Welcome to Week 3 of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month!

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Welcome to Week 3 of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. If you have been participating in the National Cybersecurity Institute’s NCSAM activities, you have probably learned a little more about cybersecurity and your role in making the world’s digital landscape a little safer. The focus of Week 3’s activities is phishing.

The National Cybersecurity Institute is using the events of this month to participate in the nationwide initiative to expand the public’s knowledge on cybersecurity and promote a unified information security movement. During Week 2 of NCSAM, the National Cybersecurity Institute would like to challenge you to an activity is called the Crypto Challenge.

In the article “Social engineering poses a serious cyberthreat to businesses,” the National Cybersecurity Institute reported that phishing occurs when a hacker presents him or herself as a genuine entity, often a school, company or financial institution, in order to gain access to secure data. Phishing is the most common type of social engineering attack, and NCI wants to help you recognize when a phishing attempt is being made.

Email messages that contain phrases like “You’re a winner” and “Friend in need of help. Click to find out more” are most likely phishing attempts. Hackers will present themselves as a trustworthy person or business to get you to engage in their call to action. This can be a link to a website, a download or a request to send money. Once a person does what the hacker wants them to, they are usually able to infiltrate a network and gather the data they want. Now that you have a little background knowledge on phishing, let’s take a look at how you can apply this new knowledge to the week’s NCSAM challenge.
Make your digital pond a “No phishing” zone by recognizing hack attempts before they happen.

For Week 3 of NCSAM, the activity is called “Spot the Phish.” NCI will post several “email messages,” and challengers must use logic and cybersecurity knowledge to figure out which one is the phishing attempt. Just like with the other weeks’ activities, every day there will be a new challenge posted on NCI’s website along with the solution to the previous day’s challenge.

Later in the week, NCI will post an article that will delve deeper into Zero-Attacks, one of the topics the institute will be focusing on for this week’s podcasts. Be sure to check back for that study and the other podcasts.

To learn more about cybersecurity and National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, visit the National Cybersecurity Institute’s website. Here you will find a blog that is contributed to by experts in the field and read the latest cybersecurity news. Additionally, you explore degree programs such as Excelsior College’s Online BS in Cybersecurity and Online MS in Cybersecurity degree programs and courses that can help you start your career in cybersecurity.

Encryption: The Backbone of Cybersecurity Strategies

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

In congruity with the Department of Homeland Security’s nationwide initiative to promote a unified cybersecurity effort, the National Cybersecurity Institute is hosting daily podcasts that discuss information security topics. For Week 2 of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, NCI would like to focus on the podcast entitled “Encryption.” This topic is one of the most important when it comes to combating cyberthreats and being prepared against modern cyberattacks.

What is encryption?

To keep things simple, James Antonakos of the National Cybersecurity Institute explains encryption as the process of taking data that is readable and making it unreadable to humans. Encryption is made possible by using algorithms to create complex codes out of simple data, effectively making it more difficult for cyberthieves to gain access to the information. According to Florida Tech University, encryption is the most widely used form of data security because its ciphertext and coding make it more difficult to crack than basic password protected information. To really understand encryption, however, one must take a closer look at the various types.

Symmetric vs. Asymmetric

Symmetric

This type of encryption is also frequently called “secret key encryption.” Computers use the same algorithm, or key sequence, to decode the encryption as they would have to initially encrypt the information. This is an advantage in terms of key management because there is only one code to memorize. However, because there is only one line of defense, businesses must be careful in choosing who gets access to the key.

Asymmetric

Sometimes called “public key encryption,” this method means that the cyberdefense has been built with more than one key. Typically, it is one key to encrypt the information and a separate one to decrypt the data. While managers using asymmetric encryption do not have to spend as much time worrying about key distribution, or the number of people who have access to the keys, they must pay close attention to key management. Having multiple keys can create confusion, so it is important to keep the codes organized.

Why is it important?

While cybersecurity managers may dislike encryption because it requires constant maintenance, it is often your last line of defense from cyberattack, according to Tech Republic. Even if hackers break through firewalls, passwords and anti-spyware software, encryption is still in place to keep them from viewing the protected data. Because encryption algorithms are often difficult to break, this method of cybersecurity is often the most effective.

