Wii needed for Senior Care program

Senior Care of Vineland, an adult medical daycare program on Lincoln Avenue, seeks the donation of a Wii gaming system. Besides providing fun and exercise, Wii virtual sports and exercise programs are often used by health professionals in nursing facilities to improve balance, endurance, range of motion, hand-eye co-ordination, and sequencing abilities. Senior Care also seeks volunteers to help teach its seniors how to play the games. To donate or volunteer, call Katie Smith at (856) 691-3756 or email sewingseniors@gmail.com.

Members of Cumberland County Colleges female athletic teams are hosting a Belle of the Ball prom dress drive to help high school girls in Cumberland County enjoy the upcoming 2012 prom season. The Lady Dukes seek donations of new and gently-used prom gowns, formal wear and fancy event dresses, and stylish accessories such as shoes, purses, jewelry, wraps and shawls.

Donation guidelines:

Formal gowns or fancy party dresses from 2006 or later, in excellent condition in all sizes, colors and lengths.

Garments must be dry cleaned and on hangers or neatly folded.

Accessories should be clean and in excellent condition.

Make-up, casual clothing, wedding dresses, tuxedos, and/or unclean garments will not be accepted.

Donations will be accepted through March 21 in the athletic training office in the Cunningham Gymnasium on the colleges campus at Sherman Avenue and College Drive in Vineland.

For information, call Kaitlin Caviston, athletic trainer, at (856) 696-8600, ext. 446, or email kcaviston@cccnj.edu.

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Helping Hand

Ray Kuehl has been selected as the 2012 Beaver Dam Unified School District Wall of Fame recipient.

He will be honored at the 16th annual wall of fame banquet on April 1 at Beaver Dam High School.

The outstanding alumni award which Kuehl will receive is given annually to a graduate of the Beaver Dam district in recognition of exceptional accomplishments.

Kuehl is a 1952 graduate of Beaver Dam High School and has worked in the dairy industry for 60 years.

He has been a leader for dairy producers in Dodge County, the state of Wisconsin, and around the world. After graduating from high school, Kuehl worked on his family dairy farm and attended UW-Madison for a year while farming.

In 1970, he went to work for the U.S. Holstein-Friesian Cattle Breeders Association in Vermont as a cattle classifier, field representative and an international marketer of dairy cows. He returned to Wisconsin in 1979 to start his own dairy cattle consulting business. This led him to become a partner of American Genetics, where he served as a farm manager and marketed cow embryos around the world. Due to an agriculture related medical condition, Kuehl had to make a career change so he began selling real estate, eventually beginning his own business. He is also started an auctioneer business.

Kuehl was instrumental in the creation of the World Dairy Expo, which is held annually in Madison. When it was announced that the U.S. National Dairy Cattle Show would be discontinued, Kuehl and a few other cattle breeders developed a plan to hold the show in Wisconsin. The Expo is now the largest dairy industry exposition in the nation. Kuehl brought state-wide focus on Dodge Countys dairy industry when he chaired the Alice in Dairyland competition, held in Beaver Dam in 1964. He was appointed by Governor Tommy Thompson to the World Dairy Center Authority, which chose sites for the new State Department of Agriculture and the World Dairy Center buildings in Madison.

Kuehl served on numerous local and state dairy and farming organizations and has received many awards and other recognition. He has also helped thousands of dairy farmers become successful dairy animal producers. Kuehl is dedicated to the youth in the dairy cattle industry and has been instrumental in raising money to promote agriculture education in schools. He also willingly gives of his time and returns to Beaver Dam High School to encourage, inspire and challenge young FFA members to set their goals high and respect others.

Excerpt from:
Wall of Fame recipient announced

Posted: Thursday, March 1, 2012 12:15 am | Updated: 12:16 am, Wed Feb 29, 2012.

NORTH SEWICKLEY TWP. -- U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Merle Duane Hart will be visiting the Riverside School District on Friday.

Hart, a 1973 graduate of Riverside, will lead assemblies in the high school, middle school and primary center. He will be available to speak with students throughout the day. Local and state government officials are also to be on hand, said David Anney, school superintendent.

