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FOCU S O N E D U CATI O N 201 7
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M O U NT ST. J OS E P H U N IVE R S ITY 5701 Delhi Road, Cincinnati OH, 45233 // 513-244-4531 // msj.edu A liberal arts education has never been more important than it is right now. Development of intellectual skill sets, such as reading, writing, listening, speaking, critical thinking and problem solving, forms the basis of the core curriculum at Mount St. Joseph University. Given that many jobs today’s students will need to fill in their lifetime haven’t even been invented yet, these skills are vital. Of course, being prepared for a career on graduation day is equally important. The opportunity for students to apply what they learn in the classroom in real-world settings through the Mount’s Career & Experiential Education Center sets MSJ students apart and makes them especially attractive to employers. More than 95% of MSJ undergraduates secure either their chosen full-time career or placement in graduate school within six months of graduation. The Mount’s smaller class sizes, personalized attention from faculty and safe, secure campus enable students to thrive as they make their impact on the world. As a Catholic university rooted in the values of the Sisters of Charity, the Mount community is distinctive in serving those in need with compassion, courage and inclusivity. The faculty and staff’s dedication to student success helps the Mount’s undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students grow into the people and professionals they’re meant to become.
Through its commitment to serving local, national and international communities, the Mount is recognized in the President’s Higher Education Community Service National Honor Roll. The university is also recognized as a Military Friendly School for services for veterans.
Year Founded: 1920 Current Enrollment: 2058 Number of Undergraduate Degrees Offered: 40+ Number of Master’s Degrees Offered: 5+ Number of Doctoral Degrees Offered: 2+ Distance from Downtown Cincinnati: 15 minutes Tuition: $28,100/year Out-of-State Tuition: $29,665 Students on Financial Aid: 98%
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The Mount strives to provide highquality instruction by integrating new technologies into the classroom. The newest pieces of technology are two Anatomage Tables, with a virtual anatomy program that allows students to hone their skills through virtual dissection on an interactive table. The Mount is the first university or college in the region to have this new technology.
U n ite d we stan d Socializing with peers can help lead to academic success
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BY S T E V E N OVO T N I There are times when it is difficult for new students to connect with their peers in college. Fresh out of high school, trying on adulthood for the first time, campus life can be intimidating and alienating. But the rise of smartphones and constant internet connections has created new challenges. Being online all the time means students often engage in electronic socializing at the expense of face-to-face conversations. Local college faculty members say helping students get to know one another and develop relationships is a critical part of the firstyear experience. “I think the trick is to meet students where they’re at and to find ways to get them to meet each other where they’re at in meaningful ways,” says Kevin Reynolds, Thomas More College dean of students. “That meaningful interaction piece is the real trick. Can you have students engaging with one other on Snapchat and Instagram in meaningful ways? How can you incorporate that into the classroom? It’s a challenge.” Reynolds says students tell him they feel like they have too much going on at once. He says they respond best to “micro programs” and “micro interactions.” “At a place like Thomas More where half our students are student athletes, you might have someone who is working, and has practice, and is trying to take 18 credit hours a semester,” Reynolds says. “They’re doing so much that they don’t want to take two-and-a-half hours of their time to go and watch an outdoor movie. They like micro programs, things they can do between classes or right before they leave for the day.” He says the school tries to offer short educational and entertainment programming to students that can be opportunities for socializing. Finding 15-minute activities on campus can get students talking. Recently, in a student lounge on campus, Reynolds says, the school cleared out old couches and arcade games and replaced them with furniture facing each other so students and are more likely to talk. Games like shuffleboard and ping pong that require two
players were added. He says student organizations are likewise fine-tuned to attract student membership. Reynolds mentions that when he was in school it was common for students to get together to watch their favorite television shows. That happens now, too, he says, but to a lesser extent. He has observed that social time revolves around video games or live sports broadcasts. Other than that, socializing is organized around academic advancement. “Here, with the majority of our student organizations, the student has to find that they’re getting their money’s worth out of it,” Reynolds says. “When I was in school I joined a fraternity and I was always going to do things with the fraternity because I was paying for it. Today’s college student — their most valuable resource is their time. So, they might not have to spend money to be a part of the organization, but them spending their time is incredibly valuable to them. So the types of clubs that they’re drawn to joining are ones where they see that they can get a direct return on that investment. We’re seeing a lot more involvement in things directly tied to their major, to their career aspirations, to their career development.”
