Newswise The Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing honored three alumni and two students at the Fourth Annual Alumni Awards Mass and Brunch on Sunday, April 14, 2013, at the Universitys Lake Shore Campus.

Donna Marie Wolowicki, CR, BSN 71, MSN 75, MBA, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the most prestigious acknowledgment of Loyola nursing alumni accomplishments. Verna Christian-Garcia, BSN 61, and Patricia Matuszek Drott, BSN 63, MS, were honored with the Spirit of Ignatius Award. This is given to graduates who best characterize Curas Personalis or Care of the Person. Matthew Hauman was given the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Student Award and Megan McMenamin received the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Student Award for their accomplishments as undergraduates.

These alumnae and students were honored for the significant contributions they have made to the school or the profession, said Vicki Keough, PhD, APRN-BC, ACNP, FAAN, dean and professor, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. They are role models for generations of nurses to come.

Donna Marie Wolowicki, CR, BSN 71, MSN 75, MBA Distinguished Alumni Award Winner Donna Marie Wolowicki was recognized for her leadership in health care. Sister Donna has always kept the patient at the focus of care, ensuring the delivery of quality health services. She began her career as an intensive care nurse at Resurrection Medical Center (RMC) in Chicago. She later became a clinical specialist and nurse educator at RMC, and served as a clinical assistant professor in medical surgical nursing for Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Sister Donna also was executive vice president and CEO of RMC from 1989 to 2011. She has served on several boards and volunteered at numerous organizations. Sister Donna continues her leadership and service through participation in mock interviews for graduating student nurses from the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.

Verna Christian-Garcia, BSN 61 Spirit of Ignatius Award WinnerVerna Christian-Garcia was recognized for her support of those who need help in meeting basic human needs as well as for her work with the issues of child abuse, HIV and AIDS and health care for the uninsured. From the beginning of her career with the Virgin Islands government, Christian-Garcia has been driven by Christian principles, a liberal arts curriculum and the cornerstone of the nursing profession: care, compassion, commitment, and competence. The sensibilities she developed as a public health nurse and administrator of a geriatric and special needs facility, combined with decades of progressive, successful management and administrative experiences, provided her with opportunities to make positive and lasting contributions to populations in need. Although retired since 1995, Christian-Garcia continues her commitment to community service through her involvement in several non-profit organizations.

Patricia Matuszek Drott, BSN 63, MS Spirit of Ignatius Award WinnerPatricia Matuszek Drott was honored for her service as a nurse to underserved groups for nearly 50 years. Drott worked for more than 16 years as a public health nurse. She also served as the nursing supervisor with the Cook County Department of Public Health and as a visiting nurse with the Evanston Visiting Nurse Association. Drott instilled a passion for public health nursing in her students when she taught for 18 years at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, North Park University and the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. For the past 10 years, she has been the Catholic Charities HIV/AIDS Liaison to the Archdiocese of Chicagoa unique role in which she combines her experience in nursing practice and education. Drott is determined to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS, dispel its myths, and work to reduce the stigma and discrimination which still accompany the disease.

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Loyola University Chicago Honors Nursing Alumni, Students

Your career can be heavily affected by which college or grad school you attend. Of course prestige matters, but so does the probability of your graduating, as does how much you're likely to grow in writing, critical thinking, etc. Those abet nearly any career. And if you're picking a career-prep program like law, medical or business school, the training's practicality is crucial.

But how do you find out those things? And how do you do it when you, like millions of applicants, only have until May 1 to make your decision? This should help:

What is the true graduation rate? Ever more, employers require a degree or two for most professional jobs. In picking a college or graduate school you want to know your chances of getting that sheepskin to wave in front of employers. Unfortunately, too many colleges are deceptive in how they report graduation rate: They may report only the percent that graduate in six years, not four. They may exclude subsets of students with a low graduation rate, like athletes, legacies and "special admits." They may report only the expected time to graduation. Just because they "expect" you to graduate in X years doesn't mean that most students do. And of course, reporting just the expected time conveniently omits the percentage of students who never graduate.

