Fall Commencement, December 14^th and 15^th

The University of Central Oklahoma invites Fall 2012 graduates to attend commencement ceremonies Friday–Saturday, December 14^th and 15^th, at the following times:

1. 1 p.m. Friday, December 14 — College of Education and Professional Studies (undergraduates only)
2. 5 p.m. Friday, December 14 — Jackson College of Graduate Studies (graduates from all colleges)
3. 10 a.m. Saturday, December 15 — College of Business Administration and College of Fine Arts and Design (undergraduates)
4. 2 p.m. Saturday, December 15 —College of Liberal Arts and College of Mathematics and Science (undergraduates)

Navy blue regalia will be available beginning October 16^th and 17^th at Graduation Central at Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Nigh University Center.

Don’t miss out on this convenient, on-campus job search opportunity with many local and national organizations in one place at one time.  Add it to your calendar today!

You are invited to the Fall 2012 Career & Internship Fair on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm in the Nigh University Center Ballrooms (3^rd Floor).

You will be able to:

• Submit resumes for full-time employment
• Pursue internship opportunities
• Explore the possibilities of graduate and professional education
• Gather organization and application materials
• Network with recruiters

Professional attire is required for entry. Access to the event is free and open to the public. For a current list of attending organizations, visit the Career Services Calendar of Events webpage or through your account on HireBronchos.com.

It is strongly suggested that you bring several copies of your resume. If you need assistance creating or revising your resume, you may make an appointment with a Career Counselor, upload your resume in your HireBronchos.com account after registering, or attend a 20-minute walk-in session on a Tuesday morning or Wednesday afternoon. If you do not have a HireBronchos.com account, you must register in the Career Services office.

We look forward to hosting this annual event that provides you with the opportunity to connect with top companies seeking potential employees or interns. For more information concerning UCO’s Fall 2012 Career & Internship Fair or UCO Career Services, visit www.careers.uco.edu or call (405) 974-3346.

Media Contact: Adrienne Nobles, Director of Communications and Marketing, University of Central Oklahoma, 405-974-2103, anobles@uco.edu

UCO ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR NEW MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING

The University of Central Oklahoma’s new Master of Science in Nursing program will welcome its first students in January 2013, and the university is already accepting applications from potential members of that first class.

One of three public nursing master’s degrees in Oklahoma, Central’s M.S. in Nursing will offer working R.N.s flexibility through early-evening class times, part- and full-time options, and a convenient location for classes at the university’s Edmond campus.

“This degree puts R.N.s on track to become managers in hospitals or teachers of nursing at colleges and universities,” said Linda Rider, Ed.D., R.N.

“It also prepares them for more advanced career paths in nursing, such as clinical nurse leader or nurse practitioner. So, it’s important for us to offer a flexible program that allows busy nurses to earn a master’s degree. We believe Central is the right location for that.”

Students can choose from two tracks – nursing education and specialty nursing. Nursing education will prepare students for academic positions in nursing education and administrative positions in hospital staff education. The specialty-nursing track allows students to meet their individual goals, such as leadership or administration.

The full-time program takes approximately three semesters and one summer session to complete. The part-time program extends that timeframe to about two years and two summer sessions.

For a full list of M.S. in Nursing requirements, and to apply for the program, visit Central’s Jackson College of Graduate Studies at www.uco.edu/graduate.

For more information, contact Nancy Dentlinger, Ed.D., graduate adviser and associate professor of nursing, at 405-974-5162 or ndentlinger@uco.edu.

Special Centralities from President Betz
Re: Central Again Selected, ‘Great Colleges to Work For’

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Congratulations! You have done it again!

For the fourth time in five years, UCO has been named one of the “Great Colleges to Work For” in the 2012 list being released today by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

I am most proud of this honor because it is the result of what you — our faculty and staff — say about our university. Almost half of you — an incredible 47 percent response rate — answered the Chronicle’s online survey request, making it possible for all of us to celebrate this great achievement.

