On day one we went to Hyundai where we learned about the company and toured the plant while production was in process.  It was very interesting to see the many different robots and to learn how few employees are required.  Their quality assurance processes were well thought out and very meticulous.

From Hyundai we went to the Seoul Global Center and met an American who has been living in Seoul for so long and who is so well respected, they made him an honorary citizen.  He is involved in many things, but what he talked about most is the work he does with the Seoul Global Center to help foreigners living in Seoul adjust to the culture and to help them find work and/or start businesses.  He gave fascinating insight to the business culture and told great stories about his experiences.

Next we were on to Hansung University (a sister university to NKU) where we got to learn about the programs they offer and a bit about the school culture.

For our last stop of Day 1 we went to Seoul tower and enjoyed a beautiful walk up the hillside park to the tower where we took time to enjoy the view and then had dinner at Hancock restaurant while enjoying panoramic views of the evening city skies.

NKU ELOC students with Il Hwan David Kim, director of International Study at NKU partner school, Hansung University, Seoul, South Korea, May 2013.

In May 2009, the Executive Leadership and Organizational Change (ELOC) program went on its first international trip. Dr. Kenneth Rhee took 21 students and advisory board member Terri Iacobucci to visit Korea, Japan and China. During the two-week trip, students met with leaders at international companies and government organizations to learn about leadership and international relations.

Since then, students in the program have had the opportunity to travel abroad every year. For example, in 2012, ELOC students visited Korea, Japan, and China from May 12 to May 27. They traveled to Seoul, Korea, Beijing and Shanghai, China, and Nagoya and Tokyo, Japan to visit a variety of business organizations and educational institutions. In previous years, the program visited companies such as Hyundai, Samsung, Mazak, ANA, Wild Flavors, Unis Software, and Best Buy, and educational institutions such as Hansung University, SookMyung Women’s University, and Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade.

The ELOC international experience was created to provide ELOC students with the opportunity to increase their global political, economic, and cultural awareness as well as their multicultural competencies.

ELOC Students visit the Samsung Electronics HQ in Seoul, South Korea, May 2013.

According to Natalie Gardener, a 2012 ELOC Asia trip participant:

The trip was one of those amazing gut punches that gives you so much to reflect upon and hopefully change for the better.  I can’t speak enough about what ELOC gifted to me.

Northern Kentucky University is one of the fastest growing universities in the Cincinnati region! We have more than 15,000 undergraduate and 1,600 graduate students, with a diverse student body representing 90 countries and 42 states, plus more than 300 international students.

NKU’s campus is situated on 400 acres and includes a Student Union with a food court, a 600-seat ballroom, several meeting rooms, and a gaming room; The Bank of Kentucky Center, a 9,200-seat arena boasting concerts by many of the countries top artists and some great sporting events.

Griffin Hall is the most technically advanced informatics center in the nation, as well as being the first certified “green” building on campus. The building also features CAVE (Computer Assisted Virtual Environment), which is available to students, faculty, and businesses for product development and the George and Ellen Rieveschl Digitorium, with its impressive Christie digital micro tile wall (visible in the 360 degree virtual tour) that is capable of running complex simulations in homeland, computer, and financial security among others.

The Haile Digital Planetarium is one of only 7 laser projection planetariums worldwide and the only one installed at an educational institution.

Cincinnati was named one of the “Top Ten Cities that Rock” and the “Best City for Nightlife”. There are plenty of venues catering to every musical taste, the world-renowned Cincinnati Zoo, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and professional baseball and football teams.

NKU’s Haile/US Bank College of Business is ranked in the top 10% of Business Schools. It is also among only 15% of business schools to receive AACSB accreditation. The MBA has been consistently recognized as one of the best in the U.S. by the Princeton Review in its “Best Business Schools”.

The Chase College of Law offers several cutting-edge, skills-focused centers for study: The Center for Excellence in Advocacy and the Transactional Law Practice Center. These give students the opportunity to work in the field and learn from judges, practitioners, and other members of the legal community. They handle real cases alongside an attorney and can even earn a Certificate in Advocacy or Transactional Law. Students repeatedly win top honors in advocacy competitions.

Regional stewardship is part of NKU’s mission and students have many opportunities to work in service projects in the community (either as part of a class or organization, or individually). NKU has been named 3 years running to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll – the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service learning, and civic engagement.

Sean Thomas and Steve Oldfield

Sean Thomas and Steve Oldfield, both graduates of the Master of Public History program will lead a discussion at the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries annual meeting. The session is one of several that cover “Success Stories of Partnerships and Collaboration from the Field.”  Sean and Steve will talk about innovative ways of helping museums, historic sites and towns create new and exciting affordable online content, virtual tours and QR-Coded walking tours.

