WELCOME
FROM O UR F O UN D ER On behalf of the faculty and staff, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to California Southern University. I congratulate you on your decision to further your education and am so pleased that you have chosen CalSouthern. I am confident that you also will be pleased with your choice. At CalSouthern, we take great pride in both the quality of our degree and certificate programs and in the personalized guidance and support we provide each Learner. We are committed to your success. To help you get off on the right foot, we have included in this welcome kit a variety of resources and content that we hope will be helpful to you in your first few weeks at CalSouthern and throughout your academic program. Please take a few moments to review the materials. You will learn more about CalSouthern’s core values, receive some valuable tips for success, and get to know some of the dedicated professionals that will make up your support team.
Dr. Donald Hecht FOUNDER
Whether you are just beginning your higher education journey or capping your academic career with your doctorate, I wish you the very best. Please know that we are here for you every step of the way, ready to answer your questions, offer our support, and provide any guidance you need to achieve your personal and professional goals. And while you are always invited to visit us in person at our Costa Mesa, California campus, I especially look forward to shaking your hand as you receive your diploma at our commencement ceremony!
Best Regards, Dr. Donald Hecht
Dr. Donald Hecht founded California Southern University in 1978 with a vision: to make higher education of exceptional quality both affordable and readily available to non-traditional students who are often busy, working professionals. While distance learning methodologies have evolved and greatly improved over the decades, Dr. Hecht—and CalSouthern—have stayed true to his original vision. His innovative ideas regarding the Learner-faculty mentor relationship, a flexible, student-centered learning platform, and a steadfast commitment to student support continue to inform and inspire the CalSouthern mission. www.calsouthern.edu
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California Southern University is a global online institution. We prepare Learners to succeed in a world we have yet to imagine. We do this through active learning, respecting diversity and promoting intellectual freedom.
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ABOUT CALSOUTHERN T RU E TO I T S M I SS I O N
It is our pleasure to welcome you to the California Southern University community. It’s a community that Learners, alumni, faculty, and staff hold dear and we are happy that you are now a part of it. We are proud of our heritage, our distinctive approach to online learning, our Learner-centered values, and our vision for the future. CalSouthern was founded in 1978 to provide higher education of exceptional quality to students for whom traditional education was not feasible, whether due to professional, family, or financial reasons. CalSouthern met the needs of these students by making quality degree programs available through affordable distance learning. Today, CalSouthern offers online degree programs and certificates in psychology, business, law, nursing, education, and criminal justice, serving Learners at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. All programs are offered 100-percent online, leveraging a proprietary learning platform. A state-of-the-art online library—staffed by an ALA-certified librarian—contains a wide variety of research, writing, and citation tools, as well as other academic support resources.
CalSouthern’s faculty mentors are gifted educators who are also experienced practitioners in their areas of expertise. They work with students to help them apply the concepts they learn to real-world scenarios, as well as to answer all their questions. Academic advisors, university administration, and other staff provide additional academic guidance, services, and student support. The university is dedicated to continuous improvement and refinement. Courses and degree programs are regularly evaluated and enhanced and we are always looking to improve the educational platform and Learner experience. We invite your feedback on how we can improve our academic offerings. CalSouthern is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 985 Atlantic Avenue, #100, Alameda, CA 94501, 510-748-9001.
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ON THE RIGHT FOOT 1 1 T IP S F O R SUC C E S S
Your first few months at CalSouthern are a critical time. If you ingrain the right study habits early on and employ a few useful, time-proven strategies, you will not only set yourself up for success, you will also make your learning experience more enjoyable, rewarding and stress-free. We surveyed CalSouthern deans, faculty mentors and academic advisors for tips and advice for new Learners. Here are their top-11 success strategies: 1 FOOLS RUSH IN Don’t be in a hurry to start your coursework. Familiarize yourself with the learning platform and get comfortable with common tasks like uploading assignments and posting to the forums. Request your course well ahead of your start date; you’ll receive the syllabus right away which gives you time to review it and develop a study schedule. 2 INTRODUCE YOURSELF Reach out to your faculty mentor. Tell him or her about your academic and career goals, your work experience, and your interests. This will help your mentor personalize the feedback that you’ll receive on your assignments. Also, it’s helpful to explain that you are a new Learner and ask the mentor for advice on how to get the most out of the course.
