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Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

Student loan paid off – oh happy day!

Monday, March 21st, 2011

I am happy to announce that I paid off my student load today! Yippee! I had a Wells Fargo loan, not a federal loan. The bank did not require any payments until after graduation, but I went ahead and made payments all along. I did not want to wait until after graduation to pay — I just did not want that stress! Making the last lump sum payment felt very good, even though I was afraid the bank and I would be disconnected because we are in the midst of a thunderstorm. No worries, though, and my payment was accepted. I wrote PAID OFF in big letters on the most recent loan statement. Now, we can SAVE that payment amount each month.

It feels GREAT!

Congrats to Delta Mu Delta Inductees!

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

Congratulations new Delta Mu Delta inductees at NCU! Today we had our Lambda Eta Chapter Induction Ceremony via teleconference. There are 15 new inductees to our Chapter. Welcome! Welcome!

We have a fantastic group of Officers who are highly motivated to build Chapter Scholarships in addition to the DMD Scholarships available to all DMD members. If you are a member of our Chapter, we need your ideas to fund Chapter Scholarships. Email or post your ideas here to the blog. I am the Secretary and will be happy to share your ideas with the Officers.

If you are interested in learning more about DMD, click this link.

Fiddler on the Roof

Sunday, February 13th, 2011

Yesterday, Husband and I watched Fiddler on the Roof on TV. I have seen the movie lots of times, but everytime I see it, the memories of when as a teenager I saw it on Broadway flood over me. Zero Mostel played Tevye on stage and the production was simply fantastic. I will never forget my first Broadway experience.

Watching the movie, I was reminded that the Fiddler is a symbol of survival even when life is difficult. Tevye says, “A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy. You may ask ‘Why do we stay up there if it’s so dangerous?’ Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition!”

And so we all must scratch out “our tune” as well – that is, without “breaking our neck”!!

The Majestic Plastic Bag – A Mockumentary

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons narrates a thought-provoking mockumentary about the journey of a plastic bag to the ocean. Then watch Charles Moore explain about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Reflect on plastic bag pollution and decide how you can make a difference. Choose a sustainable solution, not a plastic-wrapped one.

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw&]

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrAShtolieg&feature=related]

Delta Mu Delta Honor Society Induction

Saturday, October 9th, 2010

Today I was inducted in Delta Mu Delta, an international honor society for business students enrolled in programs accredited by ACBSP at the baccalaureate, graduate and doctoral levels.

The organization’s website lists the mission statement as “Delta Mu Delta is a business honor society that recognizes and encourages academic excellence of students at qualifying colleges and universities to create a DMD community that fosters the well-being of its individual members and the business community through life-time membership.”

Delta Mu Delta Eligibility Requirements:
· Currently enrolled learners on or after April 9, 2007
· Undergraduate degree learners that have completed 75% or more of their degree program and have a GPA of 3.9 and are in the top 20% of this classification.
· Masters degree learners need to have completed 75% of their program, have a GPA of not less than 3.9 and in the top 20% of this classification.
· Doctoral learners in the Ph.D. or D.B.A. program need to have completed their comprehensive examinations, have a GPA of 3.9 and in the top 20% of this classification.

The induction was kinda neat – it was by conference call! There were 25 initiants from all over the world on the call. I have been involved in a number of honor society inductions over the years but I must say, this one beats them all. I simply put the call on speakerphone, muted the microphone, and was inducted while sitting in my office chair while taking a break from writing my dissertation proposal!

(By the way, that baby is now 79 pages long and my lit review is 32 pages – 8 more pages required to meet the 40 page minimum and I am still waiting for my concept paper to come back from University review….)

My professional academic bio

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

I was asked recently to post my professional bio so that others can get an idea of how to format their own bios. I added one new thing to my bio, as I will be inducted into Delta Mu Delta in a few weeks. I added the bio to my thinkPhD “about” page as well.

Professional academic bios should include your educational milestones, honors, and relevant career information. I could have added some thing about articles published, but none of my articles so far are published in peer-reviewed journals.


My professional academic bio:

Cynthia J. Wolfe graduated from Troy University in Troy, AL, with an BS in Environmental Science, and later received an MBA from Troy University. She has obtained Doctoral Candidacy status at Northcentral University in Prescott Valley, AZ, where she is pursuing a PhD in Business Administration with a specialization in Management. She is a member of the Academy of Management (AOM), the National Business Education Association (NBEA), Delta Pi Epsilon (National Honorary Professional Graduate Society of Business Education), and Delta Mu Delta Honor Society, Lambda Eta Chapter. She is a manager at an international packaging company and an instructor with the University of Phoenix, Richmond, VA, campus, where she teaches business and general studies.

Letters of Recommendation

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

From time to time, colleagues at work and students at school will ask for a letter of recommendation. I am always happy to accomodate these types of requests. Having been on the “asking” end of these letters, I know that it is sometimes difficult to decide who in my circle of influence can provide the most effective letter.

If you are a student, do not assume that your professor is always the best source. Unfortunately, sometimes this person may not know you as well as others! Pick someone who has seen you perform as a student. Have you considered your academic counselor or your dean? Provide some information so that the person can write an effective letter. To be honest, I have a one-size-fits-all generic letter that I can write for you, but if you tell me what masters or doctoral program or school you are applying to, I can tailor my letter to increase its impact.

