Internships Available to Bachelor鈥檚 Students

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

In fall 2018, the first cohort of students took part in Excelsior鈥檚 new INT 400 Internship course. Students in this initial group took part in virtual internships; three students were placed at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, and the fourth student worked as a social media intern at Excelsior College. Despite some challenges, such as time zone differences, all the students expressed satisfaction that the internship had provided a useful and valuable experience.

The plan is for INT 400 to be available each trimester. Students are required to complete 135 hours of work during that time, including various academic and career-relevant activities. The interns also complete a final project relevant to their placement organization. Successful students gain 3 credits toward their degree. The internship is currently limited to students at the bachelor鈥檚 level.

鈥淭he INT 400 Internship with Excelsior College is a powerful way for a student to boost their resume with an experience that adds value to their career,鈥� says Will Trevor, faculty program director for undergraduate business programs and lead of the INT 400 Internship program.

The Spring 2019 cohort includes seven students in both virtual and face-to-face internships. Before the Spring term, more than 800 students responded to a survey expressing an interest in taking part in an internship, which bodes well for the future development of the program.

 

Coming Together at Commencement

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Before Commencement 2018, these master鈥檚 in nursing graduates were just names behind computer screens. Throughout their studies, they were in many of the same courses and ended up in many of the same work groups. Over time, they realized their team worked well together. Linda Schneider recalls, 鈥淲orking [with] the team approach helped each one of us succeed.鈥� She says they didn鈥檛 immediately find each other when they attended Commencement at Albany鈥檚 Empire State Plaza Convention Hall in July 2018; instead, they held up cards with their names on them and gradually amassed their group. Schneider says they were 鈥渆lated鈥� to find each other because it made the day that much more special to finally have their study group together in person. The graduates come from four different states and include, from left to right, (front row) Maxine Smalling, Lee Melvin, Kristin Covington, Linda Schneider and (back row) Olukemi Kuku, Michelle Mooney, and Kimberly Huseman.

Photo: Mike Hemberger

 

Celebrating the Class of 2018

Posted on by Excelsior Staff
A total of听5,137聽degrees were awarded. Most graduates earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Over the previous year, Excelsior聽conferred聽1,679聽associate degrees,聽2,886听bachelor鈥檚 degrees, and聽508聽master鈥檚 degrees.
Thirty-three percent聽of the graduates are active-duty military or veterans.
The graduating class comprises聽5,077聽adult learners with听51聽percent male and聽49聽percent female.
The oldest graduate is聽72 years old;聽the youngest graduate is聽12 years old.
罢丑别听class of 2018聽graduates come from聽15 countries,聽including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Ecuador, England, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Writing for聽the Workplace

Posted on by Excelsior Staff
Take advantage of resources to improve your聽writing skills and reputation as a good communicator

As a business writing instructor for Excelsior College, I聽frequently remind my students that nearly every profession will require writing skills. Consider the consequences of careless writing in the following scenarios: An IT professional makes incorrect assumptions about the audience鈥檚 expertise and leaves out important information in step-by-step instructions; a nurse fails to clearly communicate directions for post-operative medications; a soldier neglects to proofread material sharing key information and coordinates for an upcoming exercise; a sales person creates a brochure for prospective clients that is riddled with spelling and punctuation errors.

At best, these scenarios could result in additional work, wasted time, or loss of potential business. In the case of the nurse and the soldier, the consequences could be dire. Even if your business writing does not have calamitous consequences, it doesn鈥檛 hurt to familiarize yourself with available writing resources. If you are interested in some helpful tools for brainstorming, researching, outlining, proofreading, and editing, consider the following suggestions that have helped both college students and busy professionals.

Generating Ideas:聽Brainstorming is an important part of the writing process so that you can plan what you鈥檇 like to say in an email or presentation. Some find it helpful to get their ideas down on paper, while others use tools like Sticky Notes or MindNode. Sticky Notes look like a Post-It note on the computer screen. Ideas can be jotted down and saved on these notes during the brainstorming process. MindNode is a mind mapping app that allows a creative approach to sorting out ideas. Either tool can be used and saved if other work tasks compete for your attention.

Avoiding Repetition:聽If you feel there is too much repetition in your writing or that you鈥檇 love to hear an alternative to the word awesome, check out the free Power Thesaurus app. Simply enter the word you want to replace, and a list of alternatives appears. Before long, you鈥檒l be on your way to breathtaking, enchanting, and inspiring written material.

