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April 22, 2008
University of Minnesota to be Part of Distance Learning Memorandum to be Signed this Week
The American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC), a non-profit organization composed of approximately 65 state universities, including the University of Minnesota, land-grant colleges and international affiliates, and the President of the Chinese Central Agricultural Broadcasting Television School (CABTS), the largest distance education organization in the world will sign a cooperative agreement at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 at the Hilton Hotel, Symphony Ballrooms two and three, 1001 Marquette Ave., Minneapolis. The signing is part of ADEC's annual meeting, scheduled from Monday through Wednesday, April 21 - April 23. The Chinese CABTS President, Zeng Yichun will be joined by Jan Poley, ADEC president and CEO, to sign the memorandum of understanding and foster additional relationships for distance learning opportunities. "This agreement will create enormous opportunities for the University of Minnesota and for all the land grant university members of ADEC," said Robert Rubinyi, Extension professor who helped create the CABTS relationship. "United States and Chinese faculty and staff will be able to work together on joint content development projects and educational research studies in both countries."
Source: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

April 9, 2008
University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education Receives $1 Million Gift to Support the University of Minnesota’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
The Bernard Osher Foundation has given the University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education a $1 million gift to support lifelong learning through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Minnesota. The gift is a second $1 million endowment to support the University of Minnesota OLLI, a membership-based lifelong learning community of older adults. An affiliated program of the College of Continuing Education, OLLI offers over two hundred courses, trips and activities annually, led by current and retired faculty from the University of Minnesota and area colleges and universities, its own members and community experts and leaders. Over 1,000 adults in the Twin Cities area are now OLLI members. The institute was first endowed by the Bernard Osher Foundation in 2005. The institute received this second endowment as a result of meeting the foundation’s challenge to increase the enrollment to 1,000 members. Says the College’s Director of Development, Kathleen Davoli, “The Oshers are deeply committed to education and learning over a lifetime. This gift will allow OLLI to continue delivering the quality programming that’s enriching the lives of so many older adults in and around the Twin Cities.” The 2008 $1 million gift for University of Minnesota OLLI was coupled with another $1 million endowment this year. The second gift endowed the Osher Reentry Scholarship Program at the College of Continuing Education, which helps adults complete their bachelor’s degree.
Source: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

April 9, 2008
University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education Receives $1 million Gift to Help Adults Complete their Bachelor’s Degree
The Bernard Osher Foundation has given the University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education a $1 million gift to help adults finish their bachelor’s degrees. The gift will create an endowment for the Osher Reentry Scholarship, which helps adults finish their first bachelor’s degree. The Osher scholarship supports U of M students from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota or a reciprocity state who have financial need, have a significant gap in their education and will have significant time left in the workforce after completing their degree. More information on applying for the scholarship will be available at the April 17 College of Continuing Education information session. Attendees will be able to meet with a scholarship coordinator and an academic advisor so that they can map out an education that fits their needs and interests. The session will be held from 6-8 pm at the Continuing Education and Conference Center (1890 Buford Ave., formerly the Earle Brown Conference Center) on the U of M St. Paul campus. To register, please visit cce.umn.edu/scholarships or call 612-624-4095. The session is free. For the past two years, the College of Continuing Education has provided 10 Osher Reentry Scholarships based on a yearly grant of $50,000 from the foundation. This new gift will create an endowment making the Osher scholarship available in perpetuity. The Osher scholarships given in the past two years have already had a strong impact on the lives of adult students such as Osher Scholar John Silva, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and a student studying construction management in the College’s Bachelor of Applied Science program. “When I found out I got the Osher Scholarship…well, I pretty much started jumping around the room,” Silva said in a recent interview. “Receiving any kind of support and earning recognition for your hard work in life is great—and something like this, well, it really makes a difference. It relieves a lot of the pressure and worry about trying to make ends meet and pay tuition.” Continued Silva, “Now it’s up to me to finish on time, and keep my grades up, and move on—basically, I want to show them that I’m appreciative of the help, and that I was worth the investment.” Says the College’s Director of Development, Kathleen Davoli, “The Oshers are deeply committed to adult education and to learning over a lifetime. This scholarship will enable our students to make a a more meaningful impact on their communities.” The Bernard Osher Foundation also recently gave a second $1 million gift to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the College of Continuing Education to support this unique community of seasoned learners. The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a respected businessman and community leader. The foundation seeks to improve quality of life through support for higher education and the arts. The foundation provides post-secondary scholarship funding to colleges and universities across the nation, with special attention to reentry students. The foundation also supports a national network of Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes. Through the University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education, motivated adults enrich their personal and professional lives through learning opportunities ranging from courses, workshops, and conferences to credit certificates and bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Source: University of Minnesota

April 9, 2008
Durham College KPI Survey Results Continue to Improve
Durham College welcomed the release today of the annual provincial Key Performance Indicator (KPI) results as another affirmation that its commitment to an outstanding post-secondary experience is resonating with students and employers. In particular, the results show that Durham College graduates continue to have a distinct edge in the job market, as 90.7 per cent reported finding employment within six months of graduation. The college's results show an overall trend upwards, with growth in a majority of the benchmark areas examined as part of the surveys, which have been mandated annually by the provincial government since 1998. Colleges are required to collect and report performance data in the areas of graduate satisfaction, student satisfaction, employer satisfaction, graduate employment and graduation rate. "The student experience comes first at Durham College and part of our commitment to living that mission every day is receiving feedback and then using it to help us improve all the programs and services that we provide," said Leah Myers, president of Durham College. "We are extremely pleased to see that our results are continuing to improve overall. I'm especially pleased by our graduate employment rate as it is another reminder that colleges are providing the knowledge, skills and training that ensures students find jobs in today's rapidly changing workplace." Durham's graduate employment rate of 90.7 per cent is up from 90.2 per cent in 2007 and is ahead of the provincial average of 90.5. Not only are Durham College graduates finding work, but they're making an impression with employers. In fact, 95.6 per cent of employers surveyed reported they were very satisfied or satisfied with hiring a Durham College graduate, up from 94.8 per cent in 2007 and above the provincial average of 93.1 per cent. Student satisfaction results also grew over 2007, with 70.8 per cent of Durham College students responding that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the quality of services, up three percentage points from 67.8 per cent and almost in line with the provincial average of 70.9 per cent. When it came to the quality of facilities and resources, 71.9 per cent were very satisfied or satisfied, up from 69.5 per cent and ahead of the province at 71.3 per cent. In particular, students appear to be extremely pleased with the college's 90,000-square-foot expansion to the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre, which opened in June 2007. When asked about the quality of the recreation/athletics facilities, 81 per cent reported they were very satisfied or satisfied, a staggering 70-per cent increase from the 48 per cent in 2007. Based on KPI results over the past few years, Durham College has continued to introduce a number of new initiatives designed to enhance the student experience. For instance, in 2007 the college increased space for group study, with an additional 10,000 square feet added for student use; expanded its Health Centre to offer wellness services such as a full-service pharmacy, sexual health centre, and chiropractic and massage therapy; and a Student Food Services Committee was established to provide feedback. "Over the coming weeks we will look at this year's results and celebrate our successes and determine where we can get even stronger," said Myers. "The KPI report is an important part of our overall focus on continuous improvement and meeting the needs of all our students so that they can graduate with the skills necessary to meet the demands of today's employers."
Source: Durham College, Ontario