RNs looking to earn graduate degrees.

Podcast Outline (Time: Topic)

1:29 From nurse to CEO and back again

3:07 Why I needed my master of science in nursing degree

4:08 What drew me to Excelsior College

6:15 Partnerships

6:59 Returning to school after 18 years away

8:04 Impressions after first online course

9:17 Challenges to be overcome

11:04 Building relationships with classmates

12:19 How will my graduate degree help with my career?

13:24 What does the future hold?

13:57 Advice for other nurses thinking about going back to school?

15:10 What does nursing mean to me?

National Nurses Week: Excelsior Grads Making a Difference

2013-05-06T13:07:39Z

By Excelsior Life News Staff

In recognition of National Nurses Week, Excelsior Life will profile Excelsior College nursing students and graduates who are fulfilling their dreams and making an impact on the nursing profession.

Excelsior College's Dale Dayton Reflects on his Career

Dale Dayton earned his associate in nursing from Excelsior College in 1987. In this interview, Dayton discusses his career in nursing, including working with nonprofits to evaluate health care facilities in the developing world – a moment he calls the proudest of his career.

College’s Jennifer Coker Yin Discusses Career Advancement

Jennifer Coker Yin earned her associate in nursing from Excelsior College in 2006. In this interview, Coker Yin discusses Excelsior’s program and what her education has meant to her career now that she manages 25 people at her hospital and assisted in the creation of a surgical robotics team.

National Nurses Week Profile: Amy Speanburg

2013-05-06T12:58:31Z

Master of Science in nursing student Amy Speanburg, a resident of Saratoga Springs, NY, was drawn to the nursing profession at a young age. At 18, she became ill and spent time in the hospital, undergoing several surgeries. Her experiences there inspired her to pursue a career helping others.

Now Speanburg pulls double duty at Saratoga Hospital, working in clinical informatics as well as an RN in the medical surgery unit. She also moonlights as a student, working her way through Excelsior College’s online Master of Science in nursing program, specializing in informatics, a field that piqued her interest since she began her nursing career.

“When I started in nursing we lived in a paper world, and I got to see it transition…witness the transformation from an all-paper facility to one that’s almost 100 percent electronic,” said Speanburg, reflecting on her time at Glens Falls Hospital. “When I came to Saratoga, they were still using paper, so I was able to use my experience to help them make the switch.”

Informatics is a field; however, that often requires an advanced degree.

Having earned her undergraduate degree via online, Speanburg was accustomed to the distance learning environment but unsure of where to pursue her graduate education. She met with the chief nursing officer at Saratoga Hospital and discussed both her educational options and her needs, which included finding a way to balance a busy work schedule.

Together, they decided that Excelsior would be the right fit for her. Beyond having an informatics program, Excelsior also has a partnership with Saratoga Hospital. Through this agreement, RNs like Speanburg (and their spouses) can pursue advanced degrees at reduced tuition rates and fees.

“I took an Excelsior class through the hospital a few years back, a wound care class, which worked well with me working full-time,” said Speanburg who was also impressed by Excelsior’s extensive online resources.

“Even though it’s an online school, I like that (Excelsior) is local and there are still people who work for the school right in town that I can go to if I have problems. It seems to work really well with my schedule with the way the classes are. I have a support system at hospital with all the nurses who go to Excelsior.”

So, what does the future hold for Speanburg?

“Having a master’s in informatics will give me experience to do my job better.”

Terrorist Minds with Dr. Jeff Rush

2013-05-03T12:39:52Z

Click Here to Subscribe to Excelsior Life podcast series via RSS (non-iTunes feed)

Listen to the full interview with Dr. Jeff Rush:

Dr. Jeff Rush, criminologist, author and adjunct faculty at Excelsior College joins Excelsior Life: Distance EDU on Demand to discuss the recent Boston Marathon attacks, what makes individuals susceptible to radicalization, and the dangers presented by “lone wolf” terrorists. Dr. Rush also addresses concerns surrounding the response to the marathon attacks, including the lock-down of the city of Boston, and why information gaps between law enforcement agencies still exist more than a decade after 9/11.

Podcast Outline (Time: Topic)

1: 16 The mindset of the Boston bombers

4:07 Terrorism vs Crime

8:05 Shopping malls, theme parks and lone wolves

12:35 Did lock-down of Boston set a precedent?

14:55 Thwarting more than 50 attacks since 9/11

21:20 Law enforcement information gaps

26:08 Do we have enough counterterrorism tools?

Designing Games for Real-World Impact

2013-05-03T12:55:18Z

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth installment of our in-depth interview series with panelists at our upcoming gaming symposium on May 17. You can listen to our previous interviews with Dr. Ben DeVane, Dr. Jon Aleckson and Lee Sheldon on the Excelsior Life: Distance EDU on Demand podcast. You can register to watch the event online for free.

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff

Dr. Joey J. Lee is an Assistant Professor of Technology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Lee is set to participate in Excelsior College’s second annual symposium “Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model,” which will explore how games can be used to improve student persistence, retention and success, and will feature educational gaming thought leaders and academics from across the country.

Dr. Lee recently spoke with Excelsior Life on his current projects, how one goes about solving real-world problems through an educational game, and what he thinks the industry will look like in five years.

Excelsior Life: Your research interests surrounding gaming focus on identity and culture. What impact did growing up in Pittsburgh, a traditionally blue-collar and homogenous community, have on not only your academic pursuits but who you are today?

Dr. Lee: As an Asian-American growing up in a largely homogenous community, I felt as though I had to deal with stereotypes and constraints of who I could and couldn’t be. My range of possible selves was limited. In my prior work, I designed games that explore these kinds of ethnic stereotypes, allow players to reflect upon their self-identities, and to ask them to reconcile their own self-identities in relationship to these stereotypes as part of the gameplay.

Excelsior Life: Gamification is certainly on the rise in academia, but do you still face pushback from the public at large? I’m sure for many parents, “educational” isn’t the first connotation that comes to mind when they hear their child is using games in school.

Dr. Lee: I think people are starting to see many more game-like apps and online programs that address real-world problems like fitness, health, achieving personal goals, and shopping smarter. As a 50 billion dollar industry worldwide I think people realize that there’s something going on within games that make them so engaging and compelling. I am more concerned about people who are familiar only with the “chocolate covered broccoli” of superficial short-form drill and practice educational games, and also with the term “gamification” being distorted into something grossly commercialized and about making money for businesses. The term “gamification” carries with it a lot of baggage. Some scholars have proposed “motivation design” or “engagement design” as preferred terms.

Excelsior Life: You’ve remarked in the past that you want your games to “allow students to explore possible selves, self-concept, and issues of culture and diversity.” What do you mean by that? I’m trying to think of how this might work, in terms of the practical aspects.

Dr. Lee: The original theory of Possible Selves is a psychological concept that is about individuals thinking about hoped for (ideal) selves, feared selves, and the selves a person believes they might become in the near and long-term future. One of the greatest features of games is how it allows people to take on new perspectives and to try on other identities. Some scholars are using games to expand a person’s possible selves, for instance, in certain urban settings where interest in STEM fields is low, games are being used to allow students to try on the practices and values of scientists, journalists, urban planners, and other kinds of roles. In this way, games can spark new interest as individuals receive rich experiences.

Excelsior Life: One of your most recent projects includes “Scholar’s Quest,” which explores what happens when game “mechanics” are applied to real-world activities and academic experiences. While many can grasp the idea of using games to improve, say, writing, how can they be used to help expand a student’s “interpersonal” skills?

Dr. Lee: A powerful principle of gaming is how social skills can be developed and scaffolded. Scholar’s Quest is based upon peer teaching, learning and mentoring. The system is based upon turning tacit practices and strategies of success and making them explicit. Interpersonal skills include learning how to network, develop an elevator pitch, and build better relationships in an academic setting.

Excelsior Life: Since the research on Scholar’s Quest is still in the pilot phase, what has been an initial reaction? Have you been surprised by any results or roadblocks along the way?

Dr. Lee: Scholar’s Quest has been a successful project in how it has built community and sharing of expert knowledge amongst players. We are in the process of securing additional funding in order to complete the mobile component of the game layer.

Excelsior Life: You have several projects that attempt to bridge not only cultural but language divides. In fact, your most recent projects will focus on teaching English Language skills and vocabulary for non-native speakers. You are even invoking some competition into the development phase using prize money to attract expert developer partners. Can you talk a bit about the project? What lessons from the development of your other games will you apply to this one?

Dr. Lee: We are experimenting with modern ways to encourage creativity and to recruit talented individuals that can match exactly what we’re looking for. I’ve launched a cross-cultural games challenge and incubator that asks skilled folks to form teams and submit proposals of game ideas. We’ve had a tremendous response. My research lab is partnering with the winners, and in this way, I think we have a very high chance that we can successfully generate some great games through this kind of process.

Excelsior Life: What is Greenify?

Dr. Lee: An exciting project that my team is working on is Greenify: Real World Missions to Foster Sustainability. We’re using gamification mechanics and crowdsourcing to take on one of the biggest challenges facing the earth: climate change and preserving the earth’s dwindling resources. Players learn about threats to the environment, and learn to take ownership over these kinds of issues as they create missions and challenge their friends to take real world action. Players who complete missions earn Tree points, which are tied to real world rewards. The game is another example of the power of game mechanics to motivate people to make a difference in the world, leveraging both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators.

Excelsior Life: This brings up something else I’ve been wondering about. What is the development process like for these games? Once a problem is identified, how does one even begin to determine what gamification practices might work best as a teaching tool? How do you take into account challenges such as language barriers?

Dr. Lee: We follow an iterative design process that takes a long time, but is rewarding and always worth it. We identify the needs -- whether it be games to foster sustainability, increase motivation to learn science, or foster 21^st century skills within the classroom – and think about how specific game mechanics or principles can engage people. We perform a thorough literature review to ensure that our strategies are theoretically sound; and yet there is often times as much art as there is science. There needs to be a lot of playtesting, which includes user experience and usability testing. Game designers often like to break games down into their fundamental mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics and to analyze these components.

Excelsior Life: Where do you see the industry in five years? What progress has been made?

Dr. Lee: It will be interesting to see how new technologies including wearable computing devices and augmented reality hardware like Google’s Project Glass will create unique opportunities for creating game layers for learning. In this BYOD (bring your own device) era, we will see a lot more flexible, device-independent browser-based tools that bridge the divide between researchers and teachers. Teachers are much more open to using games in the classroom compared to before, but usually they’re sticking to lightweight “short-form” games that are really only good for drill exercises and training. We need more “long-form” game-based experiences that are able to promote 21^st century skills like creativity, collaboration and problem-solving.

Excelsior Life: What are you most looking forward to discussing at Excelsior’s upcoming symposium, “Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model”?

Dr. Lee: I am excited to discuss some of the principles of games and how they can be applied toward real-world problems and challenges facing education.

Read more at Gameprof.com and GamifyingEducation.org and register now to watch the livefeed of “Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model” on May 17 at Excelsior College, featuring Dr. Joey J. Lee.

Excelsior College Advisor Wins National Award for Academic Advising Excellence

2013-05-01T15:16:30Z

Anne Connor, a senior academic advisor for the Excelsior College School of Liberal Arts, has been named a 2013 recipient of the Outstanding Advising Award by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), in the academic advising-primary role category. She is one of only eight advisors nationwide to receive the award this year and Excelsior’s fourth winner since 1991.

“This honor means so much because it recognizes the hard work of academic advisors and their essential role in the success of students,” said Anne Connor. “It is inspiring to know that my work has made a difference in some small way in helping our learners achieve their degree goals.”

The award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated qualities associated with outstanding academic advising of students. Nominations are evaluated on the evidence of qualities and practices, including student success rate, availability, frequency of contact, monitoring, and participation in and support of advisor development programs, among a host of others. Ms. Connor will be recognized at NACADA's 37th annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 6 – 9, 2013.

“Anne has been inducted into a select and celebrated community of Excelsior academic advisors honored for excellence in service to our adult learners,” said Dr. Scott Dalrymple, dean, Excelsior College School of Liberal Arts. “This award is a proud moment for Anne, her family, and the entire institution.”

Connor joined Excelsior in 1984 as an advisor within the School of Liberal Arts. She has also spent time with the School of Business and Technology and School of Nursing. Connor earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Union College and a Master of Arts in History/Political Science from the College of St. Rose.

Established in 1983, the nonprofit Annual Awards Program for Academic Advising honors individuals and institutions making significant contributions to the improvement of academic advising. NACADA’s membership stands at over 10,000 and consists of faculty members, professional advisors, administrators, counselors, and others in academic and student affairs concerned with the intellectual, personal, and vocational needs of students.

Excelsior College Unveils MBA with Spanish Language Support

2013-04-29T13:44:20Z

Excelsior College today announced the launch of an MBA with Spanish Language Support, a program designed to assist Spanish-speaking MBA students interact more effectively with the various materials and assignments presented in the graduate-level curriculum.

When English is a second language for students, comprehension of course content can be hampered by the lack of cultural context. To help remove such barriers, Excelsior has translated specific online course content such as lectures, assignments and discussion activities, into Spanish. The students must complete the program requirements in English.

“The MBA with Spanish Language Support is an exciting new endeavor for Excelsior,” said Dr. Jane LeClair, dean, Excelsior College’s School of Business and Technology. “It’s one built in anticipation of rising demand among Hispanic students in the U.S. and those attending institutions outside the country with which we have partnered.”

The first course with Spanish Language Support, BUS 500 - Accounting for Managers, will roll out in May 2013. The course’s translated content will be available to all students taking the course.

This initiative is expected to better clarify certain course materials for students whose first language is Spanish. It will also benefit those for whom Spanish is a second language and are trying to become more skilled working with the Spanish-speaking clients. A bilingual professor will be able to assist students in these courses upon request.

[English\en Espanol]

Excelsior expects the new MBA support to also prove popular among its international students based in Ecuador, Chile, and other Spanish speaking countries.

Excelsior also has developed academic partnerships with a number of Hispanic organizations, including the National Latino Peace Officers Association and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, to promote degree attainment among their respective memberships. Recently, Excelsior College’s School of Business and Technology joined HACU – the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

For more information on Excelsior’s upcoming MBA with Spanish Language Support please contact gradadmission@excelsior.edu or call toll-free 888-647-2388 ext. 22 or visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

-30-

Passionate Pursuits: Ron Milos “Painting with Words”

2013-04-29T13:44:41Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff –

The purpose of Excelsior Life’s Passionate Pursuits is to help shine a light on faculty and staff successfully balancing work, home and family – just like our students.

Ron Milos, enjoyed reading and writing as a teenager. His interest in both provided adventures far beyond his neighborhood. To Milos, writing is “painting with words”. His passion for writing is evident in his day job as content editor in the Office of Information and Technology Services at Excelsior College. In his spare time, Milos continues on his creative writing adventure… knocking off one novel at a time.

Excelsior Life: Where did you get your encouragement to follow your passion?
Milos: My teachers in high school encouraged me, along with my friends and professors in college. They continually fueled my desire to write.

Excelsior Life: To date, you have written poems, short stories, and novels. Can you tell us a little about them?
Milos: I wrote several poems that were published in small literary magazines during my college years. I had a short story in Excelsior’s Our Collective Heritage produced by the PCI Memoirs Project.

Continuing my interest with words, I was the founder of Excelsior’s Writers Round Table which led to Excelsior ReView. A new short story was published in the March 2013 issue.

Writing a novel doesn’t happen overnight. My first novel, The Kush, took 20 years to complete while balancing graduate school, getting married, working, and starting a family. The novel “explains” the invasion of Afghanistan by the Russians and combines my experiences in the Peace Corps with my love of science fiction.

My second novel, Strings, was published recently. It took less time as I learned to balance life. Strings is a memoir of a man confronting the death of his estranged father.

Currently, I am writing: Miles from Millersburg. This is a novel based on Civil War historic events.

Excelsior Life: Can you tell us about your journey to write novels and short stories?
Milos: Writing is painting with words. I want to convey all the color and wonder that can be seen by brush. My problem is that I am never satisfied with the last sentence. I find myself going back to improve: taking out a word, inserting another adjective, rewriting...

While I think I know the outcome and paths of my novels, sometimes my characters take on a life of their own. Creative writing is an adventure.

Excelsior Life: What do you think prompted you to write poetry?
Milos: My favorite poet is Stephen Crane. He produces strong feelings and images in a few words and I like that economy and the effect it produces on the reader. Poetry is very exact and immediate.

Excelsior Life: Writing can be a natural outlet for life's experiences to help process feelings. Can you explain how your experiences in the Peace Corps impacted your novel?
Milos: I write for myself and incorporate my experiences, either personal or adopted. Writing is an outlet and helps me to cope with some life unexpected experiences. Teaching English as a Foreign Language with Peace Corps was a unique and marvelous experience that I wanted to share and in a format I enjoy - science fiction.

Excelsior Life: It appears your passion for writing connects to your full-time job. Does it?
Milos: As an editor I enjoy word usage. As a web editor, I'm back to economy of word usage and receive pleasure from this challenge. Visitors read only between 20 and 28 percent of the words on a web page (Jacob Nielson). Choosing the right words and content is important to convey clear, crisp, and clean information - especially as we progress to mobile apps.

I founded The Writers Round Table to bring together other Excelsior employees who enjoy writing. This led to the Excelsior ReView, an online publication which showcases the creative and artistic talents of the College‘s world-wide community of alumni, students, faculty, and staff. Issue one had 5,500 visits and over 350 downloads. The second issue contains thirty-six submissions from 15 states plus Guam and includes original art, music, photography, poetry, prose, and video.

Mixed Reality Classrooms with Lee Sheldon, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

2013-04-25T20:51:14Z

Click Here to Subscribe to Excelsior Life podcast series via RSS (non-iTunes feed)

Listen to the full interview with Lee Sheldon:

Lee Sheldon, associate professor and co-director of the Games and Simulation Arts program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) joins Excelsior Life: Distance EDU on Demand for an engaging conversation on his method of teaching classes as multiplayer games. Sheldon, a former television screenwriter and game designer, leads the Emergent Reality Lab at RPI, a “massive, mixed reality space for research and education.” Sheldon, a panelist at Excelsior’s upcoming gaming symposium on May 17, also unveils plans for his latest project, an educational RPG game set on Mars that he best describes as “Downton Abbey in Space.”

Podcast Outline (Time: Topic)

1: 25 How close are we to re-creating the Star Trek “Holodeck?”
2:43 Telling stories in a mixed reality space
3:35 Using an imaginary police interrogation and synthetic characters to teach Mandarin Chinese
5:54 Elaborate Plays with digital interaction, artificial intelligence and no “fourth wall”
9:30 How does a student “level up?”
11:00 Pushback from administration
12:53 Are mixed reality classes “scalable?”
18:15 The needs for intrinsic, not extrinsic, rewards
20:40 “Downton Abbey in Space”
23:55 “Every part of life is story-telling”
25:00 Looking ahead to the Excelsior Gaming Symposium

National Volunteer Week: In Depth with Michael Boskin

2013-04-29T13:44:58Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff

Editor's Note: With National Volunteer Week, April 21-27, compassion towards the needs of others is so important. The attributes can be used to describe Excelsior College’s faculty and staff who collectively help various causes throughout the year. This week we shared stories about individuals working in higher education who are making a difference in their community.

Volunteer: Michael I. Boskin, PMP, Senior Project Manager

Volunteer organization: ALCO. It is a Historical & Technical Society Museum, based in Schenectady, NY promotes the history of the American Locomotive Company and Schenectady Locomotive Works while educating the public through artifacts and historical documents.

Excelsior Life: Why is volunteering important to you?
Boskin: Volunteering is something I do only a few times per year, yet it adds another dimension to my life. In addition, volunteering during the "work week" makes me feel like Excelsior and I are partners working together to give something back to the community.

Excelsior Life: How did you get involved with ALCO?
Boskin: A friend of mine is a founding board member and train enthusiast. Although I might have offered project management assistance, they used me exclusively for manual labor. I liked that aspect of the opportunity.

Excelsior Life: What motivated you to help this particular organization?
Boskin: I have spent most of my working life on a computer, and when the electricity is turned off most of my work is no where to be seen. The contrast to industrial companies have always interested me, and you can't get much more industrial than building railroad engines.

The Capital Region of New York has a long industrial history, from steel making in Troy 150 years ago to Global Foundries in Malta today. ALCO (and GE) in Schenectady are important components of that history. I was happy to make a small contribution to preserving the story.

Excelsior Life: I understand the museum is temporarily closed and looking to move to another facility. What can you tell us about the museum that others may find fascinating?

Boskin: Have you ever wanted to climb on a tank?

For more information on ALCO click here.

Excelsior College Partners with Northern Virginia Community College to Develop Four-Year Graduate Pipeline

2013-04-29T14:22:31Z

Excelsior College and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) have joined forces on a 3 + 1 program that will provide NOVA students and employees with the ability to take up to an additional 30 credits of course work at NOVA and apply credit earned toward a bachelor's degree at Excelsior - an accredited, nonprofit college that specializes in serving the needs of working adults. NOVA students can then earn the remaining credits toward a bachelor's degree from Excelsior at reduced rates for tuition and fees.

“A bachelor’s degree can both increase employability and long-term earning power,” said Excelsior College President John Ebersole. “Through this strategic partnership Excelsior and Northern Virginia Community College will create a direct pathway for two-year graduates to earn that essential four-year credential.”

Under the new partnership agreement, NOVA community college graduates are eligible for reduced tuition and fees for undergraduate degree programs in Excelsior’s schools of Liberal Arts, Health Sciences, Business and Technology, and Nursing.

The partnership between Excelsior and NOVA is strengthened by a strategic alignment of programs within Criminal Justice, Nursing, Healthcare and Liberal Arts. Specific transfer guides have been created for the following degree programs:

• Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Emergency Management Service (EMS) to Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Science
• AAS Medical Laboratory Technician to BS in Health Science
• AAS Dental Hygiene to BS in Health Science
• Associate in Science (AS) Business to BS in Business
• AAS Nursing to BS Nursing
• AAS Administrative Justice to BS in Criminal Justice (Administration of Criminal Justice)

In addition, both schools have a strong military focus. More than 10,000 active duty military and 4,000 veterans are currently enrolled in Excelsior, which has been consistently ranked as one of the top military-friendly schools in the country.

An institution founded to remove barriers to the educational goals of working adults, Excelsior College is home to more than 36,000 students with an average age of 39. In addition to its own online courses, Excelsior employs several faculty-approved pathways to earning credit including the acceptance in transfer of credit earned at other institutions, and industry and military training programs that have been evaluated for college-level equivalency. Excelsior also offers extensive credit-by-examination programs, Excelsior College® Examinations and UExcel exams that provide an additional means for independent learners to earn credit toward degree completion.

NOVA, the second largest community college in the nation, counts more than 75,000 enrolled students on six campuses. The school also hosts the Tau Nu Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Excelsior recently launched a Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship program for members transferring from an academic partner such as NOVA.

For more information, visit the Excelsior College-NOVA partnership page at: http://partnership.excelsior.edu/nova.

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Excelsior
Excelsior College http://www.excelsior.edu is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Northern Virginia Community College
Begun in 1964, Northern Virginia Community College offers a quality and convenient educational experience at an affordable price. NOVA is the largest educational institution in Virginia and the second-largest community college in the United States. NOVA is also one of the most internationally diverse colleges in the United States, with a student body consisting of individuals from more than 180 countries. Northern Virginia Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the associate degree.

The Practical Side of Educational Game Development with Jon Aleckson, Web Courseworks

2013-04-24T17:41:18Z

Click Here to Subscribe to Excelsior Life podcast series via RSS (non-iTunes feed)

Listen to the full interview with Jon Aleckson:

Jon Aleckson, PhD, CEO of Web Courseworks, author, and educational technologist, joins Excelsior Life: Distance EDU on Demand, to discuss the business side of the educational game industry. Are educational games scalable? How do developers ensure quality control? Why should academics stop pretending to be coders? How close to real life do simulations have to be in order to be effective? Aleckson, a panelist at Excelsior’s upcoming gaming symposium on May 17, focuses on the practical aspects of game development.