"It's nice to see one of our own achieve great things," Anney said during Monday night's school board meeting.

---

The four finalists in a "Future Chefs: Healthy Breakfast Challenge" will participate in a districwide event on March 30 in the Riverside Middle School.

The competition, sponsored by the district's food service provider, Sodexo, was for middle school pupils, and is under the direction of Diane Bucknum, food services coordinator.

Thirty-eight students submitted healthy breakfast recipes for the competition.

Riverside joins with 90 other school districts nationwide that hosted Future Chefs competitions. The winning student from each participating district will be considered for the national finals, and the public can vote for their favor recipe on a special Future Chefs YouTube channel.

---

See the original post here:
Air Force general, Riverside alumni to visit on Friday

Twitter hashtag: #MrPenny

Mr. Penny remains in critical condition at East Alabama Medical Center on Tuesday, a day after he was found at his home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

EAMC public relations manager John Atkinson said Johnny Richmond, the Auburn City Schools employee and crossing guard known as Mr. Penny, remained in critical condition at the hospital a day after undergoing surgery for the injuries.

Auburn police, responding to a request from a concerned relative, found Richmond at his Boykin Street home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head Monday morning.

On Monday, well-wishers began stopping at the corner of Samford Avenue and Dean Road to leave handmade signs, flowers, candles and pennies where Richmond spent his mornings and afternoons escorting children across the road.

Among the people leaving trinkets and messages for Richmond Tuesday morning were school system employees Jan Swiderski and Holly Beck, who walked to the corner from the nearby ACS main office to leave Auburn University shakers.

“He’s just a great guy — this is his corner. He puts a smile on your face no matter what,” Swiderski said.

Beck said children and adults would wave to Richmond as they passed the crossing.

“It’s just sad driving by this corner this morning and not seeing his hand go up — and maybe never again,” Beck said.

Original story
Last update: 11:23 p.m. Monday

Parents and school staff spent the Monday struggling to explain to students what happened to the beloved local crossing guard known as Mr. Penny, who remained on life support at East Alabama Medical Center late Monday night.

“ … And we can’t answer those kinds of things,” Auburn City Schools Superintendent Terry Jenkins said.

Johnny Richmond, a 37-year employee of Auburn City Schools known as Mr. Penny to generations of school children, was found at his Auburn residence with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to Auburn Police who responded at the request of a worried relative.

Jenkins said counselors will be available Tuesday for students and staff at Dean Road Elementary School, Auburn High School, and Drake Middle School.

“It was a real shock to all of us,” Jenkins said. “ … You just expect when you walk outside to see that smiling face.”

Jenkins said Richmond underwent surgery Monday afternoon for his injuries.

There were conflicting reports of Richmond’s death Monday on social media and local news outlets after EAMC prematurely reported his passing to Auburn City Schools. The hospital called the announcement an honest mistake.

Jenkins said the system was inundated with calls from parents, former students and others whose lives Richmond had touched seeking information on what had happened to the avid Auburn University fan known for leading students in cheers as they crossed the intersection of Samford Avenue and Dean Road under his supervision.

“I have been amazed today how many adults called us in tears,” Jenkins said. “Mr. Penny is a very active part of the lives of a lot of children.”

Jenkins said Richmond’s influence on young lives stretched beyond Dean Road and the nearby crossing.

Wanda Lewis, president of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County, said Mr. Penny routinely volunteered to participate in programs that benefited the organization.

“Where Auburn City Schools were involved, he was always willing to be involved,” Lewis said. “My heart goes out to the children. This is sad for all of us, but my concern is for the children and how they will deal with this because they know him and love him.”

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said he received phone calls from his children, both Dean Road alumni, who wanted an update about the longtime crossing guard.

“They were particularly sad about that,” Jones said.

Jenkins said the system’s main office learned of the incident late Monday morning.

The only apparent sign that something was wrong Monday was Richmond’s absence from his post at the crosswalk and his custodial job at Dean Road Elementary School, Jenkins said.

Richmond is one of three crossing guards employed by the Auburn Public Safety Department, Auburn Police Division Chief Tommy Dawson said.

