November 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 your Fall semester has been going great. Hopefully the unusual and, in some places, severe weather we’ve had this fall hasn’t distracted or interfered too much with your focus on class work.
 
I have two topics I’d like to mention in my note in this month’s newsletter: the introduction of the Career Skills Modules and some comments regarding services for adult and non-traditional undergraduate students.
 
Career Skills Modules
 
Many of the adult students at Marist are employed at organizations that offer employee tuition assistance benefits and use those benefits to cover a portion of their tuition fees. You may be interested to learn, however, that more than 95% of tuition assistance benefits go unused each year across the country. Research shows that a contributing factor in this missed opportunity is that many employees are left on their own to identify what they should be studying and where they can access those courses.
 
To address this opportunity, the School of Professional Programs (SPP) has organized Marist courses into small, 9-credit, Career Skills Modules (CSM). Each CSM is focused on a different discipline or topic and, in most cases, come in a pair: a Part I CSM with some introductory courses on the topic and a Part II CSM with some courses to extend that foundation. You can read more about the Career Skills Modules here . We see the portfolio of CSM as our work to curate a set of learning opportunities and remove the burden from individuals to assemble these focused programs on their own.
 
I am sharing this news with you for two reasons. First, I encourage all of our adult students to share this information with colleagues at your place of work and encourage them to use their tuition assistance benefits to advance their careers by enrolling in a CSM. Second, to let you know that we are working on the paperwork to turn these “modules” into official certificates. When that is in place (some time in 2018, we hope), current degree students can consider embedding these courses in your study plan and earn another credential. I will reach out to everyone to share any news about this process.
 
Student Services for Adult / Non-Traditional Students
 
Part of our mission at SPP is to provide our adult and non-traditional students with the specific forms of support and service you need to be successful in your studies. This mix of services is not identical to those the College has assembled for our traditional students. In recognition of these different needs, the College does not charge adult students the same activity fee as charged to our traditional students. These activity fees cover things like on-campus athletic facilities, for example. Because we do not levy these fees for adult students, some of these services are not available for this group of students.
 
I recognize this is a broad topic, but I am writing today to ensure that our adult students are aware of these arrangements. If you have any questions at all regarding student services, please contact Jenn Becker, Assistant Director of Student Services, at Jennifer.Becker@marist.edu. 
 
Best wishes for a successful remainder of the Fall semester!
Danny Szpiro
Dean, School of Professional Programs
DON'T FORGET

Thanksgiving break is
November 22 - 26
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 is Coming!

4-week online courses

December 16, 2017 - January 12, 2018

Registration opens November 7th.
Career Corner: Are Home Addresses on Resumes Obsolete?

Chances are when you created your first resume it started with your name followed immediately by your street address, city, state, and zip code. After all it was vital that an interested employer be able to find you quickly and if necessary contact you by postal mail. Even if you expected a phone call or email would be the most likely point of initial contact, without a mailing address your resume seemed incomplete.

Today in most cases a home address is no longer expected or required. While you still have the discretion to utilize a home address, there are many reasons to consider excluding it from your resume. Eliminating your home address might protect you from economic profiling where presumptions might be made about your present financial conditions and salary expectations. Further, because resumes are frequently circulated widely, you may find yourself more prone to identity theft or violations of your privacy.

There are times when a home address might seem most appropriate or even required. For example, federal job applicants are directed to include their mailing address on all resumes submitted. Perhaps you have concerns that eliminating your home address may give the impression that you are “hiding something” and are unwilling to be transparent. While this is possible, the rising popularity of eliminating home addresses will not likely make a resume excluding an address stand out as potentially suspicious.

Is there a middle ground? Yes. If you would like to demonstrate to a potential employer that you are close to their geographic location one option is to include a city and state. This could convey to an employer that you would be easy to contact and could transition effortlessly into an open position without disclosing a complete address. Alternatively, you might choose to exclude this city and state information if you think your location might not be appealing to an employer. For example, perhaps you plan to relocate or commute and are concerned that this may be viewed as a detriment in the early stages of job searching.

Consider the option to exclude your home address, as it may be a professional option to your benefit.

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 .
Writer's Block
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.
You can sign up for an appointment online at marist.mywconline.com or by calling the Center at 845-575-2735. We also offer walk in appointments. Appointments run 30 minutes or 60 minutes. If your paper is 4 or fewer pages, we recommend a 30-minute appointment, and if your paper is longer than 4 pages, we recommend a 60-minute appointment.
What should you expect at a Writing Center appointment?
When you arrive at the Writing Center for your appointment, you’ll be greeted by one of our friendly front desk assistants. He or she will help check you into your appointment and let your tutor know you have arrived.
Bring your paper with you to the appointment along with the assignment sheet for the paper. Your tutor will ask for details about your class in order to complete a session report and to get an idea of what you want to work on during your appointment. During your session, you’ll have a chance to talk with the tutor about whatever aspect of your paper you would like to talk about. We can work with you at any stage of the writing process, to brainstorm, draft, organize, develop, revise, or edit, and we can help whether you are on your first or final draft. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot write your papers for you (or guarantee good grades), and we cannot copy edit papers either, although if you want we will help you identify patterns of error in your writing and strategies you can use to identify and correct grammar errors.
What can the Library do for you?
Accessing and utilizing the myriad of electronic library resources offered through the James A. Cannavino website (library.marist.edu) can be confusing and daunting. Librarians at Marist have created a number of tools to help simplify resource navigation, whether it be through a course-specific pathfinder, or through the distance learner FAQ (libguides.marist.edu/OnlineStudents). But, we know that this may not be enough. 

Please tell us what we can do in order to make your research experience easier.
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!
 You don't want to miss this opportunity!
Save the dates:
  • December 16, 2017: On-campus meeting
  • January 2 - January 11, 2018 - Travel
Save your surplus:
  • Excess Fall Financial Aid can be applied to the abroad program fee. 
SPP | Marist College | 845-575-3202 | Email | Website