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2003 - 2004 Academic Year
September 10, 2003 2:00 PM 100 KRESGE LIBRARY
1. Call to order
2. Welcome to Graduate Council
3. Overview of activities for the academic year
4. Web communication
5. Appointment of secretary, parliamentarian and vice chairperson
September 10, 2003
Present: Ranald Hansen, Lisa Hawley, Vincent Khapoya, Kathleen Moore, Mildred Merz, Sherri Oden, Claire Rammel, Darlene Schott-Baer, Ishwar Sethi
Absent: Mohinder Parkash
Call to Order
This meeting was convened at 2:10 p.m. by Ranald Hansen, Interim Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Study.
No minutes to approve
Overview of Activities for the Academic Year Graduate Program Review Kathleen Moore chaired a subcommittee last academic year that evaluated the current Graduate Program Review Guidelines. Some modifications were made and a pilot study was conducted using the program review submitted by the MPA program. Graduate Council will be discussing the results of the pilot study and finalizing new guidelines during this academic year. Graduate Council Annual Report A copy of the 2002-2003 Graduate Council Annual Report was distributed, noting a copy is also available on the web site. While there were many new programs initiated during the last year, the Council still has many continuing issues slated for review this year. Funding of Graduate Assistantships For many years, Oakland University has offered two programs for employing Graduate Assistantships: (1) general fund positions (supported through the Office of Graduate Study) and (2) the "Kleckner Plan," an incentive plan designed to provide tuition to students who are supported from grants with indirect costs to the institution. Last year a proposal was approved by President Russi to create graduate assistantship packages, that provided increased stipend dollars, from the funds available through the general fund positions (OGS). The "Kleckner Plan", which has been historically funded outside the OGS position fund, required the submission of a new budget. Randy Hansen has been working on a proposal and budget to develop an incentive fund. Cooley Law School As of Fall 2003, Thomas M Cooley Law School (TMC) is primarily located in multiple floors of O'Dowd Hall. Their library has been established on the second floor of O'Dowd Hall, in the former Learning Resource Center. It is open to Oakland University faculty, staff and students. The faculty offices are on the third floor of O'Dowd, while administrative offices are on the fourth floor. OU and TMC partnered this summer to renovate 202 O'Dowd Hall. This classroom was redesigned into three smaller classrooms. Each classroom can accommodate approximately 90 people. Thomas M Cooley Law School will operate from 202A and 202B O'Dowd Hall. Darlene Schott-Baer suggested having a member from TMC be represented at the Graduate Council, perhaps as ex-officio. Vincent Khapoya suggested that before getting Cooley more involved in our campus community, Dr. Moudgil or Dr. Russi should properly prepare the Senate. It was suggested by Randy Hansen that the appointed OU faculty subcommittee could assist in preparing some of the documentation. Graduate Catalog Claire Rammel announced that the graduate catalog for 2003-2005 would be released September 12th. Copies will be distributed to units on campus, with a copy on the Oakland University web site. Web Communication
The Office of Research and Graduate Study is in the process of reviewing its web site for faculty content. Their goal is to include more items, which are of interest to faculty. If anyone has any problems with using the web page, they can contact Steve Szalay who is the IT support for RGS.
Kathleen Moore was appointed Vice Chair of the Graduate Council, Claire Rammel as Parliamentarian, and Barbara Kooiman /Claire Rammel will work together as secretary.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24, 2003.
October 8, 2003
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes from 09-10-2003
3. Report of the Chair
4. Old Business
5. New Business
a. First Reading Graduate Certificate Proposal in Higher Education – Sandra Packard
6. Good and Welfare
October 8, 2003
Approved: 11-12-2003
Present: Ronald Sudol, Lisa Hawley, Vincent Khapoya, Kathleen Moore, Mildred Merz, Sherri Oden, Mohinder Parkash , Claire Rammel, Darlene Schott-Baer, Kris Thompson
Absent: Ishwar Sethi Guests: Peter Binkert, Sandra Packard
Staff: Julie Delaney, Lynette Folken
Call to Order This meeting was convened at 2:10 p.m. by Ronald Sudol, Associate Provost.
The MOTION to approve the minutes of September 10, 2003 was made, Seconded and Passed, unanimously.
Ron Sudol introduced himself as the recently assigned chair of Graduate Council and presented a brief overview of the restructuring of the Office of Graduate Study. He reported the administration's concern that the merger of the Office of Research, Grants and Contract with the Office of Graduate Study had not been successful and the feeling that both departments would be strengthened by a separation. Over the next few months, the question of what is the most effective model for Oakland University will be decided. Can the university have an effective graduate program under the current system or will more structuring be needed? Kathleen Moore asked if one of the possible models is the establishment of a graduate dean and stated that need for a strong voice to fight for the good of the graduate academic programs. Mr. Sudol replied that is certainly a model that is provided for in the constitution and assured Ms. Moore that a "voice" would be there. Ms. Rammel reminded the Council that three options were suggested in the task force report, and Mr. Sudol agreed that the task force report should be brought forward for review. Claire Rammel also answered questions about how the staff had been divided between the two departments.
Graduate Student Appeal Ron Sudol updated the Graduate Council on the status of a graduate student appeal, submitted to the Student Conduct sub-committee's for review. The sub-committee reported their review was completed in August and a report sent to the Dr. Hansen to take final action. Mr. Sudol will bring the case to closure and send appropriate correspondence to the student.
First Reading - ESL endorsement Peter Binkert provided an overview of the ESL endorsement proposal. The Department of Linguistics has received approval from the State of Michigan Board of Education to offer an ESL Endorsement for teacher certification. To enroll in the endorsement program, students must already be certified teachers in the State of Michigan. The program will consist of 20 credits taken in five successive semesters. The first cohort is slated to begin classes in Winter 2004. The program is budget neutral and can be offered without any additional faculty. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to WAIVE the second reading. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed ESL endorsement, contingent upon Sheryl Klemanski's confirmation that the program is budget neutral. First Reading - Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Sandra Packard explained that this is not a new program. The Graduate Certificate Program in Higher Education is designed for practicing university or college administrators who may already possess a doctoral degree, or who do not wish to pursue a doctoral degree at the present time, but wish to update and advance their professional knowledge and skills. The program will also serve mid-career professionals in other related work (college and university faculty, k -12 school administrators, etc.) who wish to explore a career change. The courses are already taught as part of the PhD in Education – educational leadership program. The proposal is budget neutral. Mohinder Parkash pointed out a curriculum error in the proposal: the accounting course should be ACC 511 not ACC 50. Ms. Packard will make the correction. Claire Rammel reminded Ms. Packard about a previous suggestion that these 900-level courses should be cross-listed with 600- or 700-level courses. As a reminder, Ms. Rammel explained that 900-level courses are restricted to doctoral students. Therefore, to offer these courses in a Graduate Certificate program, these courses would have to be cross-listed as a 600- or 700-level course. Ms. Packard replied that she had presented that suggestion; however, the faculty was not ready to accommodate the request. She will put the issue back on the department agenda, and provide follow up to Claire Rammel. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to WAIVE the second reading. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed Graduate Certificate in Higher Education. (With the proviso that Claire Rammel receives the appropriate Course Action Forms to cross list current 900-level courses with 600- or 700-level courses AND ACC 511 corrections).
Thesis/dissertation manual Claire Rammel informed Graduate Council that the Office of Graduate Study is using very old and limited guidelines for thesis and dissertation format. She asked that a subcommittee be formed to review thesis and dissertation format requirements with the intent of producing an online manual. The subcommittee will also be asked to review format changes, which must be introduced to conform to the requirements of University Microfilms International (UMI). It was suggested that the subcommittee be comprised of Council members as well as outside faculty members and should include representatives from large dissertation-producing departments. The following Council members agreed to serve on the subcommittee in various capacities: Sheri Oden (School of Education and Human Services) Lisa Hawley (School of Education and Human Services) Mildred Merz (Kresge Library) Claire Rammel (Office of Graduate Study), Chair Representation will be sought from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Health Sciences. Proposed Policy Commencement Ceremony – Graduate student eligibility Claire Rammel presented an overview of the proposed policy. Due to changes in commencement ceremony dates, it has become necessary to solidify commencement participation dates for doctoral students. Ms. Rammel explained that although there is a distinct difference between graduation and commencement, there is considerable confusion among students between the two. The semester of graduation refers to the term in which the student files an application for degree.
This is typically the semester in which the student completes degree requirements. Commencement ceremonies are held twice each year. A chart was distributed to Council members, outlining the proposal as follows. May (Spring) Ceremony Participation Winter semester doctoral degree candidates, who have completed all degree requirements, as defined in the Current Graduate dissertation/Thesis Processing Requirements Policy, by the published Office of Graduate study deadlines, are eligible to participate in May (Spring) ceremony. Winter and spring semester master's degree candidates are eligible to participate in May (spring) ceremony. December (Fall) Ceremony Participation Fall, Spring and summer semester doctoral degree candidates, who have completed all degree requirements, as defined in the Current Graduate dissertation/Thesis Processing Requirements Policy, by the published Office of Graduate study deadlines, are eligible to participate in December (Fall) ceremony. Summer and Fall semester master's degree candidates are eligible to participate in December (fall) ceremony. Sheri Oden asked if doctoral students who are eligible to participate in December commencement in one year could move forward to Spring commencement in the next year. Claire Rammel confirmed that students might move forward to the next commencement ceremony.
MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed policy.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:55 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22, 2003.
November 12, 2003
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes from 10-08-2003
3. Report of the Chair
4. Old Business
5. New Business
a. First Reading PM Certificate Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner
b. Proposed Policy –Graduate Application Requirements for Students with Foreign Academic Credentials
6. Good and Welfare
November 12, 2003
Present: Ronald Sudol, Lisa Hawley, Vincent Khapoya, Kathleen Moore, Mildred Merz, Sherri Oden, Mohinder Parkash, Claire Rammel, Darlene Schott-Baer Absent: Ishwar Sethi, Kris Thompson Guests: Christina Grabowski Staff: Julie Delaney, Lynette Folken
Call to Order
This meeting was convened at 2:05 p.m. by Ronald Sudol, Associate Provost.
The MOTION to approve the minutes of October 8, 2003 was made, Seconded and Passed, unanimously.
Ron Sudol updated the council members on the status of the graduate student appeal discussed at the last meeting. He reported that the student has been reinstated on the recommendation of the subcommittee. Mr. Sudol apprised council of a grievance presented to him by a delegation of 15 graduate assistants regarding the lack of course fee funding in the graduate assistantship program. Claire Rammel explained that after the graduate assistant budget was reduced, there was insufficient funding to cover course fees. The solution to the problem was made possible by the generosity of the School of Engineering and Computer Science. Ph.D. students in engineering do not take 24 credits during the academic year and course offerings in spring and summer are minimal; therefore, it was decided to recapture their unused eight credits of tuition and reallocate funding across the university, so each school and college will receive the benefit of course fees. This new policy will be retroactive to fall; refunding will be initiated later this semester. Claire Rammel reported that she is recruiting members for the thesis/dissertation committee, and is still looking for a person to chair the OU-Cooley Law School faculty subcommittee.
ESL endorsement Claire Rammel reported that the endorsement letter from the state had been received and the program could proceed. Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Sheryl Klemanski reviewed the proposal and found it to be budget neutral. The School of Education and Human Resources may move ahead with the program.
Graduate Application Requirements for Students with Foreign Educational Credentials Christina Grabowski, Graduate Admissions, proposed minimizing institutional application requirements for students with foreign academic credentials and allowing individual programs to determine which application requirements are needed to admit these students. Currently, all students with foreign academic credentials need to submit a course-by-course transcript evaluation, which is produced by a third party. GRE scores are also required. Some departments require a course-by-course transcript evaluation; however, other departments do not need a detailed version of the transcript evaluation in order to make an admit decision. The general report is needed minimally as an institutional requirement to 1) provide equivalency of the degree in a U.S. bachelor institution and 2) provide authenticity of documentation. The proposed policy eliminates the course-by-course transcript evaluation as an institutional requirement and replaces it with a general foreign transcript evaluation. Departments may choose to require the GRE exam as an additional application requirement. Official transcripts and English translations will still be required. According to Ms. Grabowski, the cost to the student would be greatly reduced. Claire Rammel reported that she took the proposal to Dean Frick who oversees a large number of international students in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. He was supportive of the proposed policy. Vincent Khapoya reminded those present that international faculty are very knowledgeable about foreign institutions and are a valuable resource. Ms. Rammel agreed but cautioned that transcript fraud is very hard to detect. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to WAIVE the second reading. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed change to admission requirements for students with foreign credentials. First Reading - Post Master's Certificate for Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Darlene Schott-Baer provided an overview of this program, which prepares the advanced practice nurse as a primary care provider for adult, older adult, and frail elder clients in a variety of settings. The curriculum focuses on culturally sensitive care, incorporating health promotion and management of acute and chronic health problems. Graduates are prepared to take an Adult Nurse Practitioner national certification examination and/or a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner national certification examination. The program requires no new courses, no new faculty and is budget neutral. A MOTION was seconded and passed. The Graduate Council will have a second reading at the next meeting. Minimum Credit Requirement for Graduate Programs Mohinder Parkash raised the topic of the 32-credit hour degree requirement and the possibility of offering a 30-hour master's program. Claire Rammel replied that 32 credits is the existing minimum requirement; however, she can find no policy to confirm this and asked if the council should make a statement to formally endorse the minimum level. Discussion followed during which Vincent Khapoya, arguing for autonomy, stated that there is no need for guidelines as the institution has been meeting the practiced standard and has not been delivering programs below the minimum credit requirement. The other members concurred. Academic units bringing new programs before the council will have to justify those that do not meet the current standard.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 10, 2003.
