VOL. 2 NO. 1 2015 A CBU/OPS STUDENT PUBLICATION
PROG RESS EVOKE
CBU Online, just like its students, has embarked on a journey of growth and change. Throughout this process progress is being made, inching toward the goal of graduation or growth of the university. 1 Timothy 4:15 “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.� The mission of this publication is to evoke, or bring back to conscious mind, what sometimes is lost during the busyness of our day-to-day lives.
Cover photo illustration: 41 images taken over the course of 5 hours and stitched together to illustrate progress of the Brea Educational Learing Center.
CONTENTS
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BLURRING THE E D U C AT I O N A L B O U N DA R I E S
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A FLEXIBLE E D U C AT I O N
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SHAPING THE YOUTH
09 A FLEXIBLE E D U C AT I O N
S TA F F EDITOR IN CHIEF Matthew Swope
WRITERS Andria Garcia Joi Harris Maribel Ramirez Jacob Talamantes Rebekah Wahlberg – Copy Editor
PHOTOGRAPHER Fletcher Perkins
DESIGNER Raine Paul
FACULTY ADVISORS Dr. MaryAnn Pearson Professor Sam Park
17 E D U C AT I O N A L CENTERS
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Blurring Blurring Educational Educational Boundaries
Boundries JOI HARRIS
FLETCHER PERKINS
R A I N E PAU L
I
t is 6 p.m. on an ordinary Monday, and class is in session. The classroom is no longer defined by four walls and a room full of students. Rick Parslow was considering another school when enrollment policies at that institution prevented him from registering for classes for an entire semester.
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and Professional Studies program. In his final year of the bachelor’s in accounting program, Parslow said he hopes to get his Certified Public Accountant through the master’s program and pursue a career as a public accountant.
“While I was earning my associate’s degree, I realized that I was pretty good with numbers and I liked algebra, so I decided to put my talents to use in a career that I could enjoy,” Parslow said.
Parslow, who works in construction in addition to being a full-time student, said he found that pursuing a degree online has not only allowed him to achieve his goal of becoming an accountant but also provided the flexibility needed to maintain a balanced life.
Parslow met with a counselor at OPS, and before that week was out, he became a part of the Lancer family and an addition to the Online
Parslow said he believes that through the OPS program he will succeed in getting his degree and begin his career in accounting.
Rick Parslow, accounting major, said that CBU/OPS provided the flexibility needed to maintain a balanced life.
“I am getting a lot of knowledge,” Parslow said. “The coursework is based on the real world; it is giving me a solid foundation so that I can succeed in the workforce.” The OPS accounting and business management programs are headed by Dr. Julianna Browning. Browning has a vast knowledge in her work field and experience in what it takes to be successful in the field.
Browning, associate professor of accounting and director of the Master of Science in Accounting program, strives to teach her students the material that will be present on tests for certifications such as the Certified Public Accountant License. We wanted to get students the skills and credits that they needed to not only be successful, but to be certified and ready for the workforce,” Browning said.
Parslow graduated in the spring of 2015 with his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and will apply to the Master of Science in Accounting program to begin in the fall of 2015. “Come into the program with an open mind,” Parslow said. “There will be challenges; you will have a great support system with your classmates and your professors.”
Believing in
the future
changes. Through a deep rooted passion for discipleship Dr. Dominick Sturz, associate professor of public health at California Baptist University Online and Professional Studies, teaches students that living your purpose is more about bettering the lives of others.
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e’re called on by Christ to help others.” This is the belief that drives Dr. Dominick Sturz, associate professor of public health at California Baptist University Online and Professional Studies, to launch two public health programs for CBU/OPS. After 10 years of working in the pharmaceutical industry, Sturz decided it was time to realize his dream and become a health care educator. He then began working on his doctorate, and after several years teaching at California State University, Fullerton, and Loma Linda University, he said the Lord opened an opportunity for him to create public health programs at CBU. “It’s an opportunity you don’t get at many other places,” Sturz said. But Sturz’s dream has been no easy task, as he’s had many long nights and weekends trying to create curricu07
lum that is rigorous, yet accommodating of its OPS population.
than doing just for the sake of doing it,” Sturz said.
Both degree programs are designed to prepare students for careers in health care, through work in hospitals, government health departments, non-profit health agencies or corporate disease and other wellness programs.
Sturz’s goal in creating these programs is not only to have a successful launch that will grow CBU’s healthcare education but to give students the tools to go out into the field and make a difference in people’s lives.