Because we were rated so highly in seven of the 12 categories, we also were among only 42 universities named as a 2012 Honor Roll school. We took honors in Collaborative Governance, Professional/Career Development Programs, Teaching Environment, Work/Life Balance, Confidence in Senior Leadership, Supervisor/Department Chair Relationship and Tenure Clarity/Process.

Note that 294 institutions tried for the “Great Colleges to Work For” designation. Central is one of only 103 who made the grade nationwide.

This designation only confirms what I have observed on countless occasions and in dozens of ways here at Central. Many of you have demonstrated that you are not going through the routine, not disengaged from our mission here and not willing to accept outcomes that are just OK. I applaud your sense of responsibility linked to intelligence, insight, persistence and collaboration. I revere your devotion to our students and your teaching and mentoring them to a hopeful future. So many of you step up, way up, in educating and serving each day as a matter of commitment and of character.

Again, my hearty congratulations and thanks for all you do!

Sincerely,

President Don Betz

Don Betz

P.S.  Read more about the survey at http://chronicle.com/section/Academic-Workplace/617/.

UCO asked for the addition of several new graduate level programs and decided to give a major ‘facelift’ to one of its cornerstone programs, Education.

The College of Education and Professional Studies overhauled the General Education program by creating new ‘stand-alone’ programs for Secondary Education and Bilingual/TESL Education. These two programs had been majors under the General Education M.Ed. program.

This update and facelift allowed the Adult Education M.Ed. program to expand into a new program, Adult and Higher Education, with four new majors.

1. Adult and Higher Education
2. Interdisciplinary Studies
3. Student Personnel
4. Training

Since the addition of the W. Roger Webb Forensic Science Institute (its formal dedication just came in June of 2011), UCO has gained a reputation for offering ‘state of the art’ forensic investigation training. The College of Education and Professional Studies added another major, Forensic Psychology, to its graduate Psychology M.A. program. This interdisciplinary new major is just another way UCO is giving students added value in a much needed field, Forensic Science.

The College of Liberal Arts has added several new programs to its Graduate Studies as well. These are:

1. M.A. in Gerontology – (Sociology and Substance Abuse)
2. M.A. in Human Communication – (Mass Communications)
3. M.P.A. in Public Administration – (Political Science)

The College of Mathematics and Science added a new program in Nursing (M.S.) – Department of Nursing.

We are excited about adding these new programs to our long list of fine Master’s Degree Programs. These new and/or updated programs will contribute to the ‘intellectual, cultural, economic and social advancement of the communities and individuals which UCO serves.’

Master Your Future by Taking Your Career A Degree Higher!

For further information on the application and admission process, please visit our Jackson College of Graduate Studies website or give us a call at 405.974.3341. We look forward to helping you Take Your Career a Degree Higher.

I recently read a book by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D. titled ‘Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease’. In the book Esselstyn talks about the many marvelous and rewarding consequences of switching to an all plant-based (vegan), no-fat diet. He has been studying coronary and cardiac disease for many years and his results are definitely astounding, to say the least. He gives numerous valid reasons for choosing a no-fat, vegan diet over the common American diet which contains high fat content, animal-based protein sources and far too few vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

Esselstyn states that by making the dietary change, any American can prevent and/or reverse cardiac and coronary disease. He goes on to state that by making the change to all plant-based nutrition, one can lower cholesterol down to levels that statin-type drug usage can’t manage. Along with lowering one’s blood level cholesterol, the person choosing to adhere to the no-fat vegan diet can expect to lose weight, gain energy and can look forward to lowering their risk of heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke and diabetes to almost zero.

Okay, so far so good, right? So the next logical step is to inventory my fridge, my staples, and fresh produce to decide how to begin implementing this radical (for me) dietary change. I find, to my dismay, that I need to discard most of the contents of my food in cold storage (refrigerator and/or freezer) and change my menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as finding ‘allowed’ snacks and drinks (water is good although not terribly satisfying at times).

