Yesterday I took a break and Husband and I went to a gun show in town. Husband enjoys gun shows and I enjoy being with him. Being from the South, he also grew up with guns and hunting. In his bachelor days, he stayed with a guy who had a gun shop in our small town.  These days he is interested in black powder historical guns.

I am a firm believer in our Second Amendment right to bear arms. I realize that not every reader will have my same views on gun ownership: a responsible gun owner respects his weapon as well as himself and his community.

If you have never been to a gun show, you should go next time one is in your town. Regardless of which company puts on the show, they are all pretty much the same, with tables set up in a large building, usually a vacant Wal-Mart or something similar. The show that we went to on Saturday was a C & E Gun Show. Admission is usually under $10 and most of the big shows offer coupons on their sites or in the paper.

Expect the parking lot to be crowded and a line at the door. Generally, there are police cruisers and patrolmen standing around. This is to deter any deals from taking place in the parking lot rather than the venue. At the gun show on Saturday, there were a few politcal party tables in the lobby, encouraging visitors to vote for their candidate, the Libertarian. Also out in the lobby is usually a table with a box and forms to fill out to win a door prize, which is normally a .22 rifle or similar gun. I always fill out the forms for Husband and me but have never won.

As you enter the venue, you must get a hand stamp. Mine hasn’t washed off yet and the C & E is still visible. There are usually hundreds of tables in the building, each with guns, paraphenalia, hunting equipment, historical items, uniforms, patches, bags, repair items, books, etc. I always walk behind Husband, who likes to take a quick swing of the building and come back around for an in depth look. I think that is from his military and police days – we canvass the building first.

There are lots of women that come to gun shows, some alone and some with their male companion. There are a number of husband/wife vendor teams. Sometimes the ladies will have their own section of the tables where they offer jewelry or candles or other things of interest to women. Usually, someone is selling spices or BBQ rubs, jerky or baked goods.

Husband is drawn to all of the historical guns and paraphenalia. He loves the Kentucky rifles and black powder guns, and all of the miliaria that inevitably is available. I love the beauty of the wood and the craftsmanship that is so obvious in the old guns. We don’t have the expendable cash to buy some of these gorgeous old guns but we wish we could. Husband amazes me about how much he knows about guns and their history. I told him that we need to go on the road and become gun show gypsies when we retire. I laughed when he said, well, we only need to sell ONE gun to make a living (because they are so expensive!).

The best part of the shows is the comraderie between the patrons and the vendors. Everyone is very helpful and easy to talk to. There are no pretentious sorts at a gun show like this. Just listen to the conversations as you walk by as complete strangers relate how they had a gun like that once or the best way to handle that gun. There are no walls between young and old, ethinic groups or experience level. Everybody is there to “talk guns” and swap stories.

At one table, Husband and I were looking at some old guns and we were separated by about 10 feet. The vendor asked me if I was looking for something particular and I told him that my Husband was. Husband, who is always watching out for me, walked up and we asked some questions and admired the man’s collection. He told me that I had to buy Husband something before we left and I told him I was sure that I would. Wouldn’t I like to buy one of those guns on the table? Later on, we walked by his table again and he asked me if I had bought anything for Husband yet. I told him – Sure did – a knife! We laughed because of course the man wanted me to buy one of those $4,000 guns, not a $40 knife!

One lady had her black poodle with her and we stopped to talk about him. His name was Shadow, and she was looking for a breeding female. We have a male poodle, too, so she was out of luck. Shadow was very sweet, but of course, not near as sweet as our Tucker!

We saw a lot of young people and older men, perhaps recent veterans and veterans of wars long past. It is crowded at these gun shows but everyone makes way for Husband and his cane. Standing next to a complete stranger, it is really easy to strike up a conversation about what you are both looking at or to ask if they have seen something particular someone else that you might be looking for. Walking down the aisles holding onto Husband’s arm, I felt completely safe, even with thousands of weapons all around me.