To learn more about encryption and other topics related to cybersecurity, visit the National Cybersecurity Institute’s website today.You can also find out about degree programs such as Excelsior College’s Online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity ..

Student Success Story: Scott Plymesser

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Scott Plymesser

“Be whatever your goal is. Keep that light at the end of the tunnel.” – Scott Plymesser

I come across a lot of students who inspire me. Scott Plymesser is no exception. As a first generation student, Scott dove right into the online learning experience after 40 years away from school. Scott is going for his Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Operations Management. One thing to know about Scott is that he is not getting his degree for the diploma to collect dust on his shelf. Receiving his degree goes much deeper. Read on to learn more about Scott, get inspired, and take a tip or two from him.

What experiences in your life have led you to the place where you are ready to finish your degree?

I served in the military for 24 years in the Infantry and Special Operations arena.  It is very hard to earn your degree while being deployed and trying to be the best possible solider and leader that you can be. My parents never earned their degrees because they were married at a young age and had kids, thus having to go to work to provide for the family. After my military career I lost all of my family to cancer including my younger sister and wife. So, being “alone”, I looked within myself and asked myself, what do I really want in life that would make me happy and my parents proud? I decided to earn my four year degree in business, not because I need it for a promotion or work, but for my own personal pride of accomplishment.  Also to show my son (only child, 36 years old) that even his father can get a degree without needing it for a specific purpose. As the old saying goes “Why did you get the degree?” – “Because I can!”, nothing more nothing less.

What will it mean to you to receive your degree?

It will mean self-satisfaction and pride. Knowing that if you put your mind to an end state it can be accomplished.  And knowing that I would have made my parents and family proud.  There is nothing in this world more precious than the pat on the back from friends and the people that love you. Nothing else matters.

What tips would you give other first generation students?

Everything can be accomplished, you just have to commit and be patient. Rome was not built in a day. Plan your time and commit to it. We are all busy in our day to day lives with family, work, problems, and life as it is today. Be whatever your goal is. Keep that light at the end of the tunnel.  If you have to put up a blanket to cover the light for an amount of time due to life stuff, that is OK.  The blanket can be removed whenever you are ready (like myself). Remember the most important thing is to take care of yourself. If you are stressed in life take a break and return when the proverbial batteries are charged.

What is your recipe for success?

Planning, dedication, getting ahead of the assignments. Use the resources that the school provides (big help). Plus, do not feel embarrassed to ask for help. Help is all around for everyone to succeed.

What keeps you motivated?

Like I stated before this is for me. To get the degree and that is it. Personal accomplishment. A lot of people talk about how a four year degree is nothing nowadays. The new norm is a Master’s degree and then the Master’s will be looked down on and a PhD will be the golden ring.  I do not think that we have come to that yet, but if you do look at it that way, it is the crawl, walk, run scenario. Looking toward my golden ring, which is a four year degree, that keeps me motivated.  Patience is a virtue.

Connectivity from Drones

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Look…up in the sky…it’s a bird…it’s a plane….it’s…connectivity!

If you are like most people you have had the experience of losing your Internet connection when traveling to areas where there is a ‘dead zone’. It is frustrating to be sure. Imagine how frustrating it would be if you were living in entire areas of the world that were without coverage.

Enter Facebook and Google to the rescue in an effort to eliminate areas of non connectivity. Facebook just completed its initial testing of its massive (747 size) solar powered done that will, if things work out, beam Internet service all over the planet. Writing for CNN Money, Heather Kelly writes “The drones will be solar powered and use lasers to deliver internet connections receivers on the ground, up to 30 miles in any direction. The connections will be fast, with speeds up to tens of thousands of gigabytes per second”. Facebook envisions a huge fleet of such drones flying at extremely high altitudes beaming connectivity to everyone….and for free!