Jenkins called Richmond’s job performance with the system exemplary and said his unannounced absence Monday alarmed the staff at Dean Road.

“Everybody he works for would tell you he is always on time,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said the Dean Road principal drove to Richmond’s home, where she found police investigators.

Mr. Penny was a fixture on the sidelines of Auburn city schools and AU athletic events, a perennial cheerleader for the teams he adored.

“Mr. Penny always gave the impression that he was one of the happiest people you could meet,” Jenkins said.

Staff writer Donathan Prater contributed to this report.

Original post:
UPDATE: No change in Mr. Penny's condition Tuesday

Twitter hashtag: #MrPenny

Mr. Penny remains in critical condition at East Alabama Medical Center on Tuesday, a day after he was found at his home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

EAMC public relations manager John Atkinson said Johnny Richmond, the Auburn City Schools employee and crossing guard known as Mr. Penny, remained in critical condition at the hospital a day after undergoing surgery for the injuries.

Auburn police, responding to a request from a concerned relative, found Richmond at his Boykin Street home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head Monday morning.

On Monday, well-wishers began stopping at the corner of Samford Avenue and Dean Road to leave handmade signs, flowers, candles and pennies where Richmond spent his mornings and afternoons escorting children across the road.

Among the people leaving trinkets and messages for Richmond Tuesday morning were school system employees Jan Swiderski and Holly Beck, who walked to the corner from the nearby ACS main office to leave Auburn University shakers.

“He’s just a great guy — this is his corner. He puts a smile on your face no matter what,” Swiderski said.

Beck said children and adults would wave to Richmond as they passed the crossing.

“It’s just sad driving by this corner this morning and not seeing his hand go up — and maybe never again,” Beck said.

Original story
Last update: 11:23 p.m. Monday

Parents and school staff spent the Monday struggling to explain to students what happened to the beloved local crossing guard known as Mr. Penny, who remained on life support at East Alabama Medical Center late Monday night.

“ … And we can’t answer those kinds of things,” Auburn City Schools Superintendent Terry Jenkins said.

Johnny Richmond, a 37-year employee of Auburn City Schools known as Mr. Penny to generations of school children, was found at his Auburn residence with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to Auburn Police who responded at the request of a worried relative.

Jenkins said counselors will be available Tuesday for students and staff at Dean Road Elementary School, Auburn High School, and Drake Middle School.

“It was a real shock to all of us,” Jenkins said. “ … You just expect when you walk outside to see that smiling face.”

Jenkins said Richmond underwent surgery Monday afternoon for his injuries.

There were conflicting reports of Richmond’s death Monday on social media and local news outlets after EAMC prematurely reported his passing to Auburn City Schools. The hospital called the announcement an honest mistake.

Jenkins said the system was inundated with calls from parents, former students and others whose lives Richmond had touched seeking information on what had happened to the avid Auburn University fan known for leading students in cheers as they crossed the intersection of Samford Avenue and Dean Road under his supervision.

“I have been amazed today how many adults called us in tears,” Jenkins said. “Mr. Penny is a very active part of the lives of a lot of children.”

Jenkins said Richmond’s influence on young lives stretched beyond Dean Road and the nearby crossing.

Wanda Lewis, president of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County, said Mr. Penny routinely volunteered to participate in programs that benefited the organization.

“Where Auburn City Schools were involved, he was always willing to be involved,” Lewis said. “My heart goes out to the children. This is sad for all of us, but my concern is for the children and how they will deal with this because they know him and love him.”

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said he received phone calls from his children, both Dean Road alumni, who wanted an update about the longtime crossing guard.

“They were particularly sad about that,” Jones said.

Jenkins said the system’s main office learned of the incident late Monday morning.

The only apparent sign that something was wrong Monday was Richmond’s absence from his post at the crosswalk and his custodial job at Dean Road Elementary School, Jenkins said.

Richmond is one of three crossing guards employed by the Auburn Public Safety Department, Auburn Police Division Chief Tommy Dawson said.

Jenkins called Richmond’s job performance with the system exemplary and said his unannounced absence Monday alarmed the staff at Dean Road.

