Our Malcolm Baldrige event was a night to remember

Our honorary event for Malcolm Baldrige the other week will certainly be one of my favorite highlights of the year. It was a special way to remember Malcolm Baldrige and the impact he made through all the hats he wore -- former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Ronald Reagan, Waterbury business leader, and member of our Board of Trustees.

What's more, it was a night to celebrate the fact that the Baldrige family granted us permission to rename our business school to The Malcolm Baldrige School of Business at Post University. It also was a time to celebrate how we are taking his principles to heart to help our students forge new business accomplishments and become innovative leaders.

The MOOC monsoon

MOOC MANIA: We need to sort through the noise

New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote about what he called "the campus tsunami" earlier this year -- the trend of elite universities embracing online education and offering free online courses. A few months later, that tsunami is increasingly becoming a "MOOC monsoon."

Media have been abuzz over MOOCs lately. These massive open online courses are quickly gaining traction in the education community, and many opinions are swirling around the use and effectiveness of MOOCs in educating students.

Ex Post Facto

Post University cartoon by Dave Blazek is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://blog.post.edu.

The #1 way to repay student loan debt

PLOT OUT YOUR PLAN: Then stick to it, to repay student loans

Hi, my name is Chris and I have student loan debt.

Yes, it sometimes feels like I should be in a 12-step program because I have outstanding loans from getting my undergraduate degree and MBA. That's because many people think student loan debt is one of the worst things you can have.

While it's true more students are graduating college with debt, and it's harder to find a job due to the economic downturn, it is not true that having debt automatically means you're going to default on your financial obligation or that the debt itself is a negative thing.

Post University to host honorary event for Malcolm Baldrige

BUILDING BLOCKS: Our event will celebrate the foundation
Malcolm Baldrige laid in business

Malcolm Baldrige's contributions to Waterbury, Post University, and the greater business community have been nothing short of inspiring. So on the heels of us renaming our Business School "The Malcolm Baldrige School of Business," we have invited the Baldrige family, local business and community leaders, and other honored guests to join us at an event on Wednesday to honor Baldrige's lifetime of achievement and celebrate the naming of our School of Business after him.

The event is being hosted by the Post University Board of Trustees, University President Dr. Tom Samph, and Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary. It will be a special time to remember Baldrige and recognize how his principles and ideals guided the nation during his time as Secretary of Commerce under President Ronald Reagan, and fostered an innovative business curriculum at Post University. We've written on our blog about how Post University's business program embraces the Baldrige values of great leadership -- vision, passion, innovation, quality, character, and ethics.

Our $1,000 'Advice to Your Former Self Contest' winner is ...

It's a wrap for our first-ever contest on our Facebook page! Through our "Advice to Your Former Self Contest," we asked any and all adult learners to submit their best advice about going back to school. We thought the challenge was a great way to generate some fun and friendly competition on our page, while building a resource for current or prospective adult learners at the same time.

The submission period ended last Tuesday night, and a panel of judges has reviewed the 356 entries to crown one the best, and grant the winner the $1,000 prize.

Return to learn: Why adult learners go back to college

Before joining Post University, I was an adjunct faculty member at Manhattanville College, where I taught "Career and Work/Life Planning" for nine years. It was a mandatory course for incoming adult learners.

I felt I learned just as much from my students as they did from me. I was always fascinated to understand more about why my students returned to college, especially if they have been out of school for some time. I gleaned insights from talking with my students, but I wanted to dig deeper.

So about five years ago, I began more formal research into what drives adults to return to college. I scoured literature from many leading researchers, including Sharan Merriam, Bernice Neugarten, Carol Aslanian, and Malcolm Knowles.

Congratulations to 40 Under Forty winner, Veronica Montalvo!

MERIT: Veronica is recognized
for excelling in her industry

One of Post University's own is continuing to gain recognition in our region. Veronica Montalvo, Vice President of Enrollment Management for our Online Education Institute, has won a 40 Under Forty Award from the Hartford Business Journal.

The awards recognize outstanding young professionals in the Greater Hartford area that are excelling in their industries through their leadership roles. The winners are honored for their commitment to business success, personal growth, and community involvement.

The Hartford Business Journal held an awards ceremony recently to commemorate the 2012 40 Under Forty winners. It was a great event, and the Post University family turned out in full force to congratulate and support Veronica. We were joined by a group of accomplished professionals from the area, all of whom are a testament to what you can achieve in a short period of time and as a young professional.

Post University launches new Honors Program with fourth-year full tuition grant

We've just launched a special opportunity for academically talented students seeking admission to our main campus: The Post University Honors Program. Our Honors Program is a distinguished educational experience for students who embrace academic rigor and want to enhance their learning through unique academic offerings, such as innovative lectures, seminars, internships, field trips, and field experiences.

This fall's inaugural Honors class has 70 students. They'll be working closely with renowned professors, guest lecturers, and other talented students in an environment that nurtures their growth -- academically, culturally, and personally.

After action review: The most eye-opening business success tool

The most brilliant business advice is often the most obvious -- and forgotten. Today we wanted to reinvigorate what we think is one of those golden nuggets of advice that all businesspeople should know, yet few have probably heard of or remember to do consistently.

We can't take credit for it though. What we're about to tell you is something borrowed from the military, and has since been adapted for the business realm. Here's the scoop.

It starts with three words: after action review. The U.S. Army was the first to develop after action reviews for its missions. These de-briefs let troops analyze what happened, why it happened, and how it can be done better to help them learn from their experiences and improve performance. This process has vast applicability and value to business projects, tasks, and meetings -- large and small.