Grad Finale Booklet

2015 G en eva C ollege 3200 College Avenue Beaver Falls, PA 15010 www.geneva.edu

GENEVA C OLLEGE

Graduate Information

Important Graduate Information Baccalaureate Friday, May 8, 7 p.m.

Metheny Fieldhouse Commencement Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m.

Reeves Field (if outdoors) Metheny Fieldhouse (if indoors)

Baccalaureate Baccalaureate, a worship service, will be held in Metheny Fieldhouse on Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m. Graduates will assemble in Merriman Gym by 6:30 p.m. and then, dressed in cap and gown, process to the main gymnasium for the service. All graduates, families and friends are encouraged to come to this special worship celebration.This is not a ticketed event.

Caps and Gowns Students may pick up caps and gowns at Grad Finale on March 30 in the Benedum Room from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.The fee is $42.

Students who miss Grad Finale will be able to purchase caps and gowns in the Campus Store weekdays from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. through April 24. If you have not picked up a cap and gown by then or made arrangements with the Campus Store, you will not be able to participate.

Please call the Campus Store at 724-847-6595 if you have questions or need to make special arrangements.

Tassels Listed below are the correct tassel colors by degree:

B.A. — White B.S.B.A. — Copper

B.S. — Gold B.S.E. — Orange

B.S.Ed. — Blue A.E.; A.A.; A.B.A. — Black Students receiving two degrees may wear the tassel of the degree of their choice.Tassels are worn to the right and switched to the left at Commencement when the degree is awarded.

Wearing Academic Apparel Caps are worn as level as possible, tassel to the right. Women wear them throughout Baccalaureate and Commencement. Men remove them for scripture readings and prayer, replacing them afterward.They are also removed for the sermon at Baccalaureate.

Honors Students will be recognized at Commencement for honors based on their GPA at the conclusion of the fall semester. For a few, this may change after the final grades are processed.The final honors designation will be posted on transcripts and diplomas.Academic honors will be posted on the website.

Look for a link to “2015 Honor Students” in the commencement information.

Honor cords may be picked up in the Registrar’s Office beginning May 4.

Pictures of honor grads and class officers will be taken commencement morning beginning at 8 a.m. in Skye Lounge. Please arrive early.

Commencement Seating Instructions for Students Graduates only (no visitors) will assemble in JOHN H. WHITE CHAPEL in Old Main. Note:The John H. White Chapel in Old Main is not accessible for persons with physical disabilities. If you need to make special arrangements, please contact the Events Office at 724-847-6540 or events@geneva.edu.

Arrive at John White Chapel by 8:45 a.m. Be sure to leave tickets with your family.The chapel will not be locked during the ceremony; please leave personal items with your family. Honor students should report to Skye Lounge for pictures at 8 a.m.

Allow time to CHECK IN and FIND A SEAT! Report to the table on the second floor of Old Main to receive a program and name card which will be used to announce your name at the ceremony.

BE SEATED BY 8:45 a.m. for IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS. Graduates will process behind Geneva’s administrators and faculty from Old Main to the stadium or Fieldhouse. Restrooms are in the basement of Old Main.

Important Graduate Information Tickets The location of Commencement will depend on the weather.

If the ceremony is held outdoors, tickets will not be required.

If it is held indoors, tickets will be required for admission. Seven tickets per graduate will be distributed with each cap and gown.

Senior SEND-OFF This student-only celebration will be a time of celebration and an official induction into the Alumni Association. This special dinner will be held on Friday, April 17 at Shakespeare’s Restaurant in Ellwood City, PA. All graduating seniors are invited to attend this event. Registration will begin at Grad Finale and the cost is $10 per student, which includes an alumni t-shirt.

Questions regarding tickets should be directed to the Events Office at 724-847-6837 or events@geneva.edu.

The Commencement Hotline, 724-847-6100, will be used to announce the location of the ceremony based on the weather.

Name Pronunciation If your name is commonly mispronounced, notify us at Grad Finale, or visit or call the Registrar’s Office at 724-847-6602 to provide the correct pronunciation.

Special Needs Parking/Seating Limited parking is available for individuals with physical disabilities and special needs. Please arrange for a parking pass, special seating or interpreter for the hearing impaired on the Commencement page of the Geneva website.

Commencement Photographs A professional photographer from GradImages will take a picture of each graduate receiving his or her diploma from the President.The proofs are sent to the graduate a short time after graduation and can be viewed at www.gradimages.com; however, you are under no obligation to make a purchase.

Attendance Policy If you are unable to attend Commencement, please notify the Registrar’s Office at 724-847-6602 as soon as possible, unless you have already indicated this on your graduation application.This information is critical for accurate seating.

