Journey Forward April 2024

J O U R N E Y F O R W A R D

CONTENTS

PAGE 2

EDUCATIONAL VERVE

An overview of the most interesting news from the world of tourism.

ROUND OF APPLAUSE PAGE 6

An overview of the most interesting news from the world of tourism

PAGE 3

SOCIAL IMPACT

An overview of the most interesting news from the world of tourism.

PROGRAM FACILITATION TEAM PAGE 9

An overview of the most interesting news from the world of tourism.

STUDENT TESIMONIAL PAGE 5

An overview of the most interesting news from the world of tourism

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR PAGE 12

An overview of the most interesting news from the world of tourism

EDUCATIONAL VERVE

eCornell’s mission is to expand the reach and impact of Cornell University through educational programs designed for non-traditional students. Over the past year, we continued to expand our impact while managing significant shifts in the competitive landscape and overall market. We continue to make progress on building out more programs, assuring that the programs that we have in fact achieved great educational verve and high value to our students, and of course, continuing to operate in a very competitive market with uncertain economic times.

Your role as Course Facilitator, interfacing with students, is integral to meeting not only our unit’s goals, but delivering results that impact the entire university. Most recently, we have updated the facilitator compensation model with a few goals in mind: compensation increase, effort recalibration, and overall simplification of our monthly offer process.

I look forward to working together to to continue Cornell's mission to provide education and expand Cornell's reach and impact to non-traditional students, as we maintain and enhance the eCornell brand promise for providing excellence in positive, timely, and quality course facilitation to students.

DylanMcNally Director,ProgramDelivery

Cornelliansareunitedbyasharedpurpose...

Kudos to Program Facilitation Managers, Heidi Duss and Mark Howe, in the coordination of the inaugural eCornell high school social impact program!

A special thank you to our team of dynamic facilitators and mentors!

Randi Alexandra Hinds

Xindi Liu

Amanda Yoder

Sydney Elizabeth Lonker

Rachel Kim

Melynda Eden

Gizem Kilic

Reeya Shrestha

Gabriel Godoy

Ruby Froom

Alexandra Tan

Ammaar Janjua

Rachel Castellano

Elizabeth Madamidola

Leticia Pessoa

Navid Paknejad

Jose Lora

James Chan

Students described the Big Data program as

WELL STRUCTURED IMPACTFUL CONTENT HELPFUL EXPLANATIONS

Rachel Castellano, Lead Course Facilitator, excelled in:

Collaborating with student mentors to address any concerns and communicate with eCornell staff.

Coordinating grading efficiency with other course facilitators.

Organizing one-on-one student meetings for mentors.

Ensuring adequate coverage for student mentors and course facilitators during open office hours.

“What I wanted was something that had an exceptional caliber of professionals and professors, and eCornell actually gave me that.”

ElizabethA.

Recognizing Our Invaluable eCornell Course Facilitators

JohnVia

John Via has been a steady guiding force in our learning community since joining nearly 4 years ago. His extensive background in engineering brings unparalleled expertise, enriching the experiences of countless students.

John has consistently demonstrated remarkable dedication to our educational journey. His ability to simplify complex concepts and provide real-world insights has left an indelible mark on our students. John goes above and beyond by offering personalized guidance, ensuring every student feels valued and supported.

In their over 3 and a half years of dedicated facilitation, Bambi Douma has brought a wealth of experience from Business Management and Organization to our learning environment Her passion for facilitating and unwavering commitment to student success shine through their work

Bambi has consistently stood out as an exceptional Facilitator. Her dedication to fostering a collaborative and inclusive learning atmosphere has greatly enhanced our educational journey Her insightful feedback and personalized support have propelled numerous participants to excel beyond expectations She's gone above and beyond, regularly providing additional resources ensuring every student reaches their full potential.

Recognizing Our Invaluable eCornell Course Facilitators

Mark Burgess, has been a Course Facilitator with eCornell for 5 years and during that time, he has facilitated in the marketing and business communication program areas, including dedicated sections, putting forth exceptional effort by offering an enriching and engaging environment for each student, in each course. In addition to his tenure at eCornell, Mark has served in a number of various roles in academia and throughout his professional career, such as Professor of the Practice at the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School and managing various brands, including L'Oreal, Miller Beer, and Coca-Cola He is a TEDx Speaker, two-time course author for LinkedIn Learning, and the author of several books, including his latest, The New Marketing: How to Win in the Digital Age. This fall, Mark was the distinguished recipient of Rutgers University 2023 Dean’s Meritorious Award for PTL Teaching in Recognition of Outstanding Teaching and Service Contribution Last but not least, in the words of a student in a recent course Mark facilitated: “Mark was very involved with the group discussions, providing feedback to all students.” Thank you for going above and beyond for our students and for delivering a premium student experience. Keep up the excellent work. We are grateful to have you in the eCornell family!

Farzad“Andre”Nasri

MarkBurgess

Farzad “Andre” Nasri has been a facilitator with us since early last year but he has already had an important impact both facilitating courses and in special projects. Andre comes from a career where he has had roles such as software engineer, engineering manager, and engineering director Since joining eCornell, he has facilitated in 4 technical certificate programs, including Python and JavaScript. He is an excellent facilitator who has the highest average student satisfaction rating this year among facilitators in his vertical Andre is also adept at noticing issue in courses and willing to put in the effort to report the issues Thus, it is no surprise that he was willing to assist with a number of course review or course update projects. Perhaps most notable has been the very key role he is currently playing on the team that is implementing a major redesign of the first course of the currently-paused JavaScript program.