Proofreading and Editing:聽Proofreading and editing are important components in the writing process. Typos or grammatical errors can make professional work unprofessional and, in some cases, be downright embarrassing. If you are confused about how or when to use punctuation or need help with spelling, consider using Grammarly. Another helpful editing resource is the Hemingway Editor app. Named after the man who brought us a 424-word sentence, this app assists with sentence structure and avoiding passive voice. The Hemingway app helps with readability and, like Grammarly, it corrects your work.

Another editing practice is reading your work aloud to see if what you wrote matches what you think you wrote. Adobe Reader or the Natural Readers app can read your work back to you, allowing you to listen for clarity and comprehensibility.

Do you ever wonder whether to use affect or effect? Unsure about when to use less and fewer? Khan Academy has tutorials to help writers avoid common errors and short tests to check knowledge.

Hit the Books:聽While these tools provide valuable guidance, I feel that reading is a fantastic way to improve your writing skills. I say that because, after nearly two decades of helping college students with written work, it is immediately apparent if the student is an avid reader. I鈥檝e also found that both busy students and busy professionals will carve out time to read and enjoy American humorists like Mark Twain, David Sedaris, Dorothy Parker, and Haven Kimmel.

If you are interested in books specifically designed to help you with business writing, consider investing in 鈥淕rammar Girl鈥檚 Quick and Dirty Tricks for Better Writing鈥� by Mignon Fogarty (or check out the website) or 鈥淏usiness Writing Today鈥� by Natalie Canavor. Some of my undergraduate and graduate students reported that classroom texts like 鈥淭he Bedford Researcher鈥� by Mike Palmquist and 鈥淎 Writer鈥檚 Reference鈥� by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers have remained on their desks long past graduation.

Why All the Fuss?:聽Whether we like it or not, we will be judged by how we write. Unfortunately, people make assumptions about our education level, expertise, or even our attention to detail if we are sloppy, inaccurate, or inarticulate. Consider using some or all these tools for a writing refresher. Remember, before you put your signature on any document, ask yourself if it will leave your employer with an impression of you as an educated, organized, and responsible communicator.

 

Q&A With Dale Emeagwali

Posted on by Excelsior Staff
Faculty Program Director,聽Biology and Natural Science
Arrow up
Dale Emeagwali, a microbiologist voted the 1996 Scientist of the Year by the National Technical Association, credits teaching in classrooms at three universities with making for an easy transition to teaching online at Excelsior College. Photo: Mike Hemberger

What led you to your position as program director at Excelsior College?

For two decades, I was a full-time scientific researcher at institutions that included the National Institutes of Health and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. From 1978 to 1996, I conducted full-time research in the fields of microbiology, virology, molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry. My contributions to molecular biology earned me the 1996 Scientist of the Year Award from the United States鈥� National Technical Association and inclusion in the 鈥淚nternational Who鈥檚 Who in Medicine鈥� and 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Who in the World.鈥�

I came to Excelsior College after three decades across five states in places including the University of Michigan Medical Center, Georgetown University School of Medicine, University of Wyoming, and University of Minnesota. I came to Excelsior College because I was looking for a new challenge, a new career path, and a new city.

What drew you to the natural sciences?

I thought about becoming a medical doctor but knew that I could not deal with blood and guts. For that reason, I studied microbiology at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and I conducted research at the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.

What do you enjoy about teaching online courses?

Online courses break the barriers of space and time. I teach students worldwide, rather than those in a small classroom. My goal is to inspire deep thinking and dialogue and make my material come alive.

What career opportunities does a degree in the natural sciences offer?

I used my degree in the biological sciences to conduct research at the National Institutes of Health and teach at the University of Minnesota, and manage others at Excelsior College. As a researcher, my quest was to make discoveries that will improve the lives of others.

I expect my students at Excelsior College to become medical sales representatives, nanotechnologists, or science writers. Some become physician assistants, forensic scientists, or health care scientists.

What is your teaching philosophy?

I聽want to change the mindset of my students from cookbook biology to inquiry science, and I want to help them see the connections between textbook knowledge and the real聽world.

I taught students that they must be at the frontier of medical knowledge before they can discover the cure for cancer. I teach that as a discoverer, they will see the unseen, understand the misunderstood, and stand on the shoulders of earlier discoverers.