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3 TIME AND PLACE It’s true that online learning is wonderfully flexible, but most students do better when they set a study schedule—and stick to it. Try to schedule your study time when you learn best: some people are early birds; others are night owls. Pick a quiet location with good lighting and airflow—and minimal opportunity for distraction.
REACH AN UNDERSTANDING AND GATHER SUPPORT 4 The best study schedule will be meaningless if the people around you don’t respect it. Talk to your family, friends and other support groups and let them know when you plan to study and how important it is that you have this quiet, uninterrupted time. Maybe you’ll need to make some adjustments, but if you have their buy-in, it will pay great dividends and eliminate unnecessary stress. These same groups will often become some of your greatest sources of inspiration—and they may hold you accountable to that schedule!
5 STYLE POINTS For most of your academic writing, you will be asked to follow APA (American Psychological Association) style. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the very basics of APA format and citation before (or at least very early in) your first course. 6 THE FLASH Get a flash drive with a decent amount of memory, store your current coursework on it and carry it with you. That way, you can work on your assignments at the office, home, and while traveling—whenever and wherever inspiration and opportunity strike. 7 WORK AHEAD Do your best to work an assignment or two ahead. That way, if something comes up and you have to miss a couple of planned study sessions, you won’t fall behind. And if you stay ahead, you’ll have additional time for the more involved assignments toward the end of the course. If you can’t work ahead, at least do your best to begin that week’s assignment on Monday or Tuesday—don’t leave everything for the end of the weekend if an assignment is due on Sunday evening.
10 FIND THE RIGHT FREQUENCY There aren’t many people who can study effectively for six to eight hours at a time. If you study in frequent, shorter sessions, you’ll be fresher, you’ll remain close to the material (if you leave it alone for a number of days, you might find you need to spend precious time reviewing material to get back up to speed) and if you miss a session, you won’t fall too far behind. 11 ASK FOR HELP If you find yourself falling behind, struggling with a certain aspect of the subject matter, unclear on mentor feedback, or experiencing difficulties with any feature of the learning platform, let us know. Everyone at CalSouthern—from your faculty mentors and advisors to the administrative staff and IT team—is dedicated to your success. It’s in CalSouthern’s DNA! However, you need to let us know as soon as a problem arises.
8 FORUM FRIENDS Get involved on the Learner forums right away. Most of your fellow Learners will be professionals with a wealth of life and professional experience—they can be a great source of knowledge, advice and support. Plus, connecting with others will keep you from feeling isolated. You will quickly develop friendships and add to your professional network. 9 LEAN ON THE LIBRARIAN The CalSouthern Library is state-of-the-art, filled with helpful tools and resources. It’s also staffed with what is certainly the library’s best resource: a dedicated, talented and responsive American Library Association-certified librarian. If you are struggling with APA style, research, or need supplemental material on a difficult topic, we have tools to help you and a responsive, dedicated professional to help you locate and use them.
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ONLINE LEARNING TOOLS A N D R ES O URC E S
THE CALSOUTHERN LEARNING CENTER
MICROSOFT OFFICE 365
http://Learners.calsouthern.edu
www.calsouthern.edu/learning-process/office-365
CalSouthern utilizes a proprietary, state-of-the-art online learning platform that’s robust, yet extremely intuitive and user friendly. The Learning Center makes it easy for you to select your courses, access your assignments, interact with your faculty mentors, academic advisors and fellow Learners, as well as track your success as you progress through your degree plan. It also places CalSouthern’s library services, videos, course catalog, account information, support services and other tools at your fingertips
CalSouthern Learners have access to Office 365 at no additional charge, making it even easier and more convenient to complete courses and earn your degree online. Office 365 is a cloud-based suite of Microsoft’s most powerful productivity tools that empowers education by enabling Learners to create, access, share and collaborate on documents more effectively than ever before.