Podcast Outline (Time: Topic)

2:57 Digital gaming vs gamification – purists on both sides

5:17 Quality control – focusing on systems, structure

6:32 The cost-benefit analysis

8:49 Recommendations to accelerate gaming in higher education

10:11 Academics are not coders

13:07 Scenario simulations – how close to real life do they need to be?

14:15 Courting Disaster

16:45 Practical, business approach towards game development

“Bringing together not just academics, but people in the private sector who build games, and getting them together in one room.” – John Aleckson, on the importance of symposium’s like Excelsior’s upcoming “Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model."

Compelling Memoir Strikes Chord with T1 Diabetes Sufferers

2013-04-24T17:41:02Z

COMPELLING MEMOIR STRIKES CHORD WITH T1 DIABETES SUFFERERS
Attorney shares her twenty-year journey with insulin dependence and diabetes burnout

Hudson Whitman/Excelsior College Press has published a heartfelt and honest new book that reveals what it takes to manage a chronic condition, type 1 diabetes, Shot: Staying Alive with Diabetes by Amy Ryan.

For Ms. Ryan, treatment for a routine infection one Monday morning quickly turned into needles, insulin, a glucose monitor, test strips, and the responsibility of managing a life-threatening illness.

In America, 26 million people have diabetes, accounting for more than 8% of the population. While the majority have type 2, considered a lifestyle illness, three million suffer from type 1, an incurable autoimmune disease where the body destroys its insulin-producing cells. Someone who suffers from type 1 (formerly known as juvenile diabetes) must inject insulin multiple times each day just to stay alive.

“I wanted to tell a human story that people without the disease might want to read,” said Ryan, who practices law in Washington, D.C., in a recent interview in USA Today.

Public figures who have discussed their type 1 diabetes include Sonia Sotomayor and Nicole Johnson (Miss America '99).

Shot is a sincere, sometimes comical account of managing this relentless illness, and includes details and real life scenarios that aren’t always openly discussed.

Amy Tenderich, contributor to the widely read blog, Diabetes Mine stated, “Everything about her story is so familiar, so raw and honest, so true to the REAL experiences of being hit with an intense chronic illness around age 30, and struggling to ‘remake’ your life around it…This is hands-down the most ‘relatable’ book about life with diabetes I've ever read.”

People with diabetes will see themselves in Amy Ryan’s story. Those without it, including the millions who care for and support family, friends, or patients will now have a glimpse into the daily struggle of a life defined by glucose levels.

Book Information:
Title: Shot: Staying Alive with Diabetes
ISBN: 978-0-9768813-5-3
Hudson Whitman/Excelsior College Press
Hudsonwhitman.com @ExcelsiorPress
January 2013 $17.95 252pp

Shot is available for purchase online or your favorite local bookstore.
###

For Immediate Release

Contact: Susan Petrie
Hudson Whitman Press/Excelsior College
spetrie@excelsior.edu 518-608-8156

National Volunteer Week: In Depth with Mannarino & O'Malley

2013-04-25T20:06:37Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff --

(photos courtesy of Jay Bobbin, Vice President/Director, The Cinderella Project of the Capital Region)

Volunteers: Jeanne M. Mannarino, MA, Assistant Director of Advisement and Evaluation, School of Nursing and Ginni O'Malley, Administrative Assistant, School of Nursing

Volunteer organization: The Cinderella Project

Excelsior Life: How did you hear about The Cinderella Project and become a volunteer?
Mannarino: A colleague of mine, Ginni O'Malley, was heavily involved with the organization. I was familiar of similar organizations which accept donations of gently used prom dresses (and sometimes bridesmaid dresses) for at need high school students at no cost.

The Cinderella Project offers "Boutique Days" when the students shop for their gown. Students come with parents or guidance counselors and look through the available dresses. Volunteers are on hand to provide simple alterations when needed. Make-up and accessories are also donated for the students with free "up do’s” from a local hairdresser.

I've participated in “Boutique Days” for the last five years. I usually work as a 'personal shopper' who helps girls find a dress in their size. It is fun to get to know the girls a bit and feel like you are helping to make their dream of a perfect prom come true.

O’ Malley: My association with the Cinderella Project began when my daughter Katie was selected Tulip Queen in 1998. She was approached by the Cinderella Project to request that the Tulip Queen and Court members volunteer to help at the dress collections that are done yearly in the summer and early fall.

Excelsior Life: Does it have a special meaning to you?
O’ Malley: When my daughter’s life got hectic and she wasn't able to work with the Cinderella Project, I signed on as a "Director". I worked collecting gowns during those times and then helped at “Boutique Days”. As my colleague Jeanne mentioned, this special event is organized to distribute the donated gowns to worthy girls who otherwise may not have the opportunity to attend their prom. It has been held for the past several years at Siena College's Sarazen Hall.

Mannarino: I never was really into going to a prom when I was in high school, but it was very important to my mother, who was not able to go to her prom because her family could not afford it. I think that is why this organization speaks to me - I love the idea of helping a girl who otherwise would not be able to go to prom.

Excelsior Life: Have you done any other volunteer work with this cause or other groups in the community?
Mannarino: Volunteering has always been important to me. Other organizations that I am involved with include City of Albany Special Events (Tulip Festival and Alive at Five, etc.), which Ginni O'Malley also got me started with, and Sponsor-A-Scholar.

For additional information on The Cinderella Project, click here.

National Volunteer Week: In Depth with Larnice Tetreault

2013-04-24T17:39:42Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff

Volunteer: Larnice Tetreault, Administrative Assistant, Institutional Advancement

Volunteer organization: Duanesburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps (DVAC)

Excelsior Life: How did you get involved with this civic group?
Tetreault: In the summer of 2010 my husband and I attended an open house at the Duanesburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps. We have always talked about doing some volunteer work in our community and thought this would be a great way to start.

Excelsior Life: Does this organization have a special meaning to you?
Tetreault: I’ve always admired first responders and it makes me feel good to know that I’m supporting a remarkable group of people who make a difference in our community by caring for and saving lives.

Volunteering is a great way to help out your community. At the same time, it allows you to interact with people that you would not otherwise get the chance to. The people I work with are great and are some of the most caring people you would ever want to meet.

Excelsior Life: Have you done any other volunteer work with this cause or other groups in the community?
Tetreault: I’ve been with DVAC for almost three years and Membership Secretary for a little over a year. Throughout the years I’ve volunteered with different organizations through companies that I worked for in the past. DVAC is the first organization that I have continually supported.

National Volunteer Week: In Depth with Paula Gabris

2013-04-24T17:40:03Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff --

Editor’s note: In times of need, who can you count on? Everyday heroes are around us with spontaneous acts of kindness. Following the recent Boston Marathon Bombing, the images of citizens selflessly rushing to the aid of others in the midst of chaos was seen all over the news.

With National Volunteer Week, April 21-27, compassion towards the needs of others is so important. The attributes can be used to describe Excelsior College’s faculty and staff who collectively help various causes throughout the year. This week we will share stories about individuals working in higher education who are making a difference in their community.

Volunteer: Paula Gabris, Administrative Assistant, School of Nursing
Volunteer organizations: Patriot Hills of New York, Autism Society and Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Excelsior Life: Why is volunteerism personally important to you?
Gabris: Volunteerism is important to me because it’s my way of “paying it forward”.
It’s difficult to put into words! Sometimes, I wonder, if it’s an additional gene I was given at birth.

I didn’t volunteer when I was young; I wasn’t told that it is the right thing to do, giving back that is. I really can’t explain it.

Volunteerism has enhanced my personal life in many ways from making new friends to catching up with old friends. It has helped to shape my professional life I have acquired new skills that I apply everyday at my job.

It has become an important part of my lifestyle. I have gained a greater appreciation for life and all it offers, by giving back. There is some self satisfaction and relaxation I get from it. Serving others is something I am good at, I have no expectations when I volunteer, I am there to help because there is a need.

I think Danny Thomas says it best: “Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others”.

I have volunteered for many organizations over the years and I am still trying to find the one or two organizations that are the best fit for me, that one group that I can give my very best and all my energy to. A lot of times, my volunteerism has been driven by family situations or illness.

Excelsior Life: Does any organization have a special meaning to you?
Gabris: For the past several years I have put my heart and soul into helping our veterans and their families. I have been a volunteer for a non-for-profit called Patriot Hills of New York ™.

Our mission is to take care of those who have sacrificed so much to defend our freedom. Our goal is to build a facility in the Capital Region where we can provide a safe haven for our nation’s warriors and their loved ones, a place where they can reconnect. We want to provide access to needed services for our military personnel and their families. We believe they did their part now it is our turn to give back to them.

Recently I have decided to volunteer for the Autism Society - my youngest granddaughter Marisa, has been diagnosed with Autism. I am on a mission to learn everything there is about it so I can educate myself and others.

Lastly, I started to volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Foundation since my aunt was recently diagnosed with this very sad disease.

Excelsior Life: What volunteer events you are currently working on?
Gabris: At Excelsior College I am a member of the Community Service Committee and a returning member of the Wellness Committee; outside of work I volunteer for Patriot Hills of New York, the Center for Donation and Transplant and most currently the Autism Society.

Presidents’ Forum Meets to Discuss SARA Implementation

2013-04-16T12:55:25Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff and Raven Short, Excelsior Life News Staff Intern

Beginning today in Indianapolis, The President’s Forum and the Council of State Governments, will meet to discuss the steps to establish the State Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), announced on April 11 by the Commission on the Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education led by former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley.

Excelsior College, which founded the Presidents’ Forum, has worked with the Council of State Governments to develop SARA under a Lumina Foundation grant. Paul Shiffman, executive director of the Presidents’ Forum participated as a member of the Riley commission.

SARA intends to make state authorization more efficient, more uniform in regard to necessary and reasonable standards of practice that span states, and more effective in dealing with quality and integrity issues.

State team members comprised of policymakers and higher education leadership attending the symposium will explore, discuss and identify steps a state would need to take to participate in reciprocity, including anticipated state by state regulatory and statutory revisions that may be necessary to achieve the objectives of SARA.

The Presidents’ Forum, established in 2004, remains a leading advocate on issues of importance to online higher education. The Forum contends interstate reciprocity in recognition of institutional authorizations would broaden access to accredited online degree programs, ensure strong consumer protection and reduce barriers to student access and has pursued an agreement through a grant from Lumina Foundation.

Within the past few years, the Forum met with state regulators on changes to the Title IV rules which would have sharply curbed access to high quality, accredited online college education.

Detecting the Patterns of Terrorist Attacks

2013-04-16T11:58:19Z

Editor's Note: This piece was published just five hours prior to the April 15 attacks at the Boston Marathon, a sad reminder of the continuous threat to the nation and importance of an improved understanding of how terrorist groups and individuals operate.

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff—

Does terrorism spread like a contagion? Or does hierarchal decision-making play a larger role?

With terrorism still a global concern more than a decade after 9/11, Piyusha Singh, PhD, a researcher with a background in criminology and public policy, shared a study on the patterns of terrorist attacks that could prove helpful to law enforcement officials.

Throughout her career, Dr. Singh, program director, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, at Excelsior College, has researched the context in which crime occurs, examining individual interactions to understand why violence escalates, and looking at how the physical and social environment affects the ability of police to improve crime prevention outcomes.

Prior to joining Excelsior College, Singh and a team of researchers (Gary Lafree, Laura Dugan, and Min Xie) from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and SUNY-Albany studied geospatial patterns in terrorist incidents. Their purpose was to gain a better understanding of terrorism by focusing on one aspect – when there is a decision made by leadership of terrorist organization, do we see a shift in their operations?

The team of researchers examined terrorist attacks by the Spanish terrorist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) between 1970 and 2007. ETA’s objective was to gain independence for the Basque region in Spain. In 1978, ETA publicly announced a strategy shift. Instead of limiting attacks to the Basque territory, the group would shift attacks outward across Spain in order to exhaust government resources and secure more recognition for their cause.

Singh and her colleagues noted this was a shift in strategy from “control,” where the focus is on protecting an operational base, maintaining a minimum level of internal security, controlling the population they intend to rule to “attrition.” In this latter phase, terrorist groups focus on increasing their influence through increased visibility, wearing down the opposing state and earning broader support for their cause.

“From a policy perspective, this information is useful to see whether theories predict changes in behavior, and we wanted specifically to see if a change in strategy produces a shift in geospatial patterns,” Singh said.

In order to examine this shift in strategy, the researchers examined patterns of spatial diffusion over time.

“We mapped the location of terrorist incidents to provinces and looked at changes in levels and examined whether changes in a province could be attributed changes in nearby areas or not,” Singh explained. “Contagious diffusion refers to the spread of phenomena, in this case terrorism to nearby units because of proximity. Hierarchical diffusion refers to a spread that is not due to direct contact between units.”

The researchers theorized that an increase or decrease in incidents within neighboring provinces was evidence for contagious diffusion (i.e., terrorism is spreading to nearby areas). On the other hand, if there were increases and decreases in a province that seem to be unrelated to changes in nearby areas, it would indicate that hierarchical diffusion is more likely.

They also argued that contagious diffusion would be consistent with control driven strategies by ETA, whereas hierarchical diffusion would suggest a strategy of attrition.

As predicted, when ETA switched from a control to attrition, the spatial patterns showed a similar change – from contagious diffusion to hierarchical diffusion. With this information in mind, Singh and her fellow researchers hope law enforcement officials can better understand the results of shifts in terrorism strategies.

Jeremy Glasstetter Hired to Lead Veterans’ Center at Excelsior College

2013-04-24T19:59:05Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

The Center for Military Education (CME) at Excelsior College today announced the hiring of Jeremy Glasstetter to lead the College’s Lt. Col. Bryant A. Murray Veterans Center, an online, array of services to meet the needs of former members of America’s armed forces. Glasstetter, a U.S. Army veteran of both Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom, served previously as a military & veterans program advisor for Baker College (Michigan).

[AUDIO: Glasstetter discusses higher education transition challenges for returning veterans]

The Center offers resources and support for both academic and life needs to the more than 4,000 veterans currently enrolled in the college. Working within the Center for Military Education, Glasstetter will develop and advance services available to veterans, promote increased use of veteran benefits, enhance communication to veterans and related organizations, serve as an advocate for veterans issues, and work toward unit and college strategic planning goals related to the center.

“Jeremy served our country with distinction on two fronts and has dedicated his post-military career to helping his fellow servicemembers transition back to the civilian world,” said Sue Dewan, executive director of the Center for Military Education at Excelsior, which in addition to its veterans population, also counts more than 10,000 active duty military personnel among its 36,000 currently enrolled students. “His experience and commitment to nontraditional higher education for adults and, more specifically, military service members and veterans, make him a valuable addition to Excelsior. We are thrilled to have him on board.”

Raised in Flint, Michigan, Glasstetter enlisted in the U.S. Army as an avionics, armament, electrician and helicopter mechanic less than one month after the attacks on September 11th. In 2004, he proudly deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2007, he deployed once again, this time to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Honorably discharged from activity duty, he returned home to serve in the Michigan National Guard and began his studies at the University of Michigan-Flint.

While at UM, Glasstetter founded the Student Veterans of America – Flint Chapter (SVA-FC); eventually he was elected the 3rd President of the national organization. During his undergraduate studies Glasstetter also helped orchestrate, with the help of the University of Michigan Board of Regents and others, the creation of the university’s first Student Veterans Resource Center. One of the few in the nation at that time, the center offered returning military veterans a place to work and congregate during their transition home.

In August 2011, Jeremy graduated with his Bachelors of Business Administration Degree from the University of Michigan and in May, 2013 will earn his Masters of Business Administration in Leadership degree from Baker College Center for Graduate Studies.

Jeremy, married with a young son, resides in Clifton Park, NY.

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Commission Unveils State Reciprocity Agreement (SARA)

2013-04-12T19:46:28Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff

The Commission on the Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education, led by former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, yesterday unveiled a State Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) that will streamline onerous and costly regulations and establish a framework for the delivery of online education across the nation.

Excelsior College, which founded the Presidents’ Forum and has worked with the Council of State Governments to develop SARA under a Lumina Foundation grant, participated on the commission.

Paul Shiffman, assistant vice president for strategic and governmental relations at Excelsior College and executive director of the Presidents’ Forum commented on the agreement within a release sent out by the Commission yesterday:

“At present, there is no alternative to each institution separately pursuing state authorization in each state and territory in which it serves students. Consequently, thousands of institutions are required to seek approval to serve students in as many as 54 states and territories. In 2009, The Lumina Foundation provided funding to the Presidents’ Forum and the Council of State Governments, to advance a model State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) to make state authorization more efficient, more uniform in regard to necessary and reasonable standards of practice that span states, and more effective in dealing with quality and integrity issues. It is notable, if not of historic significance, that this initiative has now evolved through the work of the Commission to include all of the recognized higher education leadership organizations, regulators, policymakers and accreditors in the establishment of SARA. This achievement strengthens our nation’s efforts to increase the educational attainment of its people.”

Read the full press release from the Commission on the Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education.

Transition Challenges for Veterans Returning to School: Interview with Jeremy Glasstetter, Director, Lt. Col. Bryant A. Murray Veterans’ Center

2013-04-15T13:20:16Z

Click Here to Subscribe to Excelsior Life podcast series via RSS (non-iTunes feed)

Listen to the full interview with Jeremy Glastetter below.

Jeremy Glasstetter, director of the Lt. Col. Bryant A. Murray Veterans Center at Excelsior College, joins Excelsior Life to discuss contemporary challenges experienced by veterans seeking out a higher education. A U.S. Army veteran of both Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Glasstetter previously served as the third National President of the Student Veterans of America.

Excelsior Life and Glasstetter chat on a range of issues, including the different experiences of modern veterans compared to those of the past, his vision for Excelsior’s veteran center and new services every institution of higher education needs to explore. Glasstetter also talks about his personal experiences transitioning out of military service.

Podcast Outline (Time: Topic)

1:15 What are the unique transitional challenges facing today’s returning veterans?
3:49 Is there a generational difference in veterans challenges?
6:40 Are institutions of higher education doing enough to help veterans?
7:59 What new services should every school rollout?
9:45 Glasstetter’s vision for the Excelsior’s Lt. Col. Bryant A. Murray Veteran Center
12:19 “Driven to service…forever a veteran”
14:00 Glasstetter’s personal experience transitioning out of the U.S. Army
17:00 The one action every veteran must take upon leaving military service

(Please help support the show by leaving an iTunes review!)

Excelsior College Leads the Way in Higher Education Celebrating Charter Day on April 10th

2013-04-12T19:47:49Z

Albany, NY – April 9th is Charter Day for Excelsior College. It marks fifteen years since the New York State Board of Regents granted a charter to the college as a private, independent, nonprofit institution. Previously known as Regents College, with a name change to Excelsior College in 2001, approximately 150,000 working adult students have earned associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Excelsior since its founding in 1971.

To celebrate Charter Day, Excelsior College held a breakfast for all staff on Wednesday April 10th. Richard Yep and other trustees were in attendance.

In a society where job change is common, Excelsior College proudly recognized more than 70 employees with five to 35 years of service. Of special note, 23 employees were honored for fifteen years or more of service. Excelsior College has been named as one of the “Best Places to Work” in the New York State Capital Region by The Business Review. The college was also selected as a 2012 “Top Workplace” in the Capital District by the Times Union.

Charter Day also acknowledges Excelsior’s innovation and trend setting in higher education. In 1998 it first introduced online courses at the graduate level and in 2003 the College added online courses at the undergraduate level. “Our college removes obstacles to the educational goals of the adult learner, “stated Dr. John Ebersole, president of Excelsior College, ”by providing multiple pathways for them to earn their degrees. As other institutions are just now recognizing the educational needs of working adults, Excelsior has more than 40 years of experience and a well-regarded reputation as a leader in this field.”

Using Games to Solve Real Problems: Interview with Dr. Ben DeVane, Digital Worlds Institute

2013-04-12T19:47:21Z

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series of interviews with the panelists invited to the second annual Excelsior College gaming symposium, “Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model” on May 17. Register here.

Listen to the full interview with Dr. DeVane below. Subscribe to Excelsior Life: Distance Education on Demand.

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Although passionate about the idea of education, as a child Dr. Ben DeVane never liked school, in particular classes built around memorization. Instead he preferred exploring the worlds found in contemporary computer games like Oregon Trail and Civilization.

It wasn’t until he earned a degree in computer science and accepted a job with an afterschool program using games to teach history and other subjects did DeVane realize the potential of gaming as an educational tool.

“Games provided a new arena for kids to develop expertise,” said DeVane, reflecting on his time in the program. “They’re playful, they’re engaging, and they’re also very difficult. Kids aren’t mesmerizing fact; they are building a knowledge base and challenged to use that knowledge.”

Following the program, DeVane went back to school to study for his doctorate, eventually becoming assistant professor of digital arts and science at the Digital Worlds Institute at the University of Florida. Today, his research focuses on the design of ‘serious games’ and game-based learning environments and how they can be used to solve public health, environmental science and financial literacy problems.

Gaming Against Plagiarism, which is funded by National Science Foundation, is one such project. The game focuses on research ethics and plagiarism – a growing problem within the academic and science fields as the opportunity to cheat grows in parallel with technological advancement.

Institutions are now becoming mandated to offer ethics training, but the current learning process is flawed, says DeVane.

“This training often ends up not being very fun, it’s often not very challenging…” said the professor, noting that most are lecture-based power points.

Gaming Against Plagiarism, based on a board-game model similar to traditional games e.g. Shoots and Ladders, is divided into three individual sections each focusing on different aspects of academic research, plagiarism, and ethical conduct. As players work to secure a research grant, as they do in Cheats and Geeks, or act as an Ethics Detective in Murky Misconduct, they are presented with complex scenarios to test their knowledge and ethical problem solving and learn the extent to which plagiarism impacts not only them but their institution.

The games act to differentiate short-term and long-term outcomes too. For instance, as I played Cheats and Geeks I took a short-cut, in this case a single instance of data fabrication, and was still able to secure the research grant. However, my “win” was short-lived. The hammer soon came down in the form of a story in the local paper about my misconduct and the ensuring reputational damage to my institution.

“What we are trying to do,” said DeVane, “is give a safe space to learn about plagiarism and learn the consequences of plagiarism.”

The games themselves are homage to famous video games of the past. Frenetic Filing has the look of an 8-bit Atari game, while Murky Misconduct feels like Carmen San Diego. These aesthetics tap into emotions and help keep the player engaged.

While DeVane is focusing his time currently on ethics, there are many more problems to explore.

“We don’t make games to just make games. We want games that solve real problems and address them in a meaningful way.”

The gaming process is equally intriguing in itself. First, designers like DeVane identify a problem. Together, their teams develop rough models – prototypes of games based on certain principles – and pilot the environments to their intended audiences. The focus group will discuss the issues surrounding the games, evaluate the “fun” aspects, and provide feedback on the learning process. This information helps the design team adapt the game before the next focus group, and so on and so forth, until a final version is reached.

“Game layers in the classroom, or digital computer games, or even role-playing games, each has its place in the dialogue with education,” said DeVane. “The purpose is to engage (the student) on their level.”

To listen to the full thirty-minute interview with Excelsior Life, in which DeVane discusses a variety of topics, from the ability of games to foster essential skills such as computational thinking to the role games can play to recruiting and retaining more women to the STEM fields, listen below.

To watch the livestream of Excelsior’s upcoming May 17 symposium, “Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model” visit our Excelsior Life events page.

Excelsior College Names Dr. Ernst Vice President for Innovation and Strategy

2013-04-12T19:48:11Z

Albany, New York – Steve Ernst, PhD, has been named vice president for Innovation and Strategy at Excelsior College. In this position, a first for the College, Dr. Ernst will play a key role in evaluating and guiding the strategic positioning and growth strategy for the Albany-based nonprofit, accredited institution.