University 101 Tracy Hart teaches the University 101 course to first-year students at Northern Kentucky University. Her primary role is helping students get acquainted with the NKU campus and connected to other students and campus organizations. Hart says social media plays a large part of students’ lives and that it can be useful to help students find peers interested in the same things. But, conversely, it can also narrow their world view if it only reflects their own interests. “I want them to think bigger but also find value in that initial connection with likeminded students,” she says. Hart says responsible use of social media is stressed in the University 101 course. Students are encouraged to seek out divergent points of view and also reminded that, even though it’s the internet, social norms still apply. “We ask them to think about their employer looking at this,” she says. “Are these things you want people to see that you have posted? Even emailing, too. That first email to a professor — you don’t email the same way that you text someone. One of their first assignments is to email me and I will get the full range
— professional ones and ones that read, “Hey, Trace, what’s up?” This is University 101 and I’m pretty laid back, but if you email any other professor that way, you’ll have trouble in their class.” Helping students connect with their peers and with campus organizations is critically important to their college experience, Hart says. “Sometimes there are students in the University 101 program who are at risk, and they don’t necessarily like that label. My goal is to help them see that this is a great program, that it is going to be beneficial,” Hart says. “One of the best ways to do that is to help them socialize with each other and see that we’re all in this together.” Hart says with a little nudge, students will begin to work together and encourage one another to complete assignments and support one another in their academics. And freshmen who get in the habit of working cooperatively early on carry those relationships forward as they move on in their academic careers. “They will intentionally take classes together and support one another,” Hart says. “I think it’s really important.” ©
Year Founded: 1869
Art Acad e my o f C i n c i n nati 1212 Jackson St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 513-562-6262 // artacademy.edu
At the Art Academy of Cincinnati, we believe that the arts are a promise of something more; something that can take you anywhere and transform you into anything. Pursued with passion and discipline, the study of art and design can lead to the best you possible — stimulated by knowledge and creative problem solving. Located in Over-the-Rhine, the Art Academy is at the heart of an active and vibrant culture — one that drives curiosity and passion and is filled with inspiration and opportunity. As one of the smallest independent art colleges in the country, our program is distinct. The intimate community is composed of radical artists and designers who establish the rules the future will follow. With an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, you’ll receive individualized attention from faculty who are die-hard creatives — which makes them perfect for ushering in a new generation of artists.
Current Enrollment: 200 Number of Undergraduate Degrees Offered: 8 Number of Master’s Degrees Offered: 7 Subject Matter Expertise: Art and Design Distance from Downtown Cincinnati: Located in Over-the-Rhine In-State Tuition: $29,665 Out-of-State Tuition: $29,665 Students on Financial Aid: 85% Awards and Recognition: Our building is LEED certified and has won several awards for its environmentally sensitive design Famous Alumni: Charley Harper, John Ruthven, Elizabeth Nourse, Petah Coyne
Cross the threshold and enter a world where the ingenious and the rebellious come to play. Where the relentless and the radiant find better ways to work and create. Where the cutting-edge become the celebrated and the radicals teach the fundamentals. Start the journey at www.artacademy.edu
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HARRIS WHEELER (BFA ‘19)
Bac k to Sc h oo l Returning to school as a non-traditional student — industry jargon for college students who are older than most of their peers — can feel like an uphill struggle. Often, non-traditional students are trying to leverage school against full-time work and their responsibilities to children and family. Local college representatives say they try and make this balancing act easier by offering night classes, flexible course options and counseling. Doug Bowling is the dean of Cincinnati State’s Center for Innovative Technologies. He works to help students earn degrees that apply to the tech sector — areas like computer support, computer programming and computer networking. These degree and certificate programs are just some of the offerings at Cincinnati State’s Workforce Development Center, which is a division of the school designed to provide training for workers who are already employed and looking to advance in their fields. The center also has offerings in hazardous materials handling, emergency medicine, supply chain logistics and manufacturing. “Ford Motors might come and ask us to train their workers to do that or this,” Bowling says. “We also have what we call open
enrollment programs where students can come in and get some type of certificate or training in a particular area.” Welding is one of the school’s most popular programs, Bowling says. “It’s one of those things where there’s just not as many people as there are jobs to fill them,” Bowling says. “Anything manufacturing right now is hot. With the economy being good, employers are looking for more and more skilled laborers. We can help — we can give them that skill.” Bowling says the amount of time needed to complete a program varies, but some specialized training can be learned in a season instead of a couple of years. “If you want the full-blown two-year associate degree, we offer that,” he says. “For the non-degree student, they might be looking for something faster.” Certificates can also become building blocks to an associate degree later on. “The more you know, the higher the salary can be,” Bowling says. “So that transfers over into our two-year associate degree. We try to have stackable certificates so you can take these certificates and then bring them into a degree program and apply them to a degree.”
