Luckily, one of the school’s important military programs has come back to life. The ROTC program at Saint Leo, overseen by the School of Education and Social Services, is growing and going strong thanks to U.S. Army Major Stephen Wills, who brought the program back to life.

Not every student who attends University Campus is cut out for the demands of military service, but an increasing number of students have shown interest in the ROTC program, which is overseen by the School of Education and Social Services at Saint Leo. Colleges with ROTC programs are very attractive to students looking for a military career. At Saint Leo, students receive the highest quality military friendly education while having the opportunity to take part in one of the best ROTC programs around.

Through a partnership with University of South Florida, Saint Leo offers students the opportunity to participate in the Army ROTC or the Air Force ROTC. Joining ROTC Cadets take a full load of coursework, enroll in military science courses, and keep up with physical training requirements, such as the exercise pictured above. U.S. Army Major Stephen Wills discusses the reasons for growth in the summer 2010 edition of the School of Education and Social Services newsletter.

“We have 22 cadets now, including five females,” Major Wills says, and all kinds of cultural and ethnic diversity in the ranks. “Fourteen of the cadets are on full scholarships and receive additional benefits from the government.” Major Wills expects fall 2010 enrollment to exceed 30 cadets. Not only do cadets take a full load of academic coursework, they also enroll in military science courses, keep up with physical training requirements, and enroll in summer training exercises. Some even participate in athletic teams on campus, including swimming, lacrosse, and cross-country.

Some More Details about ROTC:

• A thrilling program of study that grants you position as a lieutenant in the United States Military upon graduation
• Joining ROTC is obligation-free. You can try out this elective for up to two years with no obligation
• Combines an exciting mix of classroom instruction with hands-on training

What Are Some of the Benefits of ROTC?

• 2,3, and 4-year scholarships available
• Book allowance
• Monthly cash stipend
• Leadership training
• Earn academic credit
• Provides wide range of experience while you work toward your degree
• Opportunity for additional summer training

Even if you are not planning on pursuing a military career, ROTC programs teach you the hard work and dedication that is useful in any setting…including the corporate world.

Read Saint Leo’s online newsletter to learn more info!

Many of the students transferring into Saint Leo University will be juniors who have graduated from community colleges, explained Amanda Canier, Saint Leo’s transfer admissions counselor, but some are also transferring in as sophomores, after a year of college elsewhere.

Saint Leo’s business programs are the single most popular academic draw this year, she said. Education programs are also popular. “Ninety percent of them come in knowing what they want academically,” Canier said, so the key is to orient them quickly to the specific courses, advisors, and support services that match their academic objectives.

Cherie Hatlem, who recently joined the university as transfer student advisor, started helping students earlier in the summer by e-mail and by phone, getting them registered for fall courses, and finding answers to some longer-range planning questions. Though students have faculty advisors in their specific academic departments, many faculty members are unavailable during the summer months when incoming transfer students first have questions, so Hatlem helps with the transition. “Many of them are coming in with well-prepared questions about how to complete their educational goals,” she said. “That’s fine, because we want their first connections with Saint Leo to be positive and reaffirming.”

Transfer students will get more opportunities to talk as they start reporting to campus for the first day of classes, Tuesday, August 24. During a campus orientation program on Saturday, August 21, they will have opportunities in the morning and afternoon to meet with academic advisors to iron out any problems with schedules or class selections. On Monday, August 23, new transfer students will get a special overview session about University Campus, the Learning Resource Center and its tutoring programs, academic questions, campus life programs, financial aid, and other services.

There’s a lot of information to pack into just a morning session, Hatlem said, so the students will be strongly encouraged to take a recently developed course called SLU 200: Successful Transitions for Transfer Students. The one-credit course will meet for six weeks and give students a fuller introduction to the Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library, the Learning Resource Center, Saint Leo’s opportunities for studying abroad for a semester, part-time jobs on campus, the Office of Career Planning, and more. “They need to make those connections on campus promptly,” Hatlem said, and SLU 200 helps. The course is also an opportunity for transfer students to get to know each other, she observed.

Then, as the semester unfolds, the transfer students should begin to feel a comfort level with each other, with their regular faculty advisors, and with the staff of various departments. “I’m there as a safety net,” Hatlem said.

To contact Amanda Canier, e-mail Amanda.canier@saintleo.edu. To reach Cherie Hatlem, e-mail cherie.hatlem@saintleo.edu.

Rhodes came to Saint Leo from Concordia University, an institution located in Irvine, California and affiliated with the Lutheran Church. He was an executive director of admissions and marketing there for three years.

Rhodes has responsibility for admissions functions for the university’s traditional undergraduate program at University Campus and for the admissions operations for graduate programs. Saint Leo’s graduate degree offerings span the fields of education, business administration, theology, and criminal justice.

Earlier, Scott Rhodes worked in Pittsburgh at Duquesne University, the largest Catholic university in Pennsylvania. During his seven years at Duquesne, Rhodes held administrative positions in enrollment management and admissions, and was ultimately named director of student and academic services.

Scott Rhodes earned a master’s degree from Duquesne in media arts and technology, and a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Most notably, the Atlanta Commencement for nearly 300 students who have earned associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degrees will be held Saturday at noon at the Atlanta Civic Center. Frances Davis, Ph.D., the chief human resource officer of Gwinnett County Public Schools, will deliver the commencement address.

Also this week, faculty and administrators have been showing off Saint Leo’s newest local teaching facility, in suburban Marietta. This recently opened office provides working adult students with a classroom location in Cobb County, on Atlanta’s northwest perimeter. The open house was held Wednesday, June 2, at the new teaching and advising office, in the American Business Center, 1395 South Marietta Parkway, Building 300, Suite 104. The location, shown in the photo, is easily accessible from Interstate 75.