What challenges are involved with teaching STEM subjects?

The challenge is to build a stronger America through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We conquer that challenge by thinking outside of the box. The primary goal of science education is to increase the nation鈥檚 intellectual capital and move humanity forward. The grand challenge of science education is to concretize this abstract goal by connecting it with students so science will become compelling, interesting, and visible.

What is your research philosophy?

In science and technology, a researcher鈥檚 goal is to discover or invent, and both are the act of seeing something previously unseen. At its core, my 35-year-long journey to the聽terra incognita聽of medical knowledge was a search for the cure for something previously聽uncured.

I discovered a type of protein that was previously thought to exist only in animal cells. Interestingly, since my discovery, it has been shown that bacterial cells even have genes in them that are analogous to human cancer聽genes.

In the field of virology, I demonstrated the existence of overlapping genes in a small DNA virus. This phenomenon is now widely accepted as a process for many organisms. In cancer research, I showed that cancer gene expression could be inhibited by the use of tiny pieces of nucleotides. There are now some cancers being treated with this technique and more clinical trials are ongoing.

The body of knowledge that defines biology is not narrow and specialized. On the contrary, it is broad and deep, expansive and encompassing. I take my students to the frontier of knowledge and sometimes into its聽terra incognita. I focus on what鈥檚 most significant in biology. That frontier is not static, but is ever evolving with each discovery that 鈥� hopefully 鈥� enhances the well-being of聽humanity.

What motivates you as a natural聽scientist?

Science education is, in part, about making an invisible equation of mathematics and law of physics visible so that students can appreciate and be inspired by it. At its core, scientific knowledge connects our children to their future and gives them the wisdom needed to raise their children.

A long time ago, a man once asked his children, 鈥淚f you had a choice between the clay of wisdom or a bag of gold, which would you choose?鈥� 鈥淭he bag of gold, the bag of gold,鈥� the naive children cried, not realizing that wisdom had the potential to earn them many more bags of gold in the future.

The wealth of the future is derived from developing intellectual capital 鈥� the clay of wisdom 鈥� that science education can give and that will make America stronger. We expand the story of science to enable our students to become a part of the story, as well as a witness.

My vision for science education is to tap into the creativity and innovation of our students 鈥� the people who have the potential to become job creators, instead of job seekers.

 

Jeffery Hoffman Powers Toward a BS in Nuclear Engineering Technology

Posted on by Maria C. Sparks

Two years ago, Jeffery Hoffman retired from the U.S. Navy after 26 years of service. Retirement may have brought him some changes, but not a change of job. He stayed on as an engineering technologist at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory in West Milton, New York, having transitioned from a military position to a civilian one. He also continues with his pursuit of a bachelor鈥檚 degree in nuclear engineering technology.

Hoffman has entered the home stretch of his studies. Retirement has provided a more structured work schedule, so he has typically taken one course every 8-week term. The desire to finish his degree is strong, and he took two courses in one 8-week term in fall 2018 to keep to the time line he set for degree completion. He expects to earn the nuclear engineering technology degree in June 2019.

The nuclear engineering technology degree complements his Navy experience and background as a nuclear power plant operator and supervisor, and positions him for future opportunities. 鈥淭o have any prospect of advancement, it鈥檚 very important. To have any future advancement in the company, I need the degree to open up doors,鈥� says Hoffman.

鈥淚t鈥檚 what every adult student is going through with trying to balance life and college.鈥� 鈥揓effrey Hoffman

Hoffman has been working on his degree since 2005, when he was an educational services officer counseling sailors about the educational opportunities and how to use Tuition Assistance and GI Bill® benefits. At that time, coming off sea duty, he was in what he describes as a 鈥渇amily tour鈥� shore-duty job, meaning he was working Monday through Friday working hours instead of the rotating shift work that is most common to Navy sailors in the nuclear power field. When he started courses at Excelsior, he was all in聽鈥斅燼nd college took up all his time. The timing for pursuing his degree at that rigorous pace wasn鈥檛 right for him, given his family and work responsibilities, and he opted to 鈥渟uspend himself鈥� from pursuing his degree to enjoy this family tour. He scaled back on his studies, and took one course each year until recently.

