Don’t Miss GSU’s: Fishin' Buddies! Walk-A-Thon! The ART of Nature

Get ready to have some fun while helping to raise money for a good cause.  In partnership with Fishin’ Buddies, the School of Extended Learning, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, the Fishin’ Buddies Walk-a-Thon is a fund-raiser for the S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Programs for Chicagoland at-risk youth.  In addition there are more than 100 local organizations, schools, businesses and clubs who are supporting the hikers, volunteers and sponsors.

The event takes place on Saturday, June 6^th, 2015 from 10am to 3pm with an onsite check-in at 9am.  Held at the beautiful Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park located on GSU’s main campus, participants will register as individuals or as a team.  Once you register, you can set up your own FB Walk-a-Thon Page where you can post information about your fundraising goal and personalize with pictures, videos and messages.  Then all you have to do is to share your page via Facebook, email or text and ask your support group to help you meet your fundraising goal. 

Not only does the event provide the opportunity to walk for a cause but also gives you a chance to experience the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park.  To help fully appreciate the park, there will be a FB Outdoor Assistant mobile app available to use to further explore the trails and learn more about GSU’s natural areas and student research projects. 

You will also have the opportunity to take a look at the Solo Exhibition Series: Don’t Tread on Me by Chakaia Booker.  The exhibit consists of three outdoor pieces, Serendipity (1998), Meeting Ends (2005) and What’s Not (2009).  Booker is renowned for her work with discarded automobile tires that are cut up into various shapes and sizes and then fastened onto wooden or metal armatures. 

Please see the School of Extended Learning’s website for more details and our online registration form.  Registration fees and donations can be made via debit card, credit card and/or check.

At GSU you will discover a highly diverse student body made up of individuals of all ages and backgrounds and courses that are taught by gifted professors.  At the School of Extended Learning we are dedicated to providing support and resources to all students, faculty, and the community to enhance individual growth and global understanding.

  

GSU’s Office of Continuing Education

The School of Extended Learning’s Office of Continuing Education is responsible for planning and scheduling professional development and continuing education opportunities for individuals interested in advancing professionally and personally.  Many of these programs are a collaborative effort between the College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA) and the Office of Continuing Education and utilize the resources of the CBPA.

Our programs offer the opportunity to acquire advance training and certification with courses such as the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate or the American Home Inspectors Training.  Also our Supply Chain Optimization Leadership Overview course demonstrates the benefits and the approach of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Supply Chain Optimization program that helps reduce risk, increase visibility and builds stronger manufacturers. 

Another exciting, upcoming program is the GSU Faculty Development in International Business (FDIB) Workshops, which will take place on June 10-11th.  Led by the CBPA faculty who are content experts on the relevant topics, this program is sponsored by a US Department of Education grant and is offered at minimum cost to participants. 

Furthermore, in order to provide an even greater selection of programs, Governors State has partnered with OnCourse Learning.  They are an exceptional provider of quality, state approved, customized training solutions, textbooks, and occupational tools for both pre-licensing and continuing education.  Courses include the real estate, appraisal, mortgage, home inspection, IT, engineering, insurance, and bank and credit union industries. 

The university also offers professional development through the Illinois Small Business Development Center at GSU and the International Trade Center.  Both of these organizations offer existing businesses or start-ups an opportunity to receive consulting and training expertise.  Please see the School of Extended Learning’s website for information on all of these continuing educational opportunities.    

In every college we have outstanding programs and world-class professors; all focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  Academic excellence and innovation are natural partners. At Governors State University you’ll find an abundance of both.  We look forward to helping you achieve your educational and career goals.

GRE Test Preparation Workshops

According to an article from U.S. News and World Report, more than 700,000 people take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for admission to graduate or business school each year.  In fact, Educational Testing Services reports that now over 800 MBA programs worldwide accept the revised GRE as an alternative to the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).  The GRE includes questions that incorporate verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing.

The GRE is similar to the SAT, but there are some significant differences that you will want to know if you plan to take the test.  First, the GRE is a computer-adaptive test and is not done with paper and pencil.  The U.S. News and World Report article explains that, “the difficulty of the questions is based on the accuracy of your answers to previous questions. The better you perform on the first sets of 20 verbal and quantitative reasoning questions, the harder the next sets of 20 questions will be.” 

