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In this issue of Dragonfire:
1. News Flash: Senate President Pro Tem Steinberg to Meet with Drexel Students
2. On Veteran's Day, Tell a Vet: Completely Free Tuition at Drexel
3. Over 175 Drexel Dragons in Just Nine Months
4. Next Information Sessions on November 12: Be Sure to Tell a Vet
5. ...And a Saturday Information Session on November 21
6. How OUR Programs Fit YOUR Lifestyle
7. Now THIS Is a Partnership for the Future
8. Did You See It Too? "Follow Drexel's Eye to the Future"
9. Wall Street Journal Features LeBow College Faculty Research
10. Drexel Listed among the Elite HRD Programs in the Country
11. Public Health Professor John Rich Named to Institute of Medicine
12. College of Nursing Dean Donnelly – A Woman
of Distinction
13. News from the EdD Bureau
14. News from the iSchool
15. Runners Invited to Help Feed the Hungry!
News Flash: Senate President Pro Tem Steinberg to Meet with Drexel Students
One of the huge advantages this region has for those we seek to educate is the fact that most of its current leaders are Boomers who will soon be retiring. That transfer of authority and responsibility requires the next generation of leaders to be ready. While we teach the substantive knowledge and practical skill that you will need to step up in your career, there is no substitute for hearing directly from the leaders. That's why Drexel has launched "What It Means to Lead: A Coast to Coast Conversation with Business and Civic Leaders." In October, our students had the chance to hear from, and talk to, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board in Philadelphia and Drexel Trustee, Charles Pizzi; in November, the guest will be the Honorable Darrell Steinberg, president pro tem of the California State Senate; in December, it will be Thelma Scott-Skillman, founding president of Folsom Lake College and a leading educator in California's community college system for over three decades.These are not lectures or canned speeches; they are conversations offering the unique opportunity to ask personal questions about what's important, mistakes made, lessons learned, and core values. We are greatly honored that Senator Steinberg, one of the most powerful elected representatives in this great state, will be sharing his reflections and personal insights with our students. If you have enrolled in a Drexel program starting in March 2010, you are also invited!
On Veterans Day, Tell a Vet: Completely Free Tuition at Drexel
We
are very proud to report that not only has Drexel University been declared
a "military
friendly campus" [PDF] by G.I. Jobs magazine, but we
are one of the very few universities in the country that provides entirely
free tuition to those veterans who qualify for full benefits under the
federal Post-9/11 GI Bill. If
you or someone you know has served for 36 months or more after 9/11,
or been honorably discharged as a result of a service-connected disability
after more than 30 days of service, then on Veterans Day this year, be
sure to let them know about Drexel's
Yellow Ribbon Program where there's not just free tuition, but also
the possibility of book and living allowances. This applies whether the
veteran attends Drexel's undergraduate
programs in Philadelphia or our graduate programs in Sacramento,
or takes any of our degree programs online.
Over 175 Drexel Dragons in Just Nine Months!
It's
been quite a year for Drexel! A year ago, we were offering information
sessions at a local hotel and watching the spackle dry on the newly constructed
walls. Today, our state-of-the-art Graduate Center is hosting nonprofits
and corporations by day, and almost 200 new Drexel graduate students
after they finish work. We began in January 2009 with 53 students in
four master's degree programs. In September, another 127 students joined
Drexel in nine graduate degree programs — one
doctorate and eight master's. Reporting on Drexel's success in building
a top-tier graduate center, the Sacramento
Business Journal [PDF] quoted one of our newest students, who
said she chose Drexel for our national reputation, track record, talent
pool, and "the flexibility and innovation" she wanted as a
working professional. We are looking forward to March when we will welcome
our third cohort of students.
Pictured above: Drexel's newest EdD students in Sacramento.
Next Information Session on November 12: Be Sure to Tell a Vet
Every two weeks, we offer the opportunity to come see our Center, meet our staff, and talk with our faculty. We’ll be doing that again on November 12 at 6 pm, but in honor of Veterans Day, Drexel's Director of Veterans Affairs Jeffery Linskens will join us and talk about how Drexel is providing entirely free tuition to those who qualify under the federal Yellow Ribbon Program (described above). As mentioned in the late August issue of Dragonfire, Linskens recently joined the University to help lead our initiatives for members of the armed services.
So if you are a veteran, or you know a veteran, who is interested in getting yourself ready to succeed in the new economy in the Sacramento region, be sure to sign up here for the November 12 Information Session. We'll provide information, refreshments, and parking.
…And a Saturday Info Session on November 21
If you cannot attend on a weekday evening, we occasionally have Saturday Information Sessions — and one has been scheduled for Saturday, November 21. Before your thoughts turn to turkeys and food for the body, spend an hour with us learning about that graduate degree you’ve been thinking about for so long and start down the road to success in your career. Register here for the November 21 event. Food, information, and parking are on us!