January 28, 2004
Present: Ronald Sudol, Vincent Khapoya, Krzystof Kobus, Kathleen Moore, Mildred Merz, Sherri Oden, Mohinder Parkash , Claire Rammel, Darlene Schott-Baer, Kris Thompson. Absent: Lisa Hawley, Ishwar Sethi,
Staff: Julie Delaney, Lynette Folken
Call to Order
This meeting was convened at 2:10 p.m. by Ronald Sudol, Associate Provost.
The MOTION to approve the minutes of December 10, 2003 was made, Seconded and Passed, unanimously.
Ron Sudol reported that he had no further information about the budget and gave a brief overview of the recent budget retreat at which the topic of regularizing faculty workload was introduced. Towards this end, a subcommittee of deans will be attempting to formulate a plan in which each dean would have to justify workloads in his/her area. Discussion followed regarding the difficulties of undertaking such a complicated process considering the various things for which faculty devote time, but don't necessarily receive credit, e.g., thesis/dissertations, research/grants, special projects, and the difficulty of weighing one against the other.
Claire Rammel pointed out that the university does not force any kind of continuation enrollment, so there is no data affiliation between faculty load and thesis/dissertation oversight. Individual faculty members may be serving on more than one dissertation committee. Only the School of Nursing requires continuous enrollment showing that faculty are spending time with the students. In other areas, students register once and may not register again while working on their dissertations. Ms. Rammel suggested that the topics of residency requirement and continuation fee should be brought before Graduate Council.
More information from the budget retreat was shared including the offer by some employees to voluntarily reduce their work hours to 32 if the benefit structure is agreeable. The correlation between number of hours worked and benefits is being investigated. Ms. Rammel shared the Graduate Study's budget proposal: a reduction in the cost of producing the graduate catalog and the discontinuation of an old agreement between Oakland University and Henry Ford Hospital.
As part of a Cooley Law School update, Ms. Rammel advised the council members that Cooley will be meeting once again with the Provost (and probably both presidents) about negotiating a "branch" agreement which is the final step towards moving the entire law school to the Oakland Campus. This final move will allow students to obtain the complete degree on this campus. Under the current "satellite" agreement, the number of credits a Cooley student can take, away from the Lansing campus, is limited. The first cohort of Cooley students will be ready to enroll under a "branch" agreement in fall 2004.
Continuing the Cooley Law School update, Ms. Rammel reported that the resident dean for Cooley Law School, John Nussbaumer, has met with most of the deans to discuss how Cooley and Oakland can integrate programs and degrees to respond to community needs. One of the community services that approached Cooley was the Pontiac Women's Survival Center. In this particular instance, Mr. Nussbaumer met with Mary Otto, Linda Thompson and Luellen Ramey to discuss counseling and health service opportunities.
At the request of Darlene Schott-Baer, a discussion of the "disincentives" of incentive programs was added to the agenda. Ms. Schott-Baer reported that the School of Nursing introduced many on-line courses into their programs at a time when the university was encouraging departments to do so, but now is unable to get money back when these courses are included in an incentive program. An incentive program must have 90-95 percent "sit time." Ms. Schott-Baer asked if there is anything that Graduate Council can do to help with this situation. Claire Rammel said she would make inquiries.
First Reading – RN to MSN Program
The proposed RN to MSN sequence would meet the requirements for both the undergraduate and graduate courses by combining related content in selected basic areas. Students would be admitted to the R.N. - M.S.N. program and matriculate more easily from undergraduate to graduate classes. The program involves the development of "transition" courses that would satisfy the undergraduate and graduate requirements and allow students to matriculate directly to graduate education. Content from two of the graduate foundation courses would be integrated with the content of two of the RN/BSN courses. This program involves a two-stage admission process.
A MOTION was seconded and passed for this to be a first reading. Graduate Council will return to it at the next meeting at which time the program budget will be introduced.
Policy Recommendation - Appeal of Grade Deadline
The Registrar, Steve Shablin, reports that his office has seen a considerable increase in students seeking an appeal of course grades assigned several years after initial grading of the course. He is requesting a policy recommendation from UCUI and the Graduate Council for a grade appeal deadline, associated with the semester in which the grade was earned. If approved, the recommendation will probably be passed to Academic Council before being presented to Senate for consideration.
Claire Rammel agreed with Mr. Shablin's assessment and stated that Graduate Study is receiving an increasing number of grade appeals including many late appeals which are several years past the semester in which the grade was earned. This is causing considerable problems for all participants in the process. She also pointed out that if the council members agreed with the idea of a deadline for appeal of grade, a retention policy would have to be developed for the retention of course material through the end of the appeal deadline. Ms. Rammel distributed copies of two policy recommendations: Amendment to Grade Appeal Process and Student Final Exam, Term Paper, Projects Retention Policy.
During the discussion that ensued, those present agreed that students should have a legitimate period of time to appeal their grade, and they should have time to review materials to make a decision about the final grade. The following suggestions were put forward:
• A statement should be introduced allowing departments to have more stringent deadlines. • Oakland should be obligated to respond to the student's appeal within a certain period of time. • A change should be made to the amendment to read Course Grade Appeal Process to clarify that the student is appealing a final grade. • To be official, an appeal form should be developed and sent from the instructor to the department chair. • Clarification of the meaning of "unclaimed/non-reviewed" materials should be given.
Graduate Council will return to this topic at the next meeting. Claire is going to review the University Retention Document to see if guidelines exist regarding how long faculty must retain course materials (exams, projects, papers etc.).
Discussion of Graduate Program Review Guidelines
Claire Rammel redistributed the proposed program review guidelines completed by a subcommittee of Graduate Council last year. She stressed the importance of approving and initiating them as soon as possible. Program reviews will be the main topic of discussion at the next meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:05 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, 2004.
February 11, 2004 2:00 PM 100 KRESGE LIBRARY
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes from January 28, 2004
3. Report of the Chair
4. Old Business
a. Second Reading RN to MSN Program - Darlene Schott-Baer
5. New Business 6. Good and Welfare
February 11, 2004
Present: Ronald Sudol, Lisa Hawley, Vincent Khapoya, Krzystof Kobus, Kathleen Moore, Mildred Merz, Sherri Oden, Mohinder Parkash , Claire Rammel, Darlene Schott-Baer, Ishwar Sethi, Kris Thompson.
Staff: Julie Delaney, Lynette Folken Call to Order This meeting was convened at 2:10 p.m. by Ronald Sudol, Associate Provost.
The MOTION to approve the minutes of January 28, 2004 as corrected was made, Seconded and Passed, unanimously.
Appeal of Grade – Document Retention Claire Rammel reported the current university retention policy states that faculty members must keep investigation backup materials for proven cases of wrongdoing (student papers, faculty grade books) for a period of seven years after separation. However, there is no policy clearly defined for graduate grade appeal. Ms. Rammel further stated that, overall, the university does not have a definition of the circumstances under which a student can appeal a grade; consequently, Graduate Study will research the policies at other institutions and come back to Graduate Council with an updated presentation.
Claire Rammel encouraged the council members to attend the ADMIN 701 presentation. ADMIN 701 is an organization that will be introducing an admissions workflow processing system to Oakland University. While the current focus of the presentation to Oakland is on applications, Graduate Study has asked if it could be expanded to include petitions of exceptions, transfer credit, grade changes, etc. The electronically imaged student file would be available to all academic service offices, identified faculty members and others on their desktops, in lieu of hand-delivered hard copies. The benefits of acquiring this system were discussed.
Second Reading – RN to MSN Program MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed RN to MSN Program, contingent upon submission of a corrected budget.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 10, 2004.
March 10, 2004
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes from February 11, 2004
3. Report of the Chair
4. Old Business
A. Graduate Assistantship Agreement
B. Update on format subcommittee
C. Update on ADMIN.701
5. New Business http://www2.oakland.edu/grad/web/grad_links.cfm?ID=4@3
A. Susan Awbrey – Web Course Definition
B. Academic Calendar
C. First Reading: Program modifications for Master Training and Development
6. Good and Welfare
March 10, 2004
Present: Ronald Sudol, Krzystof Kobus, Lisa Hawley, Kathleen Moore, Mildred Merz, Mohinder Parkash, Claire Rammel, Darlene Schott-Baer.
Absent: Vincent Khapoya, Sherri Oden, Ishwar Sethi, Kris Thompson Guests: Susan Awbrey, Chaundra Scott, Tomas Giberson
Staff: Julie Delaney, Lynette Folken
Call to Order
This meeting was convened at 2:05 p.m. by Ronald Sudol, Associate Provost.
The MOTION to approve the minutes of February 11, 2004 was made, Seconded and Passed, unanimously.
Graduate Assistantship Agreement Claire Rammel advised the Council that the legal department has finished their review of the graduate assistant agreement which is now a three-part package: letter of offer, graduate assistant agreement and optional breakout worksheet. The template letter of offer was developed with support from the legal department. The first two paragraphs of the new letter are mandatory; the remainder of the letter may be customized by the deans or academic units so the offer can reflect a more scholarly and academic tone rather than a contractual one. The contract language has been removed from the letter of offer and a separate contract document created that outlines the University's expectations.
The tuition paragraph of the contract was written to satisfy the language of the IRS—using the term "tuition reduction" therefore allowing it to be non taxable. The new agreement also provides a section on monetary penalties for voluntary termination by the student. Inclusion of the worksheet is not mandatory. It was developed at the request of the School of Engineering and Computer Science to provide a potential graduate assistant with a detailed breakout of the offer. Using this worksheet, the student can make a good market comparison, i.e., comparing our offer to an offer from Wayne State or other institutions. Because Oakland classifies a graduate assistant as an in-state person, comparing the tuition portion of the offer was difficult. An easy explanation can now be provided by including the worksheet. Because Oakland has never had a formal description for graduate assistants, the deans requested research of this particular topic. At present, the three categories of graduate assistants are teaching, research or administrative, and each work unit is asked to report their status. Upon further review by the legal department, it has been decided that graduate assistants will now be divided into only two categories: teaching assistants or research assistants.
Update on Thesis/Dissertation Format subcommittee
Claire Rammel reported that three meetings of the Thesis/Dissertation Format subcommittee have been scheduled to review the new format guidelines. Because of scheduling difficulties, those who cannot meet face-to-face will participate in the review/suggestion process via other methods, e.g., electronically. Once the subcommittee has reviewed the current draft and their suggestions have been incorporated, the document will be presented to Graduate Council for review and approval.
Web Course Definition Susan Awbrey, Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education, explained the need to provide students with a consistent definition of on-line classes and asked for Graduate Council's consideration and approval before the matter is taken to Academic Council. At present, there is no consistency when courses are entered into the schedule of classes as web-enhanced or on-line. With input from the Registrar, UCUI came up with two different designations to be used for all on-line classes—graduate and undergraduate—listed in the Schedule of Classes:
• On-line class. Class is taught almost exclusively using on-line resources in place of in-class time.
• Web-enhanced class. Ten to forty percent of class time is replaced with on-line activities. This replacement time does not substitute for normal out-of-class assignments.
To the question of how 10% or 40% is defined, Claire Rammel recommended that the percentage needs to be calculated using classroom contact hours. Ms. Awbrey stated that UCUI would consider the use of "contact hours" instead of "time" and will try to clarify the web enhanced statement per a request by Darlene Schott-Bauer. First Reading: Program modifications for Master of Training and Development Tom Giverson, faculty from the School of Education, introduced the proposed MTD modifications. The existing MTD program requires 44 credit hours, and includes a requirement for a Master's project. It also requires applicants to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The proposal reduces the number of required credit hours to 36, eliminates the requirement for a Master's project, and no longer requires applicants to complete the GRE. Mr. Giverson stated that the changes are minor and are needed to address competition from other programs, to focus the curriculum more specifically on advances in the field, and to move back to a cohort-based program. The Graduate Council members had several questions regarding the proposed admission requirements, particularly as it relates to the student writing deficiencies that were pointed out by the department representatives. It was very unclear to Council members how the new admission requirements could be considered a positive response to the writing concern. Graduate Council will continue discussions with the department representatives at the second reading. Academic Calendar Ron Sudol reviewed the academic calendar discussion by Senate. He explained a concern regarding winter recess, which historically has comes half-way in the term. Winter recess will now come after the eighth week, instead of after the seventh week. Mr. Sudol then discussed the possibility of a pre-Labor Day fall semester start date and made the recommendation to council members that since the final decision has not yet been made, now is the time to submit ideas and feedback.
IV. Good and Welfare
Claire Rammel asked the Council to consider the problems encountered when dealing with student dismissals. Currently, fall term grades roll right before the December break. Graduate committees return in January and must evaluate those graduate students with grades below 3.0. After identifying problem students, the departments make recommendations to Graduate Study for dismissal. As a result, the University is dismissing students who are a month into their next class in winter term. This is causing problems for both the students and administrative units, such as Financial Aid and the Registrar. Ms. Rammel also expressed concerns with doctoral students and the OU commencement ceremony. The present commencement program PRINTER deadlines are so far in advance of the doctoral dissertation defense, that most students must wait up to three terms to participate in a ceremony. A suggestion was made to develop a distinctive addition to the printed program for doctoral students. Claire Rammel will take this suggestion to the Provost for his support.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14, 2004.