To learn more about these and the many other features of the CalSouthern Learning Center, be sure to watch the tutorial at http://web.calsouthern.edu/tutorials/lcquicktour/video. html. And if you have any questions, please contact your academic advisor who will be happy to provide you with all the information and support you need.
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With Office 365, you will have access to Microsoft Word for all your document creation and word processing needs; Excel for spreadsheets, data summary and analysis; Outlook for email and calendaring; Powerpoint to create dynamic presentations; and OneNote for easy note taking. Use this suite of applications for your coursework, and to master the tools you’ll be likely to use upon graduation, no matter what your degree program is.
THE CALSOUTHERN ONLINE LIBRARY The CalSouthern Online Library is filled with all the resources you need to succeed—whether you are pursuing your doctorate or just embarking upon your collegiate studies. The CalSouthern Library—led by a skilled and responsive American Library Association-certified librarian— clearly reflects the university’s dedication to scholarship and student support. The CalSouthern Library is distinguished by the wealth of resources and services it provides. For example, its subscription databases—providing access to the most current and robust collections of research and academic publications available in their fields—are on par with those you’ll find at any public or private brick-and-mortar institution. It also contains access to a vast collection of eBooks, videos, newspapers, corporate data and case studies, dissertations and doctoral projects.
most widely used legal databases, online tutorials covering an array of courses, and even a law school survival guide. However, even the most comprehensive collection of resources is of little use if you can’t find what you’re looking for. That’s why the library services department has carefully designed and refined the library so that researching your particular topic is a user-friendly and intuitive process. Also, the library is replete with multimedia tutorials, easy-to-follow guides, and categorized tips to make your research even more effective and efficient. And the CalSouthern librarian has created a culture of support that makes it easy and stress-free to get all the personalized, one-on-one help you need; she’s readily available to help you with your research or answer any questions you may have.
In addition, you’ll find a comprehensive writing center, which includes research guides and useful academic writing tips. There are even study tips and test-taking advice. For Learners pursuing their law degree, there’s a separate CalSouthern Law Library, which contains the
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GRADUATION
A CE L EB R AT I O N O F SCH O L ARS H I P
WWW.CALSOUTHERN.EDU/ COMMENCEMENT CalSouthern’s commencement ceremony marks the high point of the university’s academic calendar. It’s truly a joyous, momentous, and inspirational event. Graduates travel to Southern California from across the country and around the world. Many linger for several days, taking the opportunity to enjoy the local beaches and attractions or to visit nearby Los Angeles or San Diego. In the days leading up to the ceremony, many graduates and their families stop by CalSouthern’s Costa Mesa campus, visiting with their academic advisors and support staff that they have worked with so closely throughout their academic program.
On graduation day, graduates have ample opportunity to spend time with CalSouthern faculty and their fellow Learners whom they have come to know over the course of their academic journey. The ceremony itself is always a moving event, with inspirational and celebratory speeches from the university president, student representatives from the graduating class, as well as respected and acclaimed keynote speakers. The highlight, however, is the opportunity for graduates to walk across the stage individually—as their family and friends are publically acknowledged—and shake the hands of their deans, with a commemorative medal and/or doctoral hood presented to them in honor of this tremendous academic achievement. It is a moment that you will never forget, and a fitting culmination of a challenging yet supremely rewarding academic journey. It’s a journey that begins…now.
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GET CONNECTED ONL IN E C O M M UN I T I ES
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CALSOUTHERN Join our Facebook page and interact with alumni, Learners and fans. View photos, watch videos and participate in discussions.
WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/CALSOUTHERN Watch videos on a variety of topics from faculty introductions and course descriptions to graduate interviews and event summaries.
WWW.TWITTER.COM/CALSOUTHERN Follow CalSouthern on Twitter and be the first to know the very latest news, events and happenings.