Formerly chief operating officer at Knowledge Factor, Dr. Ernst has held executive leadership roles in both the private sector and higher education. He earned his PhD from Michigan State University, served as a tenured faculty member at the University of Nebraska, and was Director of Instructional Technology and professor of biology at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

“Steve has had extensive leadership and innovation experience in higher education as well as in the corporate sector,” said Excelsior College President Dr. John Ebersole. “Throughout his career, Steve has demonstrated experience and success in bringing together academic researchers and corporations to commercialize relevant technologies and learning models, and to put in place operational practices that ensured the long-term success of those organizations. We are confident Steve’s experience and management skills will enable Excelsior College to be optimally positioned and grow during this very exciting period in the history of higher education.”

The vice president for Innovation and Strategy, along with the president and the College’s Executive Staff, is responsible for planning, developing, organizing, implementing, directing, and evaluating Excelsior’s strategic growth and evolution. Dr. Ernst will work closely with the College’s management team to lead major strategic projects, problem-solving efforts and effectiveness assessment.

In this new position, Dr. Ernst will also assume executive leadership of Excelsior’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness. “One of the reasons I chose to join the Excelsior team,” said Ernst, “is because of the vigorous program already in place to evaluate the College’s efforts in achieving its goals and guide the strategic planning process. I look forward to working with assistant vice president Dr. Lisa Daniels who manages the IE team that works so closely with all business units across the College to optimize operational effectiveness.”

Dr. Ernst and his wife are relocating to Albany, New York from Boulder, Colorado.

Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model

2013-05-07T20:16:48Z

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"Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model" is the second annual Excelsior College symposium addressing the role of games in education. The event will be livestreamed for free to those who register above.

How can what we learn from games improve student persistence, retention, and success? How can games and gamification help transform curriculum and lead to greater student engagement and better learning outcomes?

Please join our LinkedIn group, Gaming in Education (Excelsior College) to network with our panelists and other educational tech experts leading up to the event, ask questions and share best practices. The topics discussed within the group will guide the symposium discussion on May 17.

If you would like to attend the event in-person, email Mike Lesczinski at mlesczinski@excelsior.edu. The Twitter hashtag for the event is #ECgaming.

2013 Gaming Symposium Biographies

Clark Aldrich, Clark Aldrich Designs

Jon Aleckson, PhD, Web Courseworks

[Listen to "The Practical Side of Game Development" podcast interview with Dr. Aleckson]
Dr. Jon Aleckson has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the educational media industry. As CEO of Web Courseworks, Ltd., Aleckson has teamed with Clark Aldrich to lead the design and development of award-winning educational games for the World Anti-Doping Agency and the
University of Minnesota¹s Intelligent Transportation Studies Institute. Aleckson¹s team is currently completing the transition from Flash-based development to HTML5, and much of his current speaking in the field of game-based learning relates to the change management issues involved in that transition. Aleckson earned his BA and PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His doctoral research on collaboration among experts and developers was published as MindMeld: Micro-Collaboration Between eLearning Designers and Instructor
Experts (Atwood, 2011, with co-author Penny Ralston Berg).

Ben DeVane, PhD, University of Florida

[Listen to "Gamification" podcast interview with Dr. DeVane]

Joey J. Lee, PhD, Columbia University

[Read "Designing Games with Real-World Impact" interview with Dr. Lee]

Tobi Saulnier, PhD, 1^st Playable Productions

Lee Sheldon, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

[Listen to "Mixed Reality Classrooms" podcast interview with Sheldon]

“Keeping My Brain Active” - Interview with Donna Jones of the Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation

2013-04-12T19:48:27Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff—

Donna Jones is a military consultant for Excelsior College, working with military personnel, their spouses, and veterans who are interested in furthering their education. For Jones, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, it’s a career forged from personal experience – she is enrolled herself in Excelsior through a partnership agreement with Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation, which allows her to pursue her studies at lower tuition and fee rate.

Excelsior Life: What drew you to joining the U.S. Air Force?
Jones: I joined the Air Force when I was eighteen years old. I felt that I wasn't yet ready for college and wanted a career. My father is retired from the Air Force so I had spent my childhood all over the world. I was born in Japan, began school on Guam, and spent the next seven years in England until my father retired and moved our family to his home state of South Carolina. My initial assignment in the Air Force was to Norton AFB in southern California. Then I was transferred to RAF Mildenhall in England where I had spent most of my childhood. It was interesting to see the Air Force first from a child's point of view and then as an active duty service member.

Excelsior Life: What prompted you to return to school for your degree?
Jones: I took several college courses when I was in the Air Force and then completed my associate degree in 1990. I worked for twenty years as an occupational therapy assistant before taking the position as a military consultant with Excelsior College. Since I had never taken online courses, I felt it was important to enroll in a course in order to accurately describe the experience to prospective students. I initially was not planning to pursue a degree but I found that I enjoy online learning and Excelsior College accepted my military training as well as my credits from my associate degree so I decided to go ahead and finish what I started a long time ago!

Excelsior Life: How did you learn about the partnership agreement between the Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation and Excelsior?
Jones: I learned about Rainbow Division through the Excelsior College website as well as from colleagues. The partnership offers reduced rates for veterans, which makes taking online courses very affordable.

Excelsior Life: What led to your decision to choose Excelsior and the BSL degree pathway?
Jones: I chose the Bachelor of Science Liberal Arts degree because of the liberal studies option it offers. With this option I am able to have two depth areas rather than declaring a major. While most of my previous college credits are in the health sciences area, I wanted to take courses in subjects that currently interest me so my two depth areas are psychology and sociology.

Excelsior Life: Had you ever taken an online course before? If not, did you experience any trepidation around the idea?
Jones: When I went to college in the 1980s online courses were not an option. I had some trepidation about the length of time it had been since I had taken any college courses and well as using technology rather than the old fashioned way of learning - sitting in a classroom. I also wasn't sure how the interaction between the instructor and other students would take place.

Excelsior Life: Now that you have taken a few courses with Excelsior, what are your impressions?
Jones: This is actually the third course I have taken from Excelsior College. After taking the first one out of curiosity more than anything, I found that I enjoyed it so much that I enrolled in the college and continued to take courses. The three courses I have taken are all upper level and not easy by any means, but they are challenging in a way that I enjoy. I am 51 years old and it makes me feel good to keep my brain active. Learning new things at my age is very interesting and rewarding.

Excelsior Life: What do you anticipate being the biggest challenges to securing your degree? Do you have a support system in place?
Jones: The biggest challenge to securing my degree is time. With the eight week class format I have to make sure that I will be available every week to participate in the class discussions and complete my assignments. If I know I will be out of town for an extended period of time or have a lot of other obligations during the eight weeks that the course is offered I have to wait until the next semester to take the course. My personal support system is my family, but Excelsior College also offers a lot of support to students and military personnel and veterans in particular.

Excelsior Life: What does the future hold for Donna Jones? Where do you see yourself in five years?
Jones: My future? Well, I wish I had a crystal ball. I imagine I will pursue a master's degree after I complete my bachelor's degree because I would miss the experience of learning otherwise.

Excelsior Life: Any advice for other veterans on the fence about returning for their degree?
Jones: I have a friend who is an Iraqi war veteran who was very much on the fence about completing his degree. Besides never having taken online courses before, he was concerned about being able to focus and concentrate due to PTSD and a TBI he obtained in Iraq. He enrolled in Excelsior College and told me that it was actually a great experience for him and it helped him with the injuries he had received because it made him focus on what he was learning. By the way, he graduated last month. My advice to other veterans is to pick one course that is something you are interested in and give it a try - like me, you might get addicted!

The Challenges Working Women Face

2013-04-02T14:05:03Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff --

Just like men, working women balance careers, personal life, and raising a family. However, today’s working women also face the challenges of equal pay, work life balance (now called integration), and organizational advancement.

Did you know about half of all workers on U.S. payrolls are women? It may be a bigger surprise to realize women are not the only ones impacted by these challenges. The changing nature of our families impacts men and children too.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau women working full time only make 77 cents for every dollar men earn. This inequality, according to the National Women's Law Center, translates into $10,622 less per median-income woman every year.

Many years ago, the role of women was to raise a family. In recent decades, women have been pursuing careers without pay equity. It is a juggling act. Reports show two-thirds of the responsibility for household labor and caretaking is by women all over the world.

Approximately 67 percent of Excelsior College staff is composed of women so recently Excelsior College’s President’s Committee on Inclusion (PCI) hosted a panel discussion, to answer questions about the working challenges women face and address the subject of pay equity.

The panelists included Omoye Cooper, director of the division of equal employment opportunity and NYS Equal Opportunity Officer for the NYS Department of Labor, G. Bernett Marion, Sr., director of equal opportunity and diversity development for the NYS Office of Children and Family Services and Libby McGinn, MS, LMHC, clinical supervisor from Human Resources Associates. They each helped answer some tough questions.

Excelsior Life: What is the impact of pay inequity?
Even with advanced degrees, women are at a disadvantage. The good news is women are outpacing men in getting degrees and tend to live longer. Workplaces should examine policies and practices. Employees need to speak up when there are inequities, even if the first person doesn’t benefit, the last person usually does.

Recommendation: Tap into your inner strength. Don’t listen to stereotypes of being too pushy. Women need to be competitive, work hard, confident and assertive. Risk taking is part of advancement and failing is part of advancement.

Pay inequity starts with salary negotiations. Salary impacts the whole family and opportunities when you can’t afford things.

When it comes to inequity, do your homework. Find out what previous employees were paid. Come to job negotiations armed with facts.

Excelsior Life: What are some tips on work life balance/Integration?
Half of the US workforce is made up of women. This places a burden on women and their partners. Depending on the culture of where you work, it can be damaging to feel like you can’t “unplug”. Tip for bosses: A supportive supervising style makes staff want to work hard. Tip for employees: Management should understand there is life outside of work and people need to take care of things. Pay attention to company policies on flex time, childcare, and eldercare.

Excelsior Life: What are some suggestions for women on organizational advancement?
Go outside your inner circle. Talk to other people in company regardless of their role and their title. Everyone can teach you something. Find a good mentor who has the desire to help you succeed.

Keep in mind “PIE”…. performance, image, and exposure impact career mobility. Pay attention to chain of command and culture of workplace. Don’t worry about everyone liking you. It is more important to get along and respect people in the workplace. Women should be proactive in establishing relationships and find mentors.

For These Students, Courses Are For Skills Not Credit

2013-04-08T15:28:11Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff—

A study by CareerBuilder in 2012, found 38 percent of employers “have positions for which they can’t find quality candidates.” There are differing opinions on how to close this “skills gap” but some in higher education are attempting to combat the problem directly.

At Excelsior College, that means expanding its offerings through its Center for Professional Development. Part of Excelsior’s Extended Education Division, the center has long offered non-credit, online Career Training Programs, designed to provide the skills necessary for career advancement or to enter a new field. Led by qualified instructors, the programs take between six to 12 months to complete and encompass a variety of high-demand fields such as Business, Education, Health Care, Sustainable and Green Energy, and even Investigative Science, among others.

For example, Excelsior’s Web Design course aims to prepare students with the fundamental technical and aesthetic skills required of an entry-level professional in the field while its Chartered Tax Professional 12-month course prepares students to perform individual tax returns and pass the IRS Competency Exam.

Want to become a Project Management Professional certified by the Project Management Institute? How about a Pharmacy Technician, Graphic Designer, Personal Fitness Trainer or Certified National Pharmaceutical Representative? The Center for Professional Development has training programs might be the place to start. Each of those is among the 15 top enrolled programs at Excelsior.

“Many people are looking to advance in their careers, but don’t have time to go back for their degree,” said Peter Del Monico, assistant director of the Center for Professional Development at Excelsior. “Achieving certification within their field is their best option for differentiating themselves from the competition. Our Center for Professional Development programs are the most cost-effective option.”

That was certainly true for Arlene Sperandeo, a veteran and stay-at-home mother who recently accepted a job offer with a leading international hotel.

“Life seemed to happen all at once; I lost my job as a Defense Contractor just weeks prior to closing on my new house, followed days after by the birth of my fourth child,” said Sperandeo, who began exploring her educational options after learning she had been granted a 10-month extension of her G.I. Bill benefits.

Having earned her bachelor’s from Excelsior College ten years prior, Sperandeo began her search there, discovering she could build marketable skills within her limited budget. She mapped out six courses over the 10 month covering several areas of interest, including IT, Graphic Design, Search Engine Marketing and Project Management.

“Even though I have worked in the IT field for many years, I was never too savvy on the network side of things. I learned invaluable networking skills that I was immediately able to implement into my own home network,” Sperandeo explained. “From the knowledge gained from these courses, I was able to successfully pass the CompTIA Network+ and Security+ certification exams.”

Not everyone is looking for a new career or even career advancement though, says Del Monico. Others are simply looking to improve their job performance.

“Often enough, our students are working at a non-profit, where they need to learn to do more with less,” said Del Monico. “They are trying to learn new skills they can take back and apply at their everyday job such as Grant Writing or Nonprofit Management.”

That was the case for Kathryn Saintcross, an academic advisor at Excelsior, who is currently pursuing the “Certified Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialist” three-course program at the center to boost her communication, mediation and leadership skills.

For those students who use Center for Professional Development programs as preparation for certification examinations, the benefits can extend to college credit. That’s because Excelsior has reviewed certain certification examinations for credit, such as Certified Pharmacy Technician, or accepts for transfer certification exams that have been recommended by the American Council on Education for college credit.

Recently, the center announced a brand new initiative, Short Courses.

“Many working individuals are looking to expand their skills, but simple can’t commit to a complete course or program for whatever reason,” said Del Monico. “The ‘Short Course’ are designed as a crash course – or even a primer – for our full courses.”

Short Courses cost less than $100 and according to Del Monico can be completed in around 24 hours of class time online with one caveat – unlike most full-courses, the shorter courses are not covered by VA education benefits.

“With the job market tightening up, more people will be searching for ways to stand out from the competition. We expect demand for these type courses only grow,” concluded Del Monico.

Critical Thinking in Academics and the Professions

2013-04-01T12:52:04Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff—

Critical Thinking is an essential part of a higher education.

On March 26, Excelsior College concluded a three part webinar series aimed at providing an introduction to the value of critical thinking in academics and the professions. The lessons were conducted by Daniel Rothbart, professor of conflict analysis and resolution at George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

Rothbart focused particular attention on the ways in which the critical thinker reflects upon and possibly challenges long-standing assumptions about, for example, what is known about the social world and forms of action should be taken to achieve desirable results. Such challenges pave the way for alternative modes of thinking about familiar topics.

Critical Thinking: An Overview
In this introductory session, Rothbart explored the kinds of skills that define critical thinking. These include analyzing information, evaluating conventional beliefs, revealing hidden assumptions, finding new connections in distinct bodies of knowledge, judging the soundness of arguments, and exploring the value commitments driving certain beliefs about practices. Examples were given from a wide range of current controversies in the public sphere.

View "Critical Thinking: An Overview"

Critical Thinking in the Academic Disciplines
This session reflects critically upon the social scientific perspective to understanding human behavior, both individual and collectivistic. The discussion addressed certain basic questions about the proper subject matter, methods, and value commitments of alternative perspective to such understanding. Examples were given from psychology, international relations, anthropology, and political science.

View "Critical Thinking in the Academic Disciplines"

Critical Thinking in the Applied Professions
This session examines certain assumptions, beliefs, and standards that define certain professional practices - law, nursing, medicine, and conflict resolution. How should the practice be defined? What is its value to the client or society? What are its limitations? What are its value-commitments? And how should the practice be evaluated?

View "Critical Thinking in the Applied Professions"

Professor Rothbart has published extensively in the areas of identity-based conflicts, ethics and conflict, conflict theory and philosophy, the causes of protracted violence, and civilians in war. After earning his Ph. D. in philosophy from Washington University, St. Louis, he was a visiting research scholar at Linacre College, Oxford, at Dartmouth College, and at University of Cambridge. In addition to his numerous publications scholarly journals and volume, he chairs the Sudan Task Groups which works towards peacebuilding in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Excelsior College Hosts 6th Annual Partners in Lifelong Learning Fundraiser to Support Students in Financial Need

2013-03-27T14:43:56Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Excelsior College will host its sixth annual Partners in Lifelong Learning event on April 11 at the New York State Museum. The award ceremony and fundraiser allows the College to draw attention to the importance of lifelong learning while funding scholarships for adult students in need of financial support to complete their degrees.

Initiated in 2008, Partners in Lifelong Learning has raised more than $340,000, benefiting nearly 300 students from the New York Capital Region and its surrounding areas.

“The success Excelsior has achieved over the past forty years has been enriched through the help of partners here in the Capital Region,” said Cathy Kushner, vice president of Institutional Advancement at Excelsior College. “Our Partners in Lifelong Learning event was established to honor those who have dedicated so much to the educational wellbeing of our adult learners and continue to raise the necessary funds to make a college education affordable to future students.”

This year's Partners in Lifelong Learning event recognizes KeyBank and Karen R. Hitchcock, PhD.

For more than 185 years, KeyBank has been a valued and integral member of the local community and a driving force in the enhancement of the quality of life in the Capital Region. From providing financial services and financial education to helping small businesses launch and large businesses thrive, Key has supported this region's economic engine and nonprofit sectors.

The event’s second honoree, Dr. Hitchcock, is known as an innovator and coalition builder, and has long been committed to fostering university-business-government partnerships to advance research, enhance the quality of education, and foster economic development.

For more information contact the Excelsior College Development Office at 888-647-2388 ext.145. Tickets to attend the event are $100; $250 for Honorary Committee. To purchase tickets, visit the Partners in Lifelong Learning website (due April 2).

What: Excelsior College’s Partners in Lifelong Learning
When: April 11, 5 pm – 8 pm
Where: New York State Museum, 260 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY 12230

Excelsior College’s Business Program selected as Top 5 “Best for Vets”

2013-03-25T19:41:17Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Excelsior College today announced it has been selected as a top five “Best for Vets” business school by Military Times. Excelsior, which counts more than 10,000 active duty servicemembers and 4,000 veterans among its enrolled students, was also named an overall “Best for Vets” by Military Times in November 2012.

This is the latest of numerous recognitions for Excelsior College. This past December, Military Advanced Education selected Excelsior as a “Top Military-Friendly School” for the fifth straight year and by G.I. Jobs for the fourth time in four years in the fall of 2012.

Excelsior offers business degrees at the associate, bachelor’s and graduate-level. Its business programs focus on high-growth industries with heavy demand for educated workers, including accounting, finance, global business, operations management and information systems among others.

Excelsior’s online MBA offers specialization in a number of in-demand areas, including cybersecurity, health care management, human performance technology, human resources management, information security, social media management, leadership and technology management.

For more than forty years, Excelsior’s credit transfer acceptance policy, including credit by examination, and recognized military training, has accelerated the degree pathway for more than 40,000 active duty and veteran personnel who have earned a degree from Excelsior. This and the personal service the institution provides to military students are two of the many reasons the school is consistently recognized for excellence by the military community.

For example, in response to the suspension of Military Tuition Assistance (TA) due to the Federal Sequester, Excelsior announced a range of steps it has taken to support current and future active duty students, including a “We’ve Got Your Back Scholarship.”

Excelsior College's other education credentials include:

• Excelsior's course, "Success Strategies for Military and Veterans" earned the 2010-2011 Innovation Award from the Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS). The course provides college and career orientation to veterans and military members and teaches transition strategies for those entering the civilian workforce after a military career.
• Excelsior is a recipient of the Council of College and Military Educators' (CCME) Institutional Award.
• Excelsior's military academic advising team includes veterans who are uniquely attuned to the unique needs of military students, veterans and their spouses.
• CME Executive Director Susan Dewan is the recipient of the 2011 William E. Kennedy Award from the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), which recognizes leadership in providing higher education programs to personnel at U.S. military installations.
• Excelsior President Ebersole is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who served in Vietnam and received the Secretary of the Army Public Service Award in 2010 for his leadership in contributing to the Army's educational mission.

Passionate Pursuits: Craig Maslowsky “Building Provides a Meditative Outlet with Hands-on Learning Through Generations”

2013-04-04T14:18:35Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff --

The purpose of Excelsior Life’s Passionate Pursuits is to help shine a light on faculty and staff successfully balancing work, home and family – just like our students.

Learning can occur anywhere. Hands-on learning can be passed down from one generation to the next. Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing at Excelsior College, Craig Maslowsky feels education is important in your career and personal life. Growing up, he spent time with his father using tools in his workshop. Years later, Maslowsky learned the do-it-yourself skills he inherited from his dad had the ability to turn into a furniture building hobby with creative and meditative benefits.

Excelsior Life: Are building skills a family trait?
Maslowsky: My grandfather loved to build and had all sorts of woodworking tools from the 40’s, some of which I still have in my workshop today. My father was always working on projects around the house as well. I think seeing the satisfaction that goes along with building something for the family to enjoy was carried through the generations.

Excelsior Life: I understand you have built a variety of wood furniture items. How did you get started in building?
Maslowsky: It all started with building a vegetable planter for my wife (pictured above). I loved the fact that I could make it exactly the way I envisioned it (well almost). I added wheels, a special compartment for gardening tools, and stained it. As I tried new projects after that, I always included a new feature or technique to keep each piece unique and interesting. I especially enjoyed the satisfaction of giving the furniture to the person I made it for. I always use my own designs and think about the person I am making it for as I build it. It has really become a creative outlet and meditative process for me.

Excelsior Life: What is the most unique item you have built?
Maslowsky: An Ash coffee table. The plan evolved as I built it and I ended up using two stains to create a contrast that I think worked well.

Excelsior Life: Do you have a favorite piece of furniture you built?
Maslowsky: Besides the Ash coffee table, last year I built an Adirondack rocking chair for the son of one of my closest friends. He was born prematurely and it was a difficult time for the family. I was able to express my love and support for him and the family through building of the chair. I personalized it by carving his initials into the wood. A project like that one takes dozens of hours and gives you time to process the situation and the emotions surrounding it. It gives a special meaning to the end product that cannot be duplicated.

Excelsior Life: If someone was looking to pursue this hobby, what would you recommend to get started?
Maslowsky: Get a table saw and a drill. As far as wood, I started with pine because it is a soft wood and less expensive than hard woods. If you mess up, you can always start over and it won’t break the bank. Start with easy designs and keep your expectations realistic. There are a ton of resources on YouTube if you want to learn the basics or build upon your skills.
Most important for me is accepting that the plans change as they go. The outcome isn’t always what you expected it to be, but that is what makes each piece unique. Just have fun and watch those fingers!

Excelsior Hosts Nurse Educator Conference to Advance Future Generations of Nurses

2013-03-27T20:00:05Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff –-

On Saturday, March 23, the first conference of New York League for Nursing (NYLN) was held at Excelsior College for more than 90 nurse educators from across the state.

Nationally recognized Patricia Garafolo, MS, RN, assistant director of simulation learning at the NYU College of Nursing, served as the keynote speaker.

The conference was significant to helping advance the future generations of nurses and continuing to build a strong nursing work force. Simulations using computerized mannequins and on screen 3D interactive learning are a must to enhance nursing knowledge and clinical skills in a safe learning environment.

As of August, 2012, there were 3,415 certified nursing educators in the continental United States. Over the past year alone, 76,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing schools due to lack of faculty.

With nearly half (42.8 percent) of nurse faculty projected to retire within the next decade and nearly three-quarters (69.7 percent) within 15 years, replacing them is a top priority.

“Through competency-based learning and using technology to bring the classroom to the students, many more bright and enthusiastic nursing school applicants will have the opportunity for education and training that was once thought to be lost,” said Nancy Smulsky, Excelsior College’s faculty program director, graduate nursing program. “It is up to us to provide this opportunity in a cost-effective manner without sacrificing a quality education.”