April 28, 2004 2:00 PM 100 KRESGE LIBRARY
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes from March 10, 2004
3. Report of the Chair
A. Cooley update
4. Old Business
A. Second Reading: Web usage within courses
B. Second Reading: Program modifications for Master Training & Development
C. Second Reading: MAT in Education (name change from MAT in Secondary Education) and new program track in Elementary Education
D. Second Reading: DscPT program changes
5. New Business http://www2.oakland.edu/grad/web/grad_links.cfm?ID=4@3
A. Handout Revision Master of Accounting Program
B. Handout MS in Safety Management
B. Handout Guide to the Preparation of Graduate Theses/Dissertations
6. Good and Welfare
April 28, 2004
Present: Ronald Sudol, Lisa Hawley, Krzystof Kobus, Kathleen Moore, Mildred Merz, Sherri Oden, Claire Rammel, Darlene Schott-Baer, Kris Thompson. Absent: Ishwar Sethi, Vincent Khapoya, Mohinder Parkash, Guests: Robert Wiggins, Michael Long Staff: Julie Delaney, Lynette Folken
Call to Order
This meeting was convened at 2:06 p.m. by Ronald Sudol, Associate Provost.
Approval of the minutes from the April 14th meeting were delayed until May 12th
Graduate Council Appointees to Research Committee Ron Sudol reported that Lawrence Lilleston will serve as an appointee on the Research Committee. The second appointee position is still open, and Mr. Sudol asked the Council members to email any nominations. Cooley Update The Federal judge took jurisdiction from the American Bar Association (ABA) and counsel and has given ABA the directive to come back with a decision based on merit (which includes site visits). At present, Cooley cannot offer satellite programs at either the Western Michigan University campus or Oakland University campus, and the branch programs are on hold, until the decision has been made. However, Cooley can start its new spring cohort program which includes 75 students.
Second Reading Web Usage within courses Graduate Council approved the revised document, "Web Usage Within Courses", presented by Susan Awbrey, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Second Reading: Masters in Training and Development Program Revisions Representing the Department of Human Resource Development, Mike Long reported that all applicants would be interviewed and required to submit a supervised writing sample, in keeping with the concerns expressed by some Council members. As requested, Path A and Path B have been replaced with more descriptive names: Instructional Design and Technology and Organizational Development and Leadership. Claire Rammel asked if a comprehension class would be added to replace the project that was being dropped. Mr. Long replied that although a class would not be included, the students will be required to keep a portfolio throughout the last year, as well as pass a competency exam to make sure that they've achieved the desired competencies based upon the track they took. The competency exam requirement was discussed, at length, and Mr. Long, speaking for the HRD department, said that he would drop the comprehensive exam from the list of degree requirements. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed Master's in Training and Development program, with corrections. Second Reading: MAT in Education Program Revisions Claire Rammel opened the discussion by alerting Bob Wiggins to the fact that, at its inception, the MAT in Secondary Education was approved as a pilot program for which Graduate Council had requested a review in report form at the end of one year. Mr Wiggins provided an oral report, and the members accepted the presentation as satisfying the Council's original request. Mildred Merz reminded Mr. Wiggins that it had been suggested that the major/minor be made a requirement. Mr. Wiggins explained that he didn't want to state that it was an absolute requirement, because the program needs to provide flexibility to students. Students would be appraised of the major/minor, through advising only. Claire Rammel advised Mr. Wiggins of the following: • the STRANDS must be renamed TRACKS, • the program must be included in the graduate catalog, • an updated budget must be submitted, and • the current name of degree must be changed. Darlene Schott-Baer expressed confusion about whether the program before the Council was a revision of the current program or, in fact, was a different program, and suggested that both should be compared before the next meeting on May 12. Ms. Rammel offered to work with Mr. Wiggins to improve the current proposal. Second Reading: Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy (DScPT) program changes Kris Thompson provided answers to questions raised at the first reading. Discussion ensued regarding the ability of students to transfer 36 credits into the program. Claire Rammel reported that the minimum is set at 32 and suggested that Graduate Council should review this policy, at a later date. Ms. Rammel informed Ms. Thompson that, because of the credit reduction, a proforma budget must be submitted. Ron Sudol suggested that the proposal be restructured.
Claire Rammel proposed the re-establishment of a policy subcommittee to work on projects involving grade appeals, theses and dissertations, etc. Ms. Rammel asked for names of possible candidates and suggested that the committee include two or three members of the Graduate Council with the remainder being non-members.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:40 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, 2004.
May 12, 2004
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes from April 14, 2004 and April 28, 2004
3. Report of the Chair
4. Old Business
A. Second Reading: MAT in Education (name change from MAT in Secondary Education) and new program track in Elementary Education
B. Second Reading: DscPT program changes
5. New Business http://www2.oakland.edu/grad/web/grad_links.cfm?ID=4@3
A. First Reading: Ph.D. in Reading Education Program B. First Reading: Master of Accounting Program
B. First Reading: MS in Safety Management
C. First Reading: Guide to the Preparation of Graduate Theses/Dissertations D. Joint MPA/JD Degree
E. Graduate Council reappointments
F. Policy subcommittee
6. Good and Welfare
May 12, 2004
Present: Ronald Sudol, Lisa Hawley, Vincent Khapoya, Krzystof Kobus, Kathleen Moore, Mildred Merz, Sherri Oden, Mohinder Parkash, Claire Rammel, Darlene Schott-Baer, Ishwar Sethi, Kris Thompson. Absent: No absences Guests: Donna Free, Tomas Giberson, Charles McGlothlin, Beth Marcoux, Toni Walters, Robert Wiggins Staff: Julie Delaney, Lynette Folken
Call to Order
This meeting was convened at 2:04 p.m. by Ronald Sudol, Associate Provost.
The MOTION to approve the minutes of March 14, 2004 and March 28, 2004 was made, Seconded and Passed, unanimously.
Graduate Council Appointees to Research Committee Ron Sudol reported that Lawrence Lilliston, Department of Psychology, and Charles Marks, School of Health Sciences, will serve as Graduate Council appointees to the University Research Committee (URC).
Second Reading: MAT in Education Program Revisions Robert Wiggins, at the behest of faculty, included a 4-credit elective in the secondary track to allow students to participate in collaborative action research. The secondary track is now 42 credits; the elementary education track is now 40 credits. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed revisions to the Master of Arts in Secondary Education program. Mr. Wiggins concurred with Claire Rammel that the degree name should be changed to Master of Arts in Teaching. The degree will have two tracks, one in elementary education and the other in secondary education. Both must be included in the new graduate catalog. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the name change from Master of Arts in Secondary Education to Master of Arts in Teaching. Third Reading: Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy (DScPT) Program Revisions At the last meeting, Graduate Council requested a representative of the DScPT program appear at the May 12th meeting and report on how the proposed program changes will impact the existing budget. Based on the budget review provided by Beth Marcoux, the Council was comfortable with the proposed credit reduction to the program. MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed revisions to the Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy program.
First Reading: Ph.D. in Reading Education Program Revisions Toni Walters presented the proposed program changes which the Department of Reading and Language Arts believes will provide students with a significantly updated emphasis on research skills and experiences. The revised program will include existing doctoral core courses, a new research component and a new Reading and Language arts component, without a change to the existing number of credit hours or a change in budget. Vince Khapoya asked about the inclusion of PSY 590 in the Reading and Language Arts core component. Ms. Walters replied that although students can take either PSY 590 (Seminar: The Psychology of Reading) or RDG 708 (The Psychology of Reading and Language Arts), students are taking RDG 708. Mr. Khapoya suggested that if PSY 590 is not being offered by the Psychology Department, it should be dropped from the Reading Education program. Ms. Walters agreed to drop PSY 590 from their catalog. Ishwar Sethi recommended that "Introduction" be dropped from the course titles for RDG 709 (Introduction to Critical Inquiry in Reading and Language Arts) and RDG 710 (Introduction to Educational Research in Reading and Language Arts) and suggested that use of the word "introduction" at Ph.D. level is inappropriate. He suggested changing the current course titles to Critical Inquiry in Reading and Language Arts I and II. Ms. Walters agreed to the modification in title.
MOTION was made, seconded and passed to WAIVE the second reading.
MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed revisions to the Ph.D. in Reading Education program, contingent upon revisions. First Reading: Master of Accounting Program Revisions Presenting for the School of Business Administration, Donna Free stated that the faculty proposes that the Master of Accounting program be changed from a 33-credit hour minimum requirement to a 30-credit hour minimum. The only students who will be affected are students who already have a Bachelor's in Accounting; other students will still need 33 to 57 credit hours. These changes are being requested to remain competitive with Master of Accounting programs at other universities, e.g., Michigan State University and Wayne State University. The proposed changes include the addition of some new courses, an increase in the required accounting and business courses, and the requirement that a student without a business undergraduate degree must take more courses (57 credits versus 54). There were no budget implications reported. Mohinder Parkash commented that the proposed changes would improve both the quality of the program and confidence about enrollment.
MOTION was made, seconded and passed to WAIVE the second reading.
MOTION was made, seconded and passed to APPROVE the proposed revisions to the Master of Accounting program. First Reading: Master of Science in Safety Management Program It was agreed by Graduate Council to proceed with the first reading of this new degree proposal so the department could respond to suggestions and concerns over the summer. Charles McGlothlin presented the proposed program as a cooperative effort between the School of Health Sciences and the School of Business Administration. The program will be case-based, focusing on the business aspects of safety management in the workplace and combines an effective balance of core MBA coursework with application of these business skills to safety-related case studies in risk assessment, loss control, risk management, and safety program planning, administration, and management. Of the several existing master's degree programs in safety management offered nationally, the proposed OU program would be unique in the occupational safety and health career field. Kathleen Moore pointed out that the descriptions on page 16 did not include any prerequisites for the business courses. Mr. McGlothlin agreed to make the correction. Ms. Moore noted also that the "required prerequisite safety courses" referred to in the admission criteria are not listed, and she suggested they be included. Mohinder Parkash suggested the program could benefit by including another accounting course, such as ACC 512. Mr. McGlothlin agreed, stating that he would like to have an accounting course, e.g., ACC 513 that would be a combination of ACC 511 and ACC 512. Donna Free will talk to the Accounting department about designing such a course. Mildred Merz stated that the library report was done after the proposal was completed and there is a conflict between the two. The proposal states "Any additional journals or texts recommended by the library staff would be considered optional for start up of the program"; the library report states that library's collections might be judged acceptable for an undergraduate program but needs augmentation to meet the needs of graduate students. Ms. Merz stated that her report is very conservative, and she hopes that some monies will be included in the budget for the library. Mr. McGlothlin countered that the program is not really relative to safety and health, injury prevention or hygiene issues but is about looking at the application of reducing those problems to dollars and cents in business related schools. As a result, Mr. McGlothlin feels that the library holdings for the MBA program are sufficient. Claire Rammel reminded Mr. McGlothlin that he must add tuition for the graduate teaching assistants to the budget and should include course action forms for OSH 500 and OSH 699 with the revised proposal. Ms. Rammel reminded Mr. McGlothlin that he must submit the budget in proper format. She also suggested also that the section entitled Support Letters might be renamed as External Review where appropriate. To a question posed by Darlene Schott-Baer, Mr. McGlothlin said there are two full-time faculty associated with the proposed program—one tenured and one untenured—as well as one or two part-time instructors. Ms. Schott-Baer suggested that the part-time faculty be included in the proposal, as well as an estimate of the number of students who have shown an interest in the program, if the figures are available. Kathleen Moore referred to a statement on page 2 indicating the existence of several master's degree programs in safety management across the country and pointed out that no specifics have been provided in the "comparison to similar programs" section on page 11. Ms. Moore suggested that it would be helpful to show what other programs require of their students: total credit hours, research project, thesis, etc. In response to Mr. McGlothlin's explanation of the expected "development of increased levels of research activities in the School of Health Sciences" directly generated by the proposed program, Ms. Schott-Baer commented that the explanation translated to faculty research and suggested that the proposal show student involvement in research. First Reading: Guide to the Preparation of Graduate Theses/Dissertation Kathleen Moore stated that the content is good but pointed out inconsistencies in terminology and grammar. After discussion, it was suggested minor revisions be made by August 1st, and then document including samples be circulated electronically to the Council members for approval. Graduate Study's goal is to have a workable version of the manual on the web for Fall 2004, after which an indeterminate trial period will follow. UMI submission of dissertations will be required starting Fall 2005. Joint MPA/JD Degree Claire Rammel advised the council members that the Department of Political Science and Cooley Law School are discussing the possibility of offering a Joint MPA/JD degree built on a model that is already being used at Western Michigan University. However, the minimum passing grade for a Cooley law course is 2.0, which is consistent to practice at other JD programs (University of Michigan, Michigan State, Wayne State and Western Michigan University) but is inconsistent with Oakland graduate policy. Mr. Parkash indicated the School of Business Administration was working with Cooley on a Joint MBA/JD degree and would have the same issue. After discussion, the council decided to review the policy when the two program proposals are submitted for review. Policy Subcommittee Claire Rammel, chair of the policy subcommittee, reported that two council members, Lisa Hawley and Darlene Schott-Baer, are willing to serve on the subcommittee. The subcommittee will request participation from others, outside of the Council, based on the particular policy scope. Graduate Council Reappointments Ms. Rammel indicated Graduate Council appointment and reappointment letters will be sent over the summer. She will include each member's term dates for clarification. Both Ms. Rammel and Mr. Sudol thanked council for their hard work and support.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:15 p.m. This is the last Graduate Council meeting in the 2003-2004 academic year.


