December 2017
Our mission is to provide quality driven adult education, built on a strong liberal arts foundation that will embolden and enhance the ability of professionals to succeed in a global economy.
Daniel A. Szpiro, PhD
Dean, School of Professional Programs
From Danny's Desk:
Dean, School of Professional Programs

Hi everyone!

I hope all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a wonderful holiday break recently. Hopefully that break gave you a chance to recharge your batteries a bit in preparation for December. This time of year can certainly be hectic with so many family, work, and school deadlines and expectations.

One expectation that all you wrapping-up a course this semester are aware of is our request for you to complete a course evaluation. This request is made by Marist College at the end of every course you complete. Because this can seem repetitive, it turns out that the response rate of our adult and non-traditional students with respect to these requests is very low. The response rate in the Spring 2017 semester, for example, ranged from 0-35%. That’s not a typo: there were courses for adult students in that semester where not one person completed the course evaluation.

My note to you this month serves as a heartfelt request to provide us your feedback and comments about your experience at Marist this semester through the course evaluation process. The most important information we can receive in order to apply continuous improvement to our programs comes from you. If you don’t share your impressions and suggestions then we are left in a more difficult position to identify opportunities to improve.

Just in case, let me clear up possible misunderstanding of the course evaluation process. First, I can assure you that the process is confidential and no professor – or dean – sees the name of any respondent. Second, let me assure you that professors do not receive the aggregate student evaluations until well after the final grades for a course are submitted so nothing in the evaluation process can influence grading. So, please help Marist provide you and the students who come after you with the best education and student support services possible by sharing your thoughts and feedback with us.

Very best wishes for a successful wrap-up of the Fall semester and any final exams and/or assignments you have yet to complete. I also want to wish all Marist students and your families a safe and joyous holiday season. I look forward to writing to you again in the new year to share the student outreach and support activities we have planned for the Spring semester. For those of you who have enrolled in a Winter Session course, I also wish you great success!

Season’s greetings,
Danny Szpiro
Dean, School of Professional Programs
DON'T FORGET

December Break
December 25, 2017 - January 1, 2018
Campus will be closed on those dates.

For special programs, cohorts, or online please check with your advisor for any special closings and breaks.

Winter Session

4-week online courses

December 16, 2017 - January 12, 2018
Getting to know our Faculty : Joel Baldomir, PhD
For the past 17 years, Dr. Joel Baldomir has been teaching courses in the fields of communication, leadership and management. During this time, he has had opportunities to teach both online and in-person while also volunteering his time and talents to work with government and not-for-profit organizations. 

Recognizing that the acquisition of knowledge is a process that reaches far beyond the traditional classroom experiences, Dr. Baldomir has attempted to adopt a holistic approach toward education, where the student is viewed as a complete person with multiple experiences, multiple interests, and individual needs. He believes this student-centric approach allows for more meaningful learning opportunities by addressing specific learning styles and individual student interests. As a Professional Studies faculty member, Dr. Baldomir has had the opportunity to bring together his many research interests while addressing the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary education.

In addition to being a full time faculty member in Marist College’s School of Professional Programs, Dr. Baldomir also serves as faculty director of the Professional Studies program and is a former playwright, news writer, radio personality, market research professional and customer service specialist. He holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership and an MS in Organizational Communication.   
Career Corner: The Debate on Cover Letters

It can be difficult to keep on top of the ever-changing world of career trends and job search strategies. Whether you are changing careers or looking for career advancement, let’s look at some of the dos and don’ts of the cover letter.

Some may argue that formal cover letters are becoming obsolete. It is important to remember that your initial correspondence with an employer is your first chance to impress them. Whether you choose to submit a full cover letter or a simple email along with your resume, a well-written and error-free communication puts your best foot forward and portrays you in a positive light from the start.

So how can you use this correspondence to get noticed, even if you are looking for career advancement or perhaps switching career fields? 

Many of the same standard rules still apply, and chief among them is proper grammar and spelling. It is essential that you keep your writing free of these blunders, lest you be seen as careless -- or worse. Another persistent piece of advice that has stood the test of time is to tailor your cover letter to the job for which you are applying. Here is where doing your research can go a long way. Use the information you uncover to highlight both hard and soft skills that you believe can positively contribute to the organization. Explain how past experience directly correlates to the stated job duties and responsibilities. Drawing explicit parallels between what they are looking for and what you can offer them helps hiring managers to imagine you in the role.