“Everybody he works for would tell you he is always on time,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said the Dean Road principal drove to Richmond’s home, where she found police investigators.

Mr. Penny was a fixture on the sidelines of Auburn city schools and AU athletic events, a perennial cheerleader for the teams he adored.

“Mr. Penny always gave the impression that he was one of the happiest people you could meet,” Jenkins said.

Staff writer Donathan Prater contributed to this report.

Read more from the original source:
Mr. Penny in critical condiction

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Ann M. Drake, CEO of DSC Logistics, has been selected by the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University to receive the 2012 Alumni Merit Award. The award is presented to a Kellogg graduate who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in a field of endeavor and whose accomplishments reflect credit on Northwestern University. Ms. Drake earned an MBA from Kellogg in 1984 and became CEO of DSC in 1994.

As DSC CEO, one of Drake's first initiatives was to transform the company, originally founded in 1960 as Dry Storage Corporation, from an extended family of 22 companies to a dynamic supply chain partner operating as one entity, under one name – DSC. She also introduced a strategy and structure known as sense-and-respond to enable greater flexibility, proactive problem-solving, and achievement of customers’ business goals, such as reducing costs, improving service, transforming business processes, and facilitating growth and change.

Since Drake became CEO, DSC has grown to be one of the nation’s leading supply chain management companies, with a nationwide network of integrated logistics and supply chain management operations. The core of DSC’s business is collaborative partnerships with major companies in a variety of industries, including grocery and consumer goods, health care and medical devices, electronics, paper, and others.

Among the honors she has received for her business leadership are being named “Industry Leader of the Year “ in 2009 by the Illinois institute of Technology; a logistics and supply chain management “Rainmaker” by DC Velocity magazine; and a “Pro to Know” for three years in a row by Supply & Demand Chain Executive. In addition to her DSC leadership, Drake serves on the board of directors of A.M. Castle & Company and the board of directors of the Committee of 200 (C200), an international organization of prominent business women. She also serves as vice president of the Business Advisory Council of Northwestern University's Transportation Center and has been involved for many years with the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Brookings Institution, including serving as part of a Brookings delegation that traveled to Germany to study transportation and governance.

Northwestern’s Alumni Merit Awards, presented to one alumnus from each of Northwestern’s 11 undergraduate and graduate schools, will be held Saturday, March 3, at the Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago.

About DSC Logistics

DSC Logistics, a leading supply chain management company, focuses on designing, integrating, managing, and adapting supply chain solutions. DSC capabilities as a Lead Logistics Partner (LLP) and third-party provider (3PL) include supply chain analysis and design, network optimization and management, Logistics Center management, transportation management and consolidation, business process integration, supply chain visibility, and value-added services. In today’s environment, filled with rapid and unpredictable change, DSC helps customers achieve their goals by being ready for anything!

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50184363&lang=en

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50184363&lang=en

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Ann Drake to Receive Alumni Merit Award

The University of Scranton's new Loyola Science Center helps make the school a good match for the Commonwealth Medical College as the institutions pursue plans for an affiliation.

When the group that founded the Commonwealth Medical College first announced the project in 2005, one of the major questions in the community was why it was not affiliated with a university, especially the University of Scranton.

Independent medical schools are relatively rare. For financial, academic and practical reasons, most are tied to universities and many of those include "teaching hospitals."

Many people saw the University of Scranton as a natural partner for the medical school because of its strong pre-med program.

TCMC pressed on independently, pioneering a community-based, rather than university-based model as it built its spectacular headquarters on Pine Street, at the edge of downtown Scranton.

Disadvantages of that independence soon became obvious, however. The school had no parent organization and no alumni. After the state government, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania and a core of generous private donors funded the initial development, TCMC was placed on probation by its accrediting body because of financial uncertainty - a period it has been able to navigate largely because of an ongoing commitment from Blue Cross.

Now it appears that the affiliation that seemed a natural from the outset finally might happen. The medical school and the university formally agreed recently to examine an affiliation that might make even better sense now than it would have back in 2005.