The facility has four classrooms, a reception area, and three offices for the director, faculty, and academic advisor to meet with students. Parking is free.

The university is operating the Marietta center as an extension of Saint Leo’s longtime office at Fort McPherson, home to the U.S. Army Forces Command. Saint Leo also continues to operate its first suburban Atlanta location, in Duluth, off Interstate 85 in Gwinnett County.

The bachelor’s degree programs available at the Marietta office are the same ones available in Duluth. They include: business administration with a specialization in either management or technology management; human resources administration; health care management; computer information systems; religion; and sociology.

The Marietta location will be staffed by Katherine MacDonald, Dr. George Zagursky, and Arthur King. For more information, call (770) 426-2625 or (770) 425-5031.

The online university affordability rankings are based on a comprehensive, independent survey of 33 regionally-accredited management schools that offer 35 different online master’s in human resource career areas including training and development and human resources management. Both master’s of science or arts and online MBAs with human resource concentrations were reviewed and ranked for affordability.

Saint Leo University ranked #17 for their distance learning MBA / Human Resource Management. Saint Leo’s online HR degree program charges a low estimated cost of about $21,200 for online learners nationwide.

Average cost of an online business master’s in a human resources major area, according to GetEducated.com’s national review, which included 33 regionally accredited universities, is $22,087.

GetEducated.com’s national survey of online graduate degrees revealed that human resource professionals have a wide range of choice in both the type of online master’s degree they choose to earn and the type of online university they choose to attend.

“Online education removes geographical and time barriers, allowing working professionals access to continuing education according to their individual schedules,” says Vicky Phillips, GetEducated.com’s Chief Education Analyst, “but cost remains an inhibiting barrier. Saint Leo University offers quality, accredited degrees for online students nationwide at one low cost. Online students need to know that cost and quality can be found in one package. Saint Leo University’s online master’s degree programs offer evidence of that. ”

• Post 9/11 GI Bill
• Montgomery GI Bill
• Scholarship programs

The Post 9/11 GI Bill is the newest of the financial aid programs available to the military. In many ways, it’s similar to the MGIB, but the differences are enough that students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the program. Once a student decides they’re going to apply for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, they may not revert back to the MGIB, so it’s important to get all your answers prior to application. At the same time, the VA has to go through thousands of Post 9/11 GI Bill applications, so the sooner you’re prepared to apply for it, the more likely you will receive it the semester that it’s needed!

What are some of the perks of the Post 9/11 GI Bill vs. the MGIB?

• Students studying at a campus may receive BAH, or a housing allowance, and may also receive funds for covering textbooks and other miscellaneous materials.
• Students may attend vocational schools with government funding.
• Military-friendly schools like Saint Leo University may opt to offer additional financial aid assistance for tuition that is not already covered through the state-determined allotment of the Post 9/11 GI Bill; this is called the Yellow Ribbon Program.

To learn more about the Post 9/11 GI Bill, including whether you qualify, what you need to do to apply, and the benefits you may be eligible for, visit the Veteran Benefits GI Bill Blog to learn about the Yellow Ribbon Program; alternatively, you can check out the Department of Veteran Affairs’ VA GI Bill page.

Saint Leo University launched its television commercial today on popular cable stations such as E!, BRAVO, TLC, FX, VH-1, and the HALLMARK MOVIE CHANNEL. The commercial reviews the Saint Leo Center for Online Learning bachelor degree programs, including applicable military education benefits, scholarships, and enrollment counseling.

Television channels were selected for target audiences that would show interest in an online bachelor degree program for their career. Recent graduates recount their experiences at Saint Leo University, including their promotions, financial improvements, and motivation for their family.

Saint Leo University has reached out to prospective students and the community via other media in the past, such as appearing in popular television shows. SLU also offers community service programs and educational lectures to everyone in the campus’ area to provide open doors for adults and military members eager to find places to learn.

“This commercial will help make prospective students aware of this respectable, 120-year university,” said Jessica Ker, marketing representative for Saint Leo University. “But most of all, it will reach out to the adult learners that didn’t even consider college as an option for their career growth. I will believe it will have a positive influence on the Saint Leo University community.”

Saint Leo University prides itself on a rich student body with over a century of quality, accredited education. SLU wishes to make this education available to Florida students and online students across the world. If you watch any of the above television stations, keep an eye out for Saint Leo University’s television commercial!

The MSW program is an innovative full-time graduate online program. Students should enter the program knowing that they will have to adjust their lives and make time commitments to meet the demands and expectations of the Saint Leo University MSW full-time online program.

The MSW program is completed over two years with a total of 62 credit hours. For students who have completed a BSW degree from a Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program within the last five years, a one year 32-credit hour advanced standing program will be offered.

Upon completing the Master of Social Work online degree program, students will be prepared with the knowledge and skills necessary to be ethical and culturally competent social workers in an advanced social work practice, particularly with the increasing aging population, military personnel, and the workforce population.

The Master of Social Work program is currently undergoing the accreditation process with the CSWE. This takes approximately three years. Saint Leo University anticipates approval for candidacy status in June of 2010. If this happens, individuals who graduate from the MSW program will have graduated from a CSWE accredited MSW program. Program participants also will be eligible to take the clinical social work licensure exam and apply for jobs which require the MSW degree.

The undergraduate social work program has held continuous accreditation since 1983.

Students are responsible for checking with their state licensing board to see if the program meets the criteria for receiving a license in clinical social work within their state.

Some newspapers and online news organizations publish the names of local residents who earn the Deans’ List distinction.  If you would like to send such a release for publication to a news organization in your area, Saint Leo University offers a standard press release form for your use.  Please contact the Office of Public Relations at news@saintleo.edu for assistance.

You can see the Fall 2009 Deans’ List here.