Veterans Day 2011

Each year on November 11, we honor the veterans of our armed forces for the enormous efforts they have made to keep our country safe and free.

As Americans, we owe them a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay.But what we can do is provide our returning veterans with the tools they need to achieve their career goals and make a successful transition from military life to civilian life.

It is a responsibility that we take very seriously here at Berkeley College.
During the past few years, we have instituted a number of programs to provide our returning veterans with the counseling, academic support and financial services they need to earn their college degrees.

Our efforts on behalf of our active military and veteran students have been recognized by GI Jobs magazine and Military Advanced Education Magazine, which has included Berkeley College on its honor roll of military friendly schools for the past three years.

We are also a Servicemember Opportunity College (SOC), which means that we are members of a consortium of colleges and universities that adhere to a set of standards known as the Military Students Bill of Rights. The Military Students Bill of Rights ensures that veterans are treated with fairness and honesty in recruiting, enrollment and academic practices.

At Berkeley College, our admissions officers are fully trained in G.I. Bill regulations. Our two Coordinators of Veterans Support Services are able to provide our military and returning veteran students with the information they need to learn about and apply for the VA benefits to which they are entitled.

Berkeley College has also instituted a unique educational partnership known as CVET, specifically designed to meet the needs of our combat veteran students. Administered by the Berkeley College Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, the program is staffed by retired and current members of the military who are uniquely prepared to offer our student veterans the services they need to succeed.

Participants in our CVET program receive direct counseling and support throughout their academic journeys and are able to choose from a wide variety of academic options that make it possible for them to integrate their career studies with their family and financial obligations.

And, when our CVET students near graduation, they are assigned to an on-the-job internship with one of the many employer participants who are proud to do their part to help our veterans succeed.


Berkeley College is recognizing Veterans Day with a ceremony at our Woodland Park Campus today. We are also marching in the parade in NYC on November 11. How are you celebrating Veterans Day? I would like to hear from you. Please add your comments below.

To all of our staff, faculty and student military/veterans, thank you for your service.

Dario A. Cortes, PhD
President

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

On September 11, 2001, I was at my desk on the 9th floor of a building in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, 27th Street and 7th Avenue, where I was provost of an academic institution with 12,000 students.

As I worked in my quiet office, I became aware of a lot of commotion in the hallway and asked my assistant what was going on. She told me she had heard that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.

With other members of the staff, I walked out onto our 9th floor terrace and saw smoke rising from the twin towers, 30 blocks away. We went inside and turned on the television, watching with the rest of the world as another plane hit the twin towers. It was clear that this was no accident.

As Chief Academic Officer of this university, my immediate task was to establish a crisis management protocol to ensure the security of our college community. I asked the staff to turn on all the TVs in our large auditorium, where our students and staff gathered to witness the events of the day together in relative safety.

Outside, there were hundreds of people walking like zombies through our stricken city. Bridges and tunnels had been closed down. Manhattan was like a military zone.

Because cell phones were not working, we offered our landlines to students and staff so they could let their families know they were all right. It was about midnight when my staff and I determined that our work for the day was done and that we could safely go home.

The lessons of that day will last a lifetime. From an administrative perspective, we have learned to do things much better in the area of crisis management. I have learned to meet crisis with calmness, logic, planning and pragmatism.

And personally, I have learned how important it is to let our families know how much they mean to us, and to understand, as well, how important we are to them. As we mark the 10th anniversary of this life-changing event, please share your stories of September 11, 2001.

Cordially,

Dario A. Cortes, PhD
President
Berkeley College

"How has the Uncertainty in the Economy Affected You?"

As I reflect back on the financial economic news of the past few weeks, I recognize that the state of the economy has an impact on all of us. How we spend our money in these uncertain times takes on a whole new dimension when we are making lifestyle decisions.

On Friday, August 5, one of the nation’s largest credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s, took the unprecedented step of downgrading the credit rating of the United States government from AAA to AA-plus.

The action dealt a significant blow to what has long been the world’s largest and most stable economy. Wall Street reacted to the news with a roller coaster ride of ups and downs that mirrored the moods of investors shaken by fears of another recession.

The truth is that the state of our national economy affects us all. As we are anxiously waiting for the economy to recover, I am very interested to hear from you about how you are changing your lifestyle to ride out the storm.

Please add your comments in the space below.