In the interim, the University of Scranton has established a joint graduate major with the medical school and it has constructed an $80 million science center. It also brings to the table its academic reputation, which would be enhanced through a medical school, a national alumni association and significant fund raising capability.

An affiliation would be a tremendous development for the two institutions and the region. TCMC already has begun to play a role in improving the region's health care quality and access, and it is a key to creating a larger knowledge-based component to the region's economy.

The university long has been a major player in the regional economy. That will increase with its growing emphasis on research, which would grow further through a medical school affiliation. Because of the extraordinary work by the medical school's developers, the university would not have to build the institution from scratch.

Meanwhile, two major hospital groups that have relationships with TCMC have become the biggest players in regional health care delivery. Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tenn., has purchased the former Mercy Hospital and Moses Taylor Hospital and their related institutions, and Geisinger Health System has expanded its presence with its acquisition of the former Community Medical Center. Both groups have vowed to invest scores of millions of dollars in the region.

All of those developments hold the potential to make health care, medical education and research-based related developments new drivers of the region's economy.

A TCMC/University of Scranton affiliation is a complex undertaking. The region will benefit enormously if they can pull it off.

Continue reading here:
Health for med school and regional economy

TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE The University of Scranton's new Loyola Science Center helps make the school a good match for the Commonwealth Medical College as the institutions pursue plans for an affiliation.

When the group that founded the Commonwealth Medical College first announced the project in 2005, one of the major questions in the community was why it was not affiliated with a university, especially the University of Scranton.

Independent medical schools are relatively rare. For financial, academic and practical reasons, most are tied to universities and many of those include "teaching hospitals."

Many people saw the University of Scranton as a natural partner for the medical school because of its strong pre-med program.

TCMC pressed on independently, pioneering a community-based, rather than university-based model as it built its spectacular headquarters on Pine Street, at the edge of downtown Scranton.

Disadvantages of that independence soon became obvious, however. The school had no parent organization and no alumni. After the state government, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania and a core of generous private donors funded the initial development, TCMC was placed on probation by its accrediting body because of financial uncertainty - a period it has been able to navigate largely because of an ongoing commitment from Blue Cross.

Now it appears that the affiliation that seemed a natural from the outset finally might happen. The medical school and the university formally agreed recently to examine an affiliation that might make even better sense now than it would have back in 2005.

In the interim, the University of Scranton has established a joint graduate major with the medical school and it has constructed an $80 million science center. It also brings to the table its academic reputation, which would be enhanced through a medical school, a national alumni association and significant fund raising capability.

An affiliation would be a tremendous development for the two institutions and the region. TCMC already has begun to play a role in improving the region's health care quality and access, and it is a key to creating a larger knowledge-based component to the region's economy.

The university long has been a major player in the regional economy. That will increase with its growing emphasis on research, which would grow further through a medical school affiliation. Because of the extraordinary work by the medical school's developers, the university would not have to build the institution from scratch.

Meanwhile, two major hospital groups that have relationships with TCMC have become the biggest players in regional health care delivery. Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tenn., has purchased the former Mercy Hospital and Moses Taylor Hospital and their related institutions, and Geisinger Health System has expanded its presence with its acquisition of the former Community Medical Center. Both groups have vowed to invest scores of millions of dollars in the region.

All of those developments hold the potential to make health care, medical education and research-based related developments new drivers of the region's economy.

A TCMC/University of Scranton affiliation is a complex undertaking. The region will benefit enormously if they can pull it off.

Originally posted here:
Health for med school and economy

Posted: Feb. 26, 2012 | 2:02 a.m.

It falls to many college deans to go before off-campus groups and seek support, especially when budgets are tight.

But Dr. Karen West may be the only one who has gone before the Turnaround Management Association, which focuses on reviving struggling businesses.

Upon becoming dean of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine in 2007, she walked into both trouble and an academic department that shares many traits with for-profit entities.

When she moved into her office across the street from University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, she was the fifth permanent or interim dean in the school's five-year existence. Numerous people had opposed the school's creation, and they renewed their fight against it after the initial promises that it would be financially self-sufficient proved overblown. Several students received diplomas despite being involved in a cheating scandal, provoking further outrage. An ambitious orthodontics program was wobbling with too many students and too little funding after a major corporate sponsor went bankrupt.

