Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Peace laureate, and Master of Nonprofit Management student, Daisha Versaw

The two women came from different walks of life, but the connection was still evident as they strolled together across Regis’ North Denver (Lowell) Campus.

Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Peace laureate, brought with her decades of experience fighting for social justice, human rights and the protection of indigenous people in her native Guatemala and around the globe. The other, Daisha Versaw – a wife and mother of three whose desire to serve others led her to Regis’ Master of Nonprofit Management program – brought her ambition to be a change agent and an eagerness to learn how.

“How does one person impact their community and the world?” she asked Menchú during their walk. Menchú’s answer was simple: Strength in numbers.

Menchú reiterated that message later as she stood before a crowd of nearly 400 in the St. John Francis Regis Chapel as part of an appearance organized by Regis’ Institute on the Common Good in partnership with the Denver-based PeaceJam and the Boulder-based Center for Juvenile Justice.

Menchú emphasized that transformation starts with self-awareness. She stressed the necessity of spirituality. And she offered hope that individuals who know how to connect with others who share the same goals hold the power to bring about real change.

“All of you have a special energy, a special mission and together we can (spur) change,” Menchú said.

It’s an inspiring message, said Daisha, who dreams of doing international nonprofit work. And, she added, it’s reassuring to hear that even a woman with such a powerful voice acknowledges that her own strides wouldn’t have been made if not for others.

And for Daisha, it’s motivation for her own journey.

“It gives me a lot of excitement to be part of something bigger,” she said.

To view pictures from the event, click on the slideshow below:

Employers see high value in the education Regis University offers, according to a newly released study commissioned by state education officials on salaries among first-year bachelor degree graduates.

The newly unveiled “Higher Education Pays: The Initial Earnings of Graduates from Colorado’s Colleges and Universities Working in Colorado” report offers information to help students and their families gauge the potential return on their higher education investment.

“We’re thrilled that the report validates the unique educational experience Regis offers,” said Jacqueline Phillips, interim director of admissions for Regis College. “Regis’ value-centered, Jesuit education enables its graduates to find personal success as well as do something even more meaningful – to make a positive impact within their communities.”

Here are some of the report’s findings:

• Of the Colorado higher education institutions analyzed, Regis University bachelor’s degree graduates earn the top median salary among liberal arts schools at $53,705. Among all schools, Regis is second highest in first-year median earnings, with the Colorado School of Mines commanding the highest beginning salaries.
• The median first-year earnings of bachelor’s degree recipients statewide are around $39,000. Regis University graduates’ median first-year earnings are about 38 percent higher than the state median.
• A Regis student graduating with a degree in business administration earns a median first-year salary of $57,120, compared to graduates from the University of Colorado Boulder in the same field, who have median first-year earnings of $41,944. And a University of Colorado Denver graduate with the same degree had a median first-year salary of $43,518.
• The median first-year earnings of communication and media studies graduates from Regis were $50,090, compared with $35,822 at the University of Colorado Denver and $41,075 from the University of Denver.
• A Regis student graduating with a degree in psychology had a median first-year salary of $46,459, compared with $30,166 from the University of Northern Colorado. A CU Boulder graduate with the same degree had a median first-year salary of $32,264.

 Invest in your future. Learn how Regis University CPS can set you on the path to success.

After a difficult divorce and a life devoted to being a mother, Kim Fong made the decision to do something for herself. At age 54, Kim returned to school. This May, Kim will finally be able to cross “get my degree” off of her Bucket List when she graduates from Regis with a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a minor in Applied Psychology and a Conflict Management Certificate.

Kim began her educational journey at Front Range Community College while juggling the life of an adult student: a mother of three (two in college and one in high school), working full-time as Independent Paralegal Consultant, and a lover of adventure and her pets, a macaw and canine.

At Front Range she earned her Associate of Arts and Paralegal Certificate and since then Kim has shown outstanding dedication to the pursuit of her degree. After transferring to Regis University she’s accelerated her degree program and her education excellence, which has placed her on the Dean’s List.

