ASPIRE Dean Featured in Record Searchlight

As written by the Redding Record Searchlight:

ASPIRE Dean Discusses Adult Health Care Classes at Simpson

By Rob Rogers
Monday, November 26, 2007

Patty Taylor is Simpson University's ASPIRE Program dean and has been at the college since 1998. ASPIRE stands for Adult Study Programs Inspiring Renewed Expectations. The following is an excerpt from a recent conversation.

Q. In a nutshell, what is the ASPIRE Program?
 ASPIRE is actually a degree-completion program that is accelerated for adult learners. It's the students who are returning to school after perhaps taking a year or two of college and then for whatever reason - because of a job, they got married, whatever - they dropped out. So they're returning; they can start Simpson with 60 credits. They have to have anywhere from 60 to 88 credits. And then they can complete the program in 16 months.

Q. What kind of demand is there for a program like this in the north state?
 Well, we started the program in 1989 and we've graduated over 2,300 graduates from the program. This last year we (brought) three brand new programs on line. And those new programs would be the RN (registered nurse) to BSN (bachelors of science, nursing) upgrade, the health care management degree and management information services degree.

Q. What other degrees are offered through the program?
 During the evening you can take the RN to BSN step-up, business and human resource management, liberal studies, which is primarily for those who want to go and credential and become teachers, psychology and health-care management. Those are our evening courses, and management information services will also be. That starts in January. Then on the weekends they can take organizational leadership and they can also take Christian ministry leadership.

Q. With ASPIRE aimed at educating working adults, what do you see as the university's role in helping the area on a business and economic level?
 Primarily, we have a captive audience, if you will, because most of our students, if not all of our students, are currently working and embedded in the north state. We have been so fortunate to have employers really support our students. And we have reworked our program in the last two years where we're now just one night a week. They're in class from 6 to 10 p.m. and each class is only five weeks long. What is nice about our program is they're only taking one class at a time. So you're not worrying about all these midterms and all these finals. You're focused in on whatever class it is that you're taking.
 
© 2006 Record Searchlight

 

Contact: Wendy Matthews
wmatthews@simpsonuniversity.edu
(530) 226-4126