At GSU’s School of Extended Learning, we offer a GRE Test Preparation course.  During the course, you will acquire strategies in math, reading comprehension, writing, and verbal and quantitative skills to improve GRE scores using acclaimed Cambridge test preparation materials.  Textbook, practice tests, and all course materials are included in the fee. 

By taking the workshop, you will more fully understand the requirements, scoring, and logistics of the GRE.   In addition you will recognize specific question types on the GRE and become familiar with the skill sets that the GRE seeks to test. 

We also offer an online course in partnership with The Princeton Review.  To enroll in the GRE LiveOnline course, you need to go to the Princeton Review website, and during checkout, type in the promo code: GSUGRE.  Please refer to GSU’s School of Extended Learning’s website for more information on our GRE Test Preparation Workshops. 

Source:

usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2012/04/30/test-prep-6-tips-for-gre-success?int=96ef08,ets.org/gre

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors; all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  Learn more about the rich history, cultural amenities and beautiful campus that contributes to making us one of the top colleges in Illinois.

 

Upcoming Workshops on Faculty Development in International Business

As the leading business school educator in the area, GSU’s College of Business and Public Administration is providing a series of workshops for faculty at community colleges in the region.  The Faculty Development in International Business (FDIB) workshops are designed to instruct community college business faculty on how to bring international content into the classroom and expand their classroom knowledge and skills.  

Offered through our School of Extended Learning and sponsored by a US Department of Education grant, the FDIB workshops will be led by highly experienced CBPA faculty who are content experts on the presented topics.  The workshops will be held on Wednesday, June 10 through Thursday, June 11, 2015 from 9 am – 4 pm, and because of the education grant, are offer at a minimum cost to participants.   Upon successfully completing the two-day workshop, participants will receive a “Certificate of Completion.”

The two-day workshop features two modules.  FDIB’s Day 1 is on the Management in the Changing Global Environment and includes:  Understanding national culture; Global leadership and team management; Managing social responsibility in a global context; and Global human resource management.  On Day 2, entitled Global Financial Economics, participants will be presented with the following workshops: Finance and economics; International financial markets; Exchange rates; and International diversification.

Two of the workshop presenters are Dr. Stephen Wagner and Dr. Michael Williams.  As an Associate Professor of Management for the CBPA, Dr. Stephen Wagner received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Northern Illinois University. Dr. Michael Williams is an Assistant Professor of Finance at GSU and received his PhD in Finance (2012) from the University of Texas at San Antonio. 

You may register for the FDIB workshops through the Governors State University Continuing Education and School of Extended Learning registration page.  Please see our website for the complete details. 

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors; all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  Learn more about the rich history, cultural amenities and beautiful campus that contributes to making us one of the top colleges in Illinois.  

Excellent Preparation for the TOEFL® Test

Along with our many resources for English language learners, GSU also offers a TOEFL® test preparation course designed for students intending to take the TOEFL iBT® exam.  This course is offered through our School of Extended Learning and is open to anyone.  The TOEFL iBT® exam is used for admission into American colleges or universities and evaluates the four core language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Our TOEFL® test preparation course will help you to score better on the exam by teaching key test-taking strategies and ways to improve your performance under time limits.  During the course, you have the opportunity to take a complete practice TOEFL iBT® test.  As part of the course offering, students have access to the TOEFL® Online Prep Course.   

According to the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a nonprofit organization and administrator of the TOEFL iBT® exam, over 9,000 colleges, agencies and other institutions in more than 130 countries accept TOEFL scores.  ETS explains that the “TOEFL test helps prove you have the English skills you will actually use in an academic classroom.  In the test, you may read a passage from a textbook and listen to a lecture and then speak or write in response, just like you would in a classroom.  Because the test is composed of 100% academic questions and tasks, many universities consider it the most appropriate test to use when making admissions decisions.” 