While attending school,  Kim used the skills and knowledge her education provided to assist with major legal cases in Colorado as a paralegal. In addition to all of this, Kim is also an active volunteer for the Girl Scouts, Boulder County Public Health and is known as “The Band Mom” by the kids in a music program she supports.

Regarding her experience at Regis, Kim says, “Regis CPS’s flexibility allows me to travel for work and pleasure, volunteer for my children’s band and Girl Scout programs, work, actively participate in raising my three children, and enjoy the year-round breathtaking beauty Colorado has to offer. In my work as a paralegal, parent, volunteer and in activities of daily living, I hope to use the knowledge and understanding gained from my formal educational experience at Regis University to advocate for my clients, children, and community.”

Kim Fong is an exceptional student who has earned the respect and admiration of her fellow students, staff and faculty. It is not every day that you meet a student who summited Gray’s Peak by day, participated in class that same evening, and still took time out to be a a dedicated mother.

Learn more about Regis University’s Associates to Bachelor’s program: http://transfertoregis.org.

[Part of the Learning Series© by Marilynn Force, Ph.D., Regis University affiliate faculty member.] This week TIME Magazine and the Associate Press reported news of the military’s 2012 suicide data, which stated “the number of active-duty suicides in 2012 reached an all-time record—with the 349 self-inflicted deaths ‘far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan’ during the same period.”

While the article points out the variance is due to the fact that combat deaths have dropped as troops are pulled from combat duty and return home, it also states “it means the work of friends, families, communities, non-profits, and government is nowhere close to being complete when it comes to caring for the troops coming home.”

We know how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) overwhelms our Veteran and active Military population, but those who have suffered bullying, abuse, the experience of caretaking sick individuals, or an interaction that makes them feel they are going through a life-threatening event can develop PSTD as well.

As we enter a new year and start with a fresh perspective on how to address our cultural and community-oriented challenges, I thought I would take this opportunity to explain how one person that I know who has PTSD, recently handled the pressure of their syndrome.

Let’s start by re-examining the definition of PTSD from the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA). The USDVA National Center for PTSD goes on to state that “anyone going through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD” (p. 12).

The Definition of PTSD (2009) states that PTSD is a mental condition experienced when a “person has been exposed to an event, which may be outside the range of normal human experience:  an etiological event which would markedly distress almost anyone.” In my opinion the Veterans Administration PTSD 101 course online, is the best resource for anyone to go to for help.

There are many theorists that talk about PSTD and its occurrence in various populations, Freire, Horsman, Sacks and Hamblin to name a few. They address the fact that PTSD is completely individualized and one person’s reaction will be very different to another’s. Whether someone develops PTSD is also very individualized and is not understood at this time.

But one thing is constant…the person who has PTSD can have a significant physical and mental reaction when triggered and threatened.

My Ph.D. is in Education, specifically Professional Studies. I have not studied PSTD as a Psychologist, but have focused my examination and research from the point of view as an educator. I have spent the last seven years studying how people learn and can perform to overcome the paralysis that PTSD or anxiety can have when someone is trying to accomplish a goal, especially a goal of obtaining an education.

So when a recent occurrence to witness a person with PTSD handle a negative, threatening, interaction and turn it into a victory presented itself, this scholar gratefully participated to turn the situation into a positive outcome.

I often talk about how special our Ignatian Pedagogy is for helping all those who choose to come to a Jesuit institution.  Two of the many driving principles I have learned from the Jesuits, which influence my approach, is for all students to (1) love everyone and (2) as an educator to, as St. Ignatius taught the original Jesuits, “let the impediments which call the mind away from studies be removed” (Fitzpatrick, 1933, pg. 71).

The use of this Pedagogy as well as implementing Universal Instructional Design (UID) is continuously engaged to develop coping mechanisms that result in a positive outcome.

Instead of letting this event paralyze this person, it was a marvel to watch as this person called into action their network of support individuals. This varied group of individuals helped this person move from suffering a paralytic event to fully functioning within a short period of time. This individual recognized their physical triggers and realized they could not diminish their reaction to this event without help.

The key to successfully working through this episode was this person’s wiliness to disclose, share and ask for help from a trusted circle of professionals and friends. This action of reaching out became the catalyst for them to work through the event so the fear of the event did not impede this individual’s ability to successfully complete their goal.