IoT-Graphic

Google has also put forth similar ideas with a fleet of high altitude balloons with the same mission. According to google.com….”Many of us think of the Internet as a global community. But two-thirds of the world’s population does not yet have Internet access. Project Loon is a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space, designed to connect people in rural and remote areas, help fill coverage gaps, and bring people back online after disasters”.

The idea of free Internet with no dead zones around the planet is something we can all enjoy, here in the US or in the many undeveloped sectors of the world.

Sources

Kelly, H. (2016) Facebook’s giant internet drone nails test flight. Retrieved from the Internet at http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/21/technology/facebook-aquila-drone-successful-flight/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool

http://www.google.com/loon/

Commencement Stories: Brian White, managing life as a full-time father, husband, employee and student

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Brian White graduated this year from Excelsior College earning his Master of Science in management. White chose to pursue a master’s degree in management to correlate with his experience in the field. “I was missing one very crucial key component to my management style: Education.” White lives in Troy, New York with his wife and their twin daughters. He heard about Excelsior College through his wife, who is also a previous graduate. He sat down with Excelsior Life to discuss his educational journey.
Excelsior Life: When did you decide to go back to school? Why did you want to secure a degree?

White: I decided to go back to school in 2005, and start pursing an associate degree that eventually led me to obtaining my master’s degree.  I wanted to secure a degree, because of the life and career challenges that were present without having a degree.

 

Excelsior Life: What programs and/or courses were most influential to you?

White: The most influential courses to me were; Human Resource Management, Mediation, and Business Ethics.

Excelsior Life: Did you face any academic challenges along the way?  How did you overcome?

Absolutely, I had challenges.  As being a father, husband and full time employee I endured many challenges along the way.  The way I overcame them was with the support that I received from my wife. She truly supported me and had to overcompensate for my involvement scholastically.  My wife was there for every class, she deserves special recognition.
Excelsior Life: How do you think your education will position you for life beyond your educational journey? What are your future plans?

White: I believe that with my education, I will be able to provide for our children in a way that I have always wanted to be able too.  A person can provide for their children without an education, however, education makes this much more attainable.

My plans for the future are to mentor and educate others.  I aspire to become a strong leader that focuses on improving the lives of others.
Excelsior Life: Do you think you’ve been able to apply what you’ve learned toward your career?

White: Yes I do.  Every day, my education comes into play.
Excelsior Life: What does having this degree mean to you?

White: It means a lot to me.  This was not just a milestone for me, but more importantly for our family.  It showed our children that hard work leads to success.  It gave me confidence and the skills needed to push further in my career.

Business Advisor Recommends Free Tutoring

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Business courses can be difficult, especially in the areas of accounting, finance, economics, and statistics. As a Business Advisor at Excelsior College, I often see students struggling in such topic areas, unaware that they are entitled to our free online 24-hour tutoring service, known as Smarthinking. Through the Smarthinking resource, enrolled students can request and receive help from specialized tutors in topics ranging from accounting, finance, economics, and statistics, to writing, mathematics, and biology.  Students simply need to login to their MyExcelsior Account, select the Resources tab from the top of the page, locate the Smarthinking link, and create an account to use the service. Then students are able to:

  • submit papers or writing samples of all subjects to the Writing Center,
  • send in topic questions and receive a response from a librarian or tutor within 48 hours,
  • schedule a 30 minute tutoring period with a specialized tutor,

Smarthinking is an excellent resource to help students through their academic programs. So the next time you find yourself having trouble understanding a course concept, check out Smarthinking. You might find all the help you need is just a mouse click away. Learn more and register now!

Were You Seen? 2016 Excelsior College Commencement Ceremony

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On Friday, July 8, 2016, hundreds of Excelsior College graduates and their families celebrated their academic achievements at the Commencement Ceremony. The event took place at The Empire State Convention Center in Albany, New York. For more information about Commencement, visit the official 2016 Commencement page.