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LIPPER AWARDS: Bank loans are crowded, but most attractive
Mar 24 - Mark Okada, manager of the Highland Floating Rate Opportunities Fund, says that while money has poured into bank loans in recent years, it is a solid asset class with selective opportunities
Joining me about strategies -- an award winning my manager Martin caught at the highland looking rain off. On -- you -- awards dinner out of here at our congratulations to keep in mind. Well you haven't flooding -- -- zone interest rates got -- in top of mind. What do you think about strategy wise as you move out this year we'll -- bonds. On the interest rate risk is on his mind you think about -- save money. At the bottom part and again all the hype listening you're facing now and -- As a real problem that -- -- -- if you're exposed in his seven year continuing rain lightning and anything can happen and then exit. You're gonna need a lot of -- you're in the world who are finding letting me and I used mesa bank loans because you're paying. So because we're -- perhaps not quite what we don't have anything risky. So when I'm talking about rates going up like -- and learn what might have played out how to drive on how. Volley the -- is coming and you got a lot of strain and seen. Get him -- kind of neat that's and ask Mike couple things -- it the right direction here. -- and the weather related means you're on -- right here we love seeing handsets but it's. I'm glad right now and I think that you're gonna start this strong enough. Naturally gonna get ready to. It's going to be a long for a lot of. Thank. A lot of managers being thank it's actually sent some opinions three years I spent the market. Meaning getting to -- crap it's it. -- -- there's not -- time alone at night one week. Fun in Bangkok and any time happening. Right about that a lot of liquidity is driving investors. -- using the name yet at times it. We didn't expect him. -- -- -- -- -- Most of the calendar and I'm glad that you did you have high so I think if you can. And we need him in the 21 years as he's ever in modern times so if you're in here this -- but -- -- -- -- selective about what he doesn't want to do it loses that's the last 1021 years or less you know we want negative year. Really good solid after that pass so there's going to be backing up. In my mind as there's probably -- -- but. I think if you're fair game here a long time. And -- in our -- and that's why it's very popular. Your -- at the end of last year had about 20% cast expensive. The test that you see are -- -- long -- I think something is yeah. Settlement and I thank them again while we don't typically sit on them and ask him. And usually it's around 5% so what you CNN cash balances. Explosion I'll take a little and time -- is some understanding. So what we are all part. What's your biggest challenge when you look out this year and I think it's really going to be making us. Sure that we keep our credit quality high and very focused on credit quality portfolio. And a lot of people are little wrist and the wind looking. Taylor is that -- scenes on a plane I don't. Cycle you're gonna happen going forward have a site running and have a. -- Had a lot of debt issues and see. Starts here. Rates right seat that's been little more pressure on borrowers brands anything NN additional credit cycle. All is rising very -- place and are now. Two maybe 31% isn't going and so that's the town and intelligent agent Clark credits you know normally you. NASA is not yeah aren't cutting -- top three innings sometimes. I'm Ron is out there this right.

