News

Syracuse University to Hold First Reception for Post-Traditional Alumni

Sean O’Keefe Announced as Special Guest for Alumni Event in Washington, D.C.

The College of Professional Studies is partnering with the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families and Syracuse University in DC for a night of alumni networking on April 26, 2022, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

“Over the past four years, the University has dramatically expanded its commitment to access for nontraditional learners. We’re excited to share with our Washington, D.C., alumni and friends how this expansion extends our mission and positions the University to provide global access and transformational education opportunities,” says Michael Frasciello, Ph.D., dean of the College of Professional Studies.

From 6:30 to 9 p.m., alumni and friends can enjoy an evening of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. There will be a brief program with remarks from J. Michael Haynie, Ph.D., Syracuse University’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, and Frasciello. University Professor Sean O’Keefe, one of only 17 Syracuse University faculty members to hold this designation, will be the evening’s special guest.

O’Keefe previously served as a presidential appointee during his time leading NASA as secretary of the Navy, as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, as deputy assistant to the President and as comptroller and CFO at the Defense Department. He currently holds the position as the Howard and Louise Phanstiel Endowed Chair in Leadership at the Maxwell School. Moreover, his achievements also include honorary doctorate degrees from five higher education institutions, as well as the Department of Navy’s Public Service Award.

The event provides the opportunity for post-traditional, online and executive education alumni and students to connect in Washington, D.C.

“Engaging post-traditional alumni is a priority of Syracuse University,” says Jeffry Comanici, executive director of post-traditional alumni. “Working with partners from across campus, we have identified over 340,000 post-traditional alumni and are excited to include them in the Orange Family.”

To register for the reception, please visit: cc.syr.edu/april26dc

For questions or more information, contact Comanici at jjcomani@syr.edu or 315.443.1409.

About the College of Professional Studies

The College of Professional Studies is a global, inclusive and future-facing college, providing access to diverse students and learners seeking a Syracuse University degree, credential, certificate or education experience.

Developing Strengths for Women in Leadership Workshop to Donate Proceeds to Nanhi Kali

Join the College of Professional Studies and the Nanhi Kali Syracuse University chapter for Developing Strengths for Women in Leadership, a virtual workshop designed to help you use your natural talents to feel empowered and unlock your potential.    

With help and guidance from Liz Green, executive director for Online Student Success at the College of Professional Studies, and your pre-workshop CliftonStrengths assessment, you will explore how your top five strengths can help you support, engage and advocate for yourself and other women in leadership. The cost of the workshop supports Nanhi Kali’s initiative to raise funds for uniforms, school supplies and tuition costs for girls in India who are otherwise unable to attend elementary or middle school on their own.

Two Zoom workshop options are available and open to all on April 1 or April 8 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST. The cost is $52 to attend.

Advocating for women in leadership, this workshop will donate 100% of the profits to Nanhi Kali, “an organization initiated by Mahindra in India with a goal to educate underprivileged girl children,” says Ruchita Harsora, Nanhi Kali’s Syracuse University chapter president.

“The workshop will encompass multiple avenues for self-reflection and engagement activities for participants to better understand their individual Top 5 Strengths and communicate with others about their strengths,” Green says. “CliftonStrengths provides a common lens for us to share and connect with our colleagues, coworkers and friends, and provides a foundation for us to effectively advocate for ourselves and others.”

As a registered graduate student organization, the Nanhi Kali Syracuse University chapter aims to raise awareness about the importance of educational access, Harsora says.

“This specific opportunity helps us give back to the community one of the essentials – education. Education is the steppingstone to success in any field and it’s a golden opportunity for us to give something back to an underserved community,” Harsora says. “We get a chance to give the privilege of education to the generation that is going to shape our future.”

To learn more or register for the workshop, visit here.

 

About the College of Professional Studies

The College of Professional Studies is a global, inclusive and future-facing college, providing access to diverse students and learners seeking a Syracuse University degree, credential, certificate or education experience.