Excelsior College’s School of Nursing, the largest educator of nurses in the nation and a three-time designee as a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence in Nursing Education, is working to do just that. The school has also been named as a Best School for Men in Nursing by the American Assembly for Men in Nursing. Excelsior uses simulations in its nursing program.

Student Loans Impact Higher Ed

2013-03-21T15:58:43Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff--

National news reports indicate student debt is now a trillion dollars. On average, school loan default rates are increasing, while educational costs continue to rise. Debts impact students. Conversely, student loans impact higher education.

Media focus is often placed on student debt, but a student's ability to repay their student loan does have consequences to an institution and default rates are monitored by the Department of Education (DOE).

On a national level, more students are borrowing more money than ever before to receive a degree,” said Christina Roarke, Excelsior College’s assistant director of financial aid. “Couple that with higher unemployment and other economic hardships and you get a record number of students having greater difficulty repaying their loans.”

The DOE uses the CDR (Cohort Default Rate) in one respect, as a measure of a schools capability and quality. At Excelsior College, 2011- 2 year draft Cohort Default Rate stands at 4.0 percent, well below the national average of approximately 13 percent. For institutions that have a consistently high CDR, there are ramifications.

A college can…

• Lose access to private loan funds.

• Be subject to sanctions if the schools 2yr default rate exceeds the federal cap of 15% or 3yr default rate exceeds the federal cap of 25%.

• Lose eligibility to provide federal financial aid to their students.

A higher cohort default rate for schools creates a domino effect for students and schools, and even impacts the economic health of our country.

“A school’s cohort default rate has far-reaching consequences, and the implications of a “bad” or high default rate can be devastating. Between the current economic environment and the changing federal student aid landscape, the government is looking more closely at the quality of a school’s education, the degrees a school offers, and whether or not they lead to gainful employment,” Roarke explains. “The government wants to be assured that higher education institutions are providing quality education in relevant areas of study, working hard to keep students on track to graduation, and making sure students understand their rights and responsibilities if they are borrowing to pay for this education.”

With this in mind, the DOE along with higher education institutions are working to create awareness of student loan repayment options. Helping students access the tools and resources to avoid the negative consequences of defaulting on student loans is a priority. For example, there is a plan referred to as Income-Based Repayment. It caps monthly student loan payments at 15 percent of their discretionary income.

“The DOE wants us to live up to our mission as an institution of higher education,” said Roarke. “They are beginning to create new and revised measures of program quality and effectiveness.” The result is tougher regulations and harsh consequences for a failure to serve students well.

It is important for an institution to provide students with all the tools they need to be successful in understanding the financial aid process, student loans, and options for repayment. “At Excelsior College we support student success throughout the entire educational process, this not only translates into a low CDR but more importantly, qualified students graduating with affordable, quality degrees,” said Roarke.

Readers note: This is Part 2 of a feature story on student debt. To read Part 1, Excelsior College Students’ Median Debt is Substantially Less Than The National Average, click here.

Excelsior Announces “We’ve Got Your Back Scholarship” and Additional Steps to Reduce Impact of Military Tuition Assistance (TA) Suspension

2013-03-19T18:21:51Z

Albany, New York (March 19, 2013) – In response to the suspension of Military Tuition Assistance (TA) due to the Federal Sequester, Excelsior College today announced a range of steps it has taken to support current and future active duty students, including a “We’ve Got Your Back Scholarship.”

Excelsior will award a “We’ve Got Your Back Scholarship” of $75 per credit to enrolled military students to reduce out-of-pocket costs they will face under suspension of TA. The College, which counts more than 10,000 active duty military among its more than 36,000 students, will also waive the enrollment fee for active duty military now through June 30, 2013 or until TA is restored.

Excelsior is also recommending that current and future students apply for Federal Student Aid by filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and to speak with one of its military advisors to explore the VA Benefits to which a servicemember may be entitled. Excelsior is also streamlining the process by allowing military personnel to register for courses while they apply to the VA for a Certificate of Eligibility.

“We know time and out-of-pocket expenses are a huge concern to our military students,” said Susan Dewan, executive director of the Center for Military Education at Excelsior College. “Excelsior has a proud tradition of serving the military and we are committed to helping lessen the financial impact the cuts in TA will have on servicemembers. Through the waiver, scholarship and additional financial aid options we are making it possible for our military students to continue to pursue their degree.”

For more than forty years, Excelsior’s credit transfer acceptance policy, including credit by examination, and recognized military training, has accelerated the degree pathway for more than 40,000 active duty and veteran personnel who have earned a degree from Excelsior. This and the personal service it provides to military students are two of the many reasons Excelsior has consistently been ranked among the top military-friendly schools in the country by Military Advanced Education, G.I. Jobs, and Military Times.

For more information on Excelsior College’s response to the Military Tuition Assistance suspension due to Sequester, visit http://www.excelsior.edu/ExcelsiorLife.
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Excelsior
Excelsior College http://www.excelsior.edu is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

How to Demonstrate Your Skills to Civilian Employers

2013-03-20T14:57:23Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff—

For many veterans, the transition from the military to the civilian workforce can be difficult. One of the challenges they encounter is how to effectively translate their previous skills and credentials when crafting a resume and preparing for a job interview. Many veterans are not aware of the valuable transferable skills they have developed during their military service -- and just how marketable these skills are to employers.

On March 19, the Center for Military Education at Excelsior College explored this topic and more during its “You’re Back - What’s Next?” quarterly webinar series. “How to Demonstrate Your Value to Civilian Employers” was presented by Maribeth Gunner, career services coordinator at Excelsior, and Judy Reed, director of veterans services and outreach.

Joint Letter to Congress in Response to Suspension of Military Tuition Assistance

2013-03-14T20:40:36Z

[Editor's Note: This is a copy of a joint letter that was sent to Capitol Hill this morning in response to the suspension of Military Tuition Assistance.]

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As Presidents of some of our nation’s most innovative public and private not-for-profit colleges and universities, we write to bring to your attention the plight of thousands of college students on active military duty that have suddenly received news that their Military Tuition Assistance (MTA) benefits have been eliminated entirely. The MTA benefit has not been reduced by a percentage called for in the sequestration; instead, the program ends immediately and until further notice. We ask your assistance in helping the Department of Defense (DoD) find the necessary means to restore this vital program.

We understand that as a result of Sequestration, the DoD has had to make very difficult decisions. However, the MTA program is not only one of the finest recruiting tools available to the services, it is enormously important to enlisted personnel morale. It is also a critical element in the training necessary to carry out our nation’s most crucial missions. Collectively, our institutions have the privilege of educating a great many of the more than 325,000 active duty military students who enroll in over 800,000 classes each year, while defending our country. We have firsthand knowledge of the importance of this program to them and to their work.

Many recruits, just out of high school, enter the service with the understanding that the military will help provide them with a college education. Now, the services have eliminated that opportunity.

The best predictor of how well service members will fare in finding employment upon their return home is their level of education and professional training. The veteran unemployment rate already outpaces that of the general population. Eliminating the possibility of taking college classes or earning other academic credentials while in the military, condemns those who chose to serve their country to a rougher return to civilian life and the domestic job market. We believe that our servicemen and women deserve better.

We understand that some are trying to justify eliminating MTA by pointing out that active duty personnel can access their GI benefits as a substitute. That is not what they were promised upon entry to the military and the clock starts ticking on their limited GI benefits as soon as they are engaged. That means considerably fewer benefits will be available when service members return home. One is not a substitute for the other.

We also question the significance of the budget savings provided by eliminating the MTA. The long-term benefits of an educated military far out-weigh the short-term savings created by elimination.

We appreciate your leadership and support in working with the DoD to fix this misguided decision. We respectfully request your help in restoring the Military Tuition Assistance program to all the military services.

Sincerely,

Javier Miyares, President, University of Maryland University College
George A. Pruitt, President, Thomas Edison State College
Robert Mendenhall, President, Western Governors University
Ed Klonoski, President, Charter Oak State College
Meg Benke, Acting President, Empire State College
John Ebersole, President, Excelsior College
Jack Hawkins, Chancellor, Troy University

Excelsior Responds to Military Tuition Assistance Sequester Cuts

2013-03-08T22:01:13Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Earlier this week, the Marine Corps suspended tuition assistance (TA) for its members due to federal sequestration. On Friday, March 8, the Army announced they would follow suit, suspending TA benefits effective 5 pm eastern.

Excelsior College counts 5,613 active Army and 200 Marines among its more than 10,000 active duty enrolled military personnel. Today the accredited distance learning institution responded to the suspension of TA for active duty personnel.

In the video below, Tom Dalton, assistant vice president of Enrollment Management at Excelsior College, outlines different financing options for current and prospective students of all branches of the military.
Among the items discussed include:

• Utilizing Post 9/11 Veteran Education Benefits
• Submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Contacting Excelsior’s advisors and admissions counselors to discuss options

For more information, current and prospective students are encouraged to visit Excelsior’s dedicated page to this issue.

Black & Hispanic Women in Technology - Interview with Donna Carter

2013-03-14T20:09:49Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Dr. Jane LeClair interviews Dominion Virginia Power's Donna Carter on recent changes within the industry landscape and various technology disciplines.

Using OER to Create Pathways to an Affordable Degree

2013-03-20T13:15:02Z

Presentation by Excelsior College's Mika Hoffman, executive director of the Center for Educational Measurement, and Lorrie Graham, open education resources exam coordinator, at Open Education Week (March 2013).

Consumer Protection Week - Abraham Discusses Data Privacy Protection

2013-03-06T20:24:21Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

As the nation recognizes Consumer Protection Week, cyber experts are advocating for vigilance with year-round data privacy.

Sherly Abraham, Ph.D., cybersecurity program director at Excelsior College, has been discussing the growing international cyber threat and pushing for government and private organizations to place a stronger focus on security measures through the proper combination of technology, process and human capital.

In an interview with Excelsior Life earlier this week, Abraham outlined the following tips for consumers:
1. Purchase antivirus software and firewall protection for every desktop, laptop and tablet device that you own and ensure it is up-to-date.
2. Pay attention to opening email attachments and web links from unknown sources. No legitimate organization will ask you to give out your password or other personally identifiable information such as your SSN or credit card number through an email.
3. Never utilize online banking from a “Public” computer. If you don’t own the computer, there is no way to know whether it is protected e.g. expired anti-virus software or a hacker has installed key-logger tracking software to detect your username or password.
4. Be careful about conducting mobile banking from public hotspot as hackers could easily gain access to your banking information. Hackers are known to even create their own Wi-fi connections to steal information.
5. Create a strong, unique password for each online account that you own and make sure to change them regularly. A strong password is minimally eight characters long has both numbers and symbols and does not reference anything in your own life or use dictionary words.

This last point is especially important. Usernames and passwords are “door openers. If a hacker gains access to a password not only can they access a consumer’s private information, but they can lock them out of the account and try to gain access to other accounts if the same password is used.

“There’s a reason the cyber industry is looking beyond passwords – they are easy to break into,” says Abraham. "Passwords are dead, the mainstream just doesn’t know it yet."

The FBI cyberunit was recently visited Excelsior College to discuss the growing cyberthreat.

Education Partnership Encourages Navy Machinist Mate to Complete Degree

2013-03-14T19:44:50Z

By Judy Reed, Center for Military Education at Excelsior College--

Juventino Gaytan, Jr. of San Diego, a machinist mate, after separating from the Navy heard news about the education partnership between the Department of California Veterans of Foreign Wars and Excelsior College in January 2012. He was one of the first to contact the college about enrolling under the partnership and joined the VFW the following month.

“The best advice I can offer any Californian in the nuclear Navy who wants to finish their education is to join the VFW, enroll at EC, and finish their education. Joining the VFW allows you the opportunity to help your fellow veteran as well as providing a reduced tuition benefit with Excelsior College,” Gaytan explained.

Gaytan previously attended University of California Santa Cruz for two years and then decide to enter the U.S. Navy in 2002. While in the Navy, he continued his education taking classes working toward a nuclear power degree, and always keeping in mind his goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree.

Gaytan added, “Earning a bachelor's degree is going to allow me to continue my educational goals of pursuing a post-graduate degree and coupled with my military and current work experience will also provide a well rounded degree of experience, education and service that any employer will certainly benefit.”

Currently, Juventino Gaytan works for Life Cycle Engineering as an office manager and also as an independent tax preparer and notary finds distance learning a benefit. “Without a doubt, online and distance learning were the most convenient method for my degree progression. The 8 week format was especially beneficial when I needed to take a general education course and I felt comfortable with the material and just wanted to get the course completed quickly. The benefit of the 15-week format has been extremely helpful in my current Calculus II course because the material is being presented at a more traditional pace where I can take more time to absorb and process all that I'm learning.”

Juventino Gaytan will take his final course in the spring of 2013 in Integrated Technology Assessment and he plans to participate in the Excelsior College graduation ceremony in July of 2013 in Albany, NY. His parting words to other VFW members considering going to college, “In order to be successful at EC or any college whether it be a brick and mortar college or a virtual classroom, you have to put time and effort into your homework.”

Passionate Pursuits: Ruth Olmsted “Celebrating 25 Years of Raising Sheep”

2013-03-14T17:02:31Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff –

Ruth Olmsted, Excelsior College’s associate executive director of the center for educational measurement, has a diversified background of lifelong learning. She is an enthusiast of traditional dance and music. She is also an owner of Shepherd’s Hey Farm in Saratoga County (NY). Excelsior Life sat down with Olmsted to learn about her passion for farming and how she balances her life outside of work.

Excelsior Life: Where did your interest in farming begin?
Olmsted: As a child, I certainly was exposed to farming through visiting my mother's relatives in Ohio during the summer. I didn't really get into farming myself until my husband-to-be, purchased a portion of UAlbany's old Mohawk Campus recreation center in 1986. We began exploring what to raise there and decided on sheep. We acquired the first ones in 1988. Later that year, Larry's job took him to the Adirondacks for extended periods. I began living at the farm to provide daily care for the sheep. The rest is, as they say, history.

Excelsior Life: I understand you raise American Sheep and Toulouse Geese. How did you learn to take care of them?
Olmsted: Actually, the sheep aren't "American," they're mixed-breed (mutt) sheep combining several classic Old World breeds to get good mothering characteristics and colored wool for spinning, as well as good meat. We both attended training sessions provided by Cornell before bringing the first sheep to the farm. We continue to learn from our fellow shepherds and from the sheep themselves. In addition to the geese, we also have two rescued guard llamas and a flock of assorted chickens acquired from kindergarten teachers.

Excelsior Life: Your farm sells natural/chemical free meat, wool, yarn and preserves. What motivated you to make sure eggs and lamb have no added hormones or antibiotics, and are pasture raised?
Olmsted: I guess I'd say we're both hippies at heart, so we like to keep things natural, and our friends and customers appreciate that. We haven't gone to the extra effort and expense of being certified organic, but the grain our sheep eat is human grade -- primarily spent grain from the Albany Pump Station and Druthers microbreweries, and we use portable electric fence to allow them to graze on pasture and brush.

Excelsior Life: Where did the name Shepherd’s Hey Farm come from?
Olmsted: Larry and I met through the Pokingbrook Morris Team (English dance performing group). Shepherd's Hey is the name of one of the dances, and we thought it would be a clever name for the farm.

Excelsior Life: What responsibilities do you have as a farmer? Do you find it difficult to balance farming with your day job?
Olmsted: Every morning before I come in to work, I spend about an hour feeding the animals. Sometimes, if it's muddy or snowy or someone has an emergency, it takes longer, so my day at work starts later than most and extends into the evening to make up for any late arrival.

The responsibilities of a farmer include making several trips a week to the breweries with our truck to pick up the grain. Then there are the “Olympic” events in March and April. The lambs are born, an activity that requires someone to be checking the barn for new arrivals every couple of hours, lots of moving sheep around as they go through the stages of mothering, extra feeding, and sometimes obstetrical emergencies.

Shearing takes place in the spring. It is a one-day event where Larry and I have to lure all the sheep into a tight space and move them one by one to the shearing floor, where their wool is shaved off and bagged, and then they are released back to the herd.

We also haul hay-wagons from a local farm to fill the barn with about 600 bales of hay to last us the winter. During the grazing months, moving the fences can also take significant time. In September, we host hundreds of visitors during the open house event known as Clifton Park Farm Fest. All these activities except the feeding, I share with my husband, which helps to make it possible.

Click here for more information about Shepherd’s Hey Farm.

Excelsior College Launches Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship Program

2013-03-05T14:45:41Z

Albany, New York (March 5, 2013) – Excelsior College today announced a new scholarship program for Phi Theta Kappa members transferring from a college academic partner.

Two scholarships will be awarded annually under the new program. A regional scholarship will be awarded to an enrolling student residing within New York State, and a second to a national recipient residing outside state boundaries.

Each recipient will be awarded $1,000, which may be applied to Excelsior College tuition and fees only. This scholarship is in addition to our preferential partnership pricing.

“This scholarship provides another unique opportunity to our community college transfer students,” said Lisa LaVigna, executive director for Outreach and Access at Excelsior College. “We recognize the outstanding academic achievement of Phi Theta Kappa students, and we want to acknowledge and reward them for their commitment to their education. Phi Theta Kappa is widely known and respected. By partnering with them, we are able to increase educational opportunities for students transferring from our community college partner institutions.”

Established in 1918, the mission of Phi Theta Kappa is to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students.

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Women Serving Valiantly in Combat

2013-03-04T15:35:44Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

The Pentagon’s decision to lift the ban on women serving on the frontlines will open thousands of new elite military jobs previously barred to women. While the order re-energized a heated debate in the media last month, the truth is women have been serving valiantly in ground combat for more than a decade.

Michelle Wilmot, Excelsior College graduate and Massachusetts’ 2009 Outstanding Women Veteran, knows this better than most. She enlisted in the military at 17 years old, following in the footsteps of several members of her family. She trained as a medic, earned the rank of Sergeant, learned Arabic and was deployed to the Middle East in 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As part of Team Lioness in Iraq in 2004-2005, Michelle experienced combat firsthand while attached to a company of Marines. There she conducted checkpoint operations, nighttime house raids, and performed searches on women and children for weapons and explosives.

“I wasn't baking cookies and waiting for the men, I was with them in some of the bloodiest counter-insurgency battles in the Iraq war,” said Wilmot. “The Marines I worked with were professional and we had great camaraderie.”

Michelle says she became disheartened on her return home however. That’s when she learned that most Americans and the media were unaware of the contributions women have been making for than a decade in ground combat.

“The process of coming home was far more difficult than facing direct combat in my view.”

In response, Michelle is trying to raise awareness as best she can - by telling her story. She was approached by Colonel Katherine Theresa Platoni to contribute to her upcoming book (co-authored with Dr. Raymond Monsour Scurfield) “War Trauma and Its Wake: Expanding the Circle of Healing (August 2012).”

Platoni, a colleague of Wilmot’s in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, asked the veteran to speak out candidly on issues surrounding women veterans, including bigotry and veteran services. Wilmot’s contribution eventually became the chapter “Women Warriors: From Making Milestones in the Military to Community Reintegration.”

Wilmot continues to give back to her fellow veterans. She was also a Retention non-commissioned officer(NCO) in the U.S. Army, which aided her transition to the nonprofit sector upon her return. She now works in career services for an IT college in Las Vegas, Nevada, helping transitioning military personnel with their resumes and securing employment.

And her advice for a young women aspiring for a career on the frontlines?

“You're braver, stronger, and smarter than you know.”

How do Colleges Develop Critical Thinkers?

2013-03-01T21:56:23Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Studies show course discussions and increased student engagement can impact a student’s learning experience, regardless of a traditional classroom or online setting. This is why institutions like Excelsior College place increased focus on critical thinking and both active and reflective learning to boost student success and retention.

With increasing number of companies today seeking employees equipped with both problem-solving and critical thinking skill sets, it is more important now than ever that colleges develop graduates to meet this demand.

But how are colleges developing graduates with critical thinking skills? And while we know that knowledge is lost when critical thinking skills aren’t applied, what exactly is critical thinking?

The dictionary defines critical thinking as “disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.” At its core, an individual who questions statements and facts, to disclose or expose what we often take for granted, as erroneous or false; a superb questioner.

“In life, critical thinking should never cease,” said David Seelow, PhD, director of writing programs and online writing lab at Excelsior. “It is an ongoing thought process that promotes questioning, investigation, and analysis.”

With that in mind, it is not surprising the law is a common career path for the critical thinker. A trial lawyer questions every statement and every piece of evidence put before them.

But what about other career pathways? Excelsior Life recently sat down with Dr. Seelow to learn why critical thinking is important for college students and their future employers. Seelow has developed Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum, a critical thinking webinar series for Excelsior College that concludes on March 26. The webinar is being led by Dr. Daniel Rothbart of George Mason University.

Excelsior Life: Why should college students be concerned about critical thinking?
Seelow: In college, students should be concerned about critical thinking because it is how they become informed citizens. If things are just accepted as they are, change will never occur. Democracy depends on critical thinkers. Productive civic engagement requires it too. In Excelsior’s School of Liberal Arts, critical thinking is an outcome required of our capstone courses because we feel every student should graduate as a critical thinker.

Excelsior Life: What tools should colleges use for increasing critical thinking skills?
Seelow: To increase critical thinking skills, colleges use assessment tools. Professor Peter Faccione has identified six tools for critical thinkers: analysis, inference, explanation, interpretation, evaluation, and self-regulation. Educators recommend at least some of these skills should be stressed in all college courses.

For example, reading a poem closely requires analysis, interpretation, explanation, and judgment. In a science course, students should read and understand arguments based upon evidence. Students should be able to evaluate data including statistical studies, and understand the inferences developed from this data. Reasoning skills help students construct arguments based upon empirical evidence.

Explanation comes with interpretation. Evaluation is an assessment of research. Self-regulation comes from monitoring your own thinking.

Excelsior Life: What about case studies? Should they be incorporated into the curriculum? Seelow: To enhance critical thinking, it is recommended for colleges to incorporate case studies into curriculum. The case study provides a multidimensional approach to understanding. Harvard Business School has based its curriculum on the case study method since its founding.

Excelsior Life: How do traditional and online class discussions, impact grades and critical thinking?

Seelow: Class discussion impacts critical thinking regardless of the setting. In a traditional classroom, discussions show student comprehension of presented material.

Online courses have an advantage with critical thinking. In an online class discussion, students have more time to reflect on responses and practice critical thinking, even though it may lack the spontaneity of the traditional classroom. Another benefit is in the online class every student participates, not just the eager few of a traditional class. Finally, the online student has plenty of time to ponder his or her classmates responses to a question.

Excelsior Life: Why is critical thinking so important to employers?
Seelow: Two of the most essential skills necessary for success in a business are decision making and problem solving. Critical thinking is the fountain head of informed decisions and the ability to systematically solve problems. When business leaders are asked skills most desired among new graduates, the answers are most commonly good communication skills (written and oral) and critical thinking.

Passionate Pursuits: Mark Oppenneer, Ethnos Project

2013-03-11T18:16:32Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff—

Mark Oppenneer is not your average web content systems administrator. Through the Ethnos Project, a research portal and resource database he founded in 2008 that explores the cultural impacts of information and communication technologies when used by Indigenous peoples, Oppenneer is working to affect social change, sustain and stimulated rapidly disappearing traditions and improve the quality of life for indigenous peoples on their own terms.

Oppenneer sat down with Excelsior Life to discuss the initiative, reaction from the Indigenous communities, and what the future holds.

For additional information on the Ethnos Project:
EthnosProject.org Homepage
Ethnos Project Resources Database
Find Ethnos Project on Twitter
Ethnos Project on Facebook

Excelsior College Poll: Research Shows Higher Education Top Priority For Servicemembers

2013-02-28T14:13:12Z

ALBANY, N.Y. (February 27, 2013) — The Patriot Poll, an online survey conducted by the Excelsior College Polling Institute, reveals strong interest among active duty military personnel in pursuing higher education during their transition to civilian life, as well as a desire for flexible options and online learning solutions to complete their degrees.