subset: commoncrawl


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This is hands-down my favorite guacamole recipe. Everyone I know requests I bring this to parties. My secret is in choosing properly ripe avocados and mixing the ingredients. Avocados are SO good for you because of their potassium content, fiber and "good" monounsaturated fat.
Selecting the perfect avocado
If party is 4-5 days away: Firm like a tennis ball but not as firm as a golf ball. Press your thumb into the fruit, it should have a slight give.
If party is 1-3 days away: Hold the avocado in your palm and gently press your thumb into the fruit. There should be a small indent from the pressure of your thumb.
Note: Hass avocados are the best for guacamole. Never choose a rock hard avocado or a mushy avocado that is beaten around the sides. Store the avocados at room temperature so they fully ripen.
Perfect Guacamole Recipe
Serves: 8
- 3 ripe Hass avocados, peeled and diced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- Optional: 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (leaves), chopped
- Cut the avocados in half and carefully dice while in the skin. Scoop out the avocado with a spoon into a medium size bowl.
- Squeeze 1 of the limes over the avocado. Lightly mash together with a fork until the consistency is smooth and creamy yet still chunky for texture.
- Add the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Fold together with a spoon.
- Add the salt and second lime to taste. Gently mix to combine.
- Let guacamole sit for an hour before serving so the flavors meld together.
Serving suggestion: GMO-free organic corn tortilla chips and sliced vegetables like red pepper, carrot, and cucumber.


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I'm an artist and writer who lives in Cardiff.
I've exhibited my paintings in London, Bristol and Cardiff. My work is a combination of abstract and figure work. All my paintings are inspired by my love of music and gigs, both of which are a passion.
I set up and ran the award winning independent publishing company 'RazorBlade Press' from 1995 till 2004. I've had three novels published. The last 'Match Day' in 2010. My fourth is 'Oblivion Black' which may possibly be published in 2019…?
I also created and wrote the web series 'Anoraks' about the lives of three SF nerds living in Cardiff. At the time of writing I am working with Director Ed Sinclair on the second series which sees musician and actress Sarah Bennington join the cast.
I'm a keen runner and one of my proudest achievements is having completed the six Abbott World Marathon Majors.
My blog is about running, art, gigs and shaking fists at clouds.
Contact me, why don't you:


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Letitia James, a New York City councilwoman from Brooklyn with strong ties to labor unions, won a Democratic primary runoff for public advocate on Tuesday, a victory that makes her all but certain to become the first African-American woman to hold citywide office.
Ms. James, 54, defeated Daniel L. Squadron, 33, a state senator from Brooklyn and Manhattan, by nearly 60 percent of the vote to about 40 percent. Because there is no Republican candidate, Ms. James will almost definitely be elected to succeed Bill de Blasio, the public advocate and Democratic nominee for mayor.
Ms. James, who held a packed victory party at the Copacabana in Midtown, gave a sermonlike victory speech to cheering supporters, saying that she would be proud to make history as "the first woman of color to hold citywide office in New York City," promising to fight for middle-class New Yorkers, and suggesting that Mr. Squadron had been supported by the political elite and "one-percenters."
"Despite being outspent, we won tonight," she said.
Mr. Squadron, who still has his seat in the State Senate, issued a statement congratulating Ms. James and saying that she would be "a great advocate for New Yorkers across the city."
"She ran a great campaign," he said. "Although we did not win tonight, I will keep on doing what I've always done in public office — fighting for New Yorkers and a city I truly love."
Ms. James's win is a triumph for, among others, the Working Families Party, a coalition of labor unions and community activists, which endorsed her.
A former public defender and assistant New York State attorney general, she was first elected to the City Council in 2003 on the Working Families Party's ballot line, becoming the first member of the party elected to office in New York State.
On the Council, she was an outspoken critic of the Atlantic Yards project in Downtown Brooklyn, arguing that it was too large and would lead to "the Manhattanization of Brooklyn." She also opposed the extension of term limits by the Council in 2008.
Ms. James, who described herself in one of the primary debates as "a thorn to bureaucracy and those who represent the elite throughout the City of New York," said that as public advocate she would focus on affordable housing and taking the concerns of public school parents to the Education Department.
In addition to labor unions, she was endorsed by Gloria Steinem and women's groups like Emily's List, Planned Parenthood and the local chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Mr. Squadron was endorsed by Senator Charles E. Schumer, the two former public advocates, and three daily newspapers.
The public advocate's role is essentially that of an ombudsman, fielding complaints about city services and monitoring city agencies. The office has a small budget and little concrete power, but has often proved a steppingstone to running for mayor. (Asked in a recent debate if she aspired to be mayor, Ms. James said no.) The public advocate also steps in to become mayor if the mayor is incapacitated.
The runoff was necessary because none of the five candidates in the primary received 40 percent of the vote. The campaign was frequently bitter, with Ms. James accusing Mr. Squadron of having a trust fund (he said he did not) and Mr. Squadron describing Ms. James as untrustworthy because she had failed to disclose some of her income, as required by city law. The back-and-forth turned especially caustic in recent days. Ms. James's campaign accused Mr. Squadron of ordering negative robocalls against her, while Mr. Squadron said that Ms. James had attacked his family, referring to the trust fund accusation.
The Board of Elections estimated that holding the runoff would cost $13 million — which is more than the four-year budget of the public advocate's office (the budget is $2.3 million per year). The cost and expectations of low turnout prompted some officials to call for the city to switch to a system of instant runoff voting, in which voters rank candidates so that, if no candidate gets above the required threshold, a runoff can be held instantaneously, without voters having to return to the polls.
Citizens Union, a government watchdog group, plans to hold a news conference on Wednesday to call for replacing runoff elections with instant runoffs.
Ms. James's victory also has implications for another race: City Council speaker. Political insiders had said that had Mr. Squadron won — which would have meant that all three citywide offices next year would probably be held by white men — there would have been pressure to elect a minority council member as speaker. Ms. James's victory leaves the field wide open. The speaker will be elected by the new Council in January.


