Introducing the Philly Adult Learners Step-by-Step Road Map to College to help you improve your education decision-making

ROAD MAP: Our new tool provides educational information
that's tailored to your individual needs

We launched PhillyAdultLearners.com in May 2011 to give local students information they need about earning a college degree. Since then, more than 34,000 adult learners have visited the site to learn more about how they can incorporate earning a college degree into their busy lives. But we always want to do more to support working adults in Philadelphia.

So we’ve created a new addition to PhillyAdultLearners.com, a Step-by-Step Road Map to College, available now! It provides educational information tailored to the specific needs of individual students and is available after visitors answer a few simple questions.

Every prospective adult learner has questions about college. These can include: What degrees lead to the best jobs? How do I apply to college? Can I get any financial assistance in earning my degree? What’s the best way to prepare for the college transition? How do I balance earning my degree, my full-time job, and my personal life?

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How to decide between taking classes online or on-campus

ONLINE OR ON-CAMPUS: Which learning platform works
best with your lifestyle?

There are many factors you should consider when choosing whether to take each of your college classes online or on-campus. Depending on your time commitments, schedule, and learning style, you’ll probably find that one or the other is a better fit for you. And this could change as your life changes, so it’s important to understand the differences and similarities of both learning formats.

Today we’re bringing these factors to light to give you a full picture of what is offered from each. Ask yourself the following questions to see which learning platform fits best with your lifestyle at this particular moment, and which would provide you with the learning experience you’re looking for.

What’s your schedule like?

You’re best suited for online classes if … you have a lot of competing interests for your time. These days, it seems that most of us are trying to fit more commitments into less time, including a career, family, community involvement, hobbies, and other personal activities. This can be especially true if you’re an adult learner (typically defined as ages 25 and older). So if you find yourself working to balance an already-full plate, taking your classes online might be the right fit for you. Most online classes are asynchronous, which means you can log on to do your classwork at any time of the day. You can complete your schoolwork when it fits into your life, whether that is early in the morning, after the kids go to bed, or on the weekends. For example, two Peirce students, Desiree Mitchem and Rohan Mohanty, are living examples of the convenience of online learning. Flip back to their stories for more first-hand details.

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Strengthen your academic success with spring workshops from the Walker Center

Session 4 is now under way and that means we have a brand-new schedule of workshops from the Walker Center to help prepare you for academic and personal success.

Our Session 4 schedule includes academic workshops that focus on math and writing skills, as well as tax preparation and legal citations. There are also technology workshops so you can brush up on computer basics and learn how to use Microsoft Office 2010 in the workplace. We’ve also created a great selection of personal development workshops, which will help you keep stress at bay, manage your time, and live a healthy lifestyle.

If you’re not able to make it to campus, we’re also offering three workshops online through Adobe Connect. To register for any of the workshops listed below, contact the Walker Center at 888.467.3472, ext. 9251, or email wcae@peirce.edu. We look forward to seeing you at these workshops this spring!

Update on our 2013 Commencement speaker

Thanks to everyone who pitched in to ask Michelle Obama to be our 2013 Commencement speaker. We recently heard back from her team, and unfortunately, the First lady will not be able to be our Commencement speaker this year.

It has been wonderful to see our campus community come together for a common goal, and your efforts to rally support were amazing to see. We’re currently working to finalize our Commencement speaker and will be updating you on who it will be soon. Keep your eyes on the blog for the official announcement of our 2013 Commencement speaker.

State of the Philadelphia job market: Insights from an ARAMARK HR pro

HR PRO: Jameel Rush, an HR pro, joins
me to weigh in on the state of the
job market in Philadelphia.

Whether you're a college student or graduate, you probably have some questions about the state of the job market in Philadelphia and what you can do to stand out from the crowd when applying for your next work position. To help, we asked Jameel Rush, Manager Organizational Development and Effectiveness at ARAMARK, to join me for a podcast with our blogging team to discuss our thoughts on the job market from an academic and human resources perspective.

Jameel's outlook adds a great deal of weight to our discussion. He has worked in human resources for the past seven years, and is currently responsible for the employee engagement strategy implementation across ARAMARK's international operations. He's also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and sits on the Emerging Leaders/College Relations board.

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4 tips for addressing health concerns with friends and family

TALK IT OUT: Tips for addressing health concerns with
friends and family

It can be difficult to speak with a friend or family member who is facing an issue that impacts their physical or emotional health, so when approaching them about it, it’s important to have an open conversation, not a confrontation. One of our new Health Programs faculty members and health professional, Kate Watson, often speaks about how to effectively communicate when dealing with difficult situations.

She has found that people often don’t like to be told what to do. So if you’re concerned about someone in your life who is struggling with a health issue -- such as smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol heavily, or eating poorly -- a confrontation might only build up more resistance from them.

What should you do instead? Try listening for what they need, rather than telling them what you think. For instance:

1. Avoid judging the person who is facing the issue. We all have behaviors that we would like to change, and we all struggle with improving our health.
Instead, listen to that person, and give them the support they need.

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Financial aid help: How you can get the most out of your financial aid package

FINANCIAL HELP: Our workshops will answer your
financial aid questions!

What are the differences between loans, grants, and scholarships? Do scholarships affect financial aid eligibility? What's the FASFA, and why is it important? Do I have to fill out the FASFA? We're filling in these blanks and more at our upcoming financial aid workshops.

Our Financial Aid Specialists will assist you in filing for financial aid, which might help you qualify for grants, scholarships, and student loans. They'll also be happy to guide you through other financial aid topics, and answer any questions you might have.