Results of the Patriot Poll research findings were presented by Excelsior College at the Council of College and Military Educators Annual Symposium, in San Diego, Calif., on February 27, 2013.

The 678 respondents nationwide were loud and clear about the importance of a college degree to success in a post-military career. Nearly nine in ten (88.4 percent) believe that earning a degree was very or somewhat important to their future success. In addition, 43.4 percent believe that salary levels are higher for persons with a college degree.

The majority of participants (75.4 percent) were aware that military job training can be accepted as college credit, an important consideration in planning a degree path as a civilian. More than half of the respondents intend to work while they attend college after military life. Equal amounts, 28.7 percent, stated that they plan to study either full- or part-time while working either full-or part-time. Only 16.6 percent had plans to attend school full-time and not work while doing so.

An “online four-year school” was of most interest to one-fifth of all Patriot Poll respondents (19.4 percent). About one-third preferred a four-year public school (33.7 percent), a community college (20.8 percent), or a four-year private school (13.4 percent).

Regardless of the preferred institution, however, 81 percent expressed interest in online programs that allow students to study at their own pace and take exams when they are ready.

Regarding the use of text books, 37 percent of respondents said they preferred “E-Books” sent electronically to their own devices or computers versus printed & bound text books. Only 17 percent had no preference, 28.5 percent preferred traditional text books and 12.5 percent said they would opt for whichever is less expensive.

In terms of choosing a college, 59.4 percent cited financial considerations the most important criteria. Financial aid was ranked second, at 48.8 percent. However, only half (49.4 percent) indicated they were aware of Veterans education benefits and planned to use them. A full one-fifth (20.6 percent) of respondents said they were either unsure of or did not know how to use these benefits.

Three-quarters of those surveyed indicated support from relatives or their spouse in degree planning and school decision making was “very” (33.7 percent) or “somewhat” (39.9 percent) important.

The Patriot Poll reported the most popular fields of study among service members include business/management (19.4 percent), medicine/healthcare (18.3 percent), criminal justice/law/security (15.2 percent), computer science/IT (13.4 percent), science (7.8 percent) and engineering (5.7 percent).

About the Patriot Poll
The Patriot Poll was conducted by Excelsior College which focuses on military issues and higher education. For full results, including crosstabs: http://bit.ly/PatriotPoll

Research Methodology
The Patriot Poll surveyed 678 active duty servicemen and women. Participants have either earned a degree and plan another; are enrolled in a college degree program; or are interested in a degree but have not yet enrolled. The poll was conducted November 18-22, 2012. Participants completed an online survey. The poll has a +/- four percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.

About Excelsior College
Excelsior College is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Approximately 31 percent of Excelsior’s students are active-duty or reserve military personnel. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

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Class of 2013 College Grad Forecast Trends Engender Optimism

2013-02-25T17:18:08Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff—

College students often find landing a job after graduation just as difficult as working towards a degree. However, there is reason for optimism for the Class of 2013. According to a study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) (Job Outlook 2013), surveyed employers expect to hire 13 percent more new college this year than they did in 2012.

Reports also indicate the lowest unemployment rates for 2012 came from career fields that require a college education, such as health care, finance, social services, and engineering. Among the top 10 bachelor’s degrees for the class of 2013 include finance, computer information, accounting, engineering, management information systems, and marketing.

Of the popular college degrees, business administration was listed among CareerBuilder's 2012 most in-demand. This holds true for Excelsior College students with over 85 percent of students pursuing an associate’s degree in business at Excelsior enrolled in the administrative/management studies degree program. More than1,500 students are enrolled in Excelsior College’s baccalaureate business degree program, with 508 of those students in the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Business & Management degree. Excelsior College's Master of Business Administration (MBA) is 585 students strong.

Excelsior College also finds within degrees, there is also popularity among certain concentrations.

“Based on our current data and industry trends, the MBA with concentrations in technology management, leadership, and human resource management are very popular," said Andrew Wheeler, assistant dean of the School of Business and Technology at Excelsior. “We have seen enrollments in these concentrations grow rapidly. The MBA Leadership concentration grew by 70 percent from January 2012 to January 2013. The MBA technology management concentration grew by almost 40 percent in the same time period, and the MBA human resource management concentration grew by 92 percent since February 2012.”

Of course, many enrolling and current students want to know what a college degree equates to in terms of an expected future salary.

However, students must keep in mind the hiring needs in a particular field when reviewing potential salaries, says Maribeth Gunner, career services coordinator at Excelsior. Business administration majors earn from $42,800 to $65,700 with a median salary of $55,200 with a baccalaureate degree. Associate degree graduates generally will not have the same earning power of the baccalaureate degrees. As a rule of thumb, starting salaries for MBA graduates begin on average where the baccalaureate graduates topped off: $69,200.

Computer, electrical, mechanical, civil, chemical and aerospace engineering majors dominate the list of college degrees paying the highest salaries according to the NACE’s new salary survey. Excelsior offers electrical engineering technology degrees as well as nuclear engineering technology. There are approximately 1,250 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering technology – one of only three accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET.

In addition, when looking at salaries and future hiring, industry research reveals that there is going to be a major void in nuclear leadership.

“Thirty-nine percent of the nuclear workforce will be eligible for retirement by 2016,” said Dr. Jane LeClair, dean of Excelsior College’s School of Business and Technology. “The looming workforce shortage has many nuclear and energy industry employees scrambling for a degree so they begin to fill all levels of plant staffing - especially leadership.”

While these indicators are certainly cause for optimism among the 1,000 expected School of Business and Technology graduates this fiscal year, they will only make up twenty percent of Excelsior’s expected 5,000 strong Class of 2013. However, the growth of the health care industry, increased demand for graduates with advanced critical thinking skills, and an improving economy indicates the four thousand graduating students from Excelsior’s other three schools, Nursing, Health Sciences, and Liberal Arts, can also look towards a bright future.

Katherine Wehr: “I was a much better student as an adult”

2013-02-25T14:40:06Z

By Excelsior Life News Staff—

Katherine Wehr entered her early professional life confident of earning a decent living without a college degree – and she did. She worked first in catering sales and then as an administrator for a high-tech company. But with passing time, her desire for higher education and a career with senior citizens began to take hold. With her husband cheering her on and her young children settled in elementary school, she enrolled in Howard Community College, a short drive from her home.

As she progressed toward an associate degree she realized that, in order to complete a bachelor’s degree at a traditional college she’d have to drive two hours round-trip to Baltimore each day. Her schedule would be entirely incompatible with her children’s school routines and other activities.

“I just loved going to school, and really wanted to finish my bachelor’s degree,” said Wehr. “Then my advisor at HCC asked me what I wanted to do, and I said ‘gerontology.’ She suggested I consider Excelsior.” She completed her prerequisites at HCC, and those credits easily transferred to Excelsior through an articulation agreement between the two colleges.

In 2009, Katherine enrolled in Excelsior’s to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Health Science, with an emphasis in Gerontology. She was met with unusual flexibility in Excelsior’s online classes, which ranged from Death, Dying and Bereavement to Social Policy and Aging; Health Care Issues in a Culturally Diverse Population and Health Care Informatics. And in her classes she met working adults just like herself.

Her Excelsior schedule required strong discipline, but she was able to stay active with her children’s daily activities and eventually took a flexible job with an elder services organization. Networking at a conference in 2011, she met a professional woman who said, “When you get your degree, call me.”

Katherine completed her Excelsior coursework with honors in October 2011, called her conference acquaintance and soon landed an administrative, outreach and case management position for Being There Senior Care. She is now at work in growth field – elder care -- as more Americans age and seek home-based care and other services.

Since 2001, Katherine and her two daughters have tended to their studies as a team. “It really benefitted my kids, seeing me studying each day. Now they are very good students,” she said.
For Katherine, being an older student – and graduate – are major benefits.

“I was a much better student as an adult,” she noted, reflecting back her “average” pre-college performance. “And as an older graduate, I feel that I bring a tremendous amount of life experience and compassion to my job, since I have dealt with so many issues in life.”

Alternative Pathways to a College Degree

2013-02-22T21:09:01Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff --

For adult learners, time and cost can be obstacles towards earning a degree. However, there are alternative pathways that can save time and thousands of dollars for individuals with some college background and/or demonstrated knowledge from real world experience. Three options include testing, transfer of credits, or a prior learning assessment (PLA) portfolio.

In 1976, Excelsior College began offering exams for college credit nationwide. In 2012, Excelsior College accepted 14,046 transfer students bringing with them more than 616,000 credits. At Excelsior’s current tuition rate, this savings, which Excelsior calls its Knowledge Value Index, had an economic value of $219 million.

Excelsior Life sat down with Mark Michalisin, executive director of Business Development, Center of Educational Management at Excelsior College, and Roberto Figueroa, executive director, Admissions, to discuss three popular pathways to a degree that can save time and money.

Pathway 1 - Pursuing credit by exam at Excelsior College. Excelsior College Examinations (ECEs), are proficiency exams within a variety of subjects ranging from accounting, biology, philosophy, and economics. These three- and six-credit exams enable individuals to earn college credit by demonstrating their knowledge and expected learning outcomes. Unlike the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or DANTES, students who earn credit through an ECE by achieving a “C” or higher, earn a letter grade on a college transcript.

To prepare for a proficiency exam, Michalisin suggests registering for its corresponding practice exam. Exams are designed for motivated, self-disciplined learners who study on their own time and at own pace, using a variety of study materials including Open Educational Resources (OER). Excelsior College has identified OER’s readily available on the web at no or low-cost for each of its exams. In addition, Excelsior has matched more than 30 Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to its existing exam programs, providing a pathway to credit.

Exams are administered at more than 4,500 secure, Pearson VUE testing facilities worldwide.

Pathway 2 - Most students enroll in Excelsior College with 25 to 75 percent of their college degree requirements already completed. Excelsior College conducts a thorough review of each student’s incoming transcript to determine not only the eligibility of credit for transfer (must be from an accredited institution) but which credits meet degree requirements within the student’s chosen degree program at Excelsior.

In addition, Excelsior accepts non-collegiate sources of credit, such as corporate or military training programs, that have been reviewed and recommended for credit by ACE-CREDIT or the National College Credit Recommendation Service. Excelsior also accepts credit earned through nontraditional learning programs e.g. GE’s Renewables Wind Technician Certification Program, that have been evaluated for academic and psychometric qualities by internal Excelsior teams consisting of academic faculty, subject matter experts, and psychometricians.

Pathway 3 - The evaluation and assessment of an individual's life learning for college credit, certification, or advanced standing is called prior learning assessment (PLA). Excelsior’s portfolio assessment is conducted through LearningCounts.org at the Center for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL).

PLA encompasses a variety of tools to evaluate learning acquired outside the traditional college classroom. One of these methods is portfolio assessment. When existing standardized examinations or other methods of evaluation are not available, portfolio assessment provides a means by which students may have the learning they have achieved evaluated by teams of faculty for college-level equivalency. LearningCounts.org will provide portfolio assessment services for students enrolled or interested in Excelsior College.

Research has shown that students who received PLA credit completed degrees at much higher rates than students who do not utilize PLA. Students using PLA also had higher persistence rates and a faster time to completion.

Figueroa explains, “Each of the three options are cost effective and potentially a faster way to complete a degree in a difficult economy.”

White House Scorecard Ignores Higher Ed Model with Best Chance to Boost Degree Completion

2013-02-15T20:07:00Z

By Excelsior Life News Staff—

The White House’s College Scorecard has generated substantial feedback from both higher education and student communities. Unveiled the day after President Obama’s State of the Union address, the initiative is in response to growing concerns over both access and affordability in American higher education.

Yet, while the scorecard is promising in concept, it is ill-suited to provide meaningful information on distance learning programs. Data used to produce the Scorecard comes from the Department of Education and the IPEDS (Integrated Postecondary Education Data System) reports submitted by colleges and universities across the nation. Many categories, especially the five “key points” used in the Scorecard, are based on "full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates," a definition that is geared toward campus-based schools.

More than 34 million Americans have some college but no degree, according to the Lumina Foundation. Many believe that to reach the Administration’s goal of 60 percent degree completion by 2020, America needs to find a way to help these working adults finish their degrees. Unfortunately, at institutions such as Excelsior College, an accredited nonprofit that focuses on meeting the needs of adult learners, students are neither full-time nor first-time. As a result, Excelsior is excluded from the Scorecard database, even as it represents a 21st century model for reaching the President’s goal.

Working adults must balance numerous family and work commitments and full-time studies are often not an option. Since its founding in 1971, Excelsior has enabled more than 148,000 students to utilize multiple pathways to degree completion. Students can pursue online courses, portfolio assessment or even credit by exam, which has been a hallmark of the Excelsior experience since its beginning. Its 38,000 currently enrolled students include more than one-third from historically-underrepresented minority groups. Nearly 40 percent are active-duty, reserve, or veterans.

In keeping with its founding philosophy of “what you know is more important than where or how you learned it” ®, Excelsior keeps degree costs down by accepting in transfer appropriate college-level credit students have earned from a variety of sources including other colleges and universities, evaluated programs offered by industry, the professions and the military, and college-level examination programs.

Under this model, in the 2011-12 academic year alone, Excelsior accepted 618,000 credits in transfer from 14,000 newly enrolled learners. If Excelsior had required students to take these credits over, based on that year’s tuition rate, they would have paid an additional of $219 million.

“This is an expense students, their families and benefactors – including federal and state sponsored grant and scholarship programs – did not have to pay for a second time” said Excelsior’s President Dr. John Ebersole. “Excelsior has turned these credits into ‘working assets’ for our students, removing a potentially significant barrier to degree completion.”

This multiple pathways approach is one of the reasons that the median debt for an Excelsior College student is substantially less than the national average.

While the White House’s Scorecard is a new effort toward transparency in higher education, Excelsior College has been a leader in this area for years. The Presidents’ Forum, an organization it formed back in 2004, engaged in the Transparency by Design project that resulted in a website where it and other similar colleges provided information to aid consumers in making an informed decision about pursing their degrees. Funding for this project has since run out but Excelsior carries it forward at its own website with a wealth of information not addressed by the President’s Scorecard. The College provides a net price calculator. It also serves up data on factors such as student learning outcomes and undergraduate student engagement, both of which are compared to national data.

Excelsior College Examinations (ECEs) offer proficiency examinations covering a diverse range of subjects, from nursing and business to economics, geology and history. For example, a student may register for a three-credit labor relations exam at a cost of $95 and independently study for the exam using a myriad of resources, from textbooks to Open Education Resources such as Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCS). The student can then prove their mastery of the subject through an ECE administered at any of the 4,500 secure Pearson VUE testing facilities. Credit earned will be recorded on an Excelsior College transcript which can be used toward their Excelsior degree or for transfer at hundreds of other colleges or universities.

“Truthfully, to find the model for the 21st century, we only need to look at Excelsior’s four decades of experience and success,” said Ebersole

Five Cybersecurity Programs Certified to Meet the NSA’s Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) Training Standards

2013-03-05T14:15:37Z

Five Excelsior College Cybersecurity Programs Certified

Excelsior College today announced five of the College’s programs have been certified by the National Security Agency to meet the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) Training Standards.

To become certified, Excelsior’s courses had to meet six CNSS standards:

• Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professionals (NSTISSI 4011)
• Senior Systems Managers (NSTISSI 4012)
• System Administrators (SA) (NSTISSI 4013)
• Information Systems Security Officers (NSTISSI 4014)
• Systems Certifiers (NSTISSI 4015)
• Risk Analysts (NSTISSI 4016)

“This certification invites Excelsior College into an elite fraternity of academic institutions certified by our government's highest national security agency,” said Dr. Jane LeClair, dean of Excelsior College’s School of Business and Technology. “Web attacks costs businesses $114 billion annually, and with attackers targeting both people and technologies, it is essential we develop the next generation of cybertechnicians and those who can lead them.”

According to cyber experts, there will be a 22 percent growth in demand for cybersecurity professionals through 2020. Excelsior College has developed five academic programs at the undergraduate or graduate levels in cybersecurity to meet this demand:

• Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with concentration in Cybersecurity Technology
• Undergraduate Certificate in Cybersecurity
• Master of Business Administration in Cybersecurity Management
• Master of Science in Cybersecurity
• Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Management

These five programs form a comprehensive unit through which professionals are provided with cutting edge techniques and technology that are required to secure and defend sensitive and critical information of an organization. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach in the design of these programs, the curriculum covers various subjects such as cyber attack and defense, digital analysis, computer forensics, security policies and strategies, risk analysis, ethical and legal issues, operational processes, cyber crime, and more.

On January 29, Excelsior hosted the FBI on campus in Albany, New York to discuss the growth of cyberterrorism and the need for more highly trained professionals.

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Contact
Mike Lesczinski
Public Relations Manager
mlesczinski@excelsior.edu
(518) 608-8450

Filmmaker and Thrillseeker: The Sorrow's Vernon Mortensen

2013-02-14T14:58:20Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Businessman, filmmaker and thrillseeker, Vernon Mortensen spent his entire life circling the globe, visiting more than 83 countries in search of adventure and fortune. Today he is following his dream of making movies after pursuing his education and a diversified career path. His life experiences are so varied, that they sound like roles in a movie. Mortensen has been an engineer, sailor, private investigator, US special operations commando, EMT, bodyguard, librarian, teacher and entrepreneur. Excelsior Life sat down with Mortensen, a graduate of Excelsior College, to learn about his current work, directing the western film, "The Sorrow."

Excelsior Life: Where did your passion for film making begin?
Mortensen: When I was a kid, my dad's cousin worked as a Teamster for Universal Pictures and for two weeks he took me to work with him on the set of Back to the Future. I had full run of the set and watched everything that happened. That's where I fell in love with making movies.

Excelsior Life: What inspired you to get into this business?
Mortensen: In Film School I made a short film called "Brothers" that was accepted into a film festival. One of the judges at the festival was Kirk Harris, founder of Rogue Arts, a company at which I am now a partner. I was blown away by Kirk's "can do" attitude and the way he was building his company up from nothing to be a real player in the indie movie business. We talked for a while at the festival and really hit it off. Soon I was developing scripts for Rogue Arts and eventually became a full partner.

Rogue Arts is one of only three US independent-production companies to successfully co-produce a feature film in Mexico using the Mexican Film Fund. The resulting movie, "The Kid: Chamaco" starring Martin Sheen, is a shining example of cross-border collaboration in the film industry.

Excelsior Life: Your background includes the US Navy. How did your career path and education impact your role as a filmmaker?
Mortensen: My background in the Navy is in Special Operations (I was a Navy SWCC Commando) so I fit right into the indie film world. Making a movie, and especially an indie movie, is like a special operations team going to war. There's the planning and logistics phase (pre-production for movies) followed by the execution phase (production), and finally, the after action (post-production). Indie film crews are smaller than their studio counterparts and members often wear more than one hat... It's just like a Special Boat Detachment or a SEAL Platoon. In fact, one of my fellow producers on "The Sorrow" is Neil Trusso, one of my closest friends and a Navy SEAL that deployed with me in 1994 to Somalia. For Neil and I, making movies is a lot like being back in the Teams.

My education was key to my survival in the movie business. I would watch my friends, who had no college education, wait tables to make ends meet when movie work was scarce. I used my education to teach part-time instead. Teaching has better hours and better pay, and I found out that I really enjoy it. I'm now a teacher in an MBA film program; not because I have to, but because I really enjoy it.

Excelsior Life: Where did you go to college and what did you study?
Mortensen: In addition to receiving my BS from Excelsior College, I have an MBA from Alliant International University (formerly USIU). I also have a Master of Professional Writing (screenwriting) from USC, where I studied under script guru Syd Field and was an Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Fellow. I earned a BFA in Film from the world-renowned Art Center College of Design.

Excelsior Life: For someone interested in pursuing a career in writing, producing or directing, what skills are important?
Mortensen: Perseverance. The movie business takes years, sometimes decades to break into. Very few people have instant success and most never make it.

Excelsior Life: Do you have a highlight of your career that you would like to share?
Mortensen: Having my son visit me on set. He had a blast and I think movies are in his future... just like when I visited the set of Back to the Future.

Excelsior Life: Your current movie is the western film, "The Sorrow." Can you tell us a little about it?
Mortensen: The Sorrow is about a father and son gold mining expedition during the 1800s. The 15 year old boy, Casper, witnesses a terrible accident that cripples his father and suddenly he's all alone in the wilderness with bandits and Indians on the prowl. Casper is forced to grow up quickly which propels him to a surprising climax. It stars Kirk Harris (The Kid: Chamaco), Ryan Ballance, John Savage (The Deer Hunter) and the legendary Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill 1 & 2).

[Anticipated release date: Spring, 2013.]

Excelsior Life: Outside of filmmaking, where do you spend time?
Mortensen: I teach in the MBA program at John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego. I live on a ranch, high in the mountains east of San Diego, with my family and three giant Newfoundland dogs.

Excelsior College Students’ Median Debt is Substantially Less Than The National Average

2013-02-06T21:21:09Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff—

Finances can be a roadblock to many things in life, and education is no exception. With student debt eclipsing one trillion dollars (and one in five households holding a balance on their student loans), issues surrounding higher education affordability and access are once again front and center in the national discussion.

On the bright side, nontraditional students may have an advantage says Christina Roarke, Excelsior College’s assistant director of financial aid.

“On average, online education costs are less than traditional brick and mortar education,” says Roarke. “Online education allows students to continue working while pursuing their degree, reduce travel expenses, and cut the cost of campus living.”

Students at Excelsior College are a prime example. As a comparison, median debt at Excelsior College is $9,600 per student, well below the national average of $26,000 per student borrower. One of the main factors for Excelsior’s lower debt burden is a result of its liberal transfer policy and alternative pathways to degree completion, including credit by examination.

Reducing debt begins with college choice. Roarke suggests those looking to attend or return to school review the websites of prospective colleges and universities to identify potential scholarships, grant programs, and partnership discounts. Some employers also offer employee reimbursement or tuition discounts. Students should check whether either of these options fit their particular situation.

The next step is completing key federal and state applications for aid. Students can determine their eligibility for federal grant funding and direct student loans by filling out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Timing is critical, with student aid applications considered on a first-come, first-served basis (with some types of aid). New York residents who have lived in the state for at least, one year are encouraged to file an application for state aid through NYSTAP.

After applying for federal, state and institutional aid, students should review their loan offers carefully and only borrow what they need to cover costs less other sources of aid.

“It is important for students to review their expected (estimated) student loan needs for the entire duration of their education so they can estimate how much they will be paying back when they graduate,” Roarke says. “The Department of Education has some great resources for students to help them plan long term. Students can go to www.studentaid.ed.gov for answers to questions that range from: How do I prepare for college? To: How do I manage my loans?”

Doing your homework on financing is fundamental to the college search process. Many financial literacy tools are available to assist students with borrowing responsibly. For example, Excelsior College offers extensive resources on financial aid options, responsible borrowing, and financing education.

Another popular tool when conducting financial comparisons is the Net Price Calculator.

Created by the College Board, the calculator helps students determine the full cost to attend a specific college, less any grants and scholarships for which students may be eligible. "Full cost" includes direct charges (tuition and fees, room and board) and indirect costs (books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses).

Finally, Roarke reminds students that the Financial Aid Office should always be viewed as a resource and never a roadblock.

“We are here to help students through the entire process,” says Roarke. “We are acutely aware of how financial aid impacts students ability to persist and graduate. Because of that, we work hard to ensure that students understand their options as well the process and provide them with as much information as possible so that they can make informed decisions about their education.”

