HR pro talks about the keys that enabled him to go back to school

Post University MBA student Mike Simaitis

Last week we posted a testimonial from Mike Simaitis, Continuous Improvement Leader at BD. He had briefly written about how, after building his career and raising a family, he was able to accomplish a goal he always had his eyes set on: going back to school and completing his MBA. Mike has just finished his Capstone Project, the last course in our online MBA program, and will be graduating in May.

But we wanted to hear more. Why is education important to Mike? Why couldn't he go back to school sooner? How has his life changed now that he's completed his MBA? Did the program live up to his expectations? Was it worth it?

Working adult renews commitment to himself to complete his MBA degree

Like many adult learners, Mike Simaitis had to put his educational goals on hold when work, family, and the rest of life's responsibilities filled his time. But over the years, Mike never lost sight of his aspiration to complete his MBA degree. Today, Mike has just finished his last course in Post University's Online MBA Degree program.

He posted a brief story on our online discussion board the other week about how he ended up where he is today, and why he wanted to go back to school. I asked him if we could share his story on our blog, and he welcomed the opportunity. Here's what he wrote, verbatim:

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Like many of us I am most proud that we are about to finish the program and earn our MBA. As we have progressed through the program I took every opportunity to apply what we were studying in the workplace, and I'm proud to say I think we are a better organization today than two years ago because of Post University.

Definitions of creativity are ... creative

Creativity, innovation, and leadership have become buzzwords in boardrooms and classrooms across the country. Business leaders and educators alike are embracing the idea that you need ideas to keep pace with the world in which we all live. What works today may not work tomorrow. What may work a decade from now is almost inconceivable given the break-neck pace of change in everything from smartphones to tablets (and I'm not talking about aspirin).

At Post, creativity, innovation, and leadership form the foundation for everything we do, from curriculum development to online learning to customer service and process management. This area of emphasis has often caused me to stop and think about how people view creativity.

2 ways to start or advance your career in the public sector

If you want to break into the public sector, or if you want to advance your career within this industry, you've probably realized that education is fundamental to achieving your goals. Government, nonprofit, military, and other public sector employers are increasingly requiring bachelor's and master's degrees, depending on the level of the position you're pursuing.

This was the topic at hand for a recent presentation I gave at the Connecticut Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates held in Branford, Conn., with my colleague, Scott Flebotte, Academic Program Manager for Criminal Justice. I'm a graduate of the FBI National Academy myself and a former deputy police chief, and Scott is the retired Acting Chief of the Granville Police Department in Massachusetts. We attend these kind of meetings to follow current issues in policing.

This time around, Scott and I took the floor to present to several dozen professionals from police departments around Connecticut. We discussed the two programs we head at Post University to help aspiring and current public sector professionals obtain the position they want in their field. Scott went over our Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree program, and I unfolded our Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree program.

Here are our slides from our presentation, which outline some of the basic information about credits, courses, costs, and more.

Post University's Criminal Justice and MPA Degree Programs

View more presentations from Post University

Ex Post Facto

Post University cartoon by Dave Blazek is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

How an adult learner went from community college to earning his doctoral degree

Bryan Lewis isn't stopping his academic journey anytime soon. As an adult learner, he started taking classes at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, Conn., in 1998. Today he is a third-year doctoral student at Northeastern University.

How Bryan got here, he says, has a lot to do with what came in between these two points. Bryan told us his story in an email, and we wanted to share it with you as an example of the many higher education paths people take in pursuit of their career dreams. Here's what he wrote, verbatim.

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As a two time alumnus and former staff member, I have a unique story of how the education I received at Post University has helped to shape my future. Upon the completion of my associate's degree at Naugatuck Valley Community College, I was extremely fortunate to have been presented with the opportunity to become a financial aid counselor at Post University. As a full-time employee, I had the benefit of working during the day while attending evening courses as a part of the university's Accelerated Degree Program.

12 ways you can be more innovative in 2012

It's no secret that many companies are striving to be more innovative in 2012. But today's business climate demands companies do more than just ship new products. Rather, companies are being challenged to disturb the status quo, reinvent business processes, address unmet customer needs, create new markets, and take leadership roles in building those markets.

Innovation in 2012 isn't about just generating new ideas. It's about bringing the right ideas to market -- and doing it faster than your competitors.

Investors Business Daily writer Amy Alexander interviewed me about this last week. She included some of my thoughts in this quiz she developed, "12 Questions To Boost Your Innovation In 2012."

Fall 2011 marks period of great accomplishments for Post University faculty and staff

As 2011 draws to a close, it's important to look back at the great accomplishments of the faculty and staff at Post University. The list is quite impressive since our last blog update in August. Here are some highlights:

Richard Strompf, Ph.D., was promoted to Dean of the John P. Burke School of Public Service in August. Dr. Strompf joined Post in 2006 as an Associate Professor in the Master of Human Services program. In addition to teaching, he created and coordinated the program's clinical concentration and is currently serving as Chairman of the Graduate Studies Committee. He brings decades of experience in the field of human services and corporate consulting to this position.

Professor Sandra Wilson, Academic Program Manager for the Post University Criminal Justice program, was appointed to the Board of Directors at Housatonic Community College Foundation this past September. This is an important new role for Sandra and an opportunity to increase Post's presence in our local community.

How to know if an MPA degree is right for you

Our Master of Public Administration (MPA) Degree Program caught the attention of Govpro's Michael Keating recently. He asked me several important questions about how it's structured, including why we integrate courses from our MBA program to help students improve their executive administration skills.

Michael also interviewed me about whether 2012 is a good time for government administrators to earn an MPA, and my advice for choosing an MPA program.