Sean developed this concept as part of his master’s thesis project. Working together with Steve, they have since launched a business providing technology solutions for historical sites. Among their first projects was the Battle of Augusta, an internet “walking” tour of Augusta, KY and the famous Civil War battle that took place there. (www.battleofaugusta.com.)

Both Sean and Steve had professional broadcast and journalism experience prior to joining the MAPH program. They are using these professional talents to build digital access to historical areas.

The AAMG conference will be held at Johns Hopkins University on May 18^th.

I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the now famous 2015 date issue. For those of you who are not familiar with this issue there is a target date of 2015 by which all Nurse Practitioners will need to be educated at the Doctor of Nursing Practice level and not the Masters (of Nursing) level. Many rumors are circulating about what this means and I would like to give you the facts – Julie Ossege, PhD, APRN, Director, MSN Program.

• The 2015 date is a target date for all NPs to be prepared at the DNP level.
  It is a national mandate that is supported by all major national nursing and NP organizations. It is not a law, rule or licensing requirement at this time. No state has adopted a law stating an NP must have a DNP by 2015. Will this happen eventually? Yes, it will. We will keep you apprised of any changes in requirements.

• Moving NP education to the DNP level is being done for several reasons –
  1. Educating Nurse Practitioners at the doctoral degree level is on par with other professional degrees. If you think about it, pharmacists, physical therapists, physicians, occupational therapists – all have professional doctorates. Nursing does not.
  2. The growing complexity of health care, constant growth in scientific knowledge, and technological sophistication have necessitated master’s NP programs to expand the number of didactic and clinical clock hours far beyond the requirements of master’s education in virtually any other field.  Many NP programs now exceed 60 hours. Can you imagine?
  3. The knowledge and skills required to provide leadership in the ever changing healthcare environment of today requires additional and different content than can be included in a Master’s degree. The overall goal of the course is “enhanced knowledge to improve nursing practice and patient outcomes” (p.8, AACN, 2004).

• Schools across the country are in the process of creating curricula that will move NP education to the DNP level. In Kentucky a new law passed in the 2011 legislative session for KY schools to be able to offer the Doctor of Nursing Practice. Many other states have similar legislation issues. This will take time.

• At Northern Kentucky University, we have started the discussions about this issue and continue to work toward moving the NP curriculum to the DNP level. We do not have a date in mind at this point. There are no national mandates to move any other MSN level programs to the DNP level. We will keep you informed if we hear differently.

• You will be kept informed regarding all of these issues as we move through this process.

• Those of you currently in an NP track do not have anything to worry about!
  • If you are near graduation, when you graduate with your MSN NP you will have the ability to sit for certification and obtain a license to practice. The certifying bodies state all NPs educated at the Master’s level will retain the ability to practice as MSN NPs. There just will no longer be any NP educational programs at the MSN level. Of course we’d love to have you return to NKU in the post-masters DNP program!
  • When NKU starts NP education at the DNP level, I envision some sort of DNP transition opportunity for those of you not as far along in the program.

Bottom line: please do not fret about this. You all have your hands full enough without worrying about a date that may or may not prove to be a factor.

Our MSN program is pretty competitive. Last admission cycle we accepted about 45% of those who applied. Unfortunately we do not currently have any scholarships to offer. The KY Coalition of NPs and NMs have some, KBN has some, as do some other nursing organizations.

Visit our Online Open House for more information:

http://gradschool.nku.edu/openhouse.html

Other Useful Links:

Department of Advanced Nursing Studies

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Contact

Victoria Vogelgesang, a Master of Public Administration student at Northern Kentucky University, and NKU MPA alumnus T.J. White were recently honored as Public Administrators of the Year by the Greater Cincinnati chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

Each year the organization honors outstanding individuals for their work in the field of public administration including government, education and the non-profit sector.

White, a 2008 MPA alumnus, accepted the award for Program Excellence for the Southwest Ohio Regional Refuse Program. The program is the second cycle of an effort to jointly bid solid waste and recycling services. It is facilitated by the Center for Local Government, of which White serves as executive director. Participating governments include Amberley Village, Woodlawn, Deer Park, Milford, Bellbrook and Miamisburg. The program costs just $11.80 per household per month for solid waste and recycling, and saves more than $105,000 per year for participating governments.

Vogelgesang is a graduate assistant in the NKU Department of Political Science, Criminal Justice and Organizational Leadership. In addition to her creative and enthusiastic work for the MPA program, she excels in the classroom, achieving a 3.9 GPA. Last summer she was selected as a Seasongood intern, assisting with the World Choir Games. Vogelgesang also served as president of NKU’s Public Administration Student Society, coordinating networking opportunities, guest speakers and community service activities.