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Photo Courtesy: Mike Hemberger

Acting President Jim Baldwin recognized at Berkshire with honorary diploma

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

At Berkshire Junior/Senior High School’s 2016 Graduation and Recognition Day Ceremony, the administration honored two friends of the organization for their dedication to its students and mission with honorary diplomas. Berkshire Union Free School District Superintendent Bruce Potter presented a diploma to Dr. James Baldwin, Executive Vice President for Excelsior College, and loyal partner to Berkshire. Also recognized was Dr. Paula Consolini, Director for the Center for Learning in Action at Williams College. Both honorees are passionate about providing opportunities for vulnerable youth.

“We are truly impressed by the level of dedication shown by our honorees to the advancement of our student population,” said Potter. “Our community at Berkshire thrives because of the passion and genuine interest of our friends and partners in the success of our students.”

Dr. James Baldwin was District Superintendent at the educational services agency, Questar III BOCES, before serving as Executive Vice President for Excelsior College. He is a champion for student engagement and helped to found Warren Street Academy in Hudson, NY, for students with academic challenges, alongside the school districts of Hudson and Catskill.

“Dr. Baldwin’s work in helping to craft the legislation that made Warren Street Academy possible has also played a significant role in the school’s ability to grant 15 high school diplomas to students working to overcome educational obstacles,” said Potter. “His efforts have in part created opportunity for students in our own district and cut $500,000 in yearly personnel and transportation costs for the other participating districts.”

From Plattsburgh to Long Island and Buffalo to Canaan, Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth provides innovative programs that strengthen New York State’s vulnerable children and families so they can live safely, independently, and productively in their home communities. Berkshire’s full continuum of care offers home-based family preservation, foster care, group home, residential treatment, and drug and alcohol treatment services.

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Were You Seen? Excelsior College Awards Convocation

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

On Thursday, July 7, 2016, hundreds of Excelsior College graduates and their families joined staff members in celebrating the academic, professional, and personal achievements of student award winners. The event took place at The Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York. Refreshments were served, prizes were raffled off and a photo booth was available. To read more about the Award Convocation and to see a list of this year’s winners, view the digital event program.

Commencement Stories: Yehudis Appel, nursing grad dreams of helping others overcome barriers, the way she did

Posted on by Excelsior Staff

Yehudis Appel graduates this year from Excelsior College with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Appel still lives there now with her parents and four siblings. She explains how much of a challenge school has been throughout her whole life and how she decided to become a nurse through seeing all the strengths in her life instead of the weaknesses. Appel plans on earning her master’s in nursing education to become a nurse educator in the future. Appel will be attending Commencement this July with her father and professor from nursing school. Appel sat down with Excelsior Life to discuss how she focused on all her strengths to overcome any challenges in earning her degree.

Excelsior Life: When did you decide to go back to school? Why did you want to secure a degree?
Appel: When I was in high school I decided that I wanted to do something with my life that was challenging and had a purpose. The job of a nurse is exactly that. A few weeks after graduating high school in June 2009, I attended a community college where I started to take prerequisite classes to a nursing program. In August 2011, I started my nursing journey in nursing school at Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing. I attended that school from August 2011 through May 2013 where I obtained my associate degree in nursing. After obtaining my associate degree, I studied for the NCLEX-RN and researched which Bachelor of Science (BS) in nursing program to attend. Excelsior College was definitely the number one option for me. I wanted to go back to school for my BS in nursing and secure that degree because it allowed for me to advance my education and for me to research current evidence-based practice that I use today as a nurse. Furthermore, Excelsior College gave me the flexibility to be able to be a student while working, and that was a huge plus for me.

Excelsior Life: What programs and/or courses were most influential to you?
Appel: Although I learned a lot and took away lessons that I learned in each course I took at Excelsior College, two courses stood out to me. Death Dying and Bereavement was a course that was very influential to me because I worked mostly with the geriatric population at that time. And I also really enjoyed Holistic Health Care across the Lifespan because it gave me a new way of looking at patients, their families and what we do as nurses for them. This course also taught me how to look at the patient as a whole person and not just their illnesses.

