FVSU Blog

“In what?” you might ask. “Well, take your pick,” I’ll reply.

When I saw the spring schedule of continuing education courses, three things jumped right out at me. First, we are offering Professional Learning Units for teachers (see yesterday’s post). That’s pretty big. Second, we are offering a course for wedding planners. There’s actually training and a certification in wedding planning! Who knew? (Certified wedding planners everywhere are sayng “I did.”) Third, I was wowed by the addition of SCUBA certification to our offerings. When I think of SCUBA divers, I never think of anyplace this far inland. But there it is, right here in Middle Georgia, three hours from the nearest coast.

It’s this kind of “see a need and fill it” attitude that I think will keep Fort Valley State University growing. Other certifications on the schedule: Fitness Trainer, Child Development Professional and Family Violence Intervention Training (part of a larger set of coursework).

So check them out: http://www.fvsu.edu/academics/extended-education/continuing-education-course-schedule

–Misty Cline works in the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fort Valley State University.

For years, the only place in Middle Georgia for teachers to earn the Professional Learning Units they need to renew their Georgia teaching certificates has been Middle Georgia RESA at Macon State. And believe me, I have nothing bad to say about the RESA folks. But there are a lot of teachers in this area, and I was thrilled when Fort Valley State University received approval to offer these necessary courses.

At the Warner Robins Campus of FVSU, teachers can now take classes to maintain their certifications. This semester, the organizers have come up with a great selection of continuing education courses, among them Basic Sign Language, which is good for five PLUs.

So check them out at http://www.fvsu.edu/academics/extended-education/continuing-education-course-schedule

and by all means, let me know what you think! We are, of course, always looking for class ideas and instructors to teach them.

–Misty Cline works for the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fort Valley State University.

One of the things I noted in my nomination for FVSU as a Georgia Trend “Best Places to Work” is that many of our faculty and staff are FVSU alums. This means we’ve been in our client’s shoes. We have stood where they stand, be in in the cafeteria, the financial aid office, the bookstore or the classrooms.

I got a dose of that myself this week, as I registered for my first class in the Masters of Middle Grades Education program. I waited my turn to register, to sort things out with the cashier’s office, to get my books. And no, it wasn’t fun. I don’t think it’s supposed to be.

For a lot of young people, these exercises in patience is their first exposure to what real life is like. You don’t go to the head of the line in the grocery store, and employers have applicants go through a series of steps before making a hire. Some of the steps are boring, some take longer than they really need to, some feel like you’re just jumping through hoops because the employer wants to see if you’ll actually jump. And sometimes all a person has left is to wait.

So consider the registration process the first lesson available to students at Fort Valley State University, or at any college, really. If you really want something, sometimes you have to exercise a little to get it.

–Misty Cline works for the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fort Valley State University.

My daffodils started blooming this past weekend. The Japanese Magnolias in the neighborhood are showing pink. And the temperatures are supposed to drop into the teens Friday and Saturday nights. Just another winter/spring mix in Georgia, I guess.

–Misty Cline works for the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fort Valley State University.

I’ve been gathering information on upcoming FVSU events to post on our Web site calendar (http://www.fvsu.edu/calendar). January is filling up nicely, one or two events per week. That, in addition to classes and regularly scheduled meetings, makes for a pretty full campus life. But hang on, click over to February (I’ll wait…).

Holy ‘Cats! It’s something for everyone, and everyone will have something to do. From the community classes on starting a franchise and SAT/ACT workshops to the Farm Home and Ministers Conference we roll right into FVSU’s largest annual fundraiser, the Black History Month Scholarship Luncheon. That’s a huge event on campus, if you’ve never attended.

The College of Education will be putting on their annual Scholastic Book Fair (I save up for this one and last year got some great deals), first lady Betty Rivers will be unveiling her namesake camellia - pretty special, and we’ll be officially opening the Evans Building expansion downtown. Business owners will have their day on campus during the annual Business After Hours, and again at the second annual Home Business Mall. That event is also a fundraiser for scholarships. Is anyone else breathless? I don’t know about the students (they are young and energetic), but come Spring Break, I’m going to need a nap!

–Misty Cline works for the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fort Valley State University.