Recently the actress Glenn Close visited Denver to bring attention to her Bring Change 2 Mind organization that was developed to help end the stigma surrounding a mental health problem.

Photo: Denver Post

In an article written by Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald for the Huffington Post, Dr. Fitzgerald discusses how stigma prevents those from understanding what another person is going through and conversely prevents the person with a problem from seeking help.

Close mentions in that article that one of the main goals of her organization is to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health conditions, thus giving so many who suffer an affliction of hope in living a productive lifestyle that contributes to society.

The sadness of our nation was so profound in 2012. The survivors of the tragedy in Newtown Connecticut will need every consideration to be able to process their grief and work through the difficulties experienced. Many in the nation will need a new understanding and approach.

As we enter a new year we have a newfound opportunity for compassion and understanding for those who suffer and hope for living a productive life. This eternal hope is self-renewing so that our world can start anew.

It is time that we all observe that PTSD, anxiety and other mental disorders are present within our culture. We need to acknowledge that up to one third of our population (Wilson, 2008 & NIH, 2001) navigate anxiety without hope for fear of the stigma in being exposed.  It is time to change the bias and see beyond the stigma so the brilliance of the individual can show through and that they may have hope.

Bibliography

Freire, P. (2000/1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed (trans., Myra Bergman Ramos). New York, NY: Continuum

Fitzpatrick, E. A. (1933). St. Ignatius and the ratio studiorum. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Hamblen, J. L. (2009). PTSD 101, National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Retrieved from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/ptsd101/Presenters/jessica-hamblen-phd.asp

Higbee, J. L., & Goff, E. (Ed) (2008). Pedagogy and student services for institutional transformation: Implementing universal design in higher education. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Printing Services.

Horsman, J. (2000). Too scared to learn: Women, violence and education. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2001). Speaking out for yourself: A self-help guide.

Sacks, O. (2012) Hallucinations.  New York: NY. Alfred A. Knopf.

Wilson, W. (2008). Joining forces America: Community support for returning service members. Minneapolis, MN: Capella University.

Marilynn Force has a Ph.D. in Education and is an affiliate faculty member who has been teaching for a total of 24 years, 18 of which have been spent at Regis University focusing on finance and accounting within the School of Management. She has also taught for Metro State College and Webster University. Ms. Force’s career has focused on all aspects of small business development, entrepreneurship, management, communication and the creation of effective learning processes and anxiety cessation within the academic and business environment so critical thinking can occur.

It’s that time of the year where resolutions abound with both resistance and positive anticipation, where a clean slate can bring about goals to change one’s habits for the better. As a result, there are numerous articles providing tips on how to really quit smoking once and for all or how to finally “take it off and keep it off.”

We have skimmed over those and collected a few stories on increasing productivity while keeping your sanity, which we hope will be helpful to our adult students, alumni, and all of you in the workforce doing the  work-life-balance jig.

“Twelve Time Management Habits to Master in 2013″ – Forbes.com

This one taps Benjamin Franklin’s formula for changing habits that “he found himself lacking. He knew that nurturing these habits would bring about positive change in his life.”

The article makes recommendations of twelve time management habits that are worth having when it comes to being successful for business, but the key is utilizing this simple yet effective formula.

From Forbes, “Modern psychologists recognize three key elements in Franklin’s three-hundred-year-old procedure for changing habits:

• He started out committed to the new behavior.
• He worked on only one habit at a time.
• He put in place visual reminders.”

How to Train Your Brain to Stay Focused - Entrepreneur.com

While this article is obviously focused on entrepreneurs, the insights can apply to anyone with, well, a brain. Because our personal and business life has pressured many into a habit, which many believe to be counter productive — multitasking…

“Staying focused can be tough with a constant stream of employees, clients, emails, and phone calls demanding your attention. Amid the noise, understanding your brain’s limitations and working around them can improve your focus and increase your productivity.”