How OUR Programs Fit YOUR Lifestyle
Our students range in age from 22 to 54 years old. They have an average of 11 years of professional experience. They have an average GPA over 3.0. They are working professionals on their way up in their careers — and we have designed our programs to fit their needs. Our classes are held during the week after work, or in a Friday afternoon/Saturday format. We use cutting-edge technology to record what happens in the classroom and what gets presented on the SmartBoards, so if you cannot make a class, you don't have to miss it. Our professors are incredibly available. We have tech support from Drexel employees — not some outsourced provider in a foreign country — either in person in Sacramento or in Philadelphia, 24/7, who know your degree program and can solve your problem. You can get advice from our academic, financial aid, and career development counselors via phone, email, videoconferencing, or in person when they visit — from the moment you enroll in a program here until, well, as long as you'd like (our career development services are worldwide and lifelong). We even have a fitness center where you can exercise before or after class. Our students are smart enough to know why they are coming back to school, and our 118 years have made us smart enough to know how to help them, and you, succeed. If you have questions, we have answers. Email us or stop by. We are now enrolling students for our five master's and one doctoral degree programs that will be starting in March 2010. If you're ready, we are, too.
Now THIS Is a Partnership for the Future!
We have our first husband and wife team! Inaugural LEAD MBA student José Elias was the first to become a Dragon in January, and he was followed in September by his wife, Ilvia Elias, in our inaugural Executive Master of Public Health program. Both of them expect to receive their master's degrees at commencement in Philadelphia in June 2011. They are pictured here volunteering as part of Team Drexel at the Great American River Clean-Up in Sacramento on September 19, 2009.
Did You See It Too? "Follow Drexel's Eye to the Future"
The
Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization (SACTO) consists of the
region's 500-plus largest businesses. Its mission is to attract more
quality businesses to this region. In September, the chair of its board
(and the vice president of one of the region's largest manufacturers)
published an op-ed
piece in the Sacramento Bee [PDF]. This is what
she said about Drexel, "The University has invested more than $15
million in innovative scholarship and financial aid programs…and
created one of the most state-of-the-art educational spaces on the West
Coast, if not in the whole nation." Drexel has "the long-term
vision that only comes with 118 years of experience. Drexel's forward-looking
approach is the exact kind of thinking we need more than ever." We
are proud to receive such accolades from the region's business leadership.
If you see the same future we see, come learn about our programs at an Information
Session.
Wall Street Journal Features Drexel's LeBow College of Business
Research by Drexel University's LeBow College of Business faculty members Eliezer Fich, PhD, and Jie Cai, PhD, was featured in a Wall Street Journal front page article entitled "Option Grants Draw Scrutiny" on October 12, 2009. The article drew attention to the professors' research, which uncovers the practice of awarding stock options to top executives while engaging in negotiations to be acquired. Fich, who along with Cai is also a fellow at the college's Center for Corporate Governance, called the chief executives engaging in this behavior "selfish. They want to get the last nickel from the company, regardless of what's in the best interests of shareholders," Fich says.
The paper, "Stock Option Grants to Target CEOs during Private Merger Negotiations," has been presented at academic conferences but has not yet been published. It examined 110 deals between 1999 and 2006 in which target company CEOs were given unscheduled stock-option grants while takeover discussions had started but had not yet been made public.
Drexel Listed among the Elite HRD Programs in the Country
Drexel University formally applied to the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) for institutional membership and was approved! Drexel is now a member of the Program Excellence Network (PEN), which comprises over 30 of the best HRD programs in the country.
PEN is committed to strengthening HRD academic programs and promoting excellence in teaching HRD. It provides a forum for its members to explore, learn, and work together to shape the future direction of HRD education. This includes professional development as well as fostering the scholarship of teaching.
"Our bi-coastal affiliation [California and Pennsylvania] with AHRD and PEN is an important step toward national and international prominence for Drexel's HRD programs," said Dr. Salvatore Falletta, associate clinical professor and associate program director for HRD. All HRD students, as well as the HRD program faculty, administration, and staff, should take full advantage of the resources the AHRD and PEN have to offer.
Recruitment has already begun for the next HRD cohort in Sacramento, which will begin in March 2010. Those with questions should contact Dr. Salvatore Falletta, at salhrd@drexel.edu or call the Graduate Center at 916-325-4600.
Pictured above: Dr. Sal Falletta of Drexel's MS-HRD program in Sacramento.
Public Health Professor John Rich Named to Institute of Medicine
Dr. John Rich, a professor and chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy at the Drexel University School of Public Health, was recently named to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, IOM has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Dr. Rich was one of 65 new members with five foreign associates named to the IOM during the organization's 39th annual meeting on October 12, 2009.