Finding Solutions to Complex Problems - The Story of Kate Elder, '12

2013-02-04T17:45:50Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

The moment Kate Elder received her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree this past July, it marked the culmination of an improbable journey for the Cobleskill, New York teacher. She is, after all, a civil engineer by trade – someone who looked towards Silicon Valley after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The birth of a child however often leads one to reassess priorities, and after less than ideal restructuring at her company, Kate decided to change directions and embark down a path that provided more opportunity to spend time with her growing family. She took a teaching certification course and landed a job and quickly discovered the joy of working with children. She landed assignments in San Francisco and Oregon before heading back to New York.

Since New York State requires a Master’s to teach, she searched for programs flexible enough to work around her home and work schedule. She took classes at Boston University and then Patten University She even applied for a program at SUNY Albany, but by the time the application process had culminated, the program no longer met New York’s stringent professional certification requirements.

She eventually discovered Excelsior, and enrolled after learning 15 of her graduate credits would transfer.

She took her first class in 2007 – and was quite surprised at its rigor. Unlike traditional classes, class discussion never truly ended – there was always an opportunity to engage her fellow classmates or the instructor. She would put her children to bed and spend the night writing a paper. She would spend vacations on the beach with her laptop. Her husband was there to take on child care duties when she spent a summer holed up in the basement writing her thesis.

During this time she remained committed to her community with active involvement in several local causes. She is also a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of women educators from around the world, where she was recently elected vice president of her local chapter.

But does she miss engineering? “I do,” says Kate. “But I made the right decision. I get to spend time with my family and I love what I do, listening to my students and watching how their minds operate as they attempt to work their way through puzzles.”

Finding solutions to complex problems? Now that’s something Kate can relate too.

On the Academic Trail: "Consideration for Online Assessment Program Design"

2013-01-31T19:48:40Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Dr. Mika Hoffman, executive director for the Center for Educational Measurement, was recently invited by Caveon to co-present "Considerations for Online Assessment Program Design." In the video below, Dr. Hoffman discusses secure test design and provides considerations for designing an assessment program.

Empowering People to Protect Their Online Privacy

2013-01-31T16:03:08Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff—

“Terrorism and counter-intelligence, the meaning of those words have dramatically changed over the past twenty years…people generally don’t think of terrorism when they think of cyber, but they should.” – Special Agent Daniel Elfin, Special Agent, FBI, January 29, 2013 while speaking at Excelsior College

Each year web attacks costs businesses $114 billion annually, with cyber-attackers targeting weaknesses in not only technologies but people and procedures. With more than two billion users expected to access the internet in 2013, the proliferation of these attacks will only continue to increase.

In 2008, the National Cyber Security Alliance launched Data Privacy Day in the United States and Canada to raise awareness of this very issue and to empower people to protect their privacy and control their digital footprint. It marked the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data collection.

Five years later, the need for Data Privacy Day has only grown in importance, especially with an anticipated shortfall of between 20,000 and 40,000 cybersecurity professionals. In fact, the 22 percent growth in demand for cybersecurity professionals through 2020 is one of the driving factors behind Excelsior’s development of cybersecurity

This was one on the reasons Excelsior College invited the FBI Cyber Unit and InfraGard, a partnership between the FBT and the private sector focused on information and intelligence sharing, onto campus Monday for a public information session. The purpose of the event was to increase awareness of the need to protect personal and corporate, public and private information that relies upon electronic (cyber) storage and dissemination.

Watch the presentations from the FBI, InfraGard and Excelsior College:

Daniel Elfin, FBI Special Agent, on the growth of cyber terrorism: Dr. Jane LeClair, Excelsior College, on the need to train more highly skilled cybersecurity professionals: James Pompilio, InfraGard, on guarding the Nation’s infrastructure:

Saratoga Hospital Partners with Excelsior College for Nursing Education and Other Degree Programs

2013-01-31T15:54:56Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Saratoga Hospital has selected Excelsior College as an education partner in order to streamline access to undergraduate and graduate degree programs for hospital staff nurses and other employees.

Excelsior College, a designated Center of Excellence in Nursing Education, offers degree programs in nursing, health sciences, liberal arts, business and technology. Employees who enroll in undergraduate programs except the Associate Degree in Nursing Program are eligible for reduced tuition and fees. Employees who enroll in the graduate programs are eligible for a 15% reduction in tuition. In addition to benefiting Saratoga Hospital employees, the education partnership’s reduced tuition and fees extend to employee spouses and domestic partners. The hospital employs over 2,000 employees at 19 regional locations.

Saratoga Hospital will host an initial information session regarding this education option in the upcoming month. Staff, spouses and domestic partners are encouraged to attend.

“We are excited about the partnership with Excelsior College and look forward to the educational opportunities for our employees.” said Ron Bentley, Senior Human Resources Generalist, Saratoga Hospital.

“We look forward to extending our education programs to Saratoga Hospital nurses and other employees,” said Mary Lee Pollard, PhD, dean of the Excelsior College School of Nursing. “Employers in the health care field have increasing expectations for employees’ educational advancement, so we are proud to support nurses and other staff members working to meet those expectations.”

Albany-based Excelsior College is an accredited, nonprofit distance education institution serving working adults. Excelsior is home to the largest nursing school in the nation.
Admission to Excelsior’s associate degree program in nursing is open to individuals with existing health care experience, such as licensed practical nurses, paramedics and certain classifications of military corpsmen seeking to become a registered nurse. The bachelor’s degree program serves registered nurses seeking the next level of academic and professional achievement.

The School of Nursing also offers a master’s degree program with specializations in Clinical Systems Management, Nursing Informatics, and Nursing Education.
Excelsior’s nursing programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC). In 2011, Excelsior was, for the third consecutive time, recognized as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing, following a rigorous peer review process. Excelsior has also been repeatedly named a “Best School” for men in nursing by the American Assembly for Men in Nursing, most recently in 2011.

In addition to the undergraduate and graduate degree programs in nursing, students may choose to enroll in more than 30 associate, bachelor's, master's and certificate programs in Business, Technology, Liberal Arts including Criminal Justice, and Health Sciences.

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Saratoga Hospital
Saratoga Hospital is the region’s leading healthcare provider. The only acute-care facility in Saratoga County, the hospital has a medical staff of over 450 physicians and other credentialed providers, offering care in a broad range of medical specialties. In keeping with its emphasis on quality, Saratoga Hospital was the first in the Capital Region to earn Magnet Designation for nursing excellence. The hospital achieved redesignation in 2010. The hospital is located at 211 Church Street in Saratoga Springs, NY. wwwsaratogahospital.org

Excelsior
Excelsior College http://www.excelsior.edu is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Staff Works to Reduce Excelsior’s Carbon Footprint

2013-01-29T17:31:36Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff --

Many climate activists stress the importance of local action to address wide-scale climate disruption. Concerned staff members at Excelsior College believe Higher Education also plays an important role. The “Green Committee” is currently working to reduce the distance learning institution’s carbon footprint through a variety of awareness and action initiatives, including conducting an energy audit.

“It is an integral part of our college’s leadership role in higher education to reduce our long-term energy costs,” said Peter Barnett, a member of the College’s “Green Committee.”

The Excelsior College’s first Carbon / Energy Audit is the first of its kind at the college and will focus on every unit of the institution. The initiative will review the amount of energy Excelsior College expends through its operations of its Albany-based campus, Washington D.C. Center and in the delivery of its offerings to more than 38,000 currently enrolled students worldwide.

The audit inventory includes staff commuting and air travel miles, building and operations electric and fossil fuel use, as well as detailing the college’s waste, paper disposal and landfill contribution. The data will account for a direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas emissions benchmark, providing Excelsior College with what is commonly called today, its “carbon footprint.”

Carbon is the binding agent found in most energy resources. It has been called the “duct tape of life” and its binding with other atmospheric gases has allowed for the delicate trapping of sunlight to protect life on Earth against the extreme cold of space.

However, a significant excessive concentration of carbon has been pumped into the atmosphere over the last few centuries, attributed largely to the burning of fossil fuels. This has resulted in a significant increase of CO2 (Carbon) binding with other atmospheric gases which appear to be disrupting the delicate balance of greenhouse gases.

“The public has begun to see the feared consequence of this global warming with the melting of our polar ice, the rising sea levels, the drying of our life-sustaining coral reefs, and the seeming increase of catastrophic eruptions of extreme weather events,” said Barnett.

After data from the Green Committee’s audit is complete, energy use impact can be determined and next steps. In the meantime, the committee will continue to look for ways to reduce carbon footprints and save energy.

Women in Nuclear and the NEI's "Grow Your Own" Approach

2013-05-14T16:52:51Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

When Elizabeth McAndrew-Benavides of the Nuclear Energy institute (NEI) was seven years old, she told her parents of her dream to be an astronaut. And with her parents support, she remained committed to that goal, eventually earning a STEM degree and while not making it to space, she did find her place in the nuclear field.

Unfortunately, McAndrew-Benavides is a growing exception rather than the rule as an increasing number of women either leave the STEM fields by mid-career or choose a different career path altogether. One of the main culprits remains academic - while women constitute 51 percent of the population, more than 75 percent of STEM degrees in the U.S. are awarded to males.

“There is an insufficient number of minorities and females coming through (STEM) programs to be eligible for (STEM) jobs,” said McAndrew-Benavides.

That’s one of the reasons Dr. Jane LeClair, dean of Excelsior College’s School of Business and Technology and a twenty-year veteran of the nuclear industry, launched a series of initiatives in 2011 aimed at recruiting and retaining more women into the technology fields, including a webinar series and scholarship program.

In January, Dr. LeCLair welcomed McAndrew-Benavides for a “Women in Nuclear” webinar focused on current higher education/industry collaborative retention efforts. The wide-ranging discussion between the two experts broached many subjects, including the NEI’s “Grow Your Own Approach.”

“[It’s} a simple concept…we move beyond ready now candidates and industry, academics and other stakeholders work together to systematically improve retention efforts and attract new candidates,” said McAndrew-Benavides.

At its core, the NEI is advocating that the industry become more proactive in terms of workforce development. Companies can no longer wait for female college graduates to apply for positions. Instead, business must work with academic institutions, labor organization and the military, who can in turn, work with high school and younger populations, to identify academic “sticky points” for women and determine solutions that will keep more of them in the STEM fields.

Other solutions McAndrew-Benavides offered during the hour long conversation included companies offering their charitable contributions to local STEM partnerships that target increasing diversity participation and encouraging employees to participate in STEM-related activities within their local school systems.

FBI, InfraGard (Albany Chapter), and Excelsior College to Hold Briefing for Capital Region News Media on Cyber Security Issues

2013-01-24T21:12:03Z

Excelsior College, in collaboration with the FBI and InfraGuard, will host an information session for news media in an effort to increase awareness of the need to protect personal and corporate, public and private information that relies upon electronic (cyber) storage and dissemination.

Data Privacy Day is led by the National Cyber Security Alliance, a non-profit, public/private partnership focused on cyber security education for all online citizens.

What: Cybersecurity Briefing for News Media in recognition of Data Privacy Day
Where: Excelsior College, 7 Columbia Circle, Albany, New York 12203
When: Monday, January 28, 2013; 2 pm – 3 pm

Contact Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior College's public relations manager at MLesczinski@Excelsior.edu for more information. Limited seating.

Program Outline:

I. Excelsior College
a. Growth in cyber activity past 5-10 years
b. National dependency on cyber world for personal & commercial information storage and communication
c. Growing need for trained cyber security professionals
II. FBI
a. Growth in cyber threats
b. Role of FBI in protecting the nation’s cyber infrastructure
c. Nature of domestic and international cyber threats
d. Why should individuals and companies be concerned
III. InfraGard
1. What is InfraGard
2. Nature of its programs and role in protecting the nation’s cyber infrastructure
IV. Open Forum

InfraGard
InfraGard is an information sharing and analysis effort serving the interests and combining the knowledge base of a wide range of members. At its most basic level, InfraGard is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the private sector. InfraGard is an association of businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other participants dedicated to sharing information and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the United States.
http://www.infragardalbany.org/

Excelsior
Excelsior College http://www.excelsior.edu is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Passionate Pursuits: Andrew Wheeler, Blues Rhythm

2013-01-23T17:25:56Z

The purpose of Excelsior Life’s Passionate Pursuits is to help shine a light on Faculty and Staff successfully balancing work, home and family – just like our students.

During the day, Andrew Wheeler is assistant dean for the School of Business & Technology at Excelsior College. Outside of work, his artistic talent shines as a lead guitarist and backup singer for Bent Rail, named #1 Blues Band in the New York Capital Region in 2011 (Metroland Fan Survey). Excelsior Life sat down with Wheeler to learn about his passion for making music, inspirations along the way, and a few musician traits that translate well to his day job.

Excelsior Life: At what age did you become interested in playing a guitar?

Wheeler: When I was around fourteen years old, my grandfather gave me an Eric Clapton tape and I was pretty much enthralled from day one. I also found an old Japanese-made Audition acoustic guitar sitting around at my parents house and I started to plunk around a little on it.

Excelsior Life: Did any family member encourage you? Did you ever take lessons?

Wheeler: My grandfather encouraged me. He suffered two strokes and yet found the drive to play guitar very often. Although he couldn’t move his left hand fingers independently, he had a great ear for music and could pick out melodies up and down the guitar neck with just one finger.

The racket I made on the acoustic must have been pretty bad because my parents sprang for lessons pretty quickly. I started taking lessons at a College of Saint Rose summer program at the age of fourteen and continued taking private lessons consistently until my thirties. During my undergraduate study in college, I took jazz and classical guitar lessons. I still take lessons as much as time will afford.

Excelsior Life: How did you get started in a band?

Wheeler: I started a band with friends in high school as soon as I could strum a few chords. I noticed playing music with other people was very different than practicing on my own.

I’ve found a band is as much, or more, about interpersonal communication, as it is about making music. My high school band played a local café quite frequently. Looking back now, it was pretty funny to play blues music as a 16 year old at a coffee house. Most of the artists we were covering were either dead or in their 70s and 80s!

The only time I have not played in a band was while I was pursuing my MA degree. I took a couple of years off to get the degree finished.

The ingredients for Bent Rail were formed a couple of years ago. We’ve played over 150 gigs to date, but who’s counting?

Excelsior Life: Where did your band name, Bent Rail, originate?

Wheeler: The bassist, Dennis, was searching for images and found some great pictures of a rail yard in Pennsylvania. The picture showed a train disappearing around a curve in the tracks. What’s more blues than that? The lore of rail travel and the prevalence of hopping a train from the Delta to Chicago (and all points beyond) is a huge theme in blues.

So, we went with “Bent Rail Blues” initially. However, we’ve dropped the word “blues” because we play a lot of genres.

Excelsior Life: Is there any correlation to your day job and the music industry?

Wheeler: Absolutely. Finding new ways to problem solve, staying innovative, and seeking out new opportunities are certainly transferrable skills! Being a “people person” is definitely the key to staying alive in both the education and music industry.

Loving to communicate, and especially listen, is a huge element in both roles. I love meeting new people at gigs, on band breaks, and after the music is over for the evening. Folks request songs or just want to make a connection with you – and you honor that privilege by always doing your best and putting your heart and soul into your work.

Finding out how Excelsior can assist someone achieve their educational dreams reminds me of feedback at gigs.

Excelsior Life: What was your greatest moment to date as a guitarist?

Wheeler: Meeting BB King. I only wish I was able to jam with him! But I consider myself lucky to have been able to sit and chat with him for a while. He truly is the “King of the Blues”.

Excelsior Life: Who is your favorite band?

Wheeler: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Jimi Hendrix & the Band of Gypsies. He was so diverse and innovative, yet paid such virtuosic homage to the blues players that helped shape him.

Excelsior Life: How can we learn more about your band or upcoming gigs?

Wheeler: We are undergoing a name change and rebranding right now. However, you can find us on Facebook, www.bentrailband.com and www.reverbnation.com/bentrailbluesband.

Agreement between RCNET, Excelsior College Set to Fill Nuclear Industry Leadership Void

2013-01-22T17:21:52Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Excelsior College and the Regional Center for Nuclear Education and Training (RCNET) today announced a new educational partnership aimed at developing the next generation of nuclear industry leaders. The RCNET is comprised of 37 community colleges that follow the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program (NUCP), a framework for educating and developing operators and technicians for nuclear power plants.

Under the educational agreement, graduates of these associate degree programs will be able to pursue, at a reduced cost, a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior’s accredited program in nuclear engineering technology or other technical areas. A four-year degree is widely considered preferred path for leadership positions within most nuclear facilities.
Currently, there are 1,368 students enrolled in RCNET programs eligible under this agreement.

“The looming workforce shortage in the nuclear industry affects all levels including leadership. This partnership between Excelsior and RCNET helps address this leadership void by providing technicians affordable, doable pathways to advanced degrees and leadership training,” said Kevin Cooper, director of the Regional Center for Nuclear Education and Training.

“Just as the NUCP has created a pipeline of nuclear technicians, this agreement between Excelsior and RCNET will help produce seasoned nuclear leaders capable of navigating the industry through the many challenges that lie ahead,” said Dr. Jane LeClair, dean of Excelsior College’s School of Business and Technology.

With 39 percent of the nuclear workforce eligible for retirement by 2016, the nuclear industry launched NUCP in 2007, a standardized educational program for operators and technicians in nuclear facilities.

RCNET, the first of its kind in the nation, was established at Indian River State College in 2012 through a $3.1 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant. Acting as a centralized resource, RCNET will provide curriculum, training for faculty and staff and facilitate communication and collaboration across the nuclear industry, colleges and universities.

Excelsior College, a private, nonprofit distance learning institution in Albany, New York was founded in 1971. It is comprised of four schools: Business and Technology, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts and Nursing. Excelsior's Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering Technology is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202, 410-347-7700; www.abet.org, ABET is a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Raylon Catlett: The Convergence of Education and Professional Development

2013-01-16T16:12:10Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Raylon Catlett of Schenectady, New York knows a thing or two about taking exams. A quality specialist for Riversource Life Insurance, he grew accustomed over the years to enrolling in college courses and seeking education programs that would earn him industry-recognized designations. It was part professional development, part desire for lifelong learning – and it eventually translated to academic success.

A friend encouraged him to see what, if any, value his eclectic education background might be worth towards college credit. He was intrigued by the idea and began to research schools, discovering his insurance courses were approved for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). That meant Excelsior College would count them towards a degree. Realizing how close he was to his dream, Raylon looked into completion options; Excelsior College Examinations (ECEs) caught his eye.

Independent study and testing was a familiar concept, and in time, Raylon completed his associates through ECEs and returned to the workforce, seemingly content with his two-year degree. But the desire to continue on with his educational journey soon returned and he found himself back at Excelsior – this time in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.

Raylon knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park; marriage, holding down full-time employment and raising a daughter (now a student at Seton Hall) required he find the right balance. For him, that meant implementing a study routine consisting of daytime employment, evening school work and nightly family time. It didn’t matter whether it was posting to a discussion board, reading the assigned text or writing a paper, if it was on his study schedule, Raylon would complete it. He kept his books by his side just in case he needed a quick stop at the Library driving home from work or finishing errands around town.

Now with his diploma in hand, Raylon says he has earned additional respect from his colleagues and added depth to his professional credentials. He is already planning to pursue his master’s in the hopes of becoming a consultant or even an adjunct instructor.

“I feel like between my education and my experiences, I have something to give back,” says Raylon.

This past July, Raylon walked across the stage for a second time as an Excelsior graduate.

“I didn’t want to the first time, but then you walk across that stage and share that moment with so many other students and you begin to realize what it all means,” he says. “I had to do it again.”

Department of Arizona, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Partners with Excelsior College to Provide Pathway to College Degree

2013-01-14T19:51:54Z

Albany, New York (January 14, 2013) – The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona has signed an education agreement with Excelsior College that will allow VFW members and their spouses/domestic partners to pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees for reduced tuition and fees.

The new statewide partnership builds toward a national VFW objective aimed at drawing younger veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan seeking educational opportunity.

“The state of Arizona VFW is very proud to have entered into this partnership with Excelsior College,” said State Commander Michael Ferguson, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona. “This is another example on how the VFW is looking to reach out to all veterans, especially our younger vets just getting out of the military. We’re hoping they will take advantage of this opportunity to earn a degree and advance their skills. We believe our veterans and their spouses have earned it for their sacrifice.”

“Since our founding more than four decades ago, Excelsior has strived to serve the military and veterans communities both at home and abroad,” said Excelsior College President John F. Ebersole. “Arizona is home to more than a half-million veterans, with more coming home soon enough, as drawdowns continue and more of our brave servicemembers return from battle. This partnership will help to provide a pathway for these returning men and women to seek out a higher education.”

Arizona is home to approximately 557,000 veterans with the number expected to grow as servicemembers return to Arizona from overseas missions over the coming years. The Department of Arizona VFW currently counts 25,560 members among its 77 posts.

Excelsior, a regionally accredited nonprofit distance learning college based in Albany, New York, has a long and successful history serving the veteran community that began with its founding in 1971. In addition to broad online programming, Excelsior is also home to Excelsior College® Examinations, an extensive credit-by-examination program that provides an additional pathway to affordable degree completion.

Among the more than 37,000 currently enrolled students, over 14,000 count themselves as active-duty or of veteran status. And of the more than 5,200 Excelsior graduates in the 2011-2012 academic year, 34 percent were members of the U.S. military.

The College offers an extensive range of academic support programs and services tailored to veterans, including career counseling, financial counseling on veteran benefits, and an online veteran center with vet to vet mentorship. Many financial aid and academic advisors are veterans themselves.

In addition, Excelsior accepts prior military training in the form of academic transfer credit based on recommendations from the American Council on Education's Military Evaluations Program. Each year, Excelsior accepts approximately 50,000 military training program credits toward completion of undergraduate degree programs.

Under the agreement, veterans may enroll in degree programs from any of Excelsior’s schools: Business and Technology, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Nursing.

Excelsior College's other education credentials include:

• G.I. Jobs has named Excelsior a top military-friendly school the past four years and Military Advanced Education has recognized Excelsior College the past five years. For the third year in a row Excelsior College has been named a “Best for Vets” college by Military Times Edge magazine.
• Excelsior's course, "Success Strategies for Military and Veterans" earned the 2010-2011 Innovation Award from the Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS). The course provides college and career orientation to veterans and military members and teaches transition strategies for those entering the civilian workforce after a military career.
• Excelsior is a recipient of the Council of College and Military Educators' (CCME) Institutional Award.
• Excelsior's military academic advising team includes veterans who are uniquely attuned to the unique needs of military students, veterans and their spouses.
• Center for Military Education (CME) Executive Director Susan Dewan is the recipient of the 2011 William E. Kennedy Award from the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), which recognizes leadership in providing higher education programs to personnel at U.S. military installations.
• Excelsior President Ebersole is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who served in Vietnam and received the Secretary of the Army Public Service Award in 2010 for his leadership in contributing to the Army's educational mission.

For more information on joining the VFW in Arizona, visit the membership information page. For more information about the Arizona VFW educational partnership with Excelsior College visit either the VFW partnership or Excelsior College partnership page, email veterans@excelsior.edu or call 888-647-2388.

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Excelsior
Excelsior College http://www.excelsior.edu is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is a nonprofit veterans' service organization composed of combat veterans and those who currently serve on active duty or in the Guard and Reserves. Founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress in 1936, the VFW is the nation's largest organization of war veterans and is one of its oldest veterans' organizations. With 2.1 million members located in 7,700 VFW Posts worldwide, the VFW and its Auxiliaries are dedicated to "honor the dead by helping the living" through veterans service, legislative initiatives, youth scholarships, Buddy Poppy, and national military service programs. Annually, the VFW and its Auxiliaries contribute more than 11 million hours of community service to the nation. For more information or to join, visit the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona’s website.

Is Online Learning Right for You?

2013-01-14T14:34:53Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 38 percent of students who enrolled in higher education are over 25 years of age. Many must balance school with working full-time and raising a family. Life is different for these adult students.

But is online learning for everyone? And how does a student determine if it is a good fit for them?