Excelsior Life: Did you face any academic challenges along the way? How did you overcome?
Appel: Throughout elementary school, junior high, and high school I would not have called myself an independent learner. I always thought that I had too many barriers to overcome to becoming an independent learner and because of that, I did not always realize all of the opportunities I actually had. In elementary school and junior high, it was difficult for me to understand everything that was taught in class. It was also very hard for me to keep up with the fast pace of learning in a regular mainstream class. Because of my struggles as a student, I was always the student who had to leave the mainstream classroom and go to the resource room for tutoring. Over the years, I had tutors for many subjects and I had a reading comprehension setback as well. The reading comprehension problem was a huge obstacle for me throughout my entire life as I was not able to understand simple grade-appropriate reading material. However, during my high school years, I was in a self-contained class that was inside of a mainstream high school. I went to some of the mainstream classes that involved a lot of reading activities but I had much support for those subjects from my teachers who taught in the self-contained class.
Because of my reading comprehension issues throughout all of those school years, I did not think I had what it takes to become a college student. I thought that if I was to continue my education and go to college I would not understand what I would read in college-level textbooks and would fall behind in my studies without having a self-contained class to back me up. I always had felt that I needed someone to explain things to me and I did not think I could learn independently. I did not think that I would do well in college and I focused on all of my weaknesses instead of all of my strengths.
Ever since I was a little girl I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and I thought that I would not be able to become one because of the learning barriers I thought I had. Besides for being a teacher, I knew that when I grew up I would want to do something that would help others overcome their own barriers and realize all of the opportunities they have.
My decision to become a nurse happened during my senior year in high school. One day I just told myself I would not repeatedly tell myself that I have barriers that would prevent me from going to college, learning independently and pursuing a degree. That was the day that I realized that I wanted to become a nurse; so that I could help other people overcome barriers and help them recognize their strengths and achievements.
After passing the nursing board examination, I applied to the BS in the nursing program at Excelsior College as I decided that I wanted to pursue my nursing education even further. Excelsior courses are based in an online environment and I worked really hard learning independently. I had to read many scholarly articles and textbooks but that is what brought out many barriers for me to overcome as I had difficulties understanding what I was reading. I felt that the articles were written using high vocabulary words and that made what I was reading hard to comprehend. There were times when I had to read the same article 20 times to comprehend what it was saying. There were numerous times that I felt defeated by reading and learning independently but I realized that this was just an obstacle to overcome. With every ounce of strength I had in me, I completed my degree and I could not be more proud of myself.
My achievement in obtaining my BS in nursing from Excelsior College helped me outline my future plans of becoming a nurse educator. Now that I have completed my BS in nursing, I look forward to obtaining my Master of Science in nursing education (MSN-Ed) in the future so that I can teach the subject that I love. The art and science of nursing and teaching others how to overcome their boundaries and recognize positive opportunities of strengthening one’s self.

Excelsior Life: What does having this degree mean to you?
Appel: Having this degree means that I have accomplished my goal of earning my degree online while working. It may sound simple, but it is no easy feat. It was quite exhausting to come home from a long hectic day of work and sit down for numerous hours every day and do homework. Having this degree also means that I’m committed to learning, advancement, and implementing evidence based practice into my job as a nurse.

Excelsior Life: Any final thoughts you’d like to emphasize regarding your education at Excelsior College?
Appel: A final thought that I would like to emphasize regarding my educational experience at Excelsior College is that it really is all worth it in the end. It is a lot of hard work, and you may feel like quitting, but the reward you get when you are done is far better than all those times you told yourself that you just can’t do it anymore. It is worth the time, effort, and patience.

Five Minutes with Alicia Audino, Assistant Director of Career Services

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Alicia Audino hit the ground running at Excelsior College as the Assistant Director of Career Services! From her passion around higher education and the Career Center Alicia has such a positive energy geared towards impacting students. Join me in taking five minutes with Alicia today, learn more about her and what the Career Center has to offer!

Questions:

  1. What do you enjoy about working with students?

For me, the best part of working with students is that I have the potential to really make an impact on their educational and professional lives. As a student, my life was changed by my academic and extracurricular advisors, now I have the opportunity to impact our students in that same way.

