Walden - Alumni Magazine#2 - News Briefs

News Briefs

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Walden University is a dynamic and growing institution of higher education. For the latest Walden news, go to www.WaldenU.edu or subscribe to our monthly newsletter, the Walden Ponder, by sending an email to alumniassociation@waldenu.edu.

The first Walden University National Day of Service, last September brought alumni, students, faculty, and staff together as a force of positive social change in communities across the United States.

Volunteers planting trees

Dr. Altomese Brown ’04, who earned a Ph.D. in Education, organized volunteers to do household chores at a Savannah, Ga., Ronald McDonald House.
Dr. Belinda Moses ’03, who earned a Ph.D. in Education, led a team of alumni who shared tips with underserved teenagers in Detroit on how to prepare for college or vocational careers.
Walden faculty, staff, and administration in Minnesota served meals at People Serving People, a Minneapolis organization that provides housing, meals, and education programs to people in need.
Walden and Laureate Education staff and administration in Maryland cleared debris, planted trees, and helped beautify the urban Jones Falls Trail used by Baltimore walkers and bikers.
Walden and Laureate volunteers in Los Angeles removed non-native plants in the Ballona Wetlands to aid in the restoration of this unique coastal environment.

Chart of Volunteer Service

To volunteer for Walden's 2007 National Day of Service email alumniassociation@waldenu.edu or call 877-235-3561.

According to Walden’s 2005 alumni satisfaction survey, alumni volunteer at higher rates than other adults with graduate degrees. Nearly 73 percent of Walden graduates reported volunteering in the 12 months prior to the survey. A national survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts showed that 55 percent of adults with graduate degrees reported volunteer work.

Richard C. Harwood

National social change leaders, doctoral students, faculty, and alumni were on hand for Walden’s second annual Conference on Social Change, “Uncommon Vision for the Common Good,” last fall in Baltimore.

The conference featured presentations, interactive workshops, panels, and artistic performances, all with the goal of creating and applying ideas to promote the worth, dignity, and development of individuals, communities, and organizations.

The keynote speaker was Richard C. Harwood, an authority on improving America’s communities, raising standards of political conduct, and re-engaging citizens on today’s most complex and controversial public issues. Harwood is founder and president of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people imagine and act for the public good.

Also featured were Kevin Klose, president and CEO of National Public Radio; Dr. Nir Tsuk, director of Ashoka’s Global Fellowship Program; and Dr. David Thornburg, director of Global Operations of the Thornburg Center.

Walden will launch an enhanced M.B.A. program in March that will equip participants to do business with the world in a meaningful new way. Walden’s unique Master of Business Administration program will connect students to the world’s largest network of universities and offer content, real-world learning experiences, study abroad, and global career and networking opportunities—all designed to help prepare them for management and leadership roles that will allow them to effect positive change in the world.

Dr. Rebecca Sidler “This M.B.A. program will focus on social and global responsibility and integrate a number of distinctive elements, many of them international in nature, such as curriculum, faculty, career services, and the use of the large Laureate International Universities network,” says Dr. Rebecca Sidler, faculty chair for Walden’s M.B.A. program.

Sidler says Walden M.B.A. students will broaden their business perspective by becoming proficient at identifying business trends and issues. She says that students will additionally understand that issues and solutions don’t come neatly packaged—and therefore require an ability to frame the problem, collaborate across boundaries, and find the right information from relevant sources to develop informed and ethical conclusions from which to craft creative solutions.

Students will also have two new specialization options: Entrepreneurship and Project Management.

The M.B.A. program is made up of 12 courses that are issue-based to encourage active, engaged learning and to help build an appreciation of multifaceted solutions and approaches. The program can be completed in six 16-week semesters.

Among the wide range of career professionals expected to pursue the enhanced M.B.A. are Walden master’s and doctoral alumni who want to strengthen their background in business or those holding the Walden B.S. in Business Administration degree who might be able to transfer in credits.

A new fellowship is helping Walden master’s graduates who are returning to earn a doctorate at Walden. The Presidential Fellowship is for alumni who demonstrate a personal, continued commitment to public service and indicate how their learning will be applied to practice.

The first fellowships were awarded to Susann Getsch, M.S. in Psychology graduate, and Heidi Evans, M.S. in Education graduate. Both are profiled in the magazine’s new Lifelong Learners department on pages 7 and 8. Three $5,000 fellowships are granted yearly.

Walden’s signature online concierge service was recognized last fall for best practices in student services delivered over the Internet and highlighted as a model for other institutions to emulate by The Center for Transforming Student Services.

Online concierges offer technical support in the online learning environment, guidance through the new student orientation, course and assignment scheduling reminders, and personal assistance in working with other university departments.