Non-traditional students gain skills and a résumé boost BY S T E V E N OVO T N I
Challenges of nontraditional students Northern Kentucky University Director of Graduate Education Christian Gamm says non-traditional students can be looked at as two distinct populations — working professional graduate students who are looking for career advancement, typically ages 35 to 50, and undergraduates who are older than 21. She says teacher education programs are the most popular among NKU’s degree programs. “It earns them more pay and more leverage to move up in their school system,” Gamm says. Family and other outside factors can be a challenge for students, Gamm says. But NKU is flexible, allowing students to come and go within a two-year block of admission. “We are pretty flexible,” Gamm says. “If a student has a project at work and they simply cannot take classes in the next semester, we work it out so that they can kind of come and go as they please.” Gamm says this often comes up in the school’s nursing and teaching programs.
“Those are traditionally female-dominated at the graduate level so we often have students we haven’t heard from in a while,” Gamm says. “So, we’ll check in on them and it’s, ‘Oh. I’m pregnant,’ or ‘I’m getting married,’ and they need to take a semester off. Our curriculum is such that it’s not lock step in most programs and students can come in when they are ready.” Degree programs aren’t the only ways local colleges can help professionals advance. University of Cincinnati Director of Continuing Education Melody Clark says UC’s Communiversity programs, which provide a wide variety of non-credit continuing education, give students a chance to broaden their horizons and become more valuable workplace assets. “The Communiversity program is primarily evening, weekend and online,” Clark says. “The business, web-related, professional development, those are the courses that are most popular.” Clark says these courses can add depth to a professional’s knowledge base and help them move forward in their careers with new skill sets. ©
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There’s nothing like it.
XAVIER.EDU
C I N C I N NATI STATE 3520 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45202 513-861-7700 // cincinnatistate.edu
Cincinnati State is the regional leader in career education and one of the best higher education values. It provides relevant education geared to local employment needs, with one of the most comprehensive co-op programs in the country. For bachelor-bound students, Cincinnati State is a smart start with tuition less than half the cost of traditional universities and credits that transfer seamlessly to other colleges and universities. Cincinnati State offers associate degrees and certificates in nursing and health care, engineering technologies, culinary arts, business and information technologies, environmental technologies, humanities and sciences and a wide range of specialized areas. Its Workforce Development Center provides customized training for corporate, governmental and non-profit clients as well as job-oriented courses for the public. Cincinnati State information sessions are held at the Clifton campus every Tuesday at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Year Founded: 1969 Current Enrollment: 10,000 Number of Undergraduate Degrees Offered: 130 two-year degrees or certificates Subject Matter Expertise: Health & Public Safety; Engineering; Midwest Culinary Institute; Business and Environmental Technologies; Transfer Degrees Distance from Downtown Cincinnati: 2 Miles In-State Tuition: $148.64 per credit hour Out-of-State Tuition: $287.28 per credit hour Students on Financial Aid: 70% Affiliated Colleges/Satellite Campuses: Middletown; Harrison, Evendale (Workforce Development Center); West Chester (Supply Chain Career Development Center); Great Oaks campuses (LPN classes)
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CLIFTON CLIFTON • EVENDALE • EVENDALE CLIFTON • HARRISON • HARRISON • EVENDALE • MIDDLETOWN • MIDDLETOWN • HARRISON • MIDDLETOWN
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