If you are looking for a work-related recommendation, consider asking those in other departments or work groups that have been on the receiving end of your work. For example, suppose you work in the billing department; consider asking a credit manager or account manager to write a letter. Your boss is sometimes too obvious; of course you let your boss see how hard you work – but what about people you are not obligated to? A powerful recommendation can come from someone who is on the receiving end of your work!

When I write a letter of recommendation, I turn it into a pdf file; I do not give out an easily editable MS Word document. I always include my contact information and date the letter. I also date the information (such as “I worked with John from 2008-2009…” or “Trish was a student in my GEN/300 class in the fall of 2009…”).

Remember, pick your letter writer carefully and be specific as to the purpose or recipient of the letter.

Homeland Security Essay Contest

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

Happy New Year!

I am a member of a writers’ group and found out about a Homeland Security Essay Contest offered by the Navy Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Security Defense and Security. If you are enrolled in NCU’s HS coursework, this may be an opportunity to share some of your work. However, the competition is open to everyone – you do not have to work in the field. There is no entry fee, the award is $1500, and the winning essay will be considered for online journal publication. Submission deadline is January 31.

Here is the link: Homeland Security Essay Contest.

You can also read previous winning entries at that link. Good luck!

Why God Never Received a PhD

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

For all you PhD students out there, this is a fun joke that was shared recently:

Why God Never Received a PhD
1. He had only one major publication.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. It had no references.
4. It wasn’t published in a refereed journal.
5. Some even doubt he wrote it by himself.
6. It may be true that he created the world, but what has he done since then?
7. His cooperative efforts have been quite limited.
8. The scientific community has had a hard time replicating his results.
9. He never applied to the ethics board for permission to use human subjects.
10. When one experiment went awry he tried to cover it by drowning his subjects.
11. When subjects didn’t behave as predicted, he deleted them from the sample.
12. He rarely came to class, just told students to read the book.
13. Some say he had his son teach the class.
14. He expelled his first two students for learning.
15. Although there were only 10 requirements, most of his students failed his tests.
16. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountain top.
17. No record of working well with colleagues.

100 University Libraries from Around the World that Anyone Can Access

Monday, December 7th, 2009

I stumbled upon a list of 100 University Libraries from Around the World that Anyone Can Access. This is a great list which includes Digital Libraries, Texts, Medical Libraries, Legal Libraries, National Libraries of Europe, Religious Studies, Specialized Selections, Academic Research, American Universities, and International Universities. We have a great library at NCU, but this opens up some very interesting opportunities to a librariaholic like me.

I suggest that you bookmark this page and return to it often!

Pink Glove Dance goes VIRAL

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

This is a great video – it’s so fun to watch and reminds us all about the importance of Breast Cancer Research. I have a friend recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer – thank you to all those who are taking care of my friend!

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw]

How to search thinkPhD.com

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

Are you looking for posts referencing a certain class at NCU or a certain subject like “education”? Here are THREE quick ways to find what you are looking for.

Use the white search box in the right column. Type in your search term and press enter.

OR…. 

Click on archives in the menu bar. You can find posts by month or by subject/category this way.

OR….

In the address bar, type category/coursename after the domain and press enter. So if you are looking for posts regarding RSH9102B, type this:

http://thinkphd.com/category/rsh9102b/

Taking MGT5031?

http://thinkphd.com/category/mgt5031/

Looking for posts about education?

http://thinkphd.com/category/education/

Noobie is giving away a free Kindle!

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

I just entered a contest to win a free Kindle from Noobie (worth $259!) and I wanted you to have a chance to win one too! All you need to do to enter is to click the link below or copy and paste it into your favorite Internet browser:

http://www.noobie.com/kindle-giveaway?ref=15682172

Be sure to read the email you get from Noobie after you register. You’ll get your own unique link that you can use to earn even more entries in the drawing!

Possom visitor

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Our nightly possum visitor on Twitpic
Every night this little guy comes and eats the cat food. He isn’t afraid of us at all!

Mahalo

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

I joined Mahalo this week, a human-powered search engine. Be sure to look at the Mahalo box to the right and click on my profile. You can see my activity on the site, including answers to questions.

Mahalo launched in 2007. The public creates short topical search pages, asks and answers questions, and can suggest links. Each activity the user participates in earns Mahalo dollars; if you cash out, Mahalo keeps $0.25 of every $1.00. The site earns revenue by using Google Adsense and other affiliate links such as those from Amazon. Each search or click earns the “page manager” Mahalo dollars.

Here’s the links to the Mahalo pages I manage: Northcentral University and online learning

You can also set up Friends and become a Fan of other users, making the site somewhat of a social networking site. It’s very easy to manage a search page or answer questions.

I like the formatting of the clean and easy-to-read pages.  However, Mahalo works like a Wiki, so there is no significant peer review. For the casual web search, Mahalo may fill a need. For the academic, Mahalo is not trustworthy enough. If you have some time today, go take a look at Mahalo.