Your solution: If the normative graduation rate isn't posted on the institution's website, ask an admissions representative something like, "What percent of freshmen graduate in four years?"

Surprising fact: Nationwide, less than 37 percent of freshmen at so-called four-year colleges graduate in four years. Only 58.8 percent graduate in six years! Of course, the better a student you are, the more likely you are to graduate. So even better, ask, "For students with grades and test scores like mine, what percent graduate in X years?"

How satisfied are the students and alumni? Commercial guides and websites report from a small and/or unrepresentative sample of students on how they rate their college or graduate program, but most institutions have better data. Not only do they routinely ask about students' and alumni's satisfaction with their experience at the institution, but also how well the education prepared them for their career and how well-employed they are after graduation. Ask to see the results of the latest surveys. If an institution won't show them to you or says it doesn't conduct such surveys, that's instructive in itself.

If you're considering a professional training program, talk with employers. For example, if you're considering nursing programs, ask the human resources department of a respected health care provider located where you'd like to work about the training program(s) that has yielded the best employees.

If you graduate, how likely are you to get a job? Ask the admissions representative, "What percent of graduates with a major in X or in graduate program Y are professionally employed within one year of graduation?"

What do the experts say? Nearly all colleges undergo an accreditation process including a site visit by a team of experts. In addition, many graduate programs undergo separate accreditation reviews. Not only do you want to know if a college or program is accredited, it's valuable to ask to see the visiting team report and the length of accreditation term awarded. If the term is much shorter than 10 years, it's cause for concern. The report will explain why the college received a reduced term.

What is it really going to cost you? Many colleges and graduate programs make it difficult to find what it will actually cost to attend. For example, it may give you a generous financial aid package the first year and then pull the plug, knowing you're unlikely to transfer. So ask the institution's financial aid representative, "What's the likely full cost of attendance for the length of the program? And what happens if I take longer--will my cash financial aid be converted to a loan?"

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A Key Career Decision: Choosing a College or Graduate School

Many famous women have held the title of America's Sweetheart over the years. On May 7, 1938, the Lassos of Jefferson High School appeared on the cover of Life magazine and became America's team of sweethearts.

The 81-year-old dance team, one of the oldest in Texas, had nearly 200 members in its heyday. It performed at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, met Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House and appeared in a feature film, High School, starring Jane Withers.

I sent a postcard to my parents that I shook hands with the first lady and hadn't washed my hands since, said Dorothy Hughes, an alumna from 1941. That was pretty high cotton for a little gal from San Antonio.

When I think about it, it's still special, even at my age now.

For decades, the Lassos held on to their celebrity status, appearing in local ad campaigns and even performing for John Wayne when he was in the San Antonio area filming The Alamo.

He gave me a kiss on the cheek. Talk about not washing, said Marion Tolk Asher Hirsch, class of 1960, who also served as Lasso director from 1969 to 1972.

But times, values and the financial burden of being a Lasso changed, and by 2006 the team had dwindled to 10 members.

In response to that, a group of former Lassos created the Lasso Alumni Association, or LAA, in 2007.

The Lassos are built on tradition and are part of Jefferson's identity, said Nancy York, LAA president-elect. We were about to lose them and we were just heartbroken.

Sharing history

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Jefferson's Lassos dance team is tied to a proud school history

Dr. Gary M. Rull, associate professor of internal medicine at SIU School of Medicine, has been selected as Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the SIU Academy for Scholarship in Education.

The award is given annually to recognize an SIU faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional skill and commitment to teaching.

Dr. Rull is an innovator in education, Dr. Debra Klamen, associate dean for education and curriculum, said in a news release. He created a geriatrics curriculum designed around a simulated senior couple and standardized the teaching of history and physical exams across the curriculum.

Rull serves as director of the SIU Doctoring curriculum. He is a fellow in the American College of Physicians, a member of Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honorary Society, and was elected secretary of SIU School of Medicine Alumni Board of Gover-nors.