After visiting a wonderful new supermarket in the OKC area on Saturday, I found all kinds of vegan products to smooth the transition. This find made my level of enthusiasm rise to the point that I was more and more willing to start easing into this new lifestyle.

Today, I am facing the question of what to prepare for my evening meal and finding that I really don’t have any enthusiasm about eating another whole grain based meal. I’ve even lost my taste for whole wheat bread! I find it’s too sweet.

And breakfast, well, let me say it this way, “if I never see another bowl of oatmeal sans dairy milk, it won’t hurt my feelings.”

I’m wondering if this disenchantment will pass. It’s so bad that I’m not interested in eating anything; not even those ‘forbidden’ things like meat and cheese and omelets and MILK CHOCOLATE. The best part of my lunch was fresh, raw veggies and fresh fruit.

Do you suppose that whole grains kill taste buds?

Listen up Bronchos. If you are considering entering graduate school or a professional school any time soon, this is the Career Chats for you!

The Central community is invited to attend “Grad and Professional School,” a Career Chats session, at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Room 202, Nigh University Center.

Susan Wilson, director of admissions for the OU Law School, and Emily Blaess, coordinator of graduate student admissions for Central’s College of Education and Professional Studies, will discuss admission exams, deadlines and offer application advice.

Career Chat seminars enable students to fine-tune job search skills and prepare for internships, employment, and/or graduate/professional school opportunities.

For more information, contact Career Services at 974-3346, careers@uco.edu or Room 338, Nigh University Center.

Campus Improvements Act Legislation is a UCO Student organization that has started an open group on Facebook under the name of Vote YES! Campus Improvemts Act. Matt Blubaugh, the group’s webmaster, has a website which gives specifics about what this act involves and instructions on how to add your voice to the student body’s goal at http://campusimprovementact.com/.

Test Prep New York/TPNY is giving a FREE monthly pre-med webinar for those considering applying to Medical School. The webinar shares information about the application process and MCAT from leading professionals in the admissions consulting and test preparation field. This webinar takes place on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 9:00 pm EDT (8:00 pm CST). For more information and registration details visit: http://www.testprepny.com/pages/webinar.htm.

The Texas Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Association (TxETDA) is holding a conference for graduate students to display and present their research work via a poster presentation. The conference will be held at the University of North Texas, February 23-24, 2012. The Conference Theme is Beyond Boundaries: Extending the Reach of Research. Deadline for poster entries is Friday, February 17, 2012. For further details on the TxETDA and the conference visit http://txetda.wordpress.com/ or email Billie Peterson-Lugo at billie_peterson@baylor.edu.

UCO Career Services is sponsoring a Spring 2012 Career & Internship Fair on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the Nigh University Center Ballrooms (3rd floor of NUC).

Students will be able to:

• Submit resumes for full-time employment (bring several copies of your resume)
• Pursue internship opportunities
• Explore the possibilities of graduate and professional education
• Gather organization and application materials
• Network with recruiters

Professional attire is required for entry to this event but access is free and the fair is open to the public.

If you are a current UCO student looking for employment or a chance to intern at a company to see if it’s a good fit but you don’t have a current resume, Career Services has that covered too! Just make an appointment with a Career Counselor, set up your HireBronchos.com account while you talk to your counselor, upload your resume to your HireBronchos.com account or attend a 20-minute walk-in session on a Wednesday afternoon.

For more information on the Career & Internship Fair or about UCO Career Services, visit www.careers.uco.edu or call (4o5) 974-3346.

I received Season’s greetings from UCO’s College of Business Administration wishing me a Happy Holiday and reminding me of our top rated MBA program right here at UCO.

If you have been considering an MBA but really didn’t know much about UCO’s program, this may be your opportunity to start pursuing that dream right now.

Happy Holidays to you and yours

Why not let UCO Jackson College of Graduate Studies and the College of Business Administration help you take your career “A Degree Higher” by starting in our MBA program now.

For more information, contact Susie Braun, at sbraun1@uco.edu or Brandy True at btrue@uco.edu or call the MBA office at 405.974.2422.