Winners and nominees were honored during the chapter’s Public Administrators of the Year Awards Banquet on April 19. Award recipients will also be recognized today at noon on Fountain Square as part of Public Service Recognition Week (May 6-10) at the Greater Cincinnati Public Service Recognition Celebration.

The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) was formed in 1939 and is the premier professional association for public administrators in the United States. The Greater Cincinnati chapter is a voluntary association of interested individuals from government, nonprofit, academia and private sector organizations dedicated to promoting recognition for public service, providing professional development opportunities, and offering technical assistance to area public administrators.

Kentucky ESL endorsement requires a valid teaching certificate, a passing score on the specialty PRAXIS examination and 12 hours of coursework. Our program is unique in that it is offered totally online, thereby providing access to teachers throughout our service region, the state, and the nation. The four courses in this program are offered on an annual rotation starting during the summer semester, enabling the students in this program to complete the endorsement in one calendar year. This endorsement program builds on prior teacher certification completed through our undergraduate programs, or prior coursework in the University’s various graduate programs in education, or through completion of teacher certification through an approved, accredited program. This endorsement can be completed either as a standalone endorsement or may be incorporated as an option within our existing Teacher Leader Masters programs.

To apply for the program, complete a graduate application found at http://www.moreheadstate.edu/apply/
Attention P-12 Teachers: 

EDSL 601, the first course required for the Kentucky ESL Teaching Endorsement begins June 3 (Summer I session). Register Now.

For more information, contact Dr. Lee Nabb (lw.nabb@moreheadstate.edu) or Dr. Fujuan Tan (f.tan@moreheadstate.edu).

•  Melissa is investigating how family-friendly benefits programs at perceived by employees.
• Jessica has developed a new scale to measure psychological detachment from work.
• Casey presented research showing employees’ perceptions of supervisory feedback, goals, and autonomy predicted turnover intentions.
• Casey, Whitney, and Rebecca developed a scale to measure the goals employees have during training programs.
• Laura, Caroline, and Steve developed a scale to measure anxiety that employees experience at work.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology is the scientific study of employees and their workplace. Rigorous scientific methods are used to study and understand human behavior in the workplace. NKU’s I-O Psych program emphasizes applied research. Students develop their own research ideas often with the goal of applying their research to improve employee productivity and job satisfaction.

The Celebration of Student Research and Creativity is an annual event showcasing the scholarly work of our students. At Celebration, undergraduate and graduate students present their research, artistic or creative projects through posters and oral presentations, or through interactive demonstrations, performances, or exhibits. Celebration provides important recognition and acknowledgement of the excellent work and accomplishments of our students.

A graduate-level online course will explore the foundation of global terrorism and the organizations and networks that fuel it. Students will be exposed to the relevant geography, history, religion, philosophy, political and criminal aspects of terrorism worldwide. What’s being done to counter the terrorist activities will also be discussed.

Terrorism (PAD 683) will be taught by Dr. Marcos Misis, who has research expertise and experience in terrorism, homeland security and police.  Dr. Misis is working on research with a Taiwanese police official about the Container Security Program, which is designed prevent the illegal smuggling of terrorists, weapons of mass destruction and explosives via maritime cargo.  He is also working on research on terrorism, security and police stress on the Southern border of the United States.  Prior to becoming a professor, Dr. Misis had a lengthy career in the military and private security.

This class is being offered as part of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management area of concentration in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at NKU.  The MPA is an applied 39-semester-hour degree designed to prepare students for careers in public management.

This class will start on May 13. Anyone interested in registering for the class must apply to NKU as a non-degree seeking student and submit official transcripts from any colleges and universities they have attended. Any current NKU graduate student can register without submitting a new application.

For further details about the course, contact the MPA program at mpa@nku.edu.

Sears, a 2008 MPA graduate is currently the Social Marketing and Technical Assistance Coordinator for the program, JOURNEY to Successful Living, through the Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.  JOURNEY to Successful Living is a program where youth and young adults with emotional and behavioral challenges and their families are working as partners with agencies and organizations to help them be successful at home, school, in the community and throughout life.

Her passion for public service is evident with her 35 plus years with the Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board (1997 to present), Hamilton County Community Mental Health Board (1989-1997) and the Central Community Health Board (1989-1978). She also serves on the board of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration, and is currently the Past President. She is also a member of the NKU Alumni Council, the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, African American Development Program, and R.E.A.L. Women of Cincinnati.

Sears was nominated for this award for her dedication and leadership in the public service arena.

Other award winners were current students, John P. Scott, Outstanding MPA Graduate and Heather Abbott, Outstanding MPA Student.  Scott is a Senior Specialist in Community Relations at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Abbott is the Coordinator of Academic Support Services and Professional Development at Gateway Community and Technical College.