WRVO Highlights Syracuse University Cannabis Certificates

In the world of higher education, online cannabis courses are blooming. New classes provided in partnership with Syracuse University’s College of Professional Studies and Green Flower allow students to study cannabis-related programs such as healthcare and medicine, agriculture and horticulture, law and policy, and the business of cannabis.

Green Flower CEO Max Simon said he expects cannabis to create between 60,000 and 80,000 jobs in New York state over the next few years alone. 

“The certificates provide the specific ability to say, ‘Now I understand enough about this, so no matter what happens in the industry, and/or what happens in regulations, I’ll know how to go from here,’” says Art Thomas, executive director of the Office of Professional Acceleration and Microcredentials.

Read more.

Syracuse University Center for Online and Digital Learning Announces New Executive Director

The Center for Online and Digital Learning announces Judy Yuzhu Teng, Ph.D., as its executive director. In this position, Teng will lead the Center for Online and Digital Learning’s instructional design and course development services.

Teng will serve as an institutional lead, coordinating with academic leaders and faculty to research, evaluate and implement instructional and content development strategies and technologies supporting Syracuse University online programs.

“Judy joins us at a transformational moment for Syracuse University. She brings to us the thought leadership necessary to anchor the mission-critical Center to the University’s strategic enrollment plan,” says Michael Frasciello, dean of the College of Professional Studies. “As a senior leader of large-scale instructional design and development initiatives, Judy understands what is required to drive sustainable, scalable, and research-driven learning innovation.”

Teng joins Syracuse University from George Washington University where she served in academic leadership roles, overseeing transitions to online learning, establishing course design and development readiness. Teng guided technology infrastructure and academic support processes to meet the needs of globally dispersed online students.

Teng’s career additionally includes leadership and innovation design positions at the College of Saint Rose, the State University of New York, and the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Teng earned a bachelor’s degree from Jilin Normal University, a master’s degree in educational psychology from the College of Saint Rose and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the State University of New York at Albany. Additionally, Teng maintains professional certifications in technology-mediated instruction, instructional design quality and learning innovation from EDUCAUSE and Quality Matters.

 

About the College of Professional Studies

The College of Professional Studies is a global, inclusive and future-facing college, providing access to diverse students and learners seeking a Syracuse University degree, credential, certificate, or education experience.

About the Center for Digital and Online Learning

The Center for Online and Digital Learning provides evaluation, development, and delivery of world-class online programs at Syracuse University. Employing instructional design theories, prescriptive models, and research, all online courses are designed in collaboration with Syracuse University faculty to leverage the full spectrum of learning that is possible in technology-enhanced, feature-rich digital environments.

College of Professional Studies Increases Student Support Through Artificial Intelligence Chatbot

Syracuse University’s College of Professional Studies launches the Orange Bot, an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot designed to offer current and prospective students support and information through chat.

“Orange Bot, provided by Ivy.ai, crawls all of your website pages, indexes your content and stores the data in the Bot’s brain. When users ask a question, the bot searches its brain to deliver a customized, on demand answer for each user,” says Jennie McLaughlin, director of information technology.

By automatically responding to questions from current and prospective students, the Orange Bot will serve as a virtual assistant to the college and its departments. The Orange Bot provides non-traditional students with round-the-clock advice by promptly answering frequently asked questions. Communicating in over 105 languages, Orange Bot guides users to a solution before a human operator is involved.

“We are a high touch division serving students nationwide, and this will allow for nurturing and engagement where it would have previously been delayed or missed,” says Nichole Henry, director of admissions and recruitment. “It is a very useful tool, and we hope to expand when and where we can as we explore it’s features.”

Website visitors are encouraged to engage with the Orange Bot for answers to frequently asked questions. For questions that are more individual in nature, current students should reach out to their academic advisor and prospective students can call or email the admissions department at 315.443.9378 or parttime@syr.edu.

To see the Orange Bot in action, visit professionalstudies.syracuse.edu.

About the College of Professional Studies

The College of Professional Studies is a global, inclusive, and future-facing college, providing access to diverse students and learners seeking a Syracuse University degree, credential, certificate, or education experience from anywhere in the world.