So how do we move through our daily work life that is an array of all of the above and more? Entrepreneur provides these three tips:

1. Do creative work first – the brain can tire, as we most know, so work on projects and tasks that require a full tank first, moving on to the easier things afterward that require less thinking.
2. Allocate your time deliberately – are you a morning person or a night owl? Design your day around how you work best and at what time.
3. Train your mind like a muscle – similar to training yourself to meditate, when the mind wanders, reel it back in, in repetition of need be.

How to Turn Past Mistakes Into Future Successes – AOL Business

This last one is actually from October of last year, but still highly relevant, especially since this time of the year is about reflection on the year that’s just past.

In this video,  Internet entrepreneur, CEO and co-founder of Sprint.ly, Joe Stump provides his answer to the question, “What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?”

By putting together a bullet list of mistakes, and then utilizing the age-old notion of learning from them, he takes that knowledge gleaned by personal experience to  turn lemons into lemonade and future business successes.

Is one of your goals for starting 2013 on the right foot include launching or continuing your education path? Feel free to contact our Regis CPS team of enrollment counselors at 1-800-481-5581 or info@regis.edu, or request an information packet online.

[By Eugene Wilkerson, Regis CPS Assistant Professor of Nonprofit Management] When I started as a faculty member at Regis University, a mentor and friend gave me some good advice.  She asked, “Eugene, do you move deck chairs?”  Needless to say, I was a bit puzzled by the question.  “At Regis, faculty members are more than just teachers; we are mentors and we are servants.  At times, you may be asked to do things that sound out of the ordinary for a faculty member but that is the Regis Way.  We go where we are needed and we do what is needed; even if it involves moving deck chairs.”

That advice was put to good use when I was asked to serve as the Guest Coach at a Women’s Volleyball game.  What a surprise.  I am not particularly athletic and never played competitive sports at any level.  Further, I was asked to give a motivational speech. What would I say?  These young women are in Regis College whereas I am a ranked faculty member for the Master’s of Nonprofit Management program in the College of Professional Studies. To be honest, I almost turned down this amazing honor; however, I decided to ‘move some deck chairs’ and to share the experience with my wife and son.

What a wonderful Saturday evening. Speaking from the heart, I wanted these young women to remember the importance of unity.  “I have studied individual leaders, teams, and organizations for the better part of my life.  The one thing that I know for sure is that a house divided cannot succeed.  When you are on the court be of one mind, one body, and one heart.  Teams that are of one mind play for each other and not for themselves.  Teams that are of one body work together and lift each other through trial and tribulation.  Teams that are of one heart share a passion to succeed.”

What I saw on display that evening was a sense of unity that made me proud to be a Regis University faculty member. The gym was about a quarter full.  Yet, about ten students made a point to chant and sing throughout the entire game.  The noise they made filled the gymnasium.  My six year old son, Micah, sat with me behind the team bench.  There, we met a Regis University alumnus from the 1960s who stopped by to enjoy the game.   Micah received several “high-fives” from players during the game.  He was also awarded a Regis University tee shirt.

Things are changing here at Regis University. We have a new president and overall higher education faces many challenges in the near future.

Yet, I am hopeful.

On that Saturday evening I saw unity.  Not only from the young women who beat their opponent three sets to nil.  I saw unity between the past, the present, and the future.  My son wears his Regis University T-shirt to school every week, no matter the weather.  I think that at age 6, he has decided to be a Regis Ranger.  This is another hopeful sign regarding the future of a unified Regis University.

We don’t need to tell you that today’s job market is competitive. For those of you who have a Humanities degree, you have an advantage over the majority of the workforce who never learned how to communicate effectively, across specializations and audiences.

Liberal arts students learn, from day one to graduation day, how to tailor language across mediums, to think outside the box, and to communicate verbally, via email, and in writing.

They can take what a software engineer says and make it understandable to a marketing team. They can take what a CEO says and break it down for a project manager.

Liberal arts students can be the most competitive candidate in a variety of fields, but they need to learn how to market their amazing abilities to other fields. They need to SELL what they have to offer to the technology, business, and medical industries.

Michael S. Malone from The Wall Street Journal goes into the importance of Humanities education in detail in his article, “How to Avoid a Bonfire of the Humanities.”