Dr. Rich is an expert in inner-city health problems, particularly urban violence, men's health, and racial disparities. In addition to serving as a department chair and professor, he also established the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice at the Drexel University School of Public Health. Dr. Rich received MacArthur Fellowship for his work in addressing the primary health care needs of young men in the inner city by designing clinical services and training programs. He also recently published a book on stemming trauma and urban violence, entitled Wrong Place Wrong Time: Trauma and Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men, which is slated for release by The Johns Hopkins University Press this month.
College of Nursing Dean Gloria Donnelly – A Woman of Distinction
Gloria Ferraro Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, has been named a 2009 Woman of Distinction. Recognized as one of the Philadelphia region's most dynamic women who are making headlines in their professional field and in their community, Dean Donnelly is one of 25 award recipients being honored by the Philadelphia Business Journal and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) in Philadelphia, at the Sheraton City Center, on December 1, 2009.
The event gathers over 700 of the region's newsmakers for excellent networking and an inspiring awards ceremony. Winners will also be profiled in a special section of the Business Journal's November 27 issue.
News from the EdD Bureau: Utilizing Emerging Technologies
Foundational to the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Management are the "Keystones" which hold the arch of learning in place. One of the five Keystones supports technology-based learning and leading: "EdD graduates utilize the full range of emerging technologies to reach across generations, communicate effectively, and engage others in meaningful change." Our first cohort members have begun a carefully paced movement toward actualizing this technology-based vision of themselves as learners and leaders.
Two initial steps were taken during the cohort's second executive weekend on October 23 and 24. Students were introduced to the EdD's web-based portal, a robust source of information, resources, and communication channels. Seven organizing sections offer paths of engagement with the EdD and those served by it: About the EdD, Contact Us, Course Information, EdD Keystones, EdD Community, Tutorials, Archives. Links to a full array of University resources, from Hagerty Library to academic advising, offer students ready access to the tools they need to thrive in the EdD program and beyond.
Because the portal is web-based, access can be gained from any computer connected to the Internet. EdD cohort members, though, took another planned step to ramp up their use and understanding of technology by engaging with the portal via an Apple iPod touch.The handhelds were distributed to cohort members during portal training. In the coming weeks and months, they will use their iPod touches for increasingly sophisticated engagement with resources and with others in and beyond the cohort.
For instance, pairs of cohort members are coupled with pairs in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, cohort for completion of a learning task in their Leadership and Change course. To gain access to each other and initiate communications, they will need to go through the portal. In this fashion, the portal and the iPod touches are parts of the arch of communications, learning, and technologies central to fulfilling the promise of the EdD's Keystones. Those with questions should contact EdD Program Director Dr. Ed Bureau web28@drexel.edu or call the Graduate Center at 916-325-4600.
News from the iSchool
The iSchool at Drexel's Information Systems faculty, who educate Sacramento students online, have received a number of research awards over the past few months, furthering the college's mission to connect people with information through the use of technology. Dr. Gregory Hislop, associate professor, is principal investigator on a new project called "From Middle School to Industry: Vertical Integration to Inspire Interest in Computational Thinking." It will focus on team-based computing projects that often inspire student interest in computing careers. Additionally, Dr. Gerry Stahl, iSchool associate professor, has been awarded a three-year grant for $306,355 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Learning Technologies program for his project "Dynamic Support for Virtual Math Teams" in collaboration with the Math Forum at Drexel and Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. Xiaohua Tony Hu, iSchool associate professor, is the principal investigator on the project "Integrating and Mining Bio-Data from Multi Sources in Biological Networks," for which he received a three-year grant for $353,000 from the National Science Foundation. Dr. Hu has also been awarded a one-year planning grant for "Industry/University Collaborative Research Center for Visual Decision Informatics" from NSF IIP for $10,000. He will serve as the principal investigator with co-principal investigators Dr. David Breen of Drexel's Department of Computer Science; Dr. Chaomei Chen, iSchool associate professor; Dr. Xia Lin, iSchool associate professor; and Dr. Il-Yeol Song, iSchool professor.
MS(LIS)
The iSchool at Drexel's on-campus MS(LIS) course – INFO 520 – welcomed guest speaker Geoffrey Rohde, reference librarian, Central Library, Sacramento Public Library System. The aim of the iSchool's MS courses is not only to help students develop a firm foundation in library and information studies, but to also network and connect with their peers as well as potential colleagues and employees.
Runners Invited to Help Feed the Hungry!
We're totally proud of our students. One of the first things the Student Council did was decide to have a public service project each month. We have staffed the phones for KVIE, cleaned up the American River, and given blood. This month, we'll enter a team in the Run to Feed the Hungry to benefit the Sacramento Food Bank. Our Dragons will be seeking sponsors and wearing yellow Team Drexel shirts. If you are currently enrolled and want to run with Team Drexel, email us so you can get your shirt!
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