With a few years of continuity under West, the debate has subsided. The school now covers about three-fourths of its annual budget -- $21.8 million out of nearly $30 million -- with tuition, fees, research grants and payments from the 60,000 patients treated there every year. West wants to keep state support around the current level to hold down student costs while building reserves to cover expenses such as new drills and chairs.

Meanwhile, she continues to grapple with issues such as how to price services to patients and costs to students, which now run at $178,000 for a four-year program, to maximize revenue without getting ahead of the market.

Question: Why did you want to walk into the problems the school faced in 2007?

Answer: When I interviewed for the position here, believe it or not, that was the first time I had ever been to Las Vegas in my life. So I wasn't aware of the way the school was looked at. All I knew was that it was a new school, which attracted me because you can do so much with a new school. It's like a blank slate and there are a lot of opportunities. But I was only tangentially aware of the problems.

Question: Was there some point when you started to get buyer's remorse?

Answer: Probably a few times I second-guessed myself. Should I have done this? I ran into things here that I never ran into in Kentucky (her home state and previous professional address). It's a different environment of living here, whole different social environment. Kentucky is the South; things are kind of slow there. Here, things move at a very fast pace and you have to make decisions and you can't look back. You move forward.

I thought to myself, "I know I can do this, but is it what I really want to do?" After a couple of years we made changes and things kind of fell into place. I said, "I like this place." It was different for me to move here. I like the desert, I love the weather, but I miss my green trees.

Question: Why did you stick it out?

Answer: Because I'm not a quitter. If I had left here before things were straightened out, in my opinion, I would have felt like I was a failure. And I don't deal well with that. I knew I could make a difference. The school had some tremendous potential and it just needed some TLC and some good oversight and management.

Question: To some extent, you were thrown into crisis management. What was your background for that?

Answer: As an academic dean at the University of Kentucky, I was always the bad cop. That's what academic deans do. They're the ones that sometimes have to tell students that they flunked out. So I was used to doing that sort of thing.

I had quite a bit of leadership training through different programs in health care.

Question: Did you have to learn a lot on the fly?

Answer: Yes, but I found out that I liked it. ... There were so many opportunities to build the school, to expand. I didn't know how much I was going to have to do, but I came because of that. It's so much easier to make a difference at a school that hasn't got a lot of old, established rules.

In Kentucky, for instance, there is the Kentucky way of doing things. Here, we didn't yet have the UNLV way of doing things and that's what we have been able to build, I think.

Question: What is the UNLV way of doing things?

Answer: We like to say that the hallmark of our school is our service. We have service to the community and probably have one of the largest programs in the country for what we provide in service. Our philosophy is that here at the school you are going to learn leadership training, you are going to learn to give back to the community and you are going to have a quality education.

Question: It seems as if you are more of a CEO than a typical dean.

Answer: Most dental school deans have to be business managers because we have clinic operations, even more so than a medical school. Usually, in a medical school, they work in a hospital. Here, we have the entire enterprise.

Question: The school's level of self support is now about 75 percent. When the school was set up, the announced target was total self-support. Is that still the case?

Answer: It will take a long time to get totally self-supporting because we are a new school. Most schools that have a large and self-supporting income have an alumni base. We're not there yet. Once we get up there, I think we can gradually increase the amount. But it's going to take us a while.

If we tried to do that right now, we would basically increase our tuition out of the marketplace.

Question: Do you have to act as chief marketing officer in setting price?

Answer: Oh, yes. There are still a lot of students that want to go to dental school. We had 2,300 applicants for 80 spots last year. We have plenty to choose from.

But at the same time, we don't want to make it so expensive that our students can't pay back their loans when they get out. That's my worry. So I try to balance that, what they can pay and what we need as a school to continue.

Question: How do you think the school is doing now?

Answer; I think we are going great. Our graduates are our best marketing tools because they are doing very well right now. Over half of our students go into graduate programs. That's very difficult, to get into graduate programs. We have program directors at other places tell us that our students are very well prepared. The community is accepting of us. We're involved with organized dentistry.