Diplomas Diplomas will be mailed in June to January and May graduates who have completed all academic and chapel requirements and have no financial obligations to the college. Diplomas for August graduates are mailed in September.

Shakespeare’s Restaurant 1495 Mercer Road Ellwood City, PA 16117

APRIL 17

Financial Aid Prepare

Know & Understand What You Have Borrowed!

Log into www.nslds.ed.gov with your FAFSA PIN number to keep track of your federal student loans. Check with your lender to get details on any private student loans that you’ve borrowed as well.

Have a Plan for Repayment!

Know when repayment starts and what your monthly payment will be.

Understand how compound interest affects you. (Making payments during your grace period will save you lots of money!). Consider whether consolidation, deferment and forbearance, or other repayment options are right for you.

Keep in touch with your lenders as your address and situation changes.

Make a Budget and Stick to It! www.youcandealwithit.com — Great tools and calculators to help with loan repayment, debt, budgeting, saving, consolidation www.crown.org — Resources to help plan for your financial future, budgeting, etc. www.annualcreditreport.com — Check your credit report for free at least once a year

Be sure to follow the steps below for successful loan repayment:

Complete Please complete online Direct Loan Exit Counseling at www.studentloans.gov if you borrowed Federal Stafford/Direct Loans at Geneva College.This is a federally mandated requirement that must be completed before March 21.

Please follow the steps below and be sure to contact our office with any questions.

• Go to www.studentloans.gov • Sign in and click on the Complete Counseling button (Follow the prompts to complete exit counseling) • The process will take about 20 minutes and the Financial Aid Office will be notified when you’ve completed it. Again, please complete this before March 24 to avoid delays!

Please complete online Perkins Loan Exit Counseling with ECSI.You will receive a separate email from ECSI (the Perkins Loan Servicer) about this loan after graduation.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get Advice and Ask for Help!

Contact us! 724.847.6530 or financialaid@geneva.edu www.studentloans.gov — The US Department of Education offers Federal Student Loan Consolidation www.youcandealwithit.com— Great repayment and consolidation information and helpful calculators

Geneva’s BUSINESS OFFICE Student Accounts puts charges on your student account such as tuition and room and board. You also have an “other charges” account which is used for charging fees and fines such as student health insurance, athletic appeal, parking permit fees, chapel fines, room checkout fines, etc. Both of your account balances must be paid in full before you will receive your diploma or transcripts.

Please visit our table at Grad Finale to confirm your balance or make a final payment. Please keep in mind that you will still be responsible for any charges incurred after Grad Finale (parking ticket fines, disciplinary fines, etc.), even if your balance was zero at the time of Grad Finale.

The Career Development Center Graduating seniors, Congratulations!

We welcome you to continue using the Career Development Center after graduation. Services we provide include: Career Preparation • Job search process • Resume and cover-letter writing • Mock interviews • Graduate school preparation

Online Job Search • Offered via Geneva Job link found at www.genevajoblink.com.

• Simply log on, register, upload your resume and view the open positions.

Career Fair • Offered by WestPACS (Western Pennsylvania Career Services Association) • Go to www.westpacs.org for more information. All majors are welcome.

We also encourage you to remember your fellow Genevans by contacting us if a position becomes available at your place of employment.

We look forward to serving you! Please feel free to contact us regarding any of these career preparation options that we can help you with right now!

The Career Development Staff www.geneva.edu/career, cardev@geneva.edu,724.847.6572

Geneva’s Graduate Programs A master’s degree from Geneva can help you excel toward a more promising future with greater understanding, elite professional skills and meaningful service.

Choose from five, high-demand advanced professional degrees that can equip you for principled and wise Christian service to your organization and the world.

Business Administration All of our MBA programs are nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), which recognizes teaching excellence and business education. Our broad-based management program has an emphasis on practical application, designed for business professionals who already have experience in management but want to be successful leaders in the marketplace.This kind of high-quality business education with a Christian focus contributes to students’ current and future effectiveness on the job. Although the standards for performance are high, the business faculty strives to create a supportive environment for success.

Along with the General MBA, you may choose from 3 other specialized areas: Finance, Operations or Marketing tracks. Our executive style format enables our working professionals the flexibility to begin the program at any time in one of our 5 terms: January, March, May, July, or October.Term schedule is accelerated with classes meeting once a week in the evening for 9 weeks at both locations: Main Campus in Beaver Falls and at the RLA in Cranberry Township, PA. All concentrations are offered within this unique, flexible, intensive schedule with full time and part time options available.

The On Line MBA, in development for 2015, will enable you to choose an on ground, on line or hybrid format for every class. Our program’s mission is to integrate an excellent education in business with the Christian faith.

We strive and are committed to equipping you with the tools needed for you to fulfill your educational, career and spiritual goals.