A U.S. News & World Report listing of largest online graduate programs in October 2006 showed that Walden is attracting working professionals at record levels.

As measured by fall 2005 enrollment, Walden is U.S. News & World Report logo

No. 1 in education
No. 3 in public health
No. 4 in business
No. 5 in engineering

As of fall 2006, Walden’s overall student enrollment was more than 24,000, thanks in part to alumni referring family and colleagues as well as re-enrolling to earn the next degree in their career.

Taking the next step toward a Doctor of Education degree got easier last fall when Walden launched its course waiver option for M.S. in Education alumni.

This new option gives Walden M.S.Ed. graduates advanced standing equivalent to 12 credits.

Walden’s Ed.D. program offers two specializations: Teacher Leadership, for educators who want to assume leadership roles while remaining in the classroom, and Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning, for administrators and teachers who want to effect change at the school, district, and community levels.

For more information, call a College of Education representative at 866-492-5336.

Thinking about continuing your education? Walden encourages its graduates to be lifelong learners through the Alumni Tuition Benefit program, offering

Significant savings on tuition
Fast-track admissions process
Reduced tuition for family and friends who enroll with you

At a time when accreditation is an increasingly critical topic in the higher education community, Walden announced that its president, Dr. Paula E. Peinovich, had been elected to the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Walden President Dr. Paula E. Peinovich

CHEA, an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities, recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations. It is the only nongovernmental higher education organization that certifies the quality of regional, faith-based, private, career, and programmatic accrediting organizations.

Peinovich has worked closely with the accreditation community for more than 20 years, serving on seven accreditation site-visit teams for three regional associations. She serves on the American Council on Education’s Commission on Women in Higher Education and has served on the American Council on Education’s Commission on Adult Learning and Educational Credentials.

Pi Alpha Alpha, a national honor society for public administrators, inducted the first members in its Walden chapter—14 alumni, students, and faculty—last summer during
commencement weekend.

Pi Alpha Alpha logo

The induction’s guest speaker was Dr. Edwardo Rhodes, vice chancellor for academic support and associate vice president for student development and diversity at Indiana University Bloomington. He spoke about the society’s importance and founding. “There had to be a means of honoring the best and the brightest within the student ranks of public affairs and policy,” he said.

“Public service today is being challenged on all sides—from the left and the right—by persons and groups arguing that almost anyone can do it better than the government,” Rhodes said. “There is more than ever a need for public servants, for public leaders, who are motivated by strong feelings of service and dedication, but guided just as strongly by principles of public management and analysis.”

Pi Alpha Alpha has more than 130 chapters and over 30,000 members.

Excellence, quality, and rigor. When Walden’s M.S. program in Nursing was accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) last year, it served as a strong indicator that the program has these qualifications—and more.

Dr. Marion Anema

CCNE, a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate education programs in preparing effective nurses.

“CCNE accreditation means Walden’s program meets the highest standards and will equip graduates to make a direct impact on the nursing shortage by producing qualified, inspired leaders dedicated to taking the profession to new heights on the job and in the classroom,” says Dr. Marion G. Anema, associate dean of Walden’s School of Nursing.

The first graduates of Walden’s nursing program received their degrees at winter commencement in January.

As the university has grown to include more than 1,000 faculty and over 24,000 students, the roles of provost and president have also grown. To continue serving Walden’s expanding university community, Dr. Paula E. Peinovich, president, has transferred the role of provost to Dr. Denise DeZolt.

Peinovich will focus on external relations, including accreditation, federal relations, and enhancing the university’s reputation. DeZolt’s responsibilities will include the university’s academic programs, policies, faculty, and research.

DeZolt has served Walden in the roles of dean of the College of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences; dean of the School of Psychology; and faculty member.


	Walden is committed to students’ success, however they define it—career advancement, achieving a lifelong goal, making a difference for others… . That’s the focus of the university’s new Portraits of Walden advertising campaign, appearing in such publications as Time, Newsweek, and O, The Oprah Magazine. The inspirational campaign helps prospective students visualize how, with the support of Walden, they can be the “author, editor, and publisher of their own success story.” Walden is also continuing its Real People. Real Change. campaign. Launched in 2006, the Real People. Real Change. Web site includes video stories of alumni and students who are making a difference. It also includes information about Walden’s Commitment to Social Change Scholarship.

	Dr. Sharon Freeman Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences, 1998 Sharon’s work with women around the globe shows that it is possible to change any situation for the better with the right preparation, dedication, and commitment.
	Tim Bolton M.S. in Psychology, 2003 Ph.D. in Psychology Student Tim’s greatest gift emerged in the wake of a tragic circumstance. How would losing his leg lead to hope for Cambodia’s youngest land-mine victims?

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