2. What are your favorite resources in the Career Center?

My favorite new resource on the Career Center is Focus 2! It is a career and educational planning tool that allows students and alumni to engage in self-assessments, explore a variety of career options and job market information, and set their goals in motion. I like it so much because it has something for everyone, no matter what part of the career development process you are in. I am also a huge assessment geek, so I love geeking out with students when I talk about it

3. How is utilizing a Career Center online different than going to a traditional Career Center?

The main difference is obvious, we don’t have a physical space filled with students and employers. What we do to compensate for that is really bolster our online presence. We have so many resources available through the Career Center that can help with career exploration, job search, graduate school applications, military and veteran transition to the civilian workforce and more. We also provide webinars for current students and alumni, and are always looking to new technology to improve our services. Many people may think that since we’re online we don’t have the same one-on-one services, but we do offer both resume and cover letter critiques and career counseling appointments!

4. What are the benefits behind scheduling a career counseling appointment?

By scheduling a counseling appointment, you’re guaranteed one-on-one assistance with whatever career questions you may have. You will speak with either the director or one of the assistant directors who will ask you questions about your goals and figure out what we can do to help you meet them. We find that many times it is helpful to speak with an objective person when considering big decisions. Beyond that, we’re a fun group and thrive when working directly with our students!

5. How often should I update my resume and cover letter?

I recommend having a master resume that you update every time you have a new job responsibility or accomplishment. This resume will include information from all past job, volunteer, educational, etc. experiences and may be very long. This version of your resume would never be submitted to anyone, but will allow you to keep track of all the great work that you’ve done over the years. When it comes time to apply for a job, you’ll take the relevant information from that master document to target the resume you’ll use for application. If you have been in a job for a while, I would revisit your resume at least 2-3 times a year to make sure you’re capturing all of your accomplishments, professional development, and any other relevant experience.

When it comes to the cover letter, you will write a new one for each job that you apply for. Employers can tell when you use the same generic letter for each job and those cover letters will almost always get you a quick trip to the ‘no pile’. Targeting your resume and cover letter to each job is crucial to a successful job search. Great news is, we can help you learn all of the skills necessary to accomplish this!

6. How do I search for jobs in the Career Center?

We have multiple ways to search for jobs on the Career Center!

  1. EC JobLinks is our job search portal for current Excelsior students and alumni. Here you will find an average 2 million+ jobs all over the country and even internationally.
  2. Public job search sites can also be found on our website. Of these, I highly recommend Indeed, Vault, Glassdoor, and USAJobs.
  3. Our degree specific resources section includes career exploration, professional associations, and job search resources that are targeted for each Excelsior College school.
  4. Nursing students interested in working in hospitals will want to check out our Excelsior College micro site on LiquidCompass!

7. What hot fields are trending right now?

This probably won’t shock anyone, but IT fields are really hot right now. Specifically, Cybersecurity is huge – there are currently 5,000 job openings on EC JobLinks that come up in the cybersecurity search and over 68,000 that include information technology!

Nursing is also a huge field right now, the Northeast US alone has over 2,600 RN jobs in hospitals currently.

8. What services do you provide to prepare for interviews?

For interview prep, students and alumni have some great resources and I recommend using all of them! They can begin by viewing the information we have on our website, then schedule a counseling appointment to talk through the process and some tips with one of us, and lastly we have a mock interview tool integrated within EC JobLinks. The mock interview tool allows students to practice interviewing in the comfort of their own homes. They select a collection of interview questions, or pre-existing industry specific interviews and are asked the questions via a pre-recorded video, they respond to the questions via a webcam. Once completed the student has a link to the recording so they can critique themselves or send it to someone for feedback. It is an AWESOME tool!

9. As a former student what is one piece of advice you would give to students?

My #1 piece of advice for students is to make use of all the resources (OWL, SSC, Learning Services, Library, Career Center, etc.) you have available to you while you are in school. I know that many of our students have very busy lives with competing priorities, but the time invested in exploring all that Excelsior College has to offer will provide great benefit to the educational experience and beyond. I didn’t even know that my career path existed until I was in college and started engaging with what my school had to offer, so you never know how impactful these experiences might be!