Sturz explained that many OPS students have work obligations and may have families to take care of, and adding education into that mix can be stretching. He said his goal for the public health programs is to tailor an education that applies real-world skills in assignments, rather than assigning students to “write a paper just to write paper,” he said. “We need to get to the more meaningful applied assignments and stuff that helps build those skills rather J A C O B TA L A M A N T E S
“What I’m hoping for my students is I hope that they take away a sense of purpose in helping other people,” Sturz said. A successful program for Sturz means teaching a new generation of health professionals meaningful and practical skills that they will then use for the benefit of others. Living your purpose isn’t all about bettering yourself, it’s about better -ing the lives of others, Sturz said. He is confident that CBU has built programs capable of the challenge.
M AT T H E W S W O P E
R A I N E PAU L
“Every student that walks away from here learns more about what their purpose is and how they can live that purpose.” — Dr. Dominick Sturz
F
L
E
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Stephen Hale, communication studies major, works for the American Forces Network TV and Radio Station in Riverside and attends red carpet press events.
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A I
B
L E EDUCaTION
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rom working in a small office for many hours to taking care of children at home, California Baptist University Online and Professional Studies encourages students to take online classes regardless of how busy they are or how far away they live from the campus. For Stephen Hale, communication studies major, taking online classes provides a flexible schedule while
ANDRIA GARCIA
STEPHEN HALE
M AT T H E W S W O P E
being a full-time service member, a husband and a dad. Hale is in the U.S. Navy and is stationed at American Forces Network TV and Radio Station in Riverside. He works as a master control TV operator, where he and his team broadcasts 13 channels to troops and family members in more than 180 countries.
“I ultimately chose the OPS program because I needed the flexibility so that I am able to work and take classes.” — Kathryn Adams
The network organizes events in order to recieve celebrity shout outs to use programming as spot material to the troops around the world. A typical day for Hale is going to work, taking care of dinner with his wife, chores around the house, getting their baby ready for bed and then finishing up course work. “I really have to balance my schedule and capitalize on any free time I have to do my schooling,” Hale said. “It can always be a struggle, but the flexible schedule and helpful assistance of the staff and professors make a difficult accomplishment much more simplified.” For Kathryn Adams, junior public relations major, taking online classes while living in San Diego was more convenient. Two of Adams’ close friends who attend CBU encouraged her to take the CBU/OPS route. She said they were both satisfied with their experience at CBU and emphasized the small class sizes and the individual
attention from the professors. “I ultimately chose the OPS program because I needed the flexibility so that I am able to work and take classes,” Adams said. Before CBU, Adams attended Palomar College in San Marcos, California. After realizing she wanted to pursue a career in public relations, Adams decided to attend CBU/OPS. “Public relations was originally appealing to me because I love interacting with people and believe I have strong communication skills,” Adams said. “At one time, I considered being a teacher, but with the current increasing pressures placed on teachers by society, I decided to consider a different field that would give me more options.” Adams said she enjoys not only being able to connect with her peers from all around the world, but being able to take classes while she goes on vacations such as taking trips to Seattle.
EARN YOUR
MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH ONLINE Preparing Effective, Professional, Innovative And Ethical Health Care Leaders.
(951) 343-3900 cbuonline@calbaptist.edu
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SHAPING THE YOUTH A
passion for children drives Dr. Cammy Purper, chair of education and assistant professor of early childhood studies. She started at California Baptist University as an adjunct in 2004.
the evidence-based practice to their classrooms is IRIS Center. Purper has been working with IRIS for two years, where she is a project assistant for early childhood and early intervention research.
When CBU Online and Professional Studies started in 2010, Purper said Dr. Dirk Davis, associate vice president of CBU/OPS, asked if she would like to apply for a full-time position.
“It becomes a priority, then, not just for me to transmit the knowledge that I have as a former educator, or the knowledge that is in our books, but really to teach people that they can access resources on an ongoing basis,” she said.
“I was thrilled to be coming on as a full time faculty member,” Purper said. Purper’s experience is in early childhood development and teacher education. Her doctoral dissertation, which she successfully defended in December 2014, focused on how teachers find and use research on education. “There’s a research-practice gap,” Purper said. “There’s a lot of good research being done, but sometimes it doesn’t make it into the classroom.” For her dissertation, Purper studied several sites dedicated to providing research to educators. One such group dedicated to helping teachers access this research and apply
REBEKAH WAHLBERG
FLETCHER PERKINS
R A I N E PAU L
For her doctoral research, Purper was awarded the Susan M. Daniels award, a scholarship given to doctoral researchers at Claremont Graduate University. The award honors individuals whose research advocates for people with disabilities. “Many teachers feel afraid, they feel nervous, they feel unprepared,” Purper said. “And they are unprepared to teach children with disabilities – they are not taught the skills. I saw that children with disabilities, in my mind, did not receive equal access. That was really serious to me, that they would not be able to have access to the same things kids without disabilities had.”