鈥淚 would have liked to have finished earlier [but] I wasn鈥檛 as disciplined in completing my degree as many of my sailors were. Also, I wasn鈥檛 ready to have my career in the Navy over, but 26 years is high year tenure for a senior chief,鈥� says Hoffman. Now, post-retirement, he plans study time around his work schedule and makes sure everyone in the family knows his study times. He still has the challenges of being a husband, father, putting a child through college, full-time work, pets, maintaining a home, and the responsibilities that come with each. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what every adult student is going through with trying to balance life and college,鈥� he says.

To help with that balance, Hoffman received a 2017 SEFCU Partners in Lifelong Learning Scholarship. The SEFCU scholarship provides financial assistance to students in the Capital Region of New York state who are veterans or active military. The impact of the scholarship was about flexibility, he says. 鈥淚 came into this with a plan on how to do everything 鈥� but receiving that scholarship allowed for an extra amount of flexibility that didn鈥檛 exist.鈥�

When Hoffman earns his degree, it will have been 14 years in the making. He plans to use this degree to pursue advancement in his current employment. He doesn鈥檛 have any solid plans yet, but the prospect of becoming an engineer or a project manager for the company are a couple of the positions he is considering.

GI Bill庐 is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at .

Military: U.S. Navy Veteran

Support: SEFCU Partners in Lifelong Learning Scholarship

Michelle Ashley Earns Criminal Justice Degree Using Educational Benefits

Posted on by Jenna Kerwin

Excelsior College鈥檚 corporate, association, and government partnerships give people the opportunity to complete their degrees through high-quality programs, affordable and discounted tuition and fees, flexible course schedules, and generous credit-transfer policies. The College鈥檚 partnership with Zone 5 Law Enforcement Training Academy in Schenectady, New York, ended up being the perfect opportunity for Michelle Ashley to pursue her higher education.

Family:
Her husband, a police officer, also has Zone 5 training

Favorite courses:
CJ 120 Introduction to Corrections
CJ 256 Criminal Justice Administration

Ashley, a public campus safety officer from West Sand Lake, New York, was going through training at Zone 5 while she was employed with University Heights Association Inc., a security company for colleges and college housing units. 鈥淚 became a supervisor and that is when Excelsior and [Zone 5] went into a partnership,鈥� she says. Ashley has an associate degree in business from SUNY Cobleskill but decided to pursue criminal justice. Many of her subordinates also had associate degrees in criminal justice and Ashley wondered what their learning experience had been like. She had also been watching the Zone 5 training pages and saw an announcement to earn an associate degree in criminal justice with Excelsior.

鈥淚 was so excited that some of my work I did at Zone 5 transferred as credits over to Excelsior because then that made getting a degree achievable.鈥� 鈥揗ichelle Ashley ’18

She had previously learned that a lot of her credits from SUNY weren鈥檛 going to transfer to other schools, and she would have to essentially start all over again. When she looked deeper at Excelsior, she realized having been at Zone 5 gave her a leg up in making her degree happen. 鈥淚 was so excited that some of my work I did at Zone 5 transferred as credits over to Excelsior because then that made getting a degree achievable,鈥� says Ashley. When she found out she could complete her criminal justice degree in a year with Excelsior, it became a more tangible dream that Ashley could achieve and not, as she explains, take away from her family time.

Excelsior鈥檚 online learning format was perfect for Ashley, who works full-time and the late shift. She admits it was tough to take two classes at once, though. 鈥淚 strive on making the best grades… Taking two classes at once made it hard to soak in the information. But I pushed through, and was able to finish both classes,鈥� she says. As a student, she had her Zone 5 training on her side and was able to refer to her experience for examples in the discussion topics.

Now she is encouraging her husband, who is a police officer, to pursue his degree with Excelsior. She informs him that with his background and credits, he鈥檚 even closer to receiving his degree than she was. 鈥淔or the security guard part of it, I did it within a year or so, but then with the police officer, you鈥檙e going to use more of what Zone 5 has to offer,鈥� she explains, referring to the amount of credits Excelsior accepts from Zone 5 training.

Her degree has opened her eyes to the administrative world of criminal justice. She says it鈥檚 helpful that she is able to pull information from her class research to show data that supports various ways of dealing with people who break the rules. Ashley鈥檚 favorite courses with the College were CJ 120 Introduction to Corrections and CJ 256 Criminal Justice Administration. CJ 120 helped her understand why it is important to try rehabilitation as an alternative to incarceration and it showed her how biased the social justice system is against low-income persons. CJ 256 gave Ashley many administrative strategies to use in her career.