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Part of my Kinect Portfolio presentation had slides controlled by gestures. This short tutorial explains how I made it work. As I said in the other post, I used a Gesture Library to help with the gesture recognition, Kinect SDK Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) Gesture Recognition. This is a great project that is available on CodePlex and uses a cool algorithm called Dynamic Time Warping which is pretty cool for pattern recognition such as gestures or voice, among others. If you're curious like me and want to know how this algorithm works, take a look at this link.
But onto the slide tutorial. I started by taking the core files to handle the gesture recognition and plug it in with my project. After a couple of little changes mostly to call an event handler when a gesture is recognized and to work with the final Kinect SDK 1.0., I used the original program to generate the gestures file which contains the information needed to detect gestures. I actually recorded two different gestures for each "SlideLeft" and "SlideRight" gesture just to make sure that different gestures done by different people would be caught by the algorithm.
The next step was to figure out how to animate the slides. I didn't have experience with WPF animations but I arrived at this solution which works but might not be the best.
I created 3 visual states to handle the slide left and slide right: previous (VisualState 1), current (VisualState 2) and next (VisualState 3). There are 2 visual transitions (left and right) between each 2 states and every time we change from one visual state to another we update the "next" target with new slides.
To automatize the transitions I decided to create a SlideManager that starts by reading all the "slides" (Grid elements) under a parent element and initializing the visual states by adding the event handlers. I created a simple structure to keep track of slides and transitions between slides because initially I wanted to include vertical transitions by ended up not doing them.
// Initialize slides. for (int i = 0; i < mainSlideContainer.Children.Count; i++) { Grid slide = mainSlideContainer.Children[i] as Grid; if(slide == null) continue; Slide s = new Slide() { Name = slide.Name, GUIElement = slide, }; m_slides.Add(s); } for (int i = 0; i < m_slides.Count; i++) { Slide nSlide = null; Slide pSlide = null; if (i < m_slides.Count - 1) nSlide = m_slides[i + 1]; if (i > 0) pSlide = m_slides[i]; Slide s = m_slides[i]; s.Transitions = new Dictionary(); if(nSlide != null) s.Transitions.Add(Transition.RightToLeft, nSlide); if (pSlide != null) s.Transitions.Add(Transition.LeftToRight, pSlide); }
There are two other important methods that change slides: MoveToNextSlide() and MoveToPrevSlide(). Each method checks if the current slide has the transition we want to perform, updates the current slide and visual state attribute members and calls the method that actually performs the transition.
public void MoveToNextSlide() { if(m_inTransition) return; Slide nextSlide; if (m_curSlide.Transitions.TryGetValue(Transition.RightToLeft, out nextSlide)) { m_prevSlideIndex = m_curSlideIndex; m_curSlideIndex = Math.Min(m_curSlideIndex + 1, m_slides.Count - 1); m_curSlide = m_slides[m_curSlideIndex]; m_curVSIndex = (m_curVSIndex + 1) % m_visualStates.Count; m_curVS = m_visualStates[m_curVSIndex]; m_inTransition = true; ExtendedVisualStateManager.GoToElementState(m_vsManagerContainer, m_curVS.Name, true); } }
Another part of the code that is worth mentioning is the two event handlers at the end of this manager: Storyboard_Completed and VSGCurrentStateChanged.
private void Storyboard_Completed(object sender, EventArgs e) { m_slides[m_curSlideIndex].GUIElement.Opacity = 1; m_slides[m_curSlideIndex].GUIElement.Visibility = Visibility.Visible; if (m_prevSlideIndex != m_curSlideIndex) { m_slides[m_prevSlideIndex].GUIElement.Opacity = 0; m_slides[m_prevSlideIndex].GUIElement.Visibility = Visibility.Collapsed; } }
The visual state transitions do the slide movement and the storyboard controls the opacity and visibility of the element in that state. Whenever we change from one state to the other we have to reset the opacity and visibility properties so that the next time we do the transitions the new slides have the correct properties.
private void VSGCurrentStateChanged(object sender, VisualStateChangedEventArgs e) { VisualState nvs = m_curVS; // update the next visual state time line (only if necessary) if (m_curSlideIndex < m_slides.Count - 1) { Timeline tl = FindObjectByName(nvs.Storyboard.Children, nvs.Name + "_next" + TLOpacName); if (tl != null) tl.SetValue(Storyboard.TargetNameProperty, m_slides[m_curSlideIndex + 1].Name); tl = FindObjectByName(nvs.Storyboard.Children, nvs.Name + "_next" + TLVisName); if (tl != null) tl.SetValue(Storyboard.TargetNameProperty, m_slides[m_curSlideIndex + 1].Name); } m_inTransition = false; }
The same goes for the storyboard target name property, whenever we change to a new state we have to update the next slide. I also used a flag to prevent it from starting a new transition while we're still doing the animation from the current transition.
The KinectManager is a simple class to handle the Kinect's initialization that I adapted from the samples. It's far from complete as it is but it serves well for this tutorial.
You may ask yourself why go through all this trouble when there is PowerPoint and Kinect applications to do the slide animation controls? Firstly, because it is fun to explore and learn new things and secondly because there are parts of the complete interactive portfolio that weren't so easy to do in PowerPoint such as the particle system or the pong game.
Note: The transitions between texts were programmed in a similar way but instead of using 3 Visual States I only used 2, one for display the text and the other and to hide it, then it's just a matter of setting the right text when you do the transitions.
Kinect Slide Tutorial (requires: .Net4, Kinect SDK 1.0, VS2010 and up)


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Okay, first a disclaimer: I'm a photographer, which means I love making images. For any shooter, that has to be enough, since one's work is seldom praised, seldom recognized, and seldom purchased, especially when compared to products deemed more necessary to life, like gourmet food. Oh, yes, there's a Food Network, but do you see a Photography Channel? Nope. Praise is elusive and, even when given, fleeting. Think of the most prolific statement by Patrick Demarchelier, the great fashion photographer: "You're only as good as your last photograph."
Therefore, I'm honored to have been nominated for the Kreativ Blogger Award by my longtime fan Where God Takes Me (my daughter especially loves the name); as a twist on the old saying goes, tickle me red and call me a Leica.
The rules for the award are:
- Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
- List seven random things about yourself.
- Nominate 10 other blogs.
- Notify the nominees.
- Display the award logo on your blog.
As far as the second requirement goes, I'm a whole bucket 'o randomness here. Just ask my students (who often plead "Point? What's the point?" as I say, "Hang on–it's coming.")
- I once worked as an outdoor recreation planner for the US Department of the Interior, creating mountain biking booklets and rock climbing surveys. Nearly every day, I thought, "Can you believe I get PAID to do this?"
- I'm a gourmet cook and bake my own artisan breads (I think an addiction to food as art is closely related to the sensuality and emotional high of making photographs and other art). I make photographs of my best creations.
- I own a classic BMW motorcycle. That pees drive shaft fluid. Ugh.
- One of the greatest moments in my life was when my idol–one of the great National Geographic photographers–became my friend and mentor.
- The other moments were when I married my wife, and watched the birth of my daughter and son.
- My favorite painter is Caravaggio.
- Many of my photographs draw their compositional influence from the concepts found in Japanese gardening.
Here are the 10 blogs:
- One Day, One Image: Melinda Green Harvey (who, despite her professed "search for identity," is a very interesting person and prolific image maker)
- Cue in Form (my assistant, Liz)
- The Sagebrush Sea
- Claire Atkinson
- Alessandro Ciapanna (the master of photographic wit)
- Photo Lord
- El Bueno (Whoa. 'Nuff said.)
- WestEastern
- A Traveler's Tale
- Via Lucis Press (Dennis Aubrey)
Again, I'm very honored and grateful to Where God Takes Me for the award. But, as an aside, the real honorees are the people who are the subjects of my documentary work; without their existence, I'd have nothing.
So here's to the PlainSky, Nebraskans.


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Psst...Nobody Knows What The Hell They're Doing./
You know how sometimes it seems like everyone else has it all figured out while you're feeling lost or like total fraud about to be found out? Wrong! Oliver Burkeman reminds us that even under the coolest veneers, many people are panicking inside. In fact, a little panic can be helpful in moving us forward despite not always seeing a clear path in that direction.