It’s hard to imagine the sciences and the humanities ever having been united in common cause. But that day may come again soon. Today, the “two cultures” not only rarely speak to one another, but also increasingly, as their languages and world views diverge, are unable to do so.

So, whether you were made to get you Ph.D., want to write the next Ulysses, or are just looking to pay the bills, you need to sell your abilities to the skeptics out there. Liberal Arts education is so valuable because it teaches you HOW to think and manipulate data. Use your skills to land your dream job, or the job that will pay for your dream.

Regis University’s Career Services is ready and waiting to support you in your job search! Visit http://www.regis.edu/career.htm and make and appointment today: 303-458-3508, or via email careers@regis.edu.

Erica L. Nagel-Allgood, Assistant Professor of Communication for the Department of Behavioral and Social Science at Regis CPS, was recently interviewed by the Colorado Springs Gazette, discussing her strong belief in “Cura Personalis,” a Latin phrase that means “care for the entire person,” while delving into the aspects of the adult learning degree programs at Regis CPS.

“I had the privilege of being interviewed by the Gazette about our upcoming Regis University Open House event at our Colorado Springs Campus. We discussed the exciting courses in the CPS Communication Department and how those courses directly relate to the desired attributes employers expect, which is the topic of discussion for the panel discussion at the Open House event,” Allgood says of the experience.  ”We also discussed Regis’ degree programs in the four schools in CPS, and how CPS is designed for adult learners juggling work, family, and education. We look forward to seeing you at the Open House on November 3rd – stop by and talk with me directly!”

Read the Gazette article, “Caring for the Whole Person”

Learn more about the upcoming Colorado Springs November 4 Open House at Regis University

[Part of the Learning Series© by Marilynn Force, Regis University affiliate faculty member and Educational Consultant at the John J. Sullivan Chair.]

In our last article we explored a new way to examine the Entrepreneurial Mindset by reviewing a training I attended at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City May, 2012.  This training was based on the new book, Who Owns the Ice House: Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur© by entrepreneurial thought leaders, Clifton Taulbert and Gary Shoeniger.  This new take on entrepreneurial training is brilliant in that it examines a holistic approach to an entrepreneur’s development of their knowledge base from which to set a context for their business goals and outcomes.

As we stated in the previous article, this methodology examines, the mindset of the entrepreneur, the environment an entrepreneur resides in and how they build their knowledge sets and how they can best use their varied resources.

This approach in determining what drives an entrepreneur and how they know what they know is new.  The uniqueness of this approach is in describing how an entrepreneur establishes successive, sequential knowledge so they can execute that knowledge.

So let’s examine why this approach is so ground breaking and unique to what exists in our culture today:

—The entrepreneurial mindset is established in actual brain science as described by Dr. Joseph Pear of the University of Manitoba in his book, The Science of Learning (2001).  As Taulbert and Shoeniger discuss the presence of tacit knowledge, that being the sequential, successive knowledge that we all build through our life experiences throughout a lifetime, Dr. Pear’s focus is in the examination of describing a person’s ability to develop tacit knowledge or how a structured knowledge base lies in two fundamental theories.

Pear (2001) describes this grounded development of knowledge as the Ontogeny = the history of the individual’s interactions with the environment and Phylogeny = evolutionary history of an individual…e.g. the selection & pressures operating on its ancestors.  An entrepreneur takes their tacit knowledge and then engages and applies that knowledge to the current circumstances around them when the react and a response cycle occurs within the “decision making process” (Kauffman, 2012) of their business decisions.

—To expand on the theory toward the development of knowledge,  Davenport and Prusak (1998, p. 5) define knowledge as, “a fluid mix of framed experience, contextual information, values and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information.” Notice that there are two parts to their definition that builds upon Pears description of knowledge development.  Therefore we are constantly comparing and contrasting our frames of reference.

—We can correlate these scientific processes with the development and application of the Ignatian Pedagogy.  The development of the spiritual exercises provided a context for an individual to develop their decision making process.  Within the spiritual exercises developed 500 years ago.