Ashley says the input from her instructors was instrumental in helping her succeed at Excelsior. 鈥淲hen I asked for help from the professors, they were more than willing to get information, links, or ask questions to help,鈥� she says. Ashley earned an Associate in Science in Criminal Justice in August 2018 and though she isn鈥檛 thinking of switching jobs anytime soon, she says her degree will help when she pursues a promotion.

She plans to pursue her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in criminal justice because, with Excelsior, she found she likes the online format. 鈥淢y company gives me tuition reimbursement so it makes it more achievable,鈥� she says of pursuing her education. She鈥檚 not sure what topic she will pursue; she wants to keep her options open and see how she will best fit with her company, but administration, fire safety, and community policing are on her list. Thanks to her degree from Excelsior and her training from Zone 5, Ashley can keep her options open and pursue higher education and career advancement whenever she pleases.

 

Herma Lee Receives a Regional Nursing Honor

Posted on by Maria C. Sparks

Herma Lee recalls her mother telling her that she was inclined to help people from an early age. That penchant for helping others makes her an asset as a nurse in the Apheresis Unit at Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. Her nursing skills, judgment, and interactions with patients and families led to her selection as a 2018 Nurse of the Year in the Capital Region of New York state.

Bachelor鈥檚 Degree:
Anthropology from University at Albany

Honors:
Inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing

Ten nurses in the region were recognized as part of the Times Union鈥檚 Salute to Nurses initiative in May 2018. Each year the newspaper鈥檚 readers are invited to nominate a nurse for the award, which honors nursing excellence among more than 273,000 licensed registered nurses in the region. Lee, a nurse at Albany Med for the past 15 years, earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Excelsior College in June 2018. She maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the program and was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

鈥淚 found my voice and grew in confidence to speak on vital changes needed in health care and nursing.鈥� 鈥揌erma Lee ’18

In the Apheresis Unit 鈥� where whole blood is removed from a patient and components of the whole blood are separated and then a component is removed and the remaining components are returned to the patient 鈥� Lee is the experienced educator and mentor to nurses new to the unit. With her years of experience in the unit, she鈥檚 at an interesting phase of her career. She enjoys the patient-care aspects of nursing and the reward of seeing patients get better, and revels in helping to educate patients and their families and being a patient advocate. As a level 5 nurse, her next step can be nurse manager, director, or any nurse leadership role. She鈥檚 taking the time to identify her niche, as she also enjoys research. 鈥淓xcelsior did broaden my horizons greatly as to what is out there and what nurses can do,鈥� says Lee.

For the capstone course in the master鈥檚 program, she wrote a scholarly paper that discusses educating nurses on vascular access to improve the quality of care for patients receiving therapeutic apheresis. Her paper will be published in 2019 by the American Society of Apheresis, the organization of physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals whose mission is to advance apheresis medicine for patients, donors, and practitioners through education, science-based practice, research, and advocacy.

Nursing was a second career for Lee, who was a dental assistant for 10 years after earning an anthropology degree from the University at Albany. As a single parent to a then 4-year-old, she changed her career trajectory and pursued a nursing degree at Hudson Valley Community College. After working at two local nursing homes, she began working at Albany Med and has spent her entire career there in the same unit.

Lee says that having completed the educational experience at Excelsior, she feels empowered to make a change for the nursing profession and, ultimately, for patients. 鈥淚 had such a great experience overall, but my most personal and impactful experience was feeling empowered, empowered to represent our nursing profession in this troubled and challenging health care arena,鈥� says Lee, who was recently selected to sit on the hospital鈥檚 Institutional Review Board. 鈥淚 found my voice and grew in confidence to speak on vital changes needed in health care and nursing. I feel like I can do it all. I can change the world.鈥�

 

Roger Parrino Makes a Difference with Career in Public Service

Posted on by Jenna Kerwin

Roger Parrino Sr., commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, has always had a sense of service and desire to serve his country. His dedication to public service stems almost 40 years, and throughout his career, he has developed and polished his skills as a leader, analytic thinker, and crisis manager by working hard and, as he puts it, 鈥渟howing up,鈥� physically and mentally, every聽day.