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Custom Engraved Ranger Lockback Buck Knives
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vegas, baby!
commentator: monica
aaaaaahhhhhhh... what a nice treat it's been for us to escape from our daily routine and head out to "sin city" for the annual wedding and portrait photographers international (wppi) convention/tradeshow. after a looong week and many a nights up, we finally got to our destination. and what 'da know, we've still had a lack of sleep. =) but who sleeps in vegas, right?
we're staying at the hilton grand vacation club on the strip with eddie's favorite bro, hamilton, (did i mention he only has one?) and our good friend, erwin wijanto, ultra cool seattle-based photographer. so far, we're lovin' our accomodations, which is more like our little apartment, since we have a full-service kitchen and dining area. mmm.... eddie's egg sandwiches...
it's been a crazy ride so far, having just finished the business institute, which was one of the longest 2 nights and day of my life! (we'd only had about 5 hours of sleep in the last 2 nights before the program so that could be a big reason!) learned so much that my brain literally felt "fried" by the end of last night. can't wait to put to use all the stuff we've learned. funny thing is that the actual convention portion hasn't even started yet!
greg bumatay of bumatay studio, had offered to photograph me and eddie, ,which i was sooo excited about. he brought along several of his workshop-mates who were also attending the anti-workshop. i can't wait to see images!
here's a couple videos of us at 3 a.m. being the big dorks we are: (thanks for the video, erwin!)
and folks, we're still in the running for america's next top model...errrr... i mean "best photographer of the year" by kcra-3. we've actually moved up to 2nd place so please vote for us by clicking on the link below. the contest ends on 4.18.08. thank you!!!
//ed pingol


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Hänel presents solutions for the intralogistics of the future!
The motto of CeMAT 2016 the world's foremost intralogistics trade fair – was "Smart Supply Chain Solutions."
Demands for flexibility and precision in delivery are on the rise, which is why having a digitalized and intelligently networked intralogistics infrastructure is crucial to business success today. Hänel Office and Industrial Storage Systems has been developing solutions to address these demands for many years now – and long before the wave of digitalization known as "Industry 4.0" began to revolutionize our world.
Over the years Hänel has been offering efficient control and software technology for the smooth integration of Hänel storage systems in various types of intralogistics environments. Hänel Office and Industrial Storage Systems is an industry pioneer with decades of experience when it comes to integrating storage solutions in IT systems.
Here are some of the highlights presented by Hänel at CeMAT 2016:
In addition to the wide range of Hänel controllers exhibited, plus Hänel's smart integration of storage systems in networks worldwide, visitors to the Hänel stand also witnessed the world premiere of the new Hänel MP 14 N controller – live and up close. This controller features a 12-inch touch-screen display along with extraordinary functionality and ease of use.
Another highlight was the latest version of the HänelSoft® WMS, which was presented to visitors in a live demonstration. The option of using Hänel controllers as ERP clients via SOAP interface also drew the attention of many trade fair visitors. This very effective type of software connectivity was shown in action on a Hänel Lean-Lift® using SAP.
But that was not all – special solutions were also showcased at the Innovative Logistics Solutions exhibit in Hall 27. Hänel joined viastore SOFTWARE to demonstrate a Lean-Lift® integrated in an innovative intralogistics concept. Many logistics professionals also witnessed the Hänel industrial lift in action as a put-to-light- and pick-by-light solution for high-performance order processing.
We would like to thank all those who stopped by our stand to discuss their needs with us, and we look forward to continuing many successful business relationships with our customers.


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A makeshift weapon in your hands is as dangerous as any other instrument of violence.
Prerequisite(s): Catch Off-Guard or Throw Anything, base attack bonus +1.
Benefit(s): You gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls you make using an improvised weapon. You are considered proficient with the improvised weapon and are considered to have Weapon Focus with improvised weapons for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites of feats that specifically select a weapon, such as Weapon Specialization.
Special: Thrown splash weapons are not considered improvised weapons for the purposes of this feat.
Pathfinder Player Companion: Martial Arts Handbook © 2018, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Thurston Hillman, Mikko Kallio, Jacob W. Michaels, Matt Morris, Daniel Reed, Mikhail Rekun, Mark Seifter, and Jeffrey Swank.


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Chappal (Slippers) Cushion
sold out
Chappal (Slippers) Cushion
Digital Printed Chappal cushion by Halima Rehman.
'My husband Faiz ul Rehman buys me and the kids plastic chapals (slippers) from the local bazaar in Chitral town. They are very comfortable and lightweight to walk and work in and convenient when preforming Wazoo (cleaning ritual for prayer). I also wear them when doing domestic duties around the house…. they have multiple uses.
My artwork shows a range of different chapals, which I collected from friends and family around my village in Dolomuch. By using a digital camera, I took photographs of the chapals from different angles'.
- Digital Print on 100% Polyester
- Botton Zip
- Dry Clean
- Cushion Cover Only
Add To Cart


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Companies that aim to make use of online marketing as a tool have been facing the impasse of choosing between options that might best fit their future growth and revenue plans along with their budget for marketing. Several overviews have been known to project a number of techniques and strategies. Various marketing analysts and experts would recommend these techniques. However, a majority of successful online marketing campaigns have been using three viable options. This has been for making a successful online marketing campaign. Consequently, small, medium and large companies have to be different in thinking along with being persistent in their strategy usage.
Outline for successful online marketing
Online presence
Despite the company not directly marketing any services or products, blog website or web address has been deemed highly imperative. It has been the single most convenient and efficient manner of making people get in touch with you or for making your reference to associates and friends. Frequent posts or articles on the blog would help create a highly interactive audience. As a result, they would look forward to participate in motivating discussions and online forums. Therefore, it would be a wise move for picking out relevant topics or subjects and that of human interest for keep higher interest ratings.
Online advertising
An important facet of online marketing would not be to take in free techniques and strategies. It would not be wrong to suggest that nothing has been entirely free. There would be some strings attached. However, it would be relevant to understand and know in depth what these free online marketing campaigns would offer. It might take significant times that would eventually convert into money. Looking at traditional online advertising or marketing, it would take relatively less time. Moreover, it could become an effective tool as and when applied with some thought and planning.
Two effective cost models would be CPC and CPM.
Cost Per Click (CPC)
Cost-Per-Click marketing would be payment for the number of times a viewer clicks on the advertisement of your company.
Cost Per Thousand (CPM)
CPM has been an abbreviation for Cost-Per-Thousand impressions. This unique and effective online marketing tool would enable entities and companies to purchase web space for displaying advertisement banners on a specific page or website, which has been highly popular and most likely to receive huge hits. Payment would be made for a specific number of times, when your advertisement would be displayed. A majority of displayed banner advertisements has followed this mode on web pages. Likewise, online videos have been a superb marketing tool, especially on websites that are widely present.
Directory listings
Having the company listed in a directory site has been yet another great online marketing tool. It has been relatively inexpensive that caters great value for your money. Local business groups, business directories and Chambers of Commerce also encompass websites that would list online businesses under significant industry segment or sector for helping business interaction along with promoting trade. It would be pertinent to mention here that professional affiliations along with various industry associations would cater superb online visibility. Furthermore, several online groups and networking sites specialize in promoting the online marketing. The Singapore online marketing firm has been one such company that caters to your online marketing needs and requirements.


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Methodical tips for composing coursework. Everything when must a student do?
Methodical tips for composing coursework. Everything when must a student do?
Research move can be an crucial part of working out to highly trained experts as part of advanced schooling organizations. It provides two elements:
- learning your methodology concerning arranging research,
- focus on clinical research light-emitting diode with mentors as well as teachers.
Medical tasks are performed inside the educational procedure and/or past each academic undertaking. A significant section of researching duty inside the academic strategy is the writing plus safeguards out of coursework then thesis.
Do you realize just what a training course tasks are?
Coursework is actually a completely independent, academic furthermore scientific study for the undergraduate. In the act concerning composing efforts underneath the guidance to faculty customers out of some sort of department, students master the strategy and grasp the capability to conduct medical studies. Writing program efforts if help type on undergraduate's creative convinced, testing the abilities of gathering, analyzing then interpreting sources furthermore literature, the capacity to come up with conclusions additionally suggestions.
Successful search and creating naturally functions be determined by on strict observance associated with basic criteria your connect with consumers. These types of criteria relate chiefly to your systematic degree of efforts, their content, framework, the type of presentation for the materials, along with his or her create. Topics (subjects) online editing and proofreading concerning program works might be offered towards people relative to will systematic topics associated with the division, taking into consideration will scientific passions concerning college students.
Inside assessing this course efforts all payment takes under consideration compliance aided by the demands regarding the create, the grade of the medical analysis itself, its clinical novelty, the capability to protect some sort of developed provisions furthermore conclusions.
That the papers done utilizing the breach out of state standards furthermore needs may not be permitted to feel protected. Inconsistency when you look at the artwork associated with course work might greatly impact the final assessment concerning work. Pupil adherence to any or all needs for the coursework plays a role in educating him as part of a proper type of move, increasing their demandingness, instilling select expertise as part of conducting a scientific analysis that might be beneficial to him at their work with graduation thesis additionally dissertation.
Sequence to undergraduate's actions whereas taking care of course duty
Prior to starting all course perform, student must familiarize himself because of the basic demands for composing program documents. Additionally, every phase regarding the training efforts should coincide using the systematic manager.
Of rational usage of time when writing program work, scholar if follow the next algorithm:
- range of the subject;
- concept of the item, topic, purpose furthermore objectives regarding the learn;
- range, review concerning sources as well as literature on topic:
- drawing up an initial plan;
- creating excellent entry;
- establishment concerning facts plus his or her coordination;
- formulation concerning conclusions additionally tips;
- enrollment of this a number of put resources and also applications;
- writing the essential text for the perform;
- planning when it comes to protection obviously perform.
As part of todays methodology, its accepted inside allocate that stages to systematic researching:
- Preparatory stage.
- Facts period.
- Phase out of reconstruction.
- Analytical phase.
- Some sort of stage that is narrative.
Each preparatory stage begins at the decision associated with subject. Pupils choose the theme needless to say efforts on their own because of the list proposed because of the division. Themes correspond toward subjects to scientific researching of department. Upon final approval of the subject, you're able to proper the topic based on the proposals of this people. This enables one to stimulate imaginative research therefore the liberty to systematic analysis. Upon determining the main topics researching, the investigation endeavor should always be substantiated. This is certainly, the thing furthermore subject of this studies, along with the theory, are determined.
The object of research is the niche field to analysis, an element of the objective reality to be learned. The subject of the investigation is the fact that which is straight investigated into the efforts. Hence, the item out of research is narrower compared to the object.
The purpose of the research is associated with the object and/or subject of this research, as well as its end result as well as its achievement. The aim is to do what exactly is in order to be performed throughout the research. Specification for the function of the study is performed simply by outlining in depth tasks (starting five inside 10). It really is impractical to fulfill the research work without the need to take knowledgeable about the key sources and/or literary works on the subject needless to say efforts.