Recognizing Our Invaluable eCornell Course Facilitators

Laura Kalcevic has been a Course Facilitator for 6 years in the Hotel and Commercial Real Estate Programs She has over 20 years of global experience in real estate developments and acquisitions, recently being recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in Miami for 2023. Laura works with Cornell Professors to design new certificate programs, quality checks courses before they are released, helps with training new facilitators, and loves motivating her students. She has also been a lead facilitator in the HBCU Program sponsored by Blackstone since 2021 Laura’s students often commend her facilitation and tell her frequently that “Positivity is Contagious ”

AndreDixon

Andre is a passionate diversity and inclusion consultant dedicated to fostering inclusive workplaces and driving positive change. Andre has successfully partnered with organizations across various sectors, including education, retail, healthcare, and finance Andre is very passionate about organizations becoming increasingly diverse and understanding the importance of creating an equitable and inclusive workplace culture.

Andre has been with eCornell for nearly 4 years. In addition to facilitating DEI courses, Andre is quick to lend a hand in reviewing courses His subject matter expertise is valued and received, as he consistently shares substantive feedback and makes meaningful recommendations to improve the student experience.

Dr. Cindy Briggs is a facilitator for Cornell where she has served for 5 years. She is also an entrepreneur, a podcast host, and a business speaker. Cindy has a PhD in Organizational Leadership Cindy help her students, and clients, find the sweet spot between business, government, and nonprofits She spent her early career as an executive in major nonprofits, and then transitioned to a full-time faculty member at several universities. She continues to help entrepreneurs through her weekly podcast, The Business Professor with Dr. Cindy Briggs, and through her guest speaking at industry events. Cindy, and her husband Scott, own Briggs Family Chiropractic in Marion, Indiana Cindy is the business side, and Scott is the chiropractor When Cindy isn’t teaching/facilitating, writing, or recording, she is spending time with her husband and their son, Jackson Cindy is always available to take on a new course at the last minute and/or to help out a fellow facilitator in need of support. Dr.Cindy

LauraKalcevic

Recognizing Our Invaluable eCornell Course Facilitators

ha Gray has been an invaluable part of the eCornell team for ast 1.5 years. With an extensive background in leadership and ity, she brings a wealth of experience to the table Holding an in Organizational Leadership from Regent University and a B A usiness Administration, she's a dedicated facilitator for ell's Leadership Certificate program and a Symposium Host.

LatishaGray

Ashley Zwick has been a dedicated eCornell course facilitator for over 5 years and has over a decade of experience in women ' s leadership, entrepreneurship, and social innovation She holds a Master's in Public Administration from New York University and is a proud recipient of a Certificate in Business Excellence from Columbia Business School.

AshleyZwick

Together, Latisha and Ashley showcased a dynamic collaboration which made the recent Leadership Symposium an astounding success. Latisha and Ashley ensured a seamless and engaging experience for all participants. Their ability to breathe life into the content with real-world examples transformed the symposium into an informative and captivating journey.

Human Resources & Leadership

Product Management, Project Leadership, & Entrepreneurship

Engineering, Technology Leadership, & Analytics

Technology & Data Science

Hospitality, Real Estate, & Healthcare

Business Management, Marketing, & Law

PROGRAM FACILITATION MANAGEMENT TEAM

WhenCourseFacilitatorsneedsupportwith:

Canvas access, password reset, and othertechnicalissues

Student behavioral issues, including plagiarismorunreasonablerequests

CourseSetUpQuestions/Concerns

ec facilitation@cornell.edu

Course Facilitator/Program Facilitation Coordinator

Bank of America Program Coordinator

Executive Master of Human Resource Management

I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you as we embark on an exciting journey together Today marks a significant milestone for us as we proudly present the inaugural edition of our program delivery newsletter, a labor of love that has been months in the making.

In this issue, we strive to provide you with a snapshot of the diverse and engaging content that you can expect from our future newsletters Our goal is to create a publication that resonates with you, informs you, and celebrates you! The journey has just begun, and I am excited to share a glimpse of what lies ahead. In the upcoming newsletters, you can anticipate:

Deeper Facilitation Insights: We will delve into topics that matter most to you, exploring them in greater depth and providing nuanced perspectives.

eCornell Spotlights: Our newsletter will feature stories from our community, celebrating the achievements, innovations, and unique experiences of our students

Exclusive Interviews: Get ready for thought-provoking conversations with your colleagues, our esteemed course facilitators, who are experts, thought leaders, and influencers making a positive impact in their respective fields. Interactive Content: We aim to make our newsletter an immersive experience, incorporating interactive elements, polls, and opportunities for you to engage with the content

Our commitment is to deliver a newsletter that adds value to your inbox and enhances your facilitation experience. As the editor, I invite you to share your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas with us as we embark on this exciting journey together

Thank you for being a part of our team Stay tuned; there's so much more to come!

Moving Forward Toget