When he was a freshman in college, Parrino enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserves during the Iranian hostage crisis. He knew he wanted to serve his country; during a family trip, his father gave him an important piece of advice considering the choice: 鈥淲e were looking at a war memorial that listed the names of the soldiers that had died in the Civil War and my dad said to me that it is important to serve the country but the objective is to stay off lists like these.鈥�

In 1980, Parrino attended boot camp and then returned to college. Following his fifth semester, he was hired by the New York City Police Department, which was a childhood dream. He says, 鈥淚 became a narcotics detective and was later promoted to sergeant, supervising a plainclothes anti-crime team, and later became lieutenant commander of detectives and a member of the Hostage Negotiation Team for over 10 years.鈥�

鈥淚 think the two biggest challenges have been keeping one鈥檚 integrity and sense of humor. You need both of those to succeed; if you lose either one, you lose yourself.鈥� 鈥揜oger Parrino ’89

Parrino decided that to advance in his career, he needed to return to school. He always wanted to complete his degree, but it was difficult to balance the different aspects of his life. That鈥檚 when he learned that the NYPD helped officers interested in pursuing their education and he heard about Excelsior 鈥� then named Regents College. After meeting a Regents recruiter who explained how Regents鈥� program worked, Parrino knew the college was right for him. The non-traditional learning experience motivated him to go back to school while working as an officer. As a student, Parrino鈥檚 biggest challenge was time, but Regents鈥� flexible structure and helpful advisors helped him achieve his goal of earning a college degree. He graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts.

Parrino retired from the New York City Police Department in 2003. He spent some time with his family before becoming a civilian advisor to the Marine Corps and serving four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He then served as senior counselor to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson where he worked in counterterrorism, and then in May 2017, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed Parrino as the commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

There isn鈥檛 a typical day as commissioner, says Parrino, who considers himself a crisis manager. Established in 2010, the Division is comprised of the Offices of Counter Terrorism, Emergency Management, Fire Prevention and Control, Interoperable and Emergency Communications, and Disaster Recovery Programs. Together, these offices coordinate the state鈥檚 response with the federal government鈥檚 efforts during and after a declared disaster. Parrino believes in having firsthand knowledge when situations arise so that he can best present information to Governor Cuomo. He has two offices 鈥� one in Albany, the state capital, and one in New York City 鈥� and travels about 40 percent of his time, making sure he is on hand to get the information he needs.

鈥淚n the 17 months that I have served as commissioner, we have had some unusual challenges,鈥� says Parrino, describing a rare flooding event that resulted when Lake Ontario鈥檚 water level was unusually high. He also notes going to Puerto Rico 鈥渢o help ensure that donations from New York made it into the communities that needed them the most, which required partnering with local organizations to get the goods out of the port quickly.鈥�

Each day at work presents different situations, says Parrino. He has some good advice, though: 鈥淚 think the two biggest challenges have been keeping one鈥檚 integrity and sense of humor. You need both of those to succeed; if you lose either one, you lose yourself.鈥�

Early Career:
Worked in food service and retail

Post-Retirement Jobs:
Advisor to U.S. Marine Corps and then Senior Counselor, U.S. Department of聽Homeland Security

Carrie B. Lenburg and the Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

The first Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination, known as the CPNE, was administered during the five-week period beginning December 10, 1974, with the outcome of 42聽students becoming the first graduates of the associate degree in nursing program. Carrie B. Lenburg, shown here affixing a nursing pin to a happy graduate, was coordinator of the Regents External Degrees in nursing program from 1974鈥�1991, during which she had a lead role in developing and organizing the Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination.

Today, alumni can apply for the Carrie B. Lenburg Award, which is presented annually to a graduate who echoes the vision and accomplishments of the former nursing program coordinator. The recipient is a nurse who demonstrates a commitment to nursing education as well as academic and professional accomplishments in the field of nursing. The award is given along with other alumni awards during the Awards Convocation held the evening before Commencement.聽聽鈥揓.K.

This photo was originally published in 鈥淩egents College / The Early Years鈥� (The Donning Company Publishers: 1998).

 

By The Numbers Vol 2

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

50%

The percentage of enrolled students who are either active-duty military servicemembers or veterans. While servicemembers and veterans have always been a significant percentage of Excelsior College students, this is the first time in recent years that they represent half of all enrolled students.

14%

The percentage of alumni who are re-enrolled after earning a degree from Excelsior College. In all, more than 13,700 graduates have earned more than one degree from the College.

$25

The amount new graduates can contribute to the Pay It Forward campaign and become contributing members of the Alumni Association. When graduates participate in this campaign, their contributions of $25 or more go to the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund and they help provide support for current students with financial need. Helping those students complete their own degrees is one way our graduates pay it forward.

