The Career College Association’s (CCA) Hill Day and Policy Forum took place March 8-12 in Washington, D.C., and CCA members made the most of the experience.  Netting a record high of over 600 visits to elected officials by CCA members, students and employers, the events were a major success. 

Globe University/Minnesota School of Business and Utah Career College students and staff members were among the attendees. Two students, Jennifer Dull from Globe-Woodbury, and Dawn Connor from Globe-Eau Claire, met with their legislators to discuss their positive career college experiences and the benefits their university has provided them. Jennifer and Dawn were accompanied by Shana Weiss, Regional Director for Globe, Tom Kosel, Director of Government Relations for Globe, and James Cox, Regional Director for Utah Career College.

Front row, from left: Shana Weiss, Jennifer Dull and Dawn Connor. Back row, from left: James Cox and Tom Kosel.

A special track for student visitors featured remarks by John Harris, Editor-in-Chief of Politico.  Jake Kuhns, former CCA employee and now assistant to Rep. Tim Holden, presented on what life as a Hill staffer is like. Lastly, the students learned about the power of social media by CCA Communications Manager Luke Thomas and Andrea Michnik, an Adjunct Instructor at George Washington University. Following the event, one student signed up for twitter and said the following, “Just got back from Washington D.C. I learned more in 24 hours than I ever thought was possible…what an amazing city.”

Other Policy Forum events included Tom Kosel and Art Keiser, Chancellor of Keiser University, who together led a wonderful discussion about “How to Conduct a Campus Visit” with the elected officials that represent your community. These campus visits are an amazing way to show Members of Congress the powerful impacts our schools have in their districts!

At the end of February, Terry and Kaye Myhre, along with several Globe Education Network (GEN) directors hosted meetings with executives from HCL Technologies and SSN Institutions of India that are supported by a private foundation developed by Shiv Nadar. Nadar, an IT pioneer and entrepreneur, is a highly regarded philanthropist and leader in transformational education initiatives, which he created to bridge the socio-economic divide in India and the global workforce. The visitors were representatives from the HCL group and SSN colleges, including the College of Engineering, School of Management and Computer Applications, School of Advanced Software Engineering and Research Centre. Their discussion focused on potential opportunities that may include the following cooperative activities:

• Student academic and cultural exchange projects
• Faculty and staff exchange projects
• Joint research in global outreach and proceedings conferences
• Exchange of academic materials, publications, and information
• Exploration of opportunities, such as articulation agreements, two-plus-two degree programs in IT sciences, engineering and management, and possible related ventures.

The meetings with the HCL and SSN leaders are part of GEN’s exploration of outreach initiatives to support community building for U.S. and non-U.S. post-secondary and higher education students, staff, and faculty.  The focus is on developing a dialogue with diverse education leaders worldwide who share our objective of strengthening the global workforce.  We seek organizations whose leaders share our values to collaborate with us in educating students as responsible citizens who contribute to the world economy while becoming more self-sustainable.

Advanced technologies play a major role in the accelerated growth of the world markets.  Nearly all industries and enterprises rely on global human, fiscal, and physical resources to deliver their services/products.  However, beyond technical expertise and discipline-specific knowledge, workplace peers need an increased understanding of others’ heritage, ethnic backgrounds, government systems, and social mores.

We are excited to build alliances with those who want to join us in creating a global presence and service learning methods to engage students and prospective employees in community building from their college to workforce experience-from enrollment through graduation to meaningful employment.

Nicole Rasmussen, community relations coordinator at Minnesota School of Business in Elk River, represented the campus at the Minnesota Business Day at the capitol on Wednesday, March 10. Attendees included various Chamber of Commerce members from throughout the state of Minnesota. The event started at the Crowne Plaza in St. Paul and concluded at the capitol and state building.  The day offered an opportunity to listen to House and Senate representatives, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and Major General Richard Nash, the Commanding General of the 34^th Infantry Red Bull Division of the Minnesota National Guard speak about pertinent issues being debated at the state level.  In addition, attendees had the opportunity to speak in small groups with their local representatives about specific  concerns and ask questions.

Students in Katie Mader’s creative writing class at MSB-Richfield have had an enriching experience with senior citizens at the Village Shores Senior Campus in Richfield. The students were paired with seniors for a service-learning project in which they developed relationships, learned about the seniors’ lives, and then wrote fictional stories based on their interactions.

Mader, who is also the service-learning coordinator at MSB-Richfield, developed the project based on her  relationship with her grandfather and the stories she learned from him for a similar project she completed for her own studies.

The Star Tribune covered this fantastic project that successfully melded service-learning, We Care, and our commitment to creating valuable learning experiences for our students. Please read the complete Star Tribune article here.