JOI HARRIS
FLETCHER PERKINS
R A I N E PAU L
Brea Educational Learning Center
Educational Centers C
alifornia Baptist University Online and Professional Studies opened its first educational center in the city of Temecula in 2012. With more students earning their degrees online, CBU/Online decided to open more educational centers to help students have places to study and do homework closer to home. In 2010, hybrid classes were housed on the main campus of CBU but as the demand for online courses increased, CBU/Online began to grow, and OPS began to provide educational service centers in Southern California. The educational centers were designed for non-traditional students who are balancing professional jobs and family responsibilities while advancing their education.
The educational service centers provide access to local students as a one-stop shop for enrollment services including financial aid and admissions counselors. “Educational service centers are all about servicing people, making it convenient for them,” said Dr. David Poole, vice president for CBU/ Online and associate professor of leadership and management. “As we continue to grow it helps that growth rate to service those communities,” Poole said. The educational service centers provide students with hybrid courses and a place to study close to work or from home. They provide a welcoming location for CBU/OPS student who want to meet faculty and other local students for study groups.
CBU Executive Council, staff and Brea City and Chamber supporters celebrate the opening of the Brea Educational Center.
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MARIBEL RAMIREZ
CBU MARKETING
M AT T H E W S W O P E
The Brea Educational Service Center offers classrooms, conference rooms and lounge areas for students.
Brea CBU/OPS recently opened its new Brea Downtown Educational Service Center to serve students and provide services to the surrounding community. “The Educational Service Centers play a key role for our students,” said Ted Meyer, dean of Enrollment Services at CBU/Online. “(The centers) give them a gathering place to meet, hang out, have some coffee and study. It gives them a great sense of community and belonging to CBU.” Megan Chinn, junior psychology major, started as a traditional student and then decided to join CBU/ Online after realizing she still wanted to be part of the CBU communi-
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ty but wanted to stay closer to home. Working at the Brea educational center was beneficial for her. Chinn applied for the student worker position at the Brea educational center after receiving an email about the open position. “Working for CBU/Online is flexible and works with my other responsibilities. It is definitely a great job. It’s also really amazing how quickly online education is growing, and this office is proof of it,” Chinn said. Both Temecula and Brea service centers features classrooms, a WebEx conference room, staff and faculty offices, a lounge area as well as a break room for staff and students.
Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, president of California Baptist University and Dr. David Poole, vice president of CBU/OPS, cut the ceremonial ribbon at the opening of the Temecula learning center.
Temecula The first of the educational service centers was opened to the public on Nov. 30, 2012 and is located off of Interstate 15 at the Promenade Temecula, located in the heart of the Temecula, California. “Working in the Temecula office was a lot of fun, anyone can walk through that door, whether it be people in the community, perspective students, current students and even graduates who are excited to see a new location,” said Jenelle Vine, an admissions counselor at CBU/Online. “You never know what to expect and it is important to learn how to be
flexible with everything and provide service to current students.” Kevin Johnson, adjunct professor of English, has taught at CBU for more than 15 years and for the past couple of years he has taught classes at the Temecula educational center. The educational centers are beneficial because they allow an opportunitiy for non-traditional students to get the CBU experience without having to drive to the main campus. “The venue is small and offers a better experience for the students in terms of a lower teacher to student ratio,”Johnson said.
Rancho Cucamonga On Feb. 26, 2015, CBU/Online held a new grand opening of an educational service center in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The grand opening was held at the center in Victoria Gardens with more than 100 faculty, staff and members of the community in attendance. Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president, said the growth is part of the university’s response to changes in the local, regional and global job market. He noted that CBU has grown enrollment from 808 in the fall of 1994 to 7,957 in the fall of 2014, more than a 900 percent increase. CBU has invested more than $300
million since 2001 to improve its main campus facilities and extend learning off campus in the online and hybrid environment. The education centers have been apart of these investments. The hours of operation for the educational centers run a little bit later in the day to allow classes in the evening and students are able to come study and work on projects or group meetings The Educational Service Center’s are open for student use Monday through Friday 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, president of California Baptist Univeristy, at the opening of the Rancho Cucamonga center.
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Temecula Educational Learning Center
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