13

The number of emails that will be sent to associate degree in nursing students with tips for preparing for the Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination, known as the CPNE. The emails are sent about once a month to give students helpful suggestions for studying for and mastering the comprehensive exam.

797

The number of people who took the exam Anatomy and Physiology for credit through independent study in the past year. That exam was the one taken most often from among the more than 60 exams the College offers. The 6-credit multiple choice exam corresponds to an introductory, two-semester sequence of anatomy and physiology courses.

 

Alumni Notes – Spring 2019

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Business

Christopher Persaud, BS 鈥�02, of New Milford, NJ,聽recently retired from his position as a grants specialist/assistant controller at Newark Community Health Centers Inc. He has written 10 books 鈥� four of which have won international literary awards 鈥� in the areas of Christian apologetics and comparative religion. Persaud earned a Bachelor of Science in Business with an emphasis in accounting from Excelsior College in 2002.

Robert Leonard, BPS 鈥�15, of Valier, MT,聽was recently sworn in by Montana Attorney General Tim Fox as one of five criminal investigators working for the Montana Department of Justice/Department of Corrections. Leonard is a former SWAT/narcotics detective with 12 years鈥� experience. He earned a Bachelor of Professional Studies from Excelsior College.

Miguel A. Herrera, BS 鈥�18, of Yantzaza, Ecuador,聽a regional manager with Fundaci贸n Ense帽a Ecuador, was invited this past August by the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia to participate as a panelist and facilitator in the Khebrah International Forum for Teachers 2018, organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Teach for All network. Prior to earning a Bachelor of Science in Business at Excelsior College, Herrera earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Escuela Superior Polit茅cnica del Litoral in Ecuador in 2016.

Liberal Arts

Michael LaFerney, BS 鈥�79, of Lakeville, MA,聽received a master鈥檚 equivalency certificate in applied ecopsychology from Project NatureConnect, whose program courses were taken from Portland State University. He earned a bachelor鈥檚 in liberal arts from Excelsior College.

Harold Geller, BS 鈥�83, of Burke, VA,聽recently co-authored the book, 鈥淩enewable Energy: A First Course鈥� and was featured in George Mason University鈥檚 鈥淔aces of Mason鈥� student newspaper feature. Geller earned a bachelor鈥檚 in liberal arts from Excelsior College in 1983 and hopes to retire from George Mason University in 2020.

Farrell Chiles, BS 鈥�92, of Pomona, CA,聽recently authored the book, 鈥淎frican American Warrant Officers 鈥� Preserving Their Legacy.鈥� Chiles earned a bachelor鈥檚 in liberal arts from Excelsior College in 1992.

George L. Salis, BS 鈥�95, of Sarasota, FL,聽was recently promoted to principal economist and tax policy advisor at Vertex Inc., a global tax software and technology company. After earning a bachelor鈥檚 in liberal arts from Excelsior College, he earned a master鈥檚 from the University of Baltimore and several tax studies certificates from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, St. Thomas University, and the University of Wolverhampton.

Jean-Jacques Senechal, BS聽鈥�95, of Brooklyn, NY,聽recently received a license from the New York State Department of Financial Services and is pursuing his securities license, which will enable him to work as a consultant in the securities industry. He is also writing a book. Senechal earned a bachelor鈥檚 in liberal arts from Excelsior College in 1995.

Dawn Strait, BS 鈥�98, of Port Richey, FL,聽earned a master鈥檚 in strategic communication from Liberty University in 2018. She is enrolled in the doctor of education program at Northcentral University. Strait earned a bachelor鈥檚 in liberal arts from Excelsior in聽1998.

James Bedient, AS 鈥�99, BS 鈥�12, of Daggett, MI,聽recently graduated from Western New Mexico University with a master鈥檚 in interdisciplinary studies. He earned an associate in liberal arts and bachelor鈥檚 in liberal arts from Excelsior College.

Shenlei E. Winkler, BS 鈥�99, of Lansing, MI,聽recently finished an animated short film, 鈥淎rrivals & Departures,鈥� with her production partner, CEH Productions, and was invited to submit the film into the 鈥渘ew frontiers鈥� category at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Winkler was recently awarded a co-patent with IBM for virtual world-based product design. She earned a bachelor鈥檚 in liberal arts from Excelsior College.