Once students have completed the course, they will be able to register for the next upcoming TOEFL iBT® exam.  Governors State University is an ETS Authorized TOEFL iBT® Test Center. ETS, the logo, TOEFL and TOEFL iBT® are registered trademarks of ETS.  While we currently are running a prep course, please see the School of Extended Learning’s website for details regarding the next Prep Course for the TOEFL® Test or contact us for upcoming courses.

Source:

https://www.ets.org/toefl/

At GSU you will discover a highly diverse student body made up of individuals of all ages and backgrounds and courses that are taught by gifted professors.  At the School of Extended Learning we are dedicated to providing support and resources to all students, faculty, and the community to enhance individual growth and global understanding.

GSU’s School of Extended Learning: Off-Campus Locations

GSU’s School of Extended Learning is designed to meets the needs of life-long learners by providing a wide range of courses in a very flexible manner.  One of the ways we do this is through offering several off-campus locations throughout the greater Chicago area. 

One of our larger off-campus sites, GSU Naperville Education Center (NEC) in Naperville, IL, offers various graduate degree programs that includes a M.A. in Psychology and School Counseling, several Bachelor of Arts programs, Communications Workshops and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt courses.  Our Bachelor of Arts degree programs in criminal justice, psychology and interdisciplinary studies at the NEC are designed for students entering with an associate’s degree or 60 college credit hours.  Most of our B.A. programs will except up to 80 credits.

The Governors State University at South Suburban College and University Center is another of our off-campus sites located in Oak Forest, IL.   Currently Our College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), Division of Communication Visual and Performing Arts, offers one credit hour undergraduate/graduate level special topic courses from the Communication program curriculum.  Please see our website for more information. 

In a partnership between Triton College in River Grove, IL and GSU, students may now earn a B.A. in Criminal Justice or in Communication from the College of Arts and Sciences.   The College of Health and Human Services also offers a Bachelor of Health Administration or Social Work.  Furthermore, a new Master of Arts in Criminal Justice cohort was started in Spring 2015 at the campus.  

The James R. Thompson Center in Chicago offers another convenient opportunity to pursue GSU’s exceptional graduate programs at an off-campus site.  Currently students can pursue their Master of Public Administration or a Master of Arts Political and Justice Studies.   These accredited programs are offered as evening classes and are adult focused coursed taught by industry leaders.  We also have special incentives for veterans.  Please see our website for details. 

In every college we have outstanding programs and world-class professors; all focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  Academic excellence and innovation are natural partners. At Governors State University you’ll find an abundance of both.  We look forward to helping you achieve your educational and career goals.

 

GSU’s Summer Young Adult Program

The Intensive ESL Program at GSU is designed to serve the needs of international and domestic students that want to improve their English language skills in order to further their academic success.  Taught by an experienced faculty, this exceptional program prepares students academically, socially, and culturally at the university level.  Students have the opportunity to become immersed in the English language and the program is available for beginner to advanced learners.  Courses start in the Fall, Spring or Summer semesters. 

In addition to our excellent Intensive ESL Program, we also offer our Summer Young Adult Program that is intended for international young adults between the ages of 15-25.  Through this comprehensive program, students will receive English language instruction, participate in workshops on American culture as well as take part in a number of cultural excursions.   Our proximity to Chicago offers students the opportunity to explore some of the area’s best music, sports, theatre, art, nature and shopping as well as the culture and community of the region.

As an all-inclusive program, we provide students with housing, most meals, ESL classes; cultural excursions, insurance, and airport pick up and drop off services.  If addition for those students who are interested, we offer on site TOEFL® testing.

We encourage you to learn more about the American Language and Culture Institute (ALCI) at GSU and the extensive services we provide to both international and U.S. students.  The Institute’s primary focus is to ensure the academic success of students whose first language is other than English.  Our services include tutoring, workshops and courses aimed at improving a student’s speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar skills as well as test-taking skills and TOEFL test preparation. 

At GSU you will discover a highly diverse student body made up of individuals of all ages and backgrounds and courses that are taught by gifted professors.  At the School of Extended Learning we are dedicated to providing support and resources to all students, faculty, and the community to enhance individual growth and global understanding.