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/COMPANY/CALIFORNIASOUTHERN-UNIVERSITY Follow CalSouthern on LinkedIn to meet and network with other CalSouthern Learners, faculty, staff and alumni.
WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/CALSOUTHERN Follow CalSouthern on Instagram for the latest news and happenings about your fellow Learners and faculty and keep up to date with upcoming events and giveaways.
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GET STARTED N EW L E A R N ER C H E C K L I ST
LEARNERS.CALSOUTHERN.EDU Getting started at CalSouthern is easy, but there are a few simple steps you should take to make sure your academic career begins seamlessly and hassle-free. Just follow this short checklist.
Be sure to view the CalSouthern Learning Center tutorial video at http://vimeo.com/323302147 then contact your academic advisor for a brief discussion about the material and to ask any questions you may have. You’ll learn useful tips on requesting courses, uploading assignments, participating in the forums, and much more. Use your my.calsouthern.edu email account. Just click on the appropriate tab in the Learning Center. Not only will it streamline your university communications, having a “.edu” email address can also qualify you for student discounts at online retailers for books, software, and other useful products. Confirm that your first course(s) have been requested by clicking on the “Degree Plan” tab in the Learning Center. Contact your academic advisor if you have any questions about the courses. To receive your CalSouthern Learner identification card, you need to submit a digital photo of yourself by clicking “Your Account,” “Photos” and “Edit” in the Learning Center. After you submit the photo, your ID card will be created and mailed to you. Order the books and materials for your first course(s). Contact your academic advisor who can guide you through this process. Military Learners should review their Military Learner Fact Sheet and Checklist and contact the Military Programs Administrator and School Certifying Official at (800) 477-2254, ext. 4250 to learn how your military benefits can be affected if you make changes to your term by adjusting your start or end dates.
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CALSOUTHERN COMMUNITY VIS IT YO UR C A M P US
We invite you to visit your campus, meet in person with your dean and academic advisors, and get to know the rest of the CalSouthern staff. It would be our great pleasure to spend time with you and to show you around the university’s facilities. The CalSouthern campus is located in beautiful Costa Mesa, California, just minutes away from Orange County’s John Wayne Airport. Located in coastal Orange County, it’s an easy drive from both the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. Please call in advance to set up an appointment with your Admissions Representative or your Academic Advisor Monday - Friday, 8:30AM – 5:00PM. We hope to see you soon!
California Southern University 3330 Harbor Boulevard Costa Mesa, California 92626 (800) 477-2254 (714) 882-7800 - Local (714) 480-0834 - Fax info@calsouthern.edu
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KEY CONTACTS CalSouthern is entirely dedicated to your satisfaction and success, and offers a community of support. It’s the CalSouthern Difference. It’s what distinguishes us from other universities and it’s what we’re most proud of. Here is the contact information for your university support systems. Use it and you’ll find a dedicated, responsive professional eager to answer any questions you might have. School of Behavioral Sciences Office of the Dean (800) 477-2254, ext. 4285 psychology@calsouthern.edu School of Business and Management Office of the Dean (800) 477-2254, ext. 4313 business@calsouthern.edu School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Office of the Dean (800) 477-2254, ext. 4215 criminaljustice@calsouthern.edu School of Education Office of the Dean (800) 477-2254, ext. 4313 education@calsouthern.edu School of Nursing Office of the Dean (800) 477-2254, ext 2713
nursing@calsouthern.edu CalSouthern Library Office of the Librarian (800) 477-2254, ext. 4022 library@calsouthern.edu Learner Accounts (800) 477-2254, ext. 4284 accounting@calsouthern.edu Media/Public Relations (800) 477-2254, ext. 4322 media@calsouthern.edu Military Program Administrator/ School Certifying Official (800) 477-2254, ext. 4250 military@calsouthern.edu Office of the Registrar (800) 477-2254, ext. 4206 registrar@calsouthern.edu Technical Support
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