He has received awards, including the Laureate Award from the Illinois downstate region chapter of ACP and the Best Full-time Faculty Teacher of the Year Award given annually by SIU residents. He has had four medical education articles pub-lished.

Rull joined the SIU fac-ulty in 2001.

He completed his internal medicine residency at SIU (2001), followed by a year as chief resident for SIU. He earned his medical degree with honors at SIU (1998) and earned his bachelors degree summa cum laude at SIU Edwardsville (1992).

Rull accepted in and completed the Stanford Faculty Development Center for Medical Teachers clinical teaching training course, a highly acclaimed program for medical educators (2011).

He is board certified in internal medicine.

University Communications provided the information for this article.

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SIU physician Rull named top teacher

HUNTINGTON -- Five third-year medical students and five residents, faculty members and alumni with the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine are being inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha, the nation's medical honorary.

The inductees were selected based on academic achievements and contributions to medicine.

"This is a significant honor for everyone," said Dr. Marie Veitia, associate dean of Student Affairs. "Scholastic achievement is one of the top criteria for nomination, but other areas, including leadership qualities, ethical standards, and service to school and community also figure prominently in the selection process."

The student inductees are Saqib R. Ahmed, Zubair A. Ansari, Joshua F. Hendrix, Sammy Hodroge and Kimberly N. Weaver.

The other inductees are Dr. Farouk H. Abadir, Department of Anesthesiology at Cabell Huntington Hospital; Dr. Whitney A. Boggs, Department of Family Medicine; Dr. Felix H. Cheung, Department of Orthopaedics; Dr. Gary D. Cremeans, class of 1996; and Dr. David D. Francke, Department of Internal Medicine.

The inductees will be honored at a banquet Thursday, April 18.

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Med school recognizes honorary inductees

Alumni of the Year Award, presented to Richard P. Donnellan, Jr.
Jim Stine presents the 2013 Alumni of the Year Award is presented to Richard P. Donnellan, Jr. Learn more about the Bergstrom Center and UF real estate degre...

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Alumni of the Year Award, presented to Richard P. Donnellan, Jr. - Video

Ashworth College (http://www.ashworthcollege.edu) and the Distance Education Training Council (DETC) select Spring Hill, Florida resident as Outstanding Famous Graduate.

Norcross, GA (PRWEB) April 12, 2013

The DETC acknowledges graduates each year who successfully completed a distance education program.

The DETC annually recognizes graduates who have excelled as distance education students. This year, nine famous alumni were recognized for being accomplished distance education students at the DETC 87th Annual Conference held April 14-16, 2013 in San Francisco, CA.

Since graduating, Ive continued my quest to bring a culinary-focused sense to healthful eating using my Grassroots Gourmet approach. My Ashworth College experience has been a pillar in building that foundation, Fenster said.

Already a practicing cardiologist, Fenster decided to meld his passion for food with his medical knowledge to create a dream career. By taking the Gourmet Cooking and Catering Course at Ashworth College, Fenster was able to start working traveling the country speaking to a variety of groups including patients, physicians, culinary professionals and teachers.

This work has opened the doors for Fenster to appear on national radio programs, such as Marhta Stewarts Living Today. He has also published the book Eating Well, Living Better.

Fenster felt Ashworth College was challenging, practical, comprehensive and administered by qualified professionals.

Michael Fenster is an example of how distance education can help better your career and make goals become reality, said Rob Klapper, Ashworth College President and CEO. Were proud of his accomplishments as an Ashworth College graduate."

Delivering on a Promise

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Florida Resident Recognized As Outstanding Famous Alumni From Ashworth College

Cullman native Austin Monk hasnt even been out of high school for a decade, but hes already returned home as a prestigious, honored alumni.

Monk, a 2007 graduate of Cullman High School, was recently hired as director of the Economic Development Initiative in Washington County, Alabama.

He made the trek from the small, southern Alabama town of Chatom to attend the Cullman City Schools Foundation annual luncheon Friday, where he was honored as the 2013 Promising Alumni.