St. Ignatius developed these exercises to provide his followers the ability to perform their duties, which are “contemplative in action, which then leads to action of human consciousness” (Martin, 2010, p7 & p391). Contemplative in action allows us to provide discernment; a way to decide and consider the best actions to take while we are experiencing the react and respond cycle of all business interactions.  The cycle of a decision process never ends but builds upon itself.  The entrepreneur’s reaction in how to respond and build upon experiences that allow for good decisions and the success of the business.

—If we would look at a diagram of how these interactions would occur it would look like this:

As we go forward in examining how our culture will rebuild from our country’s financial situation and the development of new business model worldwide, it will be important to understand how we can make better decisions and from what context those decisions are made from.  Understanding how we establish knowledge and why and how we make the decisions we make will be critical to our continued development in repairing a challenged economy.

Resources:

—Shoeniger, G. Taulbert, C (N.D. Library of Congress Cataloging, Publication Date applied for) Who Owns the Ice House: Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur. Kansas City: KA. The Kauffman Foundation.

—Davenport T., Prusak L. (1998). Working Knowledge. Boston, MA. Harvard Business School Press

—Martin (2010). The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life. New York:NY. Harper Collins.

—Pear, J.J. (2001) The Science of Learning. Philadelphia:PA Psychology Press.

—Kauffman (2012) College 2.0 an Entrepreneurial Approach to Reforming Higher Education: Overcoming Barriers and Fostering Innovation.  Kansas City: KS.  The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Marilynn Force is an affiliate faculty member who has been teaching for a total of 22 years, 15 of which have been spent at Regis University focusing on finance and accounting within the School of Management. She has also taught for Metro State College and Webster University. Most recently, she has been brought into the Educational Consultant to the John J. Sullivan Chair for Free Enterprise program at Regis University as an Education Consultant. Ms. Force’s career has focused on all aspects of small business development, entrepreneurship, management, communication and the creation of effective learning processes and anxiety cessation within the academic and business environment so critical thinking can occur. She is currently an ABD Doctoral Researcher working on the completion of her PhD in Education.

“The best part of working at Regis University is helping students reach their goals,” said Dr. Mari Glass, a lead faculty member in the CPS undergraduate accounting and finance programs in the School of Management, along with being a CPA, licensed in Texas. As an accomplished professional, her knowledge and experience continually contributes to the success our CPS accounting and finance students.

Mari Glass recently completed her Doctorate in Business Administration in Accounting at Argosy University in Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Glass’ dissertation studied 300 years of regulations that address corporate fraud, speculation, and bubbles in the securities markets.

Her research began with the first joint-stock companies and the earliest corporations, followed by the first stock market crash in England in 1720 through the crashes suffered by England and the United States during the 1800s and 1900s, including the 1929 stock market crash, the Great Depression, and the 2002 stock market crash.

Dr. Glass’ research also studied the management frauds that led to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and its attempt to control the types of fraud that occurred at Enron, Worldcom, and other publicly traded corporations. Her research provides new insights into the causes of speculative markets, stock market bubbles, crashes, and management fraud, making recommendations that may lead to new methods for recognizing and addressing the causes of these problems.

She teaches in both the graduate and undergraduate accounting programs, having taught as an Affiliate Faculty member for eight years, primarily in the online program, before moving to Denver. Prior to being a Colorado resident three years ago, she lived in in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area for about 25 years. While living there, she gained extensive experience in tax, financial accounting, oil and gas accounting, manufacturing, investments, venture capital, and AIS (Accounting Information Systems).

Dr. Glass has served as CFO and VP for a large manufacturing firm, owned a small tax-accounting practice, and provided consulting services to a large number of businesses including start-ups, small, medium, and large companies and several Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies. Her many years of experience give her a wide range of knowledge and skills to share with Regis CPS students.

In her spare time, Dr. Glass tutors current accounting students, works with nonprofit organizations, reads, runs, and enjoys cycling. In the future, she hopes to become more involved in new business start-ups, entrepreneurship, and helping students with new business or product ideas find the resources they need to turn their ideas into realities.

Dr. Mari Glass has two adult children, a daughter who is currently a senior at CU Boulder and a son who is attending community college in Fort Worth, Texas.