An academic advisor will be available during each session to help you plan your schedule, select which classes you should take, and register. These sessions are free for all Peirce students to attend, so we'd encourage you to come out and take advantage of this information.

Sessions will be held on-campus in Room 49 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the following dates:

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What future grad students should know about the application process

GRAD SCHOOL: Join us on campus for a
graduate admissions seminar to help you
successfully navigate the application process

The graduate admissions process might seem overwhelming if you’re unsure of how it works, what’s expected of you, and what you’ll need to succeed. But it doesn’t have to be! We’re hosting a graduate admissions seminar to help answer your tough questions about the graduate school application process on Monday, March 18 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Room 51. I’ll cover topics such as:

• Who should complete my recommendation forms?
• What should I discuss in the application essay?
• What will the interview be like?
• How can a borderline GPA impact my chance of admission?
• What makes a quality application?
• How do I put my best foot forward in the interview?
• How do I succeed in the overall application process?

I’ll be presenting on these topics, and then answering any and all questions from the audience. If the question you have isn't listed here, feel free to bring it and ask! It’ll not only help you, but will also benefit your peers who might be wondering the same thing.

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Peirce business students, turn your writing around at this 1-day conference!

CONFERENCE: Join us on Saturday, March 16 for a business
skills development conference!

Attention Peirce business students! We’ve put together an exciting conference to help you improve your writing and analytical skills. Hosted by the Peirce College Business Division, the conference will be held in College Hall on Saturday, March 16 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The conference has been designed to help you to improve your academic performance here at the College. It will feature two keynote speakers, as well as three workshops focused on improving research writing, case analysis reporting, and financial analysis skills. Attendees will have the chance to meet with me and ask questions. They’ll also network with members of the business faculty, the presenters, and other business students.

Below is the agenda for the day’s events:

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Takeaways from the Education and Talent Development GPS

REFLECTION: I shared my thoughts on the Education and Talent
Development GPS in the Economy League's latest newsletter

I recently participated in the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia’s World Class Education and Talent Development Strategy Team. The team included 28 leaders from a range of backgrounds who developed global positioning strategies and related action steps for making the region’s education and talent development continuum world-class in the future.

The experience was very beneficial to me and to Peirce. You can read my reflections in the Economy League’s latest newsletter.

If you want to learn more, please register for the 2013 World Class Summit, which will be held on March 18 at WHYY, and sign up to receive copies of the newsletter.

Remembering Peirce alumnus Tom Foga, Class of ’52 and devoted Board of Trustees member

IN REMEMBRANCE: Jim Mergiotti reflects on
the life of Tom Foga, Peirce College Class
of '52 and life-long Peirce supporter

Sadly, Peirce College lost one of its most devoted alumni recently when Tom Foga '52 passed away at the age of 80. Tom entered Peirce as a shy teenager in 1950 and transformed into a leader among students and alumni. While attending the College, he served as assistant yearbook editor and officer of his fraternity, Sigma Gamma Omega.

After graduation, he first served in the U.S. Army, and then utilized his Peirce education to carry forth a very successful business career. As a certified public accountant, he rose to partner in an international public accounting firm and, for many years, maintained a very active consulting practice.

Tom always stressed education as a means to a sustainable life for his children. To that end, his daughter, Michelle '78 and son, Tom '83, both graduated from Peirce.

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Help us bring Michelle Obama to Peirce College's 2013 Commencement!

CAMPAIGN: Help us bring the First Lady to 2013 Commencement!

A large part of every year’s Commencement ceremony is the keynote speaker. In 2013, we’d like that speaker to be our First Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama. Peirce President and CEO Jim Mergiotti has formally asked her, and we’ve contacted representatives in Congress. They have been reaching out to her office on our behalf -- but now we need your help to spread the word and excitement!

Join the campaign to bring the First Lady to Peirce’s 2013 Commencement ceremony by participating in all of the following social activities:

• Start tweeting First Lady Michelle Obama (@FLOTUS) now. Ask her to help us celebrate at Commencement using the hashtag #BringFLOTUStoPeirce. Ask your friends and family to join the campaign as well. Not sure what to say? Use one of the following suggestions:
• .@FLOTUS Mrs. Obama, will you please speak at Peirce College’s Commencement? Help us celebrate! #BringFLOTUStoPeirce!
• .@FLOTUS Please join us at Peirce College’s Commencement Ceremony on June 10! #BringFLOTUStoPeirce!
• .@FLOTUS Please give the Commencement address at Peirce College’s graduation on June 10! #BringFLOTUStoPeirce!
• Join our Twitter flash mob! On March 8, at 1 p.m. we want the whole Peirce Community to tweet the First Lady at the same time and we’ve made it easy. Log on to register with your Twitter account on Thunderclap's website. If we get over 100 Peirce students, alumni, faculty, and staff to sign up, we’ll send out a one-time tweet on your behalf next Friday!
• Like Peirce College and Michelle Obama on Facebook then tag both in a post about how much you’d like her to speak at Commencement. You can use the following post for inspiration or copy it directly!

• Mrs. Obama, will you please speak at Peirce College’s Commencement Ceremony on June 10? Help us celebrate!
• Like all of Peirce College’s Facebook posts about the First Lady and retweet our daily tweets. The greater our reach, the more likely she’ll be to see it.

Need help tweeting? Click here for a step-by-step guide.

There’s no guarantee that Mrs. Obama will accept our offer, but with your help, we can show her what Peirce is all about! Please join us in letting the First Lady know how much we’d love for her to speak at Commencement.