As a seasoned professional with an established career (whether in the same field or not), it is important to use the cover letter to clarify anything on your resume such as employment gaps and other irregularities. Changing fields/careers more than once may send a red flag. Use the cover letter as an opportunity to explain circumstances or objectives that led to these changes.

Similarly, if the job in which you are applying is a change from your current career, talk about what you hope to gain from making the switch and why you would be a great fit.

Finally, be sure to avoid divulging your age or exact years of experience. This is a fine line to walk, but in general remember to stress the positives of your experience, along with your adaptability and willingness to learn and grow. If you have undertaken any recent career development such as professional certifications, training, or continuing education, be sure to detail those efforts as they demonstrate your continued motivation to progress and evolve as an employee.

Whatever you submit, it should be in your own voice and convey confidence as you advocate for yourself. Strong writing skills are becoming more difficult to find these days. If you are able to strike that elusive balance between sounding professional, intelligent, and personable, you will be sure to earn a call back!


For further help with resumes and career coaching please visit the Center for Career Services, Library 332.
Career Services Walk-in Hours
  • Tuesday 1:30-4:00
  • Wednesday 2:30-5:00
  • Thursdays 1:30-4:00
Additional appointment times including remote options are available for sign-up via Foxquest. For evening appointments please email career.services@marist.edu .
Book and Bytes: Notes from the Marist Library
Finals week approaching, end of semester winding down, and holiday festivities got you feeling stressed? Did you know you can check out books from the Marist Library on various topics such as stress management and stress relief?

Here's how you access our vast electronic library from a distance:
 Some possible books of interest (if you are interested in reading the titles below, be sure to access them via the library website):
Possible books of interest:
(be sure to access them via the library website if you are interested)

  • The Stress Management Sourcebook by J. Barton Cunnigham

  • Stress Management for Dummies by Allen Elkin

  • 5 Minutes to Stress Relief: How to Release Fear, Worry, and Doubt ... Instantly by Lauren E. Miller and Les Brown
Librarians offer a number of ways for you to communicate with us:

  • Call us! 845-575-3292
  • Email
  • Chat service - NEW!

Ask us questions, or let us know how we can help you!
Writer's Block: Tips for Writing a Final Paper
The key to writing a successful final paper is to break the project up into stages and to take enough time to do a thorough job on each stage. You will save yourself time later in the writing process if you invest time in the prewriting and research stages of your project. 

So what stages should you plan to complete when writing a final (or any) paper?

  1. PREWRITING: students often skip this step entirely, but taking time to brainstorm about your assignment prompt, make sure you understand what the professor is asking, and generate possible ideas for your paper will save you time later in the writing process. Usually, your first idea will not be your best idea. Taking time to brainstorm and freewrite about your paper topic will help you get to better, more interesting, and stronger ideas.
  2. RESEARCH: start by determining what you already know about your topic and what you need to learn through research. Choose research sources that your reader will find credible and persuasive. Most academic readers will find scholarly, peer-reviewed sources the most credible and persuasive, and you can demonstrate that you have strong research skills by choosing strong sources (note: these are probably also not going to be the easiest or first sources you find; research takes work!).
  3. DRAFTING: don’t spend too much time drafting. Use this stage of the writing process to flesh out your argument, but remember that you can always refine your argument and your writing after you get a draft written. Include your research material and citations in your draft, so you make sure your quotations and citations are correctly formatted as you move through the revision and proofreading phases of the writing process.
  4. REVISING: you should plan to spend a lot of time revising your draft. In fact, professional writers frequently spend most of their time in this phase of the writing process. During revision, you might need to go back and do more prewriting to help you generate more or better ideas for your paper, you might need to do more research, or you might need to focus on how your argument is organized or developed. It is often very helpful for writers to get feedback from an outside reader (who is also a good writer) while revising.
  5. PROOFREADING: after your argument is well developed, well structured, and clear to readers, spend some time proofreading it for grammar and spelling errors. It can be helpful to have an outside reader help you spot errors that you might overlook yourself. Be sure to look at your citations especially; these are often the first elements of your paper that your professor will look at so they deserve special care.

Finally, turn your paper in and feel confident that you did your best to develop a strong written argument! 
The Marist Writing Center offers free, 30 and 60 minute one-on-one tutoring sessions to anyone in the Marist College community. We are located in the library, on the third floor, in Library 334.

We are happy to help assist any type of writing you might be doing, from academic research essays to capping projects, creative writing to job or graduate school application materials.
SPP | Marist College | 845-575-3202 | Email | Website
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