Question: What's on the to-do list?

Answer: We want to build more graduate programs. We have an orthodontic, a pediatric dentistry and a general practice residency program.

One of the things that happens when students go off to graduate school (elsewhere) is that they generally stay there. We want our students, our graduates, to stay within state instead of going to California or somewhere because we don't have a program here.

Quite honestly, dental schools don't make money on their undergraduate programs. They make it on the graduate programs. So on predoctoral clinics, we just want to break even. That's another reason I want graduate programs.

Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.

More here:
Nevadan At Work: Unlv Dental School Dean Displays Turnaround Artistry

By Ellen Keiley, K&L Gates

Whether you are continuing your education in your 20s or 50s, it can be a worthwhile endeavor. Most agree that that it takes an incredible amount of time and effort. In fact, you may suddenly find yourself frequently writing papers all hours of the night and no longer being able to take leisurely vacations. However, that?s just temporary, and the benefits outweigh the negatives. In the end, continuing education is rewarding and game changing in a positive way.

According to Dorothy Whalen, Board President of the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA) Boston Chapter, although she was already at the CFO level, it was definitely worth going back to school for her MBA. Whalen said ?No one can take away my education.? Attending Northeastern University?s Executive MBA program allowed her to learn among other leaders with diverse experiences and perspectives and enabled her to keep current on new technologies, trends, and best practices.

Evelyn Tate, Director of Graduate Recruitment & Admissions at Northeastern University stated continuing education helps you remain competitive in the workplace, and additional education can set you apart from other candidates, whether you are applying for a position or looking to be promoted within a company. Tate also said although there?s financial expenses involved with attending school, there?s also financial benefits going forward. A Bureau of Labor & Statistics study shows that the financial benefits of continuing one?s education can be significant.

Networking and the social aspect are added benefits of continuing education. The class atmosphere provides an opportunity to build your network and build deep relationships that will last a lifetime. Diane Darling, CEO of Effective Networking, Inc. and author of ?The Networking Survival Guide? suggests getting involved as much as possible and ?building relationships before you need them.? For example, people often reach out to their former classmates for business or service referrals. Darling also suggests joining the conversation, getting involved with alumni networks after graduating, and staying in touch with former classmates.

Before deciding to go back to school, one should be ready for the commitment involved. Michelle Jacobo, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Program Director at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, attended a 5-year full-time, fully intensive program, as well as 2 years of post-doctoral training and said it was like giving up 7 years of her adult life outside of school while she was in her 20s. However, she doesn?t regret doing so in any way. Not only was it necessary for her field of expertise in healthcare, but it was also rewarding.

Whalen said for sixteen months, she spent most of every waking hour outside of work on studying to prepare for team meetings, classes and deliverables. Those efforts paid off, as they increased her team building skills and made her stronger in the working world. Whalen was fortunate to have received a partial scholarship, but her school loans were still significant.

If you determine you want to go back to school, do your homework. Before making a decision, research programs and determine the right one for you. There are so many options these days, such as full-time, part-time, blended learning, and dual degrees. For those that have to travel frequently for work or have extremely busy schedules, online programs may be the way to go.

Whether online or on campus, continuing education will build your skill set and better equip you in the workplace and in life.

Some Important Tips
? Visit school websites, talk to friends and professional colleagues, and tour school campuses and classrooms.

? Many schools offer the opportunity to speak with students and instructors ? take advantage of that to get a real sense of the commitment involved.

? Review school rankings and look for accredited schools. Massachusetts has a long list of excellent schools to choose from.

? If you have interest in international business, consider schools that have an international business program, including travel opportunities.

? If you plan on taking classes on campus, take the school?s location into consideration and determine if it will work logistically.

? Develop a plan on how you will support yourself financially while in school and how you will pay for school.

? Speak with a school financial aid counselor to learn about payment and financial aid options.

? Research scholarships and look for tuition-funded opportunities.

Ellen Keiley is a Boston World Partnerships Connector and a member of the Business Development Department at K&L Gates in Boston. She can be contacted at ellen.keiley@ klgates.com

See the rest here:
Continuing Education