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The first Leadership Step by Step sold!
Despite Amazon's official release date of February 16, a reader who pre-ordered received the first delivered Leadership Step by Step!
She sent the picture:
Learn to make Meaningful Connections
with a simple, effective exercise from my book, Leadership Step by Step.
- Step by step instructions
- Video examples of me and Marshall Goldsmith
- An excerpt from my book


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How I can help you
Production of press releases, brochure copy and more
SEO-rich content for websites and posts for blogs
Social media post creation and profile management
Take a look at some of my previous work.
See what others have to say.
"I highly recommend Nick as a writer, editor and online publishing exec. He has strong analytical and writing skills, and can craft arresting messages for a variety of audiences.
He is sensitive, insightful and engaging. He is extremely professional and reliable in his delivery, and a strong contributor to discussion and idea development."
Dave Maclean - CEO, Packt Publishing
"Nick writes clearly, and with a beautiful, engaging and - where appropriate - funny style."
Sarah Stein Lubrano - Head of Content, The School of Life
I've always enjoyed writing, and now I get to do it every day.
I set up Neat Media in 2017 to help bring the power of great copywriting to all sorts of businesses at a cost-effective price.
Before that, I worked for media and public relations organisations in London and Paris.
I have a degree in History and Politics from Oxford University, where I was editor-in-chief of weekly student newspaper The Oxford Student. I also have a certificate in Graphic Design from the University of the Arts, London.
And once, I met Gandalf. He was very lovely!
Get in touch with me today.
I'm based in North London, and I work with clients across the UK, Europe and beyond.
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 07521559425


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Custom Printed Ball Stress Relievers
Lowest Price Guarantee
Free Custom Design
|as low as:
|Model Number:
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|Enter Quantity:
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|* What is the purpose of the sample:
|* Approximate timeline for your event:
|* Approximate quantity needed for your event:
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- Fedex Ground(2-4 Days)
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Custom Printed Ball Stress Relievers are good choice to make the players stay calm while getting ready for an important sports match. As these custom stress relievers can retain the original shape even after squeezing and stretching, they can be used for many occasions to come. The same promo items can be distributed to the fans and spectators too. More people will start following your team and more support will be gained. Order these promotional gifts right away to get free custom design and free online proofs facilities.
Request a quote to know the value savings that you can avail on bulk orders of Custom Printed Ball Stress Relievers.
Available Colors: Blue, Dark Green, Lime Green, Orange, Purple, Red, White, Yellow
Imprint Area: 1 1/2" Diameter
Product Size: 2 3/4" Diameter
Carton Weight: 9 lbs
Packaging: 100 pieces
Delivery time is based on the shipping method selected.


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Going nowhere….fast
I'm not going to shock anyone by stating many of us are on the verge of burnout. In October 2012, the Globe and Mail reported "work-life balance for Canadians is more off kilter than ever. Despite years of warnings about striking work-life balance, Canadians are in a deeper rut than ever. Almost two-thirds of us are working more than 45 hours a week – 50-per-cent more than two decades ago. Work weeks are more rigid, with flex-time arrangements dropping by a third in the past 10 years. To top it off, only 23 per cent of working Canadians are highly satisfied with life. That's half as many as in 1991."
(Source: Globe and Mail Work-Life Balance)
How many hats am I wearing today?
In the workplace, the expectation is that for a minimum of eight hours each day, we will perform our best. For many of us, it's much more than eight hours. And most of us attempt to do that without doing anything to support us in our efforts, while still carrying out several other roles. We are also parents, spouses, friends, caregivers of elderly relatives and some of us take on volunteer commitments in our communities. On top of all of that, it's important to take care of our own physical, emotional and mental well-being.
It's no surprise balance among all these priorities is difficult to achieve, if not impossible. Few of us leave work at the office or forget about our personal lives when we walk out the door in the morning. A high percentage doesn't take enough vacation time, letting it accrue, in spite of feeling exhausted and desperate for some time off. The fear of letting go of control and the image of the potential disaster awaiting our return seems to outweigh the benefits of relaxation and time away. Most people average between two and six weeks vacation per year with few exceptions; careers last on average 50 years with many exceptions because most people can't afford to stop working.
A different approach
But here is some information that will surprise you — workplace and business demands far exceed the performance demands placed on professional athletes.
Why? Because the approach they take is holistic. Think about this – professional athletes are perceived as being superbly skilled at what they do, but the reality is they only spend about 10 percent of their time actually engaging in their sport and the other 90 percent of their time training in order to perform. Their entire focus is designed around expanding, sustaining and renewing energy through precise routines and rituals in all areas—eating, sleeping, working out, mental preparation and visualization.
There could be a lesson in this for the rest of us hard-working underachievers. Perhaps it's time we shifted our own approach to managing our lives. Although it seems counterintuitive, could we reduce stress and burnout by working less and spending more time 'training', with the result being increased energy which would lead to being more effective in the hours we spend working? If we reduced our work hours, could we get more done?
Related Search: Simply More is an Executive Business Coach and Communication Consultant.
The Four Dimensions
There are four dimensions that consistently influence our energy levels—physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Typically, many of us push hard in one or two of these areas and not hard enough or completely ignore the others.
Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance. –Brian Tracy
Why not incorporate this 'training' into your life by addressing these four areas of your life to build up energy.
A lack of energy is what drags us all down, causing stress and lowering productivity.
For quick energy renewal, try these tips:
- Stretch at your desk a couple of times
- Practice relaxation breathing techniques
- Get outside at least once a day
- Sit in silence for a few moments each day
- Laugh as much as possible
- Be grateful for the big & small things
- Express your gratitude
- Reflect on your day: What was your rose? What was your thorn? What can you do to make tomorrow even more spectacular?
You Can Be Happy Not Matter What by Richard Carlson
- Stress can be a friend – by letting us know beforehand when we are headed away from happiness, away from clear thinking.
- Your past, as it actually exists today, is nothing more than the thoughts you have about it.
- We have choices; in fact, we have a series of "choice points" in any situation.
Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting by Lynn Grabhorn
- The art of feeling good is not exactly something at which we are highly accomplished, so the goal is to learn how to do it on the spot.
- Look for anything within the situation, or in your immediate surroundings, to appreciate or feel good about.
Related Search: Simply More is a Business Consultant in Calgary specializing in executive coaching, team facilitation, and leadership training


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Emily Jaenson
Emily Jaenson is the first woman in two decades to be named General Manager of a ball club in the Pacific Coast League of Minor league baseball. She is currently the only female GM in all of Triple-A and one of 5 total in MiLB. Her path to the GM role is one of Bobbi-Sue's favorites thus far.
Emily started as a ticket sales intern with her hometown team, Chicago Bulls. After the program ended, she moved over to the Muscular Dystrophy Association where she worked on everything from fundraising to events for over 3.5 years. She has been a small business owner and a big sister (and employee) of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Emily found home with the Reno Aces as she moved up the ranks to VP of Corporate Partnerships. A move to Houston for her husband's job kept her away for two years, working in other organizations until this spring she received a phone call from the President of the Reno Aces asking her to come home and be the GM. This conversation highlights the same lesson over and over again: pivoting is good, gaining new skills is good, and you don't have to move through your career in a straight line.
Big thanks to FIU for sponsoring this episode! If you're thinking of going to grad school, check out Florida International University's online graduate programs!
You can follow the podcast on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LTPFPod or check out the website at LTPFPod.com. Bobbi-Sue can be found on Twitter at @BobbiSue. Please send us your comments and thoughts. You can also email us at email@example.com.
Make sure you subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, and RadioInfluence.com.
Additional Show Notes:
Follow the Leader:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyjaenson/
Extra Credit Reading/Watching:
- "Aces Hire Highest Ranked Female Executive in MiLB" (MiLB)
"Reno's Newest Ace: Making History in the Pacific Coast League" (FrontOffice Sports)


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All dancers may wear pajamas to class this week. We will be doing regular class work, so please make sure your child can dance safely and comfortably in his/her pajamas.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: April 18Question and Answers with Dr. Frank Sinkoe
Later Event: May 2Young Choreographers' Concert