We stayed for a while and the smell of hot dogs and french fries finally got to us. Carrying our one little purchase, we left and went to Nick’s, and Italian/Greek restaurant back towards our home. Husband enjoyed Veal Parmigiana and I had the Chicken. I can’t remember the name of the dish but it was marinated in white wine, sauteed, and served with spaghetti and sauce with olives. It was delicious! We also had some Greek Merlot that the owner recommended. Fantastic!

After leaving the restaurant, we went to the Wine Store and picked up a few things to try, including some exotic beers. Books-a-Million was next and then the grocery store to pick up a cake for my Monday class.

All in all, Saturday was a welcome break from writing, grading, and working. After it was all over with, we realized we had been on a “date,” and it was great to enjoy companionship with Husband, my best friend.  

thinkPhD now has its own web domain: www.thinkphd.com ! I decided to host it independently rather than stay on WordPress so that I can have more flexibility with content and file size. If you are subscribed to this blog, then you should continue to receive blog post updates. Celebrate! Woo hoo!

Today is voting day in my community. Voting is a privilege and an honor for every citizen of the United States. Be sure to study the issues, not the hype from media or attack ads on TV. Arm yourself with facts and your vote will be all the more precious.

Vote with a friend or family member. My husband and I go to the polls together. I love to stand by him and show the world that we are both active citizens in our community. I am ready to vote – are you?
V O T E

The Associated Press reported last night that all of the 11 Egyptian exchange students who did not show up for class at Montana State University have been located. There has been an ongoing manhunt since July 29, when the 17 students arrived in New York. The students were arrested in various locations around the country: Minneapolis, MN, Manville, NJ, Dundalk, MD, Chicago, IL, Des Moines, IA, and Richmond, VA.

MSU contacted Homeland Security when some of the students failed to arrive for a month-long class. All of the students were late for the program; 6 were two days late, which according to MSU is not unusual.

The school has posted a FAQ review here. It is interesting to note that:

The 32-day program includes English as a Second Language classes plus lectures on various cultural topics, including U.S. and Montana history. In addition to academic work, the program includes a number of recreational activities, including a trip to Yellowstone National Park and white-water rafting.

The students clearly took advantage of loose security and the good graces of MSU. In the past, exchange programs have been good for higher ed and valuable for the students involved. These students went through orientation and signed their visas; surely they knew that the policies for temporary international visitors. It is unclear if the students intended to remain in the USA illegally.

But it is clear that these students deliberately chose to break the rules.

The University has decided to terminate the program with Mansoura University in Egypt.

There are a number of organizations working under the guise of higher education that are not truly academic institutions. Be very careful when you begin your search for a degree plan. Make sure that you research the school and its accreditation. Regardless of what is stated on the school’s website, do your own investigation.  

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) website has an excellent article about degree mills found here. Be sure to read this article to protect yourself from unscrupulous degree mills.

CHEA is an excellent place to start your search. The site has a searchable database of colleges and universities. For example, I clicked “Databases and Directories” and then “Database of Institutions and Programs Accredited by Recognized United States Accrediting Organizations.” I clicked “I agree” to the terms and conditions, then inserted “Northcentral University” and “Arizona”, using “Any Accreditor” as the search term. The result is returned as:  

Institutional Accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC), The Higher Learning Commission.

When you click the link to the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the address and name of the Executive Director is offered. You can contact the Association for addition information about their accreditation, or check out the website, The Higher Learning Commission.

Don’t be fooled by degree mills offering “degrees for sale.”

Be an informed consumer. Make the right choice.

I received the acceptance letter on my birthday, May 23: 

Hello Cynthia,

You have been accepted to Northcentral University!

Your acceptance is only valid for 30 days and your attention is required now in order to complete enrollment at NCU. Your enrollment packet is ready to review on your applicant account screen.

First, review and acknowledge the letter of acceptance.

Second, review the degree plan, which has been prepared for you.

Third, request your first course electronically.

Lastly, you must submit your tuition payment in order to complete the enrollment process. You will have the option to pay your tuition online when you submit the course request.

As soon as these items are completed and tuition has been received, the Registrar will send your course syllabus, textbook information, and contact information for your Mentor.

Welcome to the NCU community, and best wishes on your studies.

