Saints Athletics Highlights—Summer 2015

SHU Earns Champions of Character Five-Star Status

Siena Heights University was one of 168 institutions to earn NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star designation for the 2013-14 academic year. The Saints earned silver designation in the program. Institutions are measured on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character and earned points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Institutions earned points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by having minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year.

SHU Senior Chosen for Coaching Prep Program

Senior Jessie Arnold was selected to participate in the 13th annual Women’s Basketball Coaches Association “So You Want to Be a Coach” program. The three-day workshop took place April 3-5 in conjunction with the WBCA National Convention in Tampa, Fla. The objectives of the program are to increase the understanding and application of skills necessary to secure coaching positions in women’s basketball, increase the understanding and awareness of competencies necessary for success in coaching, introduce female basketball players to coaches and administrators, raise awareness of the existing talent pool of female basketball players who have a passion and interest in coaching the game of women’s basketball. Each participant is selected based on her academics, contributions to women’s basketball on and off the court, professional resume and a written recommendation from their head coach.

Online Program Earns Top 25 National Ranking

Siena Heights University’s Online Learning Programs were ranked as the best in Michigan among private institutions and 25th nationally among public and private institutions by the U.S. News and World Report. The publication released its 2015 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs rankings Jan. 7.

SHU’s Online Learning Programs, which earned its first national ranking last year, moved up more than 100 places in the 2015 rankings. SHU has offered online bachelor’s degree completion programs in selected majors since 2004.

“We are thrilled and proud to receive this prestigious third party endorsement of our program,” said SHU President Sister Peg Albert, OP, PhD. “This ranking reaffirms what we at Siena Heights already know to be true – that our Online Learning Programs consistently deliver outstanding quality and value to students. We will continue to strive for excellence in this very competitive environment.”

U.S. News and World Report’s methodology included student engagement, faculty credentials and training, peer reputation and student services and technology to determine the rankings. Siena Heights was particularly noted for its efforts in student engagement, receiving the second highest ranking of all institutions surveyed (97 out of a possible 100). SHU also received high marks in faculty credentials and training.

One on One With . . . Deb Carter

Editor’s Note: This is a regular Reflections article series, and this issue features longtime Siena Heights faculty member and Dean of the College for Professional Studies Deb Carter, who is retiring in September 2015 after more than 33 years at SHU. Reflections recently sat down with Deb to reflect on her time at Siena Heights.

How did you get your start at Siena Heights?

“Well, it’s an interesting story. I was a teacher of hearing-impaired children in Berrien County, and I had young children (at home). I was working part-time because of my little kids, and administratively they decided to only go with full-time people. I had enough seniority that I could bump somebody, and I just didn’t feel that I could that. So I resigned from my position not knowing where I was going to go or what was going to happen next. This was May of 1982. In the summertime, a friend of mine called me and said she saw a very small ad in our local newspaper … and it was advertising Siena Heights College needs a part-time person to oversee a new degree program for adult students. I hate to admit this because I’ve spent 33 years of my life here now, but I had never heard of Siena Heights College. I had no college experience. No higher ed experience. All my experience was K through 12 teaching hearing impaired kids. … My friend talked me into calling the number, and I got David James, who was the director of Admissions at the time, and I said I was interested in looking at this. (He said) ‘Can you send your resume?’ … So I mailed it. And then a couple of weeks went by, and I got a call, and David said, ‘Our dean is coming out to your area, and he is going to be interviewing candidates.’ … So I met Norm Bukwaz, who was the dean of Admissions and off-campus programs, and we had a conversation. And my curiosity was, ‘what on earth could you see in my background?’ I don’t know that I would have looked at me, because I didn’t have higher ed experience. … (But) I was called and offered the job, and it fit my criteria because I had little kids and (I) worked part-time. And I was hired at, believe it or not, 10 hours a week, roughly two evenings a week. … To this day, I’m grateful for that strange little happenstance … that was I was able to connect with a place that I love dearly.”