Commencement Stories: Andrew Palm, a male nurse and three time Excelsior grad is part of the “gold standard”

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Andrew Palm is a 2016 Excelsior graduate earning his Master of Science in nursing education. Growing up in Cortland, New York, Palm currently lives there with his wife Terry, young son John and cat Santa. Earning his associate degree in business from Excelsior College in 1991 and a two time graduate in nursing education, Palm knew Excelsior is what worked for him.  Also, as an Excelsior College academic partner student, Palm received his associate degree from Tompkins Cortland Community College in 2012. Palm now works as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Nursing. During his free time, Palm enjoys being a leader in both Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting as well as belonging to the New York State Nurses Association. Palm sat down with Excelsior Life to discuss his educational journey.

Excelsior Life: Where did you first hear about Excelsior?

Palm: I am a 1991 A.S. in Business graduate of Excelsior College back when it was known as Regents College. I had become aware of the College in the late 1980s. Naturally, when I started thinking about progressing my education in nursing, Excelsior was really the only choice which made sense to me. What I discovered is Excelsior had continued to position itself on the cutting edge of distance learning, as distance learning became the cutting edge of expanding nursing education.

 

Excelsior Life: What degree did you choose and why?

Palm: I started back at Excelsior College in the RN to BSN program as soon as I became a registered nurse. From there, I decided to enter into the Master of Science in nursing education program. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn.

 

Excelsior Life: What programs and/or courses were most influential to you?

Palm: The RN to BSN program was influential because it really rounded up my nursing knowledge and gave me a much bigger perspective on the profession. The Master of Science in nursing education program has been the most significant influence because it opened doors which I didn’t know existed. My master’s degree capstone course was very influential because I had Dr. Mary Ann Theiss as my instructor and she is a great role model. My capstone mentor was Dr. Robin Dewald and she has been instrumental in role modeling, mentoring, teaching, and research for me.

 

Excelsior Life: Did you face any academic challenges along the way?  How did you overcome?

Palm: Learning American Psychological Association (APA) style to write succinctly and with clarity, while applying the nuances of citation, has been a challenge for me as it seems to be for every nursing student. Creating time to read, research, and write while carrying a full time course load and working full time has been an ongoing challenge. Like everything in nursing, I managed by constantly re-prioritizing my work and keeping my academic work priority high.

Excelsior Life: Did you have a support system? If so, in what way did they help?

Palm: My family was supportive and many of my nursing colleagues were also. My two older children were in graduate school at the same time I was so they really understood the intensity of effort I needed to put into learning. Then there are the friends I’ve made with students I’ve been in class with. The bonding and support from people you share classes with can turn into continuing friendships. They know how you feel, and what you need to hear, because they have been there with you in the work of learning.

Excelsior Life: Do you think you’ve been able to apply what you’ve learned toward your career?

Palm: My BSN opened the opportunity to take the full time position I currently have as a public health nurse and to become an adjunct clinical instructor of nursing. My master’s degree has given me the opportunity to teach community/public health nursing in the baccalaureate program at Excelsior College.

Excelsior Life: What does having this degree mean to you?

Palm: There is a certain level of satisfaction from having earned each degree but my master’s degree in particular. I think the real meaning to me is the understanding of nursing I have and the ability that gives me to build my knowledge as a nurse and as a professional educator. It means my world will continue to expand.

 

Excelsior Life: Any final thoughts or other issues you’d like to emphasize regarding your education at Excelsior College?

Palm: I’ve taken courses at a number of bricks and mortar schools, as well as distance learning schools, and I can say from experience that Excelsior College really is the gold standard in distance learning at the collegiate level. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to participate in course revision as a graduate student, and to teach as an adjunct faculty member, my perception of Excelsior College as the gold standard is only reinforced.

 

Excelsior Life: Are you coming to Commencement? Anyone coming to Commencement with you?

Palm: I wouldn’t miss Commencement for the world. I came in 2014 to receive my baccalaureate degree and had a wonderful experience. My Capstone project resulted in continuing collaboration with a team of nurse educators and they will be there to share the Commencement experience too.