“There are three key benefits to distance learning: flexibility, convenience, and accessibility,” says Excelsior College academic advisor Chris Normile. “Students can utilize learning tools and participate in class discussions while focusing on their studies when their schedules permit.”

Jacqueline McPhillips, a former Excelsior academic advisor who now works for enrollment management, offered caution. “With this flexibility comes responsibility,” says McPhillips. “It is important for online learners to set aside time for themselves to read, respond to discussions, and complete their assignments. Online learning requires a much more self-disciplined approach than the traditional classroom setting.”

Excelsior Life sat down with Normile, McPhillips and admissions counselor, Bill Nettleton, to discuss the differences between online and traditional campus-based learning, the characteristics of successful online students and the importance of managing expectations.

Excelsior Life: What are characteristics of a successful online/distance learning student?

McPhillips: Self-motivation, an enthusiasm for learning, and determination
Nettleton: Being a self starter, managing time well, and enjoying self study.
Normile: Students should be more self-reliant. While online instructors tend to do a good job providing feedback to students, collaborating with one's peers can be challenging due to scheduling conflicts.

Excelsior Life: What should students consider before enrolling in distance learning?

Nettleton: Students should consider exactly why they are pursuing a degree and what they hope to get out of it. After determining they are enrolling for the right reasons, the next question becomes how much time they have to commit to their studies each week and how they will be paying for their education.
Normile: Prior to enrolling in a distance learning program students should ask: Am I comfortable using computers and navigating the internet? Am I an independent learner that will be self-motivated to follow instructions, utilize resources available to me, and manage my time effectively?
McPhillips: Most of our students balance family, work and their education, and it is often just a matter of having a plan at the outset. Decisions should be made with their families while also
thinking about job responsibilities.

Excelsior Life: What are the most frequently asked questions about distance learning in a higher education environment?

McPhillips: Students often ask what they can expect. They seem to worry about being completely on their own.
Nettleton: The top questions… How many of my previous credits will transfer? How long will it take? How much will it cost?
Normile: The questions often include does my program require a lot of group work? How quickly can I complete my program?

Excelsior Life: Can a student "test the waters" before enrolling?

Nettleton: Absolutely. Excelsior offers two ways of earning credit, online courses or credit by examination. Students can take either of these as non-matriculated student. So if a student wants to take an online course or study and test out of a subject through an examination, they can do that before they are enrolled to get a sense if distance learning is the right option for them.
McPhillips: I usually suggest beginning slowly if students are coming back to school after a long hiatus, starting with one course to re-adapt to an academic setting. Additionally, this allows the student to gauge how much time they would need to dedicate to a course. Students often find that they can move through their studies more quickly, or some find that one-8-week course at a time is enough for them.
Normile: Students should consider taking one course as a non-matriculated student to familiarize themselves with the online learning environment and course experience.

Excelsior Life: What resources does Excelsior College offer to individuals thinking about becoming a student?

Nettleton: We have a very comprehensive and informative website that outlines all of the programs we offer as well as a listing of all the courses and exams available through Excelsior. All prospective students can also speak with an Admissions Counselor to discuss their degree options and to answer any questions they have before applying or enrolling.
McPhillips: When students apply to Excelsior College, they benefit from an unofficial review of their credit to get a clear picture of how much coursework they would need to complete to achieve their goal. Community college students coming from partner institutions have transfer advisors. They are also given a key contact at Excelsior College to assist with the transferring process.
Normile: Prospective students can speak with an Admissions Counselor for a free consultation and Financial Aid Representative. Once enrolled into a degree program, a student is assigned an Academic Advisor for support related to the student's degree program.

Is Higher Ed Ready for the Veteran Influx?

2013-01-14T19:51:44Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Preliminary results from an Excelsior College Polling Institute “Patriot Poll” conducted in late 2012 indicate more than 88 percent of active-duty military personnel believe a higher education to be the most important factor toward career success.

Recent data compiled by the Census Bureau offers support, with college graduates in general earning nearly 2.4 million over their lifetime (compared to $1.3 million for those with just a high school diploma).

The question then becomes whether or not institutes of higher education are prepared for the influx with more than a hundred thousand servicemembers expected to transition back over the coming decade. So how are colleges preparing?

“That’s going to be our biggest challenge – figuring out ways to handle the inflow of new veteran applicants, many of whom are unsure about college services or what is even available to them through the Post 9/11 Veteran Education Benefit,” said Judy Reed, Director of Veteran Services and Outreach at Excelsior College’s Center for Military Education (CME). CME recently launched a web series, “You’re Back: What’s Next?” to tackle these types of issues.

Reed says a lack of structure continues to be one of the main roadblocks for military personnel on their return to school.

“The military is highly regimented environment and active-duty service members are conditioned to follow orders – taking that structure away can be incredibly difficult,” said Reed. “The responsibility falls on the institution to provide new veteran students with the assistance necessary to ease the transition back, whether that be explaining benefits, teaching time management and study skills, or finding them a veteran mentor.”

According to Reed, Excelsior’s new Veteran Center offers a variety of these types of benefits, including “vet to vet” mentoring, academic and career services and discussion boards where enrolled veterans can sound off, network and find study partners. The Center expects the veteran mentorship programs to continue to grow in popularity as more veteran enrollees discover the benefits of partnering up with “seasoned” veterans who have gone through the process.

Excelsior’s next “You’re Back: What’s Next” webinar, “How to Demonstrate Your Value in the Civilian Job Market,” focuses on career services, and is scheduled for March 6. The school is consistently selected as “military-friendly” institution by Military Advanced Education, Military Times Edge and G.I. Jobs.

Bryan Tebo '11: Setting the Right Example for His Children

2013-01-11T15:31:19Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

In summer 2011, Bryan Tebo, a graduate of Excelsior College’s School of Business and Technology, walked across the stage to accept his college diploma in front of nearly a dozen family members and friends, including his wife, Stacy, five children and 75-year old father.

It’s a memory that was 26 years in the making and one, Bryan says, wouldn’t have been possible without the support and guidance of his wife and family – and perhaps a bit of calculus tutoring from his twenty-three year old daughter, Tabitha.

For Bryan, a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 who currently works as a program manager for SCIC, a Department of Defense contractor, the long journey to a degree, which included stops at ten different institutions, hasn’t been one of choice, but circumstance; common when a student must schedule classes around war and relocations and juggle coursework with both duty to country and raising a large family.

Yet, despite deployments to the Balkans, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Panama, doctor’s appointments, late night homework sessions and soccer games, Bryan remained undeterred. Sometimes this meant, giving up a weekend picnic, other times foregoing a family vacation.

It was not so much a personal commitment – though that was a part – nor to set himself for career advancement, although that certainly played a role. No, for Bryan, finally securing his degree was about setting the right example for his children.

Bryan and Stacy, a faculty/program coordinator for the University at Arizona –South, had always emphasized the importance of higher education. Stacy finished her undergraduate and graduate degrees over the course of their marriage; it was imperative that Bryan followed through and put his own words into action. He was always finding a reason to go back to school; he needed to finish.

Now, that Bryan says his family was instrumental to his success.

“We had a den – a study room, with four laptops. Every night, the four of us – me, my wife, who was finishing her master’s, and my daughter and son, both in college at that point, would sit around the table, studying, working on our homework, trying to finish up any last-minute assignments. I remember when I first took calculus, and my daughter, Tabitha, who was attending the University at Arizona at the time and is now an advisor at the institution, would spend extra time tutoring me, helping me get back to speed,” said Bryan.

So, with degree in hand, what are Bryan’s plans for the future?

“I love what I’m doing now, so there are no plans for a change anytime soon. But my degree has really equipped me with the knowledge and practice to be a more efficient and effective worker, which will help both the corporation’s bottom-line and my own – and it puts me on par with my peers in terms of advancement. You can’t really ask for more.”

Passionate Pursuits: Zoulas Leads Park Redevelopment Project

2013-01-04T15:31:04Z

Spero Zoulas, a senior academic advisor at Excelsior College, has a passion for making a difference in the city of Schenectady. For the last two years he has been actively engaged in chairing the Woodlawn Park Redevelopment project, working with a group of volunteers, the city and county of Schenectady.

Excelsior Life spoke to Zoulas about his passion for the volunteer project.

Excelsior Life: What motivated you to get involved in this project?

Zoulas: It started when I became involved in the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association after having concerns about the conditions of our roads in the area. I worked with neighbors to get it repaved. The enthusiasm from the neighbors spread and turned towards organizing a cleanup event for an underutilized and deteriorated park.

Hearing about the positive feedback, I wanted to take our work further, so I started a committee of concerned citizens to form the Woodlawn Park Redevelopment Committee. One of our members of our committee, Maureen Obie, also works here at Excelsior College.

Excelsior Life: Do you have a background in town planning? If not, what have you learned from this experience?

Zoulas: Until this time, I really had no experience in city planning. I had to reach out city officials in order to find out what steps needed to be taken. I have learned the intricate details that go into putting together a development plan by presenting to our city council and meeting with the city’s mayor. I am still learning as I go, but I feel that in a few years, the park will be in its latter stages of redevelopment.

Excelsior Life: What have been your biggest challenges? What milestones have you reached to date?

Zoulas: The biggest challenge has been putting together the park’s redevelopment plan. During that process, I had to take into consideration constituents’ desires for incorporating a wide array of new elements into the park’s plan while also weighing what was most practical in terms of total costs, both during construction and future maintenance, and staffing of the park. In essence, a plan needed to be both an appealing new design for the neighborhood, while also limiting the staffing, cleanup, and maintenance needed from a city.

Another big challenge has yet to come. This will be the securing of grants and funding towards the park’s construction costs associated with its redevelopment. We are in the initial stages of that now.

We have achieved many milestones to date in the last year and a half of work. We have held several cleanup events which have transformed the park from a jungle-like appearance into a much more welcoming environment for kids and families. We have also worked with the city, county and a local architectural firm.

We are nearing another milestone soon. This will involve the filling of the park’s abandoned pools and taking down of the inner fencing that surrounds that area. This will open up the park more and allow for a clear line of sight through the park, which will make it safer and even more inviting.

Excelsior Life: What advice would you give to others who want to get involved in a project like this in their community?

Zoulas: Check out one of your local neighborhood association meetings – this is a great way to see what’s going on or to spur others to start a new project in your area. You could also visit your town’s website to see what opportunities already exist. Many city or town volunteer groups might have a facebook page as well. Most importantly, talk to your neighbors. I have found this is the best way to find out what needs to get done in your area and how to best get the community involved and invested in the work.

Excelsior Life: Anything else you would like readers of this story to know?

Zoulas: We will be holding our Second Annual Ziti & Meatball Dinner fundraiser in January. For more information on our project or upcoming events, visit https://www.facebook.com/WoodlawnParkSNY

College student teaches the meaning of drive, determination, and never giving up despite ALS

2013-01-02T15:09:24Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life Staff --

Ron Miller is not your ordinary student. In fact, very little about him is ordinary. He is a very unique individual who, literally, has his eyes on the goal of earning an associate degree. His story illustrates the depths of human determination and the importance of never giving up, despite the odds.

At 45, Miller is like other Excelsior students who want to finish the education they started some time ago. But unlike his classmates who are balancing life’s demands while pursuing their degrees, Miller is balancing life itself. He has ALS, a neuromuscular disease, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS destroys nerves that control muscles and progressively leaves those with it unable to move, speak, eat, and breathe. While the body loses function, the mind doesn’t. There isn’t a cure and most people with ALS usually pass on within two to five years of being diagnosed. Miller has beaten the odds. It’s been 14 years since he was diagnosed.

Miller has a drive and positive attitude most of us can only imagine. He says his determination comes from his competitive nature to always push himself to be the best he can. He remembers when he was first diagnosed and the neurologist advised him to return home to get his affairs in order because he had, at most, two years to live. That didn’t sit well with Miller. He fully intended to prove the doctor wrong.

“I have been fortunate enough to be one of five percent of people who have lived beyond ten years and I don’t want to squander such a gift. Making a difference is important to me and worth the battle,” Miller said philosophically. Completely paralyzed from the nose down, he uses eye-gaze computer technology to take classes and communicate with his family, friends, and nurses who provide his care. “I can do almost anything with only my eyes,” he adds. The eye-gaze computer Miller uses tracks eye movements with an on-screen keyboard that “clicks” based on the amount of time he spends looking at an intended target.

Despite his ability to make the most from his situation, adjusting to living with ALS can be a long process, just like the disease. In Miller’s case, every physical loss became a reason to find a different way to accomplish a task. He was 31 when his symptoms began, 33 at diagnosis, and is not ready to give in to the disease.

Miller craved something more from life and decided to enroll at Excelsior College to finish the education he started years ago. Living in a long-term, acute-care hospital the only activity he got regularly was from the TV and the Internet. Miller decided that finishing his education would give him the skills to be a better advocate for ALS awareness.

Since his diagnosis, the advances in technology changed considerably and the possibility of a new career was not out of the question. His eye-gaze controlled computer he uses for school challenges Miller’s mind and computer abilities. He enrolled in the Liberal Arts program at Excelsior not knowing if he would be able to complete an associate degree. He is now thinking a bachelor’s degree is a possibility and his excitement is evident.

“Christine Earley-Nadler, the disability services coordinator and Valerie Di Cioccio from the Financial Aid office at Excelsior have both been a great help in getting me in a position to accomplish my personal goals,” he says. “Watching my GPA continue to climb closer to a 4.0 has been very empowering. If fourteen years ago someone had told me that I would be taking Physics and Pre-Calculus, I would have told them they were crazy. Now, the sky is the limit."

One of Miller’s most enjoyable classes was music history. He was in band throughout middle school and high school. The course revived his interest in classical music and he has been able to find something enjoyable, challenging, and enlightening in all his classes.

For someone dealing with adversity, Miller found out early on that embracing technology would make his life much easier and he has learned how to adjust to things beyond his control. Instead of seeing a wheelchair as a failure, he saw it as a tool to make his life easier. He knew he may not be able to change the disease process, but he can control how he reacts to it. The use of technology also equated to better mobility, quality of life, and ability to interact.

Social media has dramatically affected his world, too. “When I was diagnosed the support groups were very limited. Now I am able to share my experiences with hundreds if not thousands of people going through the same battle. Instead of dying from ALS, I am living with it,” he notes. “I have been through many losses in the last 14 years, but I am still grateful for the life I now have. I may have ALS, but ALS does not have me.”

“The Language of Men” Honored at New England Book Festival

2012-12-21T15:17:01Z

In “The Language of Men” Anthony D’Aries searches to learn more about the father he emulates, a Vietnam Veteran who works at the local deli and rebuilds muscle cars in his spare time. The memoir, the third book published by Hudson Whitman/Excelsior College Press, earned an honorable mention this week from the New England Book Festival.

Traveling to Vietnam with his wife, who teaches health and anatomy classes to sex workers in Ho Chi Minh City, D’Aries explores conflicting images of masculinity, and, as his marriage begins to falter, arrives at realizations that begin to explain his father’s life, as well as his own troubling behaviors.

"We're thrilled Anthony is beginning to receive some much-deserved recognition," said Susan Petrie, director, Hudson Whitman/Excelsior College Press.

Reviews
Huffington Post “Interpreting ‘The Language of Men”
Boston Globe “Looking at the way men think”
Newsday “Father shares story, forges bond with son”

Purchase “The Language of Men”
Hardcover: $22
Paperback: $17.95
eBook (EPUB or Kindle): $9.99

Ink In Her Blood: The Passionate Pursuits of Susan Petrie

2012-12-19T17:15:20Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff --

Susan Petrie’s passion for putting pen to print began at a young age. “I have ink in my blood,” she fondly said in a recent interview with Excelsior Life. Today Petrie uses her interest in books to help writers become published in traditional and new formats, using both old and new technology. Excelsior Life sat down with her to learn how she helps coach book authors for Hudson Whitman.

Excelsior Life: Where did your passion for books and publishing begin?

Petrie: My passion for books began around the age of four, at Christmas time. I remember I ran around the house reading Green Eggs & Ham to everyone. I could read! I had cracked the code! It was thrilling.

Family lineage may have also played a role in my passion. As I got older, my father who was a trained journeyman and printer used to bring metal type home from the Times Union letterpress printers for us. My grandfather also worked at the Times Union newspaper, in “ad alley.” Through genealogical research, my dad has brought the family name within two generations of Heinrich Petri, a Swiss printer who published works by Copernicus in the 1560s.

My passion for publishing started after graduating from college and working for my Uncle Joe (Girzone). He was a best-selling author and needed someone to answer phones, fill orders for his books, ship them, invoice, and keep track of inventory. When I worked for him, I became aware that publishing was more than just a passion for words. Over the next ten years I learned it was also relationships, sales, design, production, manufacturing, technology, and bringing dreams into reality.

Excelsior Life: How does your passion tie to your career?

Petrie: Learning to read is one of my best early memories, and growing up, I read all the time. I’d spend Saturday’s at the Troy Public Library (that’s where I had my first date, in 5th grade). I even majored in English because I loved to read. Today, my career is publishing at Hudson Whitman/Excelsior College Press. It brings my personal interests and professional skills together. It’s really the chance of a lifetime.

Excelsior Life: What advice would you give to someone interested in writing a book?

Petrie: First, do it. If the urge is there, you’ll always regret it if you don’t give in to it. Second, temper expectations. It’s often a labor of love.

Excelsior Life: What are an author’s responsibilities before publishing?

Petrie: Good writers are not necessarily good authors. If a writer wants to become a published author, he or she needs to be receptive to what a reader expects and needs. Empathy and honesty are important, too.

Writers take risks to become authors. Like a conductor, an author has to lead, engage and entertain, be in control of the subject. It’s a big responsibility that many writers don’t consider.

Excelsior Life: Who is your favorite book author and why?

Petrie: I don’t know that I have one favorite. They’re all like comforting companions. Joan Didion, Annie Dillard, Barbara Kingsolver for life’s persistent questions. Paulo Coelho, when I’m spiritual. The repressed scientist in me likes Natalie Angier and Ernst Mayr. Diane Ackerman writes prose like a poet. Oh, and Stacy Schiff because she is so stinking smart.

Excelsior Life: Where can someone find more information on Hudson Whitman Press?

Petrie: Visit hudsonwhitman.com or on Twitter @ExcelsiorPress.

Excelsior’s Smulsky Selected as Top 50 Innovator in Education

2012-12-19T14:39:39Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff—

Excelsior College today announced that faculty member Nancy Smulsky, PhD has been named one of the “Top 50 Innovators in Education.” Smulsky’s selection was announced as part of the “Technology Innovation in Education: 2012 Yearbook,” a research report from the Center for Digital Education and Converge.

The 2012 Yearbook “aims to support and inspire education leaders on their paths to a more digital education… (the report) highlights 50 education innovators that have led the way and provided best practice models to imitate.”

Smulsky was honored for her advocacy on behalf of student-faculty interaction via online learning environments, the co-development of an online Capstone retreat for graduate nursing students in response to rising enrollments and increased travel costs, and the findings in her dissertation research “Measuring Student-Faculty Interaction for Nontraditional College Students: A Comparison of data Collection Tools,” among a host of other initiatives.

Smulsky’s work was recently featured in the Excelsior Life piece earlier this December: Online Education: Why We Need to Reform Contemporary Methods of Assessing Faculty-Student Interaction.

New Bachelor of Science in Military Studies Offered by Excelsior College

2013-01-15T20:01:02Z

Source: Press Release

Albany, New York (December 17, 2012) – Excelsior College, a private nonprofit distance learning institution in Albany, New York, today announced a new Bachelor of Science in Military Studies degree geared toward active-duty personnel and veterans. Excelsior, which has a four-decade long history of serving the military community, currently counts more than 14,000 active duty or veterans among its 37,000 enrolled students.

The new Military Studies degree program will expose students to relevant theories of leadership and their application to military operations. The program challenges students’ ability to identify tactical and strategic leadership qualities.

“The BS in Military Studies will explore the application of military knowledge within the global geopolitical environment and challenge students to think critically, improve decision-making and become agile and adaptive leaders,” said Dr. Scott Dalrymple, dean of Excelsior College’s School of Liberal Arts.

As with all of Excelsior’s bachelor’s programs, students will need to complete 120 degree credits. The core requirements for the major include courses in military history, world politics, international relations, leadership, contemporary tactics, and an advanced capstone course.

Students select an area of emphasis with the help of an academic advisor. Choices include Military History and Politics, Organizational Culture, Foreign Language and Culture, and National Security Analysis.

"We expect this major to be popular with those who are serving or have served in the military," says Dalrymple, "largely because 50% of the major can be satisfied by college-level coursework taken through military training programs. It is possible that many military students may have already met a significant amount of the requirements for this major before they enroll at Excelsior."

Excelsior’s military credentials include:

Military Advanced Education has recognized Excelsior as one of the top 20 colleges serving the U.S. military five years in a row.
G.I. Jobs has named Excelsior a top military-friendly school the past four years.
Excelsior's course, "Success Strategies for Military and Veterans" earned the 2010-2011 Innovation Award from the Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS). The course provides college and career orientation to veterans and military members and teaches transition strategies for those entering the civilian workforce after a military career.
Excelsior is a recipient of the Council of College and Military Educators' (CCME) Institutional Award.
Excelsior's military academic advising team includes veterans who are uniquely attuned to the unique needs of military students, veterans and their spouses.
CME Executive Director Susan Dewan is the recipient of the 2011 William E. Kennedy Award from the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), which recognizes leadership in providing higher education programs to personnel at U.S. military installations.
Excelsior President Ebersole is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who served in Vietnam and received the Secretary of the Army Public Service Award in 2010 for his leadership in contributing to the Army's educational mission.

Students interested in pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Military Studies degree, may call Excelsior College Admissions at 888-647-2388 Ext. 22.

Dealing with Loss, Depression, or Grief During the Holidays

2012-12-17T15:08:11Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff---

The holidays are a happy time for many, but for those lonely or depressed or dealing with loss, the season can elicit far harsher emotions. The first year after a breakup, divorce, or the loss of a loved one can be especially difficult during the holidays.

Gary McClain, PhD, a New York State licensed counselor, co-author of three self-help books, and faculty member at Excelsior College shared some insight on how you deal with grief during the holidays. Gary's latest book, "After the Diagnosis" is available on Amazon.

Excelsior Life: Do people process grief differently?

Gary McClain, PhD: Yes. The process of grief is unique to each individual, depending on our own personalities, and the relationship with the person. However, it is important to allow yourself to grieve in your own way and to reach out for help when you need it.

Grief has a way of sneaking up on us when you think you are doing fine. A simple comment from someone can trigger memories that we hadn’t thought about, and the pain of loss. For example, the smell of cookies baking can remind you about how much your loved one enjoyed cookies. Those little details, temporarily forgotten, but so significant, can result in both great joy in remembrance, but also great pain of loss.

People aren’t “trained” to deal with grief. They figure it out as they go along. It is important not to be afraid of feelings or let them overwhelm you. The holidays are going to stir up a lot of feelings, but this is all part of the grief process.

Excelsior Life: Based on personality, do people deal with loss differently?

McClain: Yes, some people reach out and others withdraw. Those naturally extroverted thrive on being with others. They need to get connected with people, plan activities with other people and not isolate themselves. Those who are introverted need to go off by themselves and recharge and not be constantly dragged into social situations when they need to have alone time.

It depends where you are in the grief process. Balance is important. We need some people time and some alone time.

Excelsior Life: What advice do you give someone personally dealing with loss and/or grief?

McClain: Decide what you can participate in and what you can’t. The key is balance, setting limits where you need to set them. Let yourself feel, even if your emotions are all over the place. This is all part of the grieving process. If you need to go off by yourself and have a good cry, don’t deny yourself. Don’t place any expectations on yourself for how you should or shouldn’t feel.

It is also important to be aware of what kind of support you need, emotional and practical. Keep in mind the people who can be helpful and you can reach out to versus those situations where you may feel that it would be best to avoid. If you need help with the kids, make sure you let friends and relatives know how they can help. People who want to comfort you may not always say or do the right thing. Let them know what they can do to help.