Walter Kroptavich, BS 鈥�08, of New Windsor, NY,聽a budget analyst with the U.S. Army, is a 2018 Presidential Management Fellow finalist. In addition to a bachelor鈥檚聽in liberal arts from Excelsior College, Kroptavich earned a master鈥檚 in information systems from the University of Phoenix in 2009, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2016, and a juris doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2016.

Larry Sargeant, MA 鈥�11, of Little Falls, NY,聽recently published his debut novel, 鈥淭he Saga of Chief Barking Loincloth,鈥� a part-biography, part-fiction tome. Sargeant earned a master鈥檚 in liberal studies from Excelsior College and previously earned a bachelor鈥檚 in education from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1972. He writes that he has been a soldier, cor颅porate buyer, professional skydiver, furniture salesman, small-time carny, shoe des颅igner, and factory聽manager. He recently retired from teaching.

Denise Boroughs-Fitch, BS 鈥�14, of Woodland, CA,聽has been accepted into Walden University鈥檚 Master of Healthcare Administration program. She is a clinic director with Scripps Clinic, and earned a bachelor鈥檚 in liberal arts from Excelsior College.

Nursing

Karen Cox, AS 鈥�82, of Kansas City, MO,聽recently became the new president of Chamberlain University College of Nursing in Downers Grove, Illinois. She聽earned an Associate in Science in Nursing from Excelsior College.

Lewis B. Williams, AS 鈥�90, of Henderson, NV,聽is a nursing supervisor with Horizon Ridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Henderson. He earned an associate degree in nursing from Excelsior College and also earned a bachelor鈥檚 in psychology from Wayne State University in 1985 and a MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2007.

James Desiderati, AS聽鈥�01, of Northumberland, PA,聽recently patented and launched with his wife an end-of-life conversation guide called 鈥淓lephant in the Room.鈥� Desiderati earned an Associate in Applied Science in Nursing from Excelsior College in 2001.

Lou Ann Gleason, AS 鈥�04, BS聽鈥�11, MS 鈥�15, of Ellisburg, NY,聽is a school nurse with the South Jefferson Central School District and was recently appointed president of the New York State Association of School Nurses. A three-time Excelsior College graduate, Gleason earned an Associate in Science in Nursing in 2004, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2011, and Master of Science in Nursing, with a specialization in nursing education, in 2015.

Elizabeth Nelson-Frazier, AS聽鈥�08, of Norwell, MA,聽is a family nurse practitioner with Harbor Community Health Center on Cape Cod. She has worked in multiple fields, including general medicine, women鈥檚 health, urgent care, and psychiatry. After earning an Associate in Science in Nursing from Excelsior College, Nelson-Frazier earned a bachelor鈥檚 in English from the University at Massachusetts in 2003 and a master鈥檚 in nursing from Regis College in 2014.

Megan Keenan, AS 鈥�11, BS and MS 鈥�15, of Nassau, NY,聽recently received a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Grand Canyon University. A two-time graduate of Excelsior College, Keenan earned an associate degree in nursing in 2011 and a BS and MS in nursing in 2015. In addition, she also earned a post-master鈥檚 certificate in nursing education from Excelsior College in 2017.

Razell Perry, AS 鈥�11, BS聽鈥�13, of Clarksville, TN,聽says, 鈥淓xcelsior College has provided a great start in my nursing career. I didn鈥檛 think obtaining my RN was possible after multiple military relocations. Once I found Excelsior, I was able to complete my ADN and BSN within 3鈥�4 years. I am so thankful.鈥� In addition to associate and bachelor鈥檚 degrees in nursing from Excelsior College, Perry earned a master鈥檚 in management and leadership from Western Governor鈥檚 University in 2018.

Monica Muamba, MS聽鈥�12, of Altamont, NY,聽has received two awards since graduation: one from Alpha Kappa Sorority in 2012 for encouraging education in the community, and one from the Frank Chapman Memorial Institute Inc. in 2017 for nurse of the year. Muamba earned a master鈥檚 in nursing from Excelsior College in 2012.

Technology

Brady McNulty, BS 鈥�11, of Roseburg, OR,聽a pharmacist and cartoonist, was recently named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), which is based in London. McNulty publishes thought-provoking cartoons each month online and in small newspapers and magazines throughout the United States. He earned a bachelor鈥檚 in nuclear engineering technology from Excelsior College.