This letter was from my enrollment counselor, Rita, who has been encouraging me ever since I sent an initial request for information, just as I had done with five other universities that had programs of interest. I followed the steps above, and received the information for my first class, MGT 5031, The History of Management Theory, with Dr. Alan Crake. Class was set to begin on July 1. All of the assignments must be completed and submitted by the final date of the course, September 23.   

I also have three educator friends attending Capella University, and one attending Argosy University. Yet, as I reviewed the various schools with online or partially online programs, I kept coming back to Northcentral University.  Why NCU? The main reasons are no residency (100% online), monthly course starts and price.  According to the website, the estimated cost of attendance is $25,825, which of course does not include books. If I remain consistently enrolled for four years, expenses will be about $6,500/year. The additional salary from my teaching job for a Ph.D. is favorable, and the possibility of a real job career advancement is real. A Ph.D. may also open doors that include writing, editing and consulting in the future. All of these things pushed me toward thinking about a Ph.D.

I try to keep current in both my career as well as my teaching. I am a member of various groups and forums where higher learning is discussed endlessly. One particular group is devoted to online education discussion, and the topic of whether an online-Ph.D. is as relevant as a brick-and-mortar-Ph.D. is continually bantered.

Some accuse NCU learners of wanting a “vanity” Ph.D. Not me! I plan to get as much mileage out of my grad degree as possible. I believe that I can offer my students greater depth of knowledge about business topics. I will apply my learnings to my real job, just as I have applied my learnings from my MBA (I will discuss my education at some point in the future – suffice it to say that I do NOT have a undergrad business degree, I have a science degree).

In reality, I do not have time for a “vanity” Ph.D. If I could not justify a degree, I would not attempt it. Would you?

I began my search in Fall 2005, and decided in May 2006 online learning via Northcentral University would be my choice. Trembling, I submitted an online application and waited.

I earned my MBA while working a full time career, juggling family and work responsibilities. Once I finished my final course, I swore that I would never go back to school because of the time and effort that it took to finish. But here I am again, back in school, just five short years later. Why? Because I want to. Yes, I know that sounds like sheer insanity, but I have a hunger to learn, to think, to know.

Because of some family circumstances, I have worked part-time jobs alongside of my full-time job for quite some time. Now, my part-time, low paying jobs have evolved into one part-time job that I truly enjoy. I work for the University of Phoenix, teaching business classes both on campus and FlexNet, which is the online/campus blended modality. After teaching a number of both types of classes, I believe that the future rests firmly in online education. I do not presume to know in what format education will be delivered in the future, but I am sure that asynchronous learning will be part of the equation. 

A co-worker at our local campus mentioned that he was going back for his doctorate, and he told me that  I should, too. I was surprised about this comment, because earning a Ph.D. was a dream that I had for a long time. I had set the desire aside because of my busy schedule as a career person and mother, and I already knew how much work the MBA was trying to balance it all.

My friend told me about Northcentral University and was very excited about their program. He planted the seed. I knew that he was a busy person, and yet he found time to go back to school. Of course, my friend is a career educator, and I am not. I work at a “regular” job which is not remotely related to education.

I started looking at my options, especially financial and relational. 

• Here I am working two jobs because my husband does not work (he is disabled) and we are in the process of getting through disability court – he has no benefits yet.
• I have one daughter, just finished college, and a son about half-way through.
• How much time will it involve? Just as the children begin to move out, my husband and I will have time together. Do I want to spend it studying?
• We have bills just like everyone else, and I have been working diligently to pare them down. I do not want to have extreme bills that prevent retirement.
• I am not a young woman: I am 47 years old. How much time will it take?
• Is my mind sharp enough? Will I be out of my league?
• Do I have something to add to the collective knowledge relating to business? Am I creative, observant and forward thinking? Or am I kidding myself?
• What will my family, co-workers and friends say? Will they be supportive or will they understand my hunger?
• How much is the cost, both in obvious and “hidden” fees such as books, computer, paper, etc.? Can we afford it financially?

The final question boiled down to this:

Is the total cost less than, equal to, or greater than the benefit received from earning a Ph.D.?

TC [ < or = >] Ph.D. benefit