Contact: Marina Frazier, 724-847-669, msfrazie@geneva.edu, Northwood 109.

Counseling Geneva’s graduate counseling program makes earning a master’s degree in counseling and pursuing national certification and state licensing convenient for busy students. Students may begin the program in either the fall (August) or spring (January). A full-time format including a three-credit practicum and a six-credit internship is available, which enables students to complete the program in five semesters. Geneva also offers the flexibility to complete the program in a part-time format with completion in two to four years. All formats and timeframes of the Master of Arts in Counseling degree are offered at Geneva’s main campus in Beaver Falls, and classes are in Cranberry Township, PA at the Regional Learning Alliance (RLA) educational building. The counseling program has three specialized areas: Marriage, Couple and Family, Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling.

The program offers the professional preparation needed to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) under the accreditation standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).The mission of Geneva’s counseling program is to equip, educate and train students with the knowledge, skill and personal awareness necessary to serve as godly professional counselors. Professors challenge students to analyze human behavior and develop counseling expertise within the context of Christian faith, using current texts written by both secular and Christian authors. Students develop comprehensive knowledge and understanding of counseling theory, mental illness, human development, research, cultural diversity, ethics and assessment.

Contact: Marina Frazier, 724-847-669, msfrazie@geneva.edu, Northwood 109

Geneva college

g r a duat e p rogr a m s

Geneva.edu/graduate

Geneva’s Graduate Programs

Higher Education The mission of Geneva College’s Master of Arts in Higher Education program is to cultivate a vision for higher education that is rooted in a Christian view of life, characterized by a consideration of foundational issues, and committed to the preparation of perceptive and principled leaders for colleges and universities.

Contact: hed@geneva.edu

Leadership STUDIES (MSLS) The Master of Science in Leadership Studies is a business-related graduate degree program that transforms business professionals into strong leaders. Students may choose from three areas of specialization: Financial Leadership, Ministry Leadership, or Project Management and Leadership. By offering these areas of expertise, Geneva’s Leadership Studies program helps graduates distinguish themselves in a crowded job market. Courses in leadership and motivation, decision making, professional development, and organizational strategy provide students a theoretical framework that can be applied immediately in real-world situations.

The online M.S. in Leadership Studies program can be completed in just 24 months. Students are grouped in cohorts of 10-15 people, which encourage a higher degree of learning as well as personal interaction between classmates and faculty.The curriculum and format of the online leadership studies program is based on Geneva’s classroom-based Master of Science in Organizational Leadership program, which has helped hundreds of professionals advance their careers throughout its 20-year history.

Visit www.geneva.edu/leadership_studies for more information.

Contact: 724-847-2715

Organizational Leadership (MSOL) The Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) program is an innovative graduate program that provides a practical blend of classroom theory and real-world application.The curriculum for the program was developed by conducting field-based research among various area organizations and soliciting input from several nationally known leaders studies scholars. At the core of the MSOL program is the belief that leadership must be applied in unique and inventive ways to meet the requirements of today’s rapidly changing and complex organizations. The approach is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing upon both social sciences and organizational studies to develop the program’s theoretical framework. In addition, by attending a biblically based program focused on cultivating servant-leaders, students develop the potential to have a positive impact on leadership in a variety of organizations throughout the region.

The MSOL program is designed to meet the academic and professional needs of working adults, utilizing a cohort model in which 10 to 15 students begin the program and take each course as a group according to the curriculum. Students can complete their master’s degree in two years, meeting one night a week from 6 - 10 p.m. at convenient class locations throughout the Greater Pittsburgh and Johnstown areas.

Visit www.geneva.edu/msol for more information.

Contact: msol@geneva.edu

Geneva college

g r a duat e p rogr a m s

Geneva.edu/graduate

RECEPTION LOCATIONS Tent A Bible (Biblical Languages, Biblical Studies, Christian Ministries, Philosophy, Student Ministry) Business (Accounting, Business, Business Aviation, Sport Management) Music (Music, Music Business, Music Education, Music Performance)

C

Psychology, Counseling & Human Services (Biopsychology, Human Services, Psychology)

B

A

Tent B

2

Biology (Biology, Environmental Science, Allied Health Programs) Chemistry, Math & Physics (Applied Mathematics, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Math Education, Physics) Engineering & Computer Science Tent C Communication (Communication, Communication Disorders)

1

Education (PK-4 Education/PK-8 Special Education, Middle School Education) English (English Literature, Writing) History, Political Science & Sociology

Golf cart service is provided for those guests who are unable to walk and need physical assistance. For Undergraduate Commencement, stops are located outside the main entrance of Reeves Stadium by the ticket booth (1) and at Old Main Circle (2).