Its so great to be a part of this school system, and its because of school systems like this that well have a workforce trained and prepared for the global economy, Monk said, while crediting some of his favorite teachers. One thing I learned was cooperation, and regardless of whatever situation there might be, youre always able to move forward.

Monk was joined on the stage with two distinguished service winners and eight distinguished alumni, who were all honored by the Foundation.

We want to thank these honorees who have given so freely of their time, talent and love, mistress of ceremonies Dr. Ginger Holt said. We, and the success you see, are the fruits of their labor.

The two distinguished service awards were given to longtime Cullman City School board member Suzanne Harbin and former long-time speech and drama director Mona Hopper.

I never think of what I do as a service, because its a pleasure and a joy, Harbin said.

I love Cullman City Schools ... and it has always been great to be a Bearcat, Hopper added.

The Foundation recognized eight distinguished alumni, including several educators and industry leaders. Honorees include:

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City Schools Foundation honors alums (WITH PHOTO GALLERY)

DURING the graduation ceremony at the PICC in Manila of the Manila Central University-Filemon D. Tanchoco Medical Foundation (MCU-FDTMF) College of Medicine on April 18, 1994, Gemeniano F. Leal, a jeepney driver from a remote barangay of Magpet in Cotabato Province, was the graduation speaker.

How an aging jeepney driver became a graduation speaker of soon-to-be doctors of medicine is the story of perseverance that spanned years and distances of the jeepney drivers son, Dr. Isagani S. Leal.

Maraming umiyak noon dahil sa binibigkas ng father ko, yung ang mga gabi ay pilit ginawang araw para lang matustusan ang aking pag-aaral, Dr. Leal said.

Dr. Leal is Asias only musculoskeletal expert who had to be a waiter and dish washer in Tropical Hut while in pre-med in between washing cars for a fee, a room boy of Anito Hotel while in Medical School, and being his own delivery boy in a small business he ran while already a practicing doctor in Cotabato City.

Dr. Leal today is the resident sports doctor of all the teams of multibillionaire Manny V. Pangilinan -- the Team Azkals and Talk and Text included, who specializes in non-invasive treatment of sports injuries. Meaning, hell heal you without cutting you up.

His most common patients in this specialized field, however, are old people suffering from arthritis and rheumatism.

Before becoming what he is today, he made a name of sorts as the doctor of poor overseas Filipino workers in Israel during the four years of his residency training for musculoskeletal medicine between 2004-2008 in Tel Aviv.

Hes now a regular visiting specialist of Alexian Brothers Health and Wellness Center in Matina, Davao City starting this year, and his initial once-a-month visit is now extended to twice a month because of the bulk of patients that he gets.

Yung unang clinic ko dito noong February, hanggang 10 oclock kami ng gabi, he said.

He hails from Barangay Pangao-an in Magpet where his mother, Julieta Leal, was the pioneering public school teacher.

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Perseverance personified

I would like to thank all who made the St. Aloysius alumni football game this past weekend a huge success. It was a great community event supporting our efforts to raise money for a new school bus.

Thanks especially to Mary Landers and the parents of our athletes for their hard work; our alumni who played, assisted and attended; volunteers who returned from years past to help; all medical personnel offering their service; the City of Vicksburg; the Warren County Sherriffs Department, especially Leroy Williams; game officials Carey Grantham, Hugh Guest, James Judge and Irby Summerlin; Father Alfred Camp and all of our parish priests for their continuous support. Thanks to Michael Piazza, Michael Strickland, Tryon Rosser, Paul Ingram, Linda Banchetti, Vickie Hopkins and the Purple Pride Band for their dedication to St. Aloysius. Also many thanks to Drs. Coleman & Taylor, Foxs Pizza-Clinton, Goldies, Gym South, Hometown Medical, Jackson Jewelers, May & Company, Papa Johns, Pizza Inn, Rowdys, S&A Lighting, Scott Robbins Physical Therapy, Southern Style Publications, Sports Center, Super Junior, Taco Casa, United Cleaners and all of our contributors and sponsors.

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St. Al alumni game a huge success