Congratulations to Katie Mader for developing this enriching experience for students, and to the MSB-Richfield students for their dedication to their education and willingness to participate in their community.

Globe University/Minnesota School of Business Presents: Celebrate Women in Music with The Watson Twins

Tuesday April 6^th at the Fine Line Music Café. Tickets are on sale now for GEN students and employees for $5 at MSB-Brooklyn Center, Richfield and St. Cloud, and Globe-Woodbury.

Tickets for the public are $15 and on sale now at Ticketmaster.com

(Woodbury, Minn. - March 8, 2010) - The Music Business Program at Globe University/Minnesota School of Business is proud to present Celebrate Women in Music (CWIM), Tuesday, April 6, 2010, at the Fine Line Music Café. This event series showcases the contributions of and opportunities for women in the music industry. Embraced by industry professionals, music students and passionate music fans in the community, CWIM is a unique experience for everyone to learn and share information about the changing music industry.

The event features a panel discussion/Q&A session with significant women in the music industry, a post-panel networking hour, and a set by the red-hot sibling duo, The Watson Twins, celebrating their new Vanguard Records release Talking To You, Talking To Me (with special guest to be announced).

Tickets are $15 and are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. Doors open at 5:00 p.m.; panel discussion at 6:00 p.m.; opener TBD at 8:00 p.m. (30 minute set); The Watson Twins at 9:00 p.m. (60 - 75 minute set).

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About Globe University/Minnesota School of Business:

The Music Business program at Globe University/Minnesota School of Business offers Associates in Applied Science (AAS) and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees focusing on the promotion and management in the music industry.  Globe University/Minnesota School of Business has been providing specialized career education programs for 130 years and offers coursework in private business, legal science, technology, multimedia/design, and medical education with campuses located in the Upper Midwest.

Our very own Joy DesMarais-Lanz, Business Chair at MSB-Brooklyn Center, received the Outstanding HOBY Alumnus Award on Saturday, March 6, 2010.  HOBY (Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership) is a national youth leadership program, established in 1958, that has more than 375,000 alumni. HOBY’s mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation.

Joy was nominated for the award for her long-time involvement in service-learning and her continued dedication to building the next generation of leadership. Her nominator says Joy “is an invaluable asset, a brilliant and innovative thinker and community builder, consistently centering young people in her work.”

Joy has an extensive record of service and work on education initiatives at the national, state and institutional levels, both in K-12 and higher education. She has represented organizations at various White House events, spoken across the country, and crafted language that impacts youth on a policy level through her government-affairs work.

Thirty-eight Globe University and Minnesota School of Business students from Minnesota and South Dakota are eligible to attend the 2010 International Career Development Conference April 17-20 in Louisville, Kentucky.  These students placed in the MN DEX Career Development Conference held in Mankato, MN, on February 23-25^th.

The students, with guidance from their DEX advisors and dedicated faculty, have worked hard to gain expertise in specific areas related to business. Regular practice sessions, integration of DEX into the business curriculum, and participation in the DEX extra-curricular activities helped gain students the edge during competition. 

Advisors accompanying students to the recent Mankato event include:  Dave Erickson, MSB-Blaine; Joy DesMarias-Lanz, MSB-Brooklyn Center; Dennis Gaynor, MSB-Richfield; Todd Ecklund, Globe-Sioux Falls; Wendy Topp, MSB-St. Cloud; and Jennifer Lewis and Franny Jensen, Globe-Woodbury.

Since Fall Quarter 2009 students have held fund raising events to finance their participation at the St. Cloud Technical College Invitational event held January 21^st and most recently the MN Career Development Conference held in Mankato, MN. These events included collecting soda cans, bake sales, garage sales, silent auctions, coupon book sales, partnering with outside organizations, matching funds, and many more.

DEX also has a civic engagement component that blends nicely with the GU/MSB-wide service-learning initiative.  Students have collected food for the local food shelves, written letters to service persons, partnered with Salvation Army for holiday bell ringing; collected Toys for Tots; collected shoes for Soles for Soles; collected textbooks for Africa; and many more projects that have contributed locally as well as globally.

Currently Globe University and Minnesota School of Business have two MN State Board of Director Members: Christine Storms, dean of faculty at MSB-Elk River and Todd Ecklund, dean of faculty at Globe-Sioux Falls.  The outgoing MN State Student President, Nichole Mohlenhoff, is from Globe University-Woodbury.  The newest MN State Student Board Member is Breanne Nelson from Minnesota School of Business-Blaine.