Spiritual involvement can also be so helpful during this time. Loss introduces questions of meaning. Talking with a clergyperson or attending holiday services can make a big difference.

Excelsior Life: If you are a friend of someone going through a tough time with a loss, what do you recommend?

McClain: Let them know that you are there for them during this especially hard time and you are standing by!

Don’t push yourself off on them, or lecture, or tell them how they should be feeling or what they should be doing. Invite them to participate in holiday activities, even just to have lunch, but don’t push them too hard. Offer to help them with their holiday traditions, offer to help them pick out a tree and put it up, help with shopping, baking, or creating celebrations for their children.

Keep in touch with them, just quick check-ins.

Excelsior Life: What are the warning signs that you or someone you know needs additional help dealing with loss?

McClain: Some deal with loss by distracting themselves from the pain. But if you are experiencing symptoms of depression, including having difficulty functioning day to day, then it is time to reach out to a mental health professional. Other warning signs include:

• Isolating yourself, when you need to spend some time getting support from other people.
• Drinking too much, using prescription drugs like painkillers or sleeping pills or anti-anxiety meds that the doctor may have prescribed for occasional use, or that you pulled out of the back of the medicine cabinet, or borrowed from someone else.
• Over-eating or not eating enough.
• Not getting exercise, inactivity.
• Having trouble doing your job.
• Preventing children or other family members from having a holiday.

Remember, don’t become over-scheduled or over-committed. Take time for self-care and adequate rest.

Never Give Up: The Journey of Alfreda Adams

2012-12-13T15:40:14Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff---

Life has a way of interfering with even the best laid plans. Alfreda Adams, 56, of Columbia, Maryland, enrolled in college in 1974 with dreams of a career as a language interpreter. However, when her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Alfreda, the oldest of nine children, gave up her education to return home to take care of her mother and raise her younger siblings.

Eventually Alfreda married, had two children of her own, but remained committed to her educational goals. She returned to nursing school at the age of 44, looking to earn her associate’s and become a License Professional Nurse (LPN). Only a few weeks from graduation though, tragedy struck again – Alfreda’s mother was diagnosed with cancer and she returned home once again.

Disheartened, Alfreda, currently a secretary for Howard County General Hospital in the Labor and Delivery unit, didn’t want to start over. In fact, she had seemingly given up on her education goals in entirety until her college career advisor encouraged her to contact Excelsior College, due to its liberal transfer policy.

Although her children were grown, Alfreda remained concerned with finding the time for her studies as she continued to take care of her ailing mother and raise a nephew.

But with her church providing encouragement and support, Alfreda returned to school after learning she could transfer nearly 90 credits of her nursing education towards a bachelor’s degree in health sciences. She eventually completed thirty one credits through online instruction and walked across stage this past July to receive her diploma.

With a degree in hand, Alfreda looks ahead to applying her education and realizing her true “calling” – founding a Creative Arts Center for sexually abused children, providing each with professional counseling and emotional therapy through music, dance and prayer.

“It was something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” says Alfreda. “My education will help me make it a reality.”

Excelsior Honored as “Top Military Friendly School” Fifth Straight Year by Military Advanced Education

2013-01-14T19:51:33Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff—

For the fifth straight year, Excelsior College, America’s largest and oldest nonprofit distance learning institution, has been bestowed the title of “top-military friendly college” by Military Advanced Education.

Excelsior College knows a thing or two about the unique needs of America’s military and veteran communities. Among the more than 37,000 currently enrolled students, over 14,000 count themselves as active-duty or of veteran status. And of the more than 5,200 Excelsior graduates in the 2011-2012 academic year 34 percent were members of the U.S. military.

“Since our founding Excelsior has been committed to the needs of veterans and all military personnel, and helping each achieve the dream of a college education,” Sue Dewan, executive director for Excelsior’s Center for Military Education. “This recognition is not an honor we take lightly.”

To earn the distinction, schools are rated on a distinct set of criteria, including tuition, scholarship and financial aid programs, advising excellence, presence on military installations, as well as acceptance of transfer credit, credit by exam and American Council on Education (ACE)-recognized military training. In addition, schools must meet specific standards on veteran support services, faculty training on veteran-specific issues, and mentorship programs, among others

“Excelsior’s Center for Military Education has launched a series of new initiatives in the past year, including a webinar series geared directly towards veterans and an online veterans’ center with vet to vet mentorship opportunities,” said Dewan. “We will continue to expand our services and meet the needs of our veteran and military communities.”

Excelsior College's other education credentials include:

• G.I. Jobs has named Excelsior a top military-friendly school the past four years.
• Excelsior's course, "Success Strategies for Military and Veterans" earned the 2010-2011 Innovation Award from the Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS). The course provides college and career orientation to veterans and military members and teaches transition strategies for those entering the civilian workforce after a military career.
• Excelsior is a recipient of the Council of College and Military Educators' (CCME) Institutional Award.
• Excelsior's military academic advising team includes veterans who are uniquely attuned to the unique needs of military students, veterans and their spouses.
• CME Executive Director Susan Dewan is the recipient of the 2011 William E. Kennedy Award from the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), which recognizes leadership in providing higher education programs to personnel at U.S. military installations.
• Excelsior President Ebersole is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who served in Vietnam and received the Secretary of the Army Public Service Award in 2010 for his leadership in contributing to the Army's educational mission.

Passionate Pursuit: Win or Lose, Teaching Life Lessons through Lacrosse

2012-12-11T14:27:49Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff—

Mark Michalisin, executive director for Business Development in the Center for Educational Measurement at Excelsior College, spends his days working to increase degree completion in the United States through credit by examination.

By night (and weekend) though, you’ll have a better chance finding the loving father of two on the field coaching youth lacrosse - working to not only make the youngsters better players today, but better men tomorrow.

Growing up Michalisin was a hockey and football player, so when his boys took up lacrosse it was a bit out of his comfort zone. But he did what most dedicated fathers would do – he took up the sport as well, volunteering as a coach and learning side by side with kids who looked up to him. Today, five years later, Michalisin continues to coach a recreational team while accepting the additional responsibility of directing the Boys Lacrosse Program for the Niskayuna (New York) Lacrosse Club.

Without playing lacrosse yourself growing up, what did you have to do to prepare to coach the sport?

Our local high school coach and modified coach have been great supporters of the club, and I have learned the game from them as well as from my oldest son who plays for their modified team. I am also thankful for my assistant coach who was an All American lax player in high school and went on to play at LeMoyne College. Lacrosse is very similar to hockey, so I was able to pick it up fairly quickly, but my two boys constantly remind me what I need to do.

Has anything ever happened that perhaps you weren't expecting and were unsure how to deal with it?

This past season, I had a player who was being bullied by a teammate in school, and he was afraid to come to practice because of this boy. After speaking with the parents, I had a decision to make. I will not tolerate bullies and I think a bully is a coward. I talked to the high school coach about this to get his thoughts and I made the decision to suspend the bully for a week. It was the right call and I held a team meeting for both players and parents to discuss my policy towards bullying, and was overwhelmed by the support I received from the parents, including the offending child's parents. At the end of the season, the boy who was being bullied thanked me for helping him out and at that point, I knew coaching was what I wanted to keep doing.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Besides coaching my son, which is by far the most challenging because you can't show favoritism and he has to listen to me long after the game is over, I think the biggest challenge is the balance between winning and teaching the kids how to lose with dignity and that if you want to be the best, you need to work hard in practice. The other challenge is dealing with parents of both your kids’ and the opposing team's parents. Parents can be extremely hard on kids and even harsher to an opposing team’s kid during a game, and I find myself reminding everyone that this is a kid's game, and it is for fun.

As a youth coach what is your most important responsibility?

To not only make sure the kids have fun on the field but also to learn to play the game the right way with sportsmanship and respect.

Sports are a great way to teach children a variety of life lessons: the importance of commitment; overcoming obstacles to achieve something greater; to be gracious in defeat does. What do you think lacrosse in particular can teach a young person?

The importance of teamwork, the ability to work with others towards a common goal, and to respect your coaches, teammates, opponents. I also try to make sure they become better young men both on and off the field.

What have you learned about yourself in the process?

It is an honor and privilege that these parents allow me to coach their kids. It is the most rewarding time for me to be on the field teaching these kids the right way to play as well as preparing them to act accordingly on and off the field as well. I stress that the lessons learned on the field carry over to the classroom as well as home. To see a kid's face when they score their first goal is priceless. I learned that I enjoy teaching and coaching and win or lose, I feel I am making a difference in their lives and they in mine.

"Education Made It All Possible": Nadejda Hvoyneva, '12

2012-12-07T14:41:38Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Originally from Bulgaria, Nadejda Hvoyneva moved to the United States and achieved citizenship in 2010 – the realization of a lifelong dream.

A business owner in Bulgaria, Nadejda secured an assistant manager position upon her arrival to the states after winning the “green card lottery.” While adult education in her homeland was rare, she knew the United States offered many opportunities. She had aspirations and knew the pathway required a college degree.

Nadejda researched online colleges – with her work schedule and family commitments she needed the flexibility of distance learning – and eventually decided on Excelsior due to its strong reputation with the U.S. military, an institution she highly respected.

Through her studies, Nadejda was able to attain the knowledge to navigate the business world and learn the marketing and management skills to differentiate herself within a competitive job market. The online format allowed her to be herself in class discussions without worrying about other students not understanding her accent.

Since completing her studies, Nadejda was hired as a marketing consultant for a firm near her hometown of Cockeysville, Maryland, a job that she loves. It’s also the type of position she applied for before earning her degree, but never heard back from.

“Education made it all possible,” says Nadejda.

Many Veterans Unsure How to Demonstrate Skills Employers Want

2013-01-14T19:51:18Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

For recent college graduates, looking ahead to the future can elicit both excitement and anxiety. A degree is one signal for an employer that an individual is ready for a career or, in the case of a post-traditional adult learner, prepared for advancement.

But what are the skills and qualities employers are looking for in candidates?

“Ultimately employers are looking for the soft skills - communication, planning, decision making, teamwork, as well as computer,” said Maribeth Gunner, career services coordinator at Excelsior College.

According to National Association of Colleges and Employers’ (NACE) Job Outlook 2013 survey the top two traits include “ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization” and “ability to work within a team structure.” Other top traits include the ability to make decisions; process information; and, demonstrate the ability to plan, organize and prioritize work.

For veterans however, especially those recently returned from abroad, concerns surrounding securing civilian employment are exacerbated by trouble communicating their skill sets.

“Many veterans are finding it increasingly difficult to find work because they aren’t able to articulate their skill sets to potential employers during the interview process,” said Gunner. “Others are not even aware that the many skills they have amassed through their military service are in high demand.” In addition to experience in cutting edge technology, veterans understand the value of teamwork, flexibility, accountability and leadership, she went on to explain.

For instance, an air traffic controller in the military has developed specific skills within the context of the position. One set includes work-content skills specific to only that position, such as how to utilize the navigation equipment to direct a plane to a safe landing. However, these controllers have also developed other marketable skills during their career that are considered “transferable” such as the ability to problem-solve and communicate effectively.

It’s these skills that veterans need to identify and highlight when developing their resumes and preparing for job interviews.

“Online career assessment tools are a great place to start,” says Gunner. “Do you work well in teams? Have you demonstrated dedication and integrity? These are the types of important skills that veterans need to take inventory of now and continuously refer back to and update as others are developed.”

Pilot Program Aims to Break Down Barriers to Graduate Degree Completion

2012-12-11T15:34:47Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

In an effort to address cost containment, Excelsior College launched the development of partnership programs to allow employees (and their spouses or domestic partner) of an organization to pursue degrees from any of Excelsior’s four schools – Business & Technology, Liberal Arts, Health Sciences and Nursing - at a reduced rate of tuition and fees.

Until now however these agreements covered only undergraduate degree programs. Beginning on January 1 though, Excelsior’s articulation agreements will cover an expanded number of educational offerings. Under a new pilot program announced today, Excelsior College will offer a 15 percent deduction on tuition to any individual enrolled in a graduate level program through a corporate or veteran organization partnership.

These types of partnerships have played an integral role in Excelsior’s efforts to help build a more highly educated and diverse labor force capable of competing in the 21st Century economy, by allowing greater access to learning for those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.

For potential students, this means access to any one of Excelsior’s graduate-level degree pathways, including its MBA (with eight concentration options), newly-launched Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, as well as Master of Science in nursing programs.

“We expect this initiative to prove quite popular, and help strengthen the structure of our existing academic, veteran and corporate partnerships” said Lisa LaVigna, executive director of Outreach and Access at Excelsior.”For employees, a master’s degree is a signal to their company that they are ready for career advancement.”

“Veterans entering the job market are doing so during difficult economic times and are increasingly seeking ways to distinguish themselves in a tough labor market,” said Judy Reed, director of veteran services and outreach for Excelsior College’s Center for Military Education. “A degree is the best way to do that and extending this reduced tuition rate through our graduate programs will allow veterans to earn an advanced degree giving themselves an edge in the job market.”

According to LaVigna, students who enroll during the the pilot program will be eligible for the reduced rate while pursuing their chosen master’s at Excelsior, provided they maintain continuous enrollment. The pilot program will run from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013.

Excelsior has partnered and allied with a variety of community colleges as well as corporations like GE Renewables and veterans organizations such as the New York and California state VFWs.

Online Education: Why We Need to Reform Contemporary Methods of Assessing Faculty-Student Interaction

2012-12-05T20:57:25Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Nancy Calsolaro Smulsky, EdD, a faculty member in Excelsior College’s School of Nursing published a dissertation* earlier this year exploring faculty-student interaction within an online learning environment. Her work not only looked at the importance of better understanding the relationship between faculty and student engagement, but the limitations of contemporary survey tools that may impede an institution’s assessment of their own faculty’s performance.

Excelsior Life sat down with Nancy recently to ask her about her findings.

The purpose of your dissertation was to explore the quality benchmark of student-faculty interaction of nontraditional baccalaureate level college students seeking degree completion through online programs at Excelsior College. What inspired, or perhaps intrigued you enough about the topic?

As an online instructor, being present for the students is something that is very close to my heart. I would notice students’ comments about instructor availability or how much they would like to have some type of live interaction. When the college’s National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) data was shared with the college, I noticed the college consistently scored low for this criteria. As a result, I looked further into NSSE and also spoke with OAIR about the survey. After meeting with OAIR, and discovering NSSE was written for the face-to-face environment, I decided to research this topic more deeply to see if there were any like tools for the non-traditional online learner.

As popular thought goes, online learners are more “independent” learners by nature. You even described them as expecting some level of “control” over the learning process. Can you talk a little online teaching-learning theory?

Research pointed out that online learning allows for student centered teaching and learning, the breaking down of barriers; and empowers the nontraditional college student with control over their interactions with faculty and fellow learners. The asynchronous format allows students the freedom to access courses at any time thereby providing control over when they learn and when they interact with each other and the instructor.

In the late 1980’s Chickering and Gamson published Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Today these principles continue to be used as the cornerstones for education no matter the setting. Chickering and Gamson pointed out the students have high expectations, seek prompt feedback from their instructor, and take an active role in their learning. They also pointed out the importance of student-faculty interaction. It is interesting to note that the number one principle speaks to the student-faculty connection. Placing this principle in the first position infers its importance for the success of the adult learner. Although these principles originated from research conducted in the traditional college setting, they have proven effective for online teaching and learning.

Excelsior College embraces Constructivist Theory. Here adult learners take an active role, are the center of their learning, and use new knowledge to build upon prior knowledge to construct new meaning. Excelsior prides itself in meeting students where they are and by embracing Quality Matters ensures the student is at the center of all we do, all the time. As nontraditional college students engage in meaningful learning, they will continue to seek out answers to questions which influence their lives. These lifelong learners emerge from the virtual learning environment into the virtual working environment constructing and transforming old knowledge into new knowledge, which would be negatively impacted without a high degree of student-faculty interaction.

So taking these different learning styles into account, what are online learners looking for in terms of interaction with faculty?

This is a great question. Not everyone learns the same way. Some students are independent and self-directed from the start; they are able to jump right in to a course. They rarely ask for assistance and fully embrace the asynchronous format. Others require some guidance and are yet to learn how to take charge of their learning. Students rely on the instructor to guide them to become more independent. By responding to individual learning styles, the instructor promotes dialogue between and among students and lays the foundation for both independent and group learning while instilling feelings of community.

Development of a community of inquiry requires online faculty to have presence throughout the course. Students expect instructors to partner with them by guiding discussions, responding to questions in a timely manner, and being accessible outside of the course. Students may not take advantage of meeting with an instructor by telephone or participating in live chats, however just knowing the instructor is available provides a sense of security. In fact, responses from students who participated in my research study supported this through statements such as: ". . . the interaction and atmosphere on the class forums were wonderful. Not only did the instructor offer helpful information, but he encouraged the students to do so among each other” and “The Excelsior instructors really like to help and mentor their students and never once did I get the impression of intruding upon their time.”

Your dissertation is built around the fact that current methods of assessing the effectiveness of online learning, specifically student-faculty interaction, may be outdated, or at least in need of refinement. What are some of the contemporary data gathering surveys and their limitations?

When attempting to measure quality it is important to use a consistent tool and compare finding to other like institutions. There are several student survey tools in existence that have been proven to be valid and reliable such as NSSE, Students’ Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ), and the Course/Instructor Evaluation Questionnaire (CIEQ).

Unfortunately these tools were written for the face-to-face environment and may not be the best tools for measuring quality of online learning. I did find one tool developed by Arthur Bangert, Student Evaluation of Online Teaching Effectiveness, which was written exclusively for evaluation of online learning. The limitation of these tools is that they measure different things from evaluation of teaching, to course effectiveness, to frequency and quality of student-faculty interaction. NSSE seems to be the tool of choice for many institutions. However with differing measures and learning environments, it is hard to make a definitive comparison of results from one to another. Even though Excelsior has participated in NSSE, we have identified that it may not be the best tool for evaluating the quality of online learning.

How do you recommend improving upon these existing survey toolkits?

I think we need to go back to the drawing board and through collaboration of online institutions of higher education fashion a tool that is acceptable by all for measuring and comparing engagement of the online, non-traditional college student.

So, what are the implications of all this? How can improved data gathering surveys and tools help guide the learning process and improve the effectiveness of distance learning?

Adult learners are not only self-directed, but hungry for information and knowledge that can be transformed to meet the needs of their real world challenges. Faculty must be at the ready to meet learner needs while incorporating and adjusting to the explosion of technological advances affecting the delivery of teaching and learning in the virtual environment. Knowing what makes student-faculty relationship strong and viable translates into satisfied students, increased student retention, and successful outcomes for all.

*Calsolaro Smulsky, Nancy (2012). Measuring Student-Faculty Interaction for Nontraditional College Students: A Comparison of Data Collection Tools. Doctoral dissertation, Argosy University, Online College of Education.

ESL WOW– Teaching English Language Learners How to Learn

2012-12-05T20:57:35Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

Today, Excelsior College will celebrate the launch of the Excelsior College English as a Second Language Writing Online Workshop (ESL WOW) – a free, publicly available resource within the school’s Online Writing Lab (Excelsior College OWL).

The event will be highlighted by a Keynote Address given by Howard Pomann, director of the Institute for Intensive English at Union County Community College. His talk is entitled “Teaching English Language Learners How to Learn” and it will be broadcast on the web for free.

In his presentation, Pomann will discuss a learner training model which focuses on technical, strategic, pedagogical training necessary to assist students to become successful language learners.

Pomann is the Director of the Institute for Intensive English at Union County College. Prof. Pomann has extensive experience in the areas of curriculum development, teacher training and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). He has directed several grants and given numerous presentations on the integration of CALL into the ESL curriculum and CALL learner training. His publications include several ESL textbooks and ESL software.

The livestream will be accessible via the Acrobat Connect Professional conferencing system which is very easy to access and use. Just click on the following link, http://acpro.excelsior.edu/esl. You will Enter as Guest and only need to type your name (first & last will do).

Frankie McCann: Lifelong Learner

2012-12-05T20:57:52Z

By Mike Lesczinski, Excelsior Life News Staff--

If you look up lifelong learner in the dictionary, you might discover a photo of Frankie McCann, a three-time graduate of Excelsior College.

Frankie dreamed of becoming a nurse at a young age, enrolling in nursing school directly after high school. Life changed though with the birth of a child. With money tight, Frankie put her educational ambitions aside for the good of her family – taking a job as a respiratory therapist and the opportunity to raise her son and daughter.

Over the coming decade she bounced around the United States, following her husband, whose job required several relocations. Yet never once did she give up on her nursing dream. During a stay in Kentucky, she met a nurse who had earned an associate degree through Excelsior College’s competency-based nursing program.

Frankie was intrigued by the idea that no matter where she traveled, Excelsior was there. And in 1997 she enrolled in the College’s nursing program seeking an associate degree. Thanks to Excelsior’s flexibility, she had found a way to balance home and school.

After Frankie graduated and secured a nursing job, she remained committed to the idea of lifelong learning, enrolling in Excelsior’s Bachelor of Science in Business program to secure a greater understanding of the corporate side of the health care industry. The craving for knowledge was still strong for Frankie though even after earning her degree. With the complexities of the health care industry rapidly changing and the nursing requirements becoming more stringent, Frankie wanted to pursue her graduate degree.

So that’s what she did, enrolling in Excelsior College’s Master of Science in Nursing program.

Unfortunately, as it often does, life derails even the best laid plans. With layoffs costing her husband his job, Frankie changed tracks, pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a path with more credit-by-examination offerings. Exams were more economical and had even more flexibility than the historically flexible online courses.

She convinced her husband Ed to return to school after he lost his job. He enrolled in Excelsior’s Center for Professional Development and completed a non-credit Pharmacy Technician course in 2010 that prepared him for industry certification.

Frankie graduated this past July and with her bachelor’s degree in hand, she looks towards a more promising future in nursing.

Passionate Pursuit: Roberto Figueroa is a Superhero (If the Script Calls For It)

2012-11-27T13:59:46Z

By Alicia Jacobs, Excelsior Life News Staff

By day, Roberto Figueroa II is executive director of Admissions at Excelsior College. But by night, Figueroa could be anyone, even a superhero. If the script calls for it, that is.

That’s because Figueroa, a father of three, is an actor and an accomplished one at that – even if it is a bit more challenging these days since becoming a father and breaking into the higher education field.

“I have always loved acting and pursuing that field,” said Figueroa, who hopes to audition for his local theatre company in Orange County, New York. “But the marketing and organizational skills I developed as an actor have certainly helped propel me throughout my business career.”

When asked how and why he first got involved in acting, Figueroa didn’t hesitate. “It was during my senior year at SUNY Cortland. I changed my major and took a year off. Later, I transferred to SUNY New Paltz and finished my degree in acting there. I've always wanted to act, but I was completely too shy to say or do anything that could lead to embarrassment. Now, it's just who I am.”

Since becoming a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), a career highlight for him, Figueroa has donned the red tights of Spider-Man for marketing appearances on behalf of Marvel and appeared in commercials for McDonald’s, Lowes and Budweiser. This past summer he even worked “Comic Con” in New York City.

Beyond acting, Figueroa loves to read and write, even composing a number of theatrical plays. He is also working on a children’s book.

“At least in the end my kids will have something from me that will last a life time, said Figueroa. “Whatever your passion is, find a way to work it in your schedule.”

Standing the Test of Time: The Competitive Racing Career of Tom Dalton

2012-11-26T21:30:20Z

While most count age in years, Tom Dalton, 54, could just as easily use miles. Over the past forty years, Excelsior’s assistant vice president of Enrollment Management has logged an estimated 120,000 of payment on the skids of his sneakers since he started racing competitively at the age of 14.

The top-ranked over 40 masters cross country runner in America by USA Track and Field the past five years, Tom was profiled over the holiday weekend by a local news organization here in Albany, New York.

Read the full story at the Troy Record.