The International Career Development Conference will be held April 17-20 in Louisville, Kentucky.  At this event, the DEX students will have the incredible opportunity to not only compete against thousands of students from across the United States, but also participate in Professional Development Academies, network with hundreds of business and industry leaders, and expand their peer and business networks. 

Adequate planning and hopes for good weather are two requirements to be able to visit South Dakota legislators and let them know about our students’ success. The South Dakota state legislature meets just 40 days every year to review legislation and complete the next year’s budget. A 226-mile trip from Sioux Falls to the capitol in Pierre during the winter adds to the excitement.

On February 24, the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce made its annual trip to the state capitol to hold its traditional Hill Day.   Aimee Vander Feen, Campus Director of Globe University in Sioux Falls, and Tom Kosel, Director of Government Relations for Globe Education Network, boarded buses along with 60 other chamber members at 6:15 am heading for Pierre. 

Aimee Vander Feen, Globe University-Sioux Falls campus director, at the South Dakota state capitol in Pierre.

The travelers arrived at the capitol around 10:00 am and spent the day in Committee hearings, listening to speakers on the legislative process, visiting with legislators, listening to Governor Rounds and serving root beer floats in the capitol rotunda. Aimee extended invitations to several legislators to visit her campus and meet her students. 

The bus caravan left Pierre at 5:00 pm and returned the chamber members to Sioux Falls.  Everyone agreed it was a full day well spent.

Globe University/Minnesota School of Business (GU/MSB) has agreed to work together with the Children Heritage Foundation (tCHF) to support its Technology Education program, an effort by GU/MSB to help build global communities through education.  A key initiative of tCHF’s program is an investment in Information Technology (IT) education for post secondary Haitian students.  The long-term outcome is to impact Haiti’s economy by increasing the ability of their young citizens to join and, ultimately, become leaders of the global IT workforce.   

“Today, the world is well aware of the challenges Haiti and her people face; the reports of life there are almost beyond belief,” said Jose Pierre, Founder of the Children Heritage Foundation. “But there are lesser known stories of those who have a vision of a beautiful country, where the people have a brighter future-a place where there is hope. This is one of those stories. We look forward to our collaboration with Globe University.” 

Based on the core values of both institutions with respect for each other’s independence and the pursuit of mutually beneficial outcomes, GU/MSB and tCHF, supported by other academic and service organizations, have created the following strategic framework:

• A stand alone, one-year integrated curriculum of coursework to increase English as Foreign Language (EFL) skills for Haiti post secondary students while concurrently introducing IT technical skills.
• Opportunity for students who successfully complete the one-year sequence to apply for the GU/MSB Associate of Applied Science IT (AASIT) degree program.
• Seamless transfer of the students’ first year IT technical course credits toward a GU/MSB AASIT degree and, ultimately, toward a GU/MSB BSIT degree.
• Scaffolding opportunities for participation in the global workforce through the communications, business, and general education courses required to obtain an IT degree.
• Cooperative, cross-cultural pedagogical models.
• Coordinated facilitation of course delivery and student services.
• Joint academic and workforce research, and conferences.

“At the end of the day it is all about helping people-helping them to become more self-sustainable by increasing their workforce capacity while preserving their culture within the context of the global community,” said Terry L. Myhre, President of Globe University/Minnesota School of Business.

For more information about the Children Heritage Foundation, please visit http://www.childrenheritage.org/Index2.htm

Christine Storms, dean of faculty at MSB-Elk River, received the DEX Advisor of the Year Award at the state DEX conference in Mankato on Tuesday, February 23, 2010. Prior to her current position, Christine was the business program chair and DEX faculty advisor at the GU-Woodbury campus. Five of Christine’s DEX students wrote letters to the executive director of DEX nominating her for the award.

DEX is an international association of high school and college students studying marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality and marketing sales and service.

Christine Storms accepts the Advisor of the Year Award at the State DEX Conference, Feb. 23, 2010

Here are some of the messages Christine’s students wrote about her in their nominations:

“Christine Storms has always shown great commitment to her students in many regards. There is not another person I can name that gives so much of their time to ensure that the students of Globe receive the best possible education and professional guidance.”

“Christine took the initiative to create our chapter because of the benefits her students would get from being involved in Delta Epsilon Chi, and she continues to work with students so they can develop necessary skills to further succeed.  Through having her as a teacher, I know that she cares for the education and growth of each student in her classroom.”

“Christine has supported me and my fellow DEX members no matter what we have encountered. There is no question in the minds of any of our chapter members that the reason our chapter has found success is through the dedication from Christine and her belief in our abilities.”

Throughout her three years as DEX faculty advisor, Christine says the most enjoyable aspect has been watching her students grow and succeed. She is currently working to start a DEX chapter for students at the MSB-Elk River campus.