University of Phoenix will debut its immersive learning center featuring state-of-the-art wireless high-fidelity SIM Man 3G “patient” mannequins that cry, talk, sweat, cough and breathe; and a high-fidelity baby that reacts astonishingly similar to its live counterpart, at a private reception and grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 29, across from its Elwood Street campus in Phoenix.

The University is introducing the immersive learning program in its LPN to BSN degree program, with plans to integrate it into other nursing degree programs. Faculty facilitators are highly trained on the immersive learning approach beyond the University’s standard requisites for teaching. Their rigorous training includes 16 hours of clinical instruction, 8 hours of mentoring and a minimum of 16 hours of prior supervised teaching in a practical learning environment before they facilitate their first learning experience with nursing students.

Immersive learning and the use of simulation labs are valuable tools to train students in the skills and tasks they’ll use in their future nursing profession. A learning experience in a simulated clinical environment that mirrors the students’ real-world clinical or hospital rotation provides a safe, non-life-threatening atmosphere in which to make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and ultimately results in improved risk management because of the student’s higher quality of care and immersive training.

Earning a nursing degree can give you an opportunity for a great career. Nurses are in demand in major metropolitan areas across the country.

For most people, getting the flu vaccine every year usually isn’t a problem.

But this year is different.

Not only is the vaccine for the swine flu, or H1N1 virus, in short supply, but so is the vaccine for regular seasonal flu.

Health officials are targeting students, including college students, because they’re among the most at risk.

Local colleges have been conducting campus clinics to administer the vaccines for seasonal flu.

One of the biggest concerns about colleges and universities is that campuses are not closed environments.

Elizabethtown College conducted a series of seasonal flu vaccine clinics this fall to reduce the risk of students, faculty and staff contracting the regular flu.

School administrators are beefing up efforts to encourage students to take steps to keep the virus from spreading further.

Flu activity is widespread in 48 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu-related hospitalizations and deaths continue to increase and are very high nationwide compared to what is expected for this time of year.

Students need to contact their health clinic if they think they may have the H1N1 virus or think that they may have been exposed to it. Symptoms that you may have H1N1 and not the regular flu include diarrhea and vomiting in addition to regular flu symptoms.

Hefner came to Syracuse to share what she’s learned via her journey at Playboy, and reflect on two decades of leading a multi-billion dollar international company.

Here are few pieces of advice Hefner offered to the packed auditorium of Syracuse University students:

Lose the jargon. “Try not to be either intimidated by or a captive of jargon. Even though it’s language, and language is about communication, it often exists actually to obfuscate, and to control power, and not to communicate.”

Don’t ever stop meeting people. “I don’t think you can know too many smart people. I don’t think you should ever stop meeting people. In the course of constantly trying to meet people, and constantly expanding my network, I met a person named Jim Clark who was the original founder of a company called Mosaic, which became Netscape, which is what turned the Internet into what we know as the Internet. And because I met him I was able to have a conversation about whether it was possible to take Playboy online, without simply turning the brand and the content over to a CompuServe and losing control of the brand and losing control of the creative commercial applications. And he said, because of his rich knowledge, ‘Why yes it is. I can build an infrastructure for you where people can simply type in ‘Playboy.com’ and they will be at your site.’”

Don’t ever stop trying to learn. “If you ever get to a point where you stop learning you will find your professional options and your personal satisfaction severely curtailed. Because this world is changing much too quickly.”

Read history. “If you do wind up in a position of leadership I would urge not to spend a lot of time reading books about leadership, which I find, in the main, a waste of time, and for sure if it’s got a number in the title. You can definitely skip those. Read history. I learned more about leadership reading about Abraham Lincoln than I ever learned reading The One-Minute Manager.”

Good advice is valuable, but only when you put it in to play. Students at Syracuse had a great opportunity to have an icon break down the fine points of being and remaining successful.

Here are two findings that the researchers labeled “promising”:

—Over half the students surveyed “frequently had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity;” only 1 in 7 “reported that they never had such conversations.”

—About 1 in 3 seniors “participated in a culminating experience such as a capstone course, senior project or comprehensive examination.”

Here are several others, though, that the researchers labeled “disappointing”:

—About 1 in 5 students “frequently” came to class without completing readings or assignments.

—Transfer students, whether from community colleges or other four-year institutions, “participated in fewer high-impact activities, interacted less with faculty, and rated their campus relationships lower” than those students who arrived as freshmen.

—About 2 out of 5 freshmen reported that they “never discussed ideas from readings or classes with faculty members outside of class.”

Students on a college campus or even in an online school are generally encouraged to engage their teachers in appropriate discussion in regards to classroom material. And students tend to have an overall better experience if they participate in activities on campus and have moral support from peers. Being part of the fabric at your school can help you stay motivated and focused on your studies.

Sierra College is the first community college in California to receive LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Sierra College earned LEED gold for its first permanent building at its Tahoe-Truckee campus, the college announced Friday.

The 28,500-square-foot building, which can serve up to 1,000 students, was designed by architecture firm Lionakis and built by contractor Rudolph & Sletten.

The two-story structural steel building has asphalt composite roofing, with fiber cement siding and a natural stone exterior. It houses lecture classrooms, science and chemistry labs, art classrooms, a “mechatronics” laboratory, a library, a student eating and gathering area, and administrative offices.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system provides third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across a range of areas including: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources.

College campuses are competing for how green they are, but this is the first school in California to be LEED certified. This is a great way for college campuses to lower the impact that they have on the environment around them. This is a great honor for this school.

Responding to strong demand from both students and the restaurant industry, Oregon Culinary Institute announced today that it is approved to offer three new management degree programs. Effective with the next term, which begins December 9, 2009, the newly available credentials are an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Management, an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Baking and Pastry Management and an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Restaurant Management. The school launched its new management curriculum with a Restaurant Management Diploma in July.

“Since our opening nearly four years ago, culinary and baking and pastry students have been very clear about their desire to learn the business side of restaurants,” said Eric Stromquist, Oregon Culinary Institute campus president. “We have always stressed management skills in our programs, so this is a natural evolution for us and makes Oregon Culinary Institute not just a cooking school but a truly complete and comprehensive restaurant school.”

Oregon Culinary Institute is the only culinary school in Portland to offer this unique blend of restaurant education.

Earning your degree in culinary management get you started in a career in the restaurant business. Culinary and restaurant management degree holders have opportunities to work in a variety of settings. You can even take your skills to resorts and restaurants in exciting vacation destinations.

Despite the current economic conditions, green careers are on the rise, said Janina Robbins, a career and internship adviser for the WSU Center for Advising and Career Development.

Robbins said that even federal money is going to invigorating the field.

“There are some stimulus monies helping the growth of green jobs,” she said. “A lot of it is going to wind and solar areas.” Kate McIlraith, the assistant director of recruitment for the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, said she was surprised at the number of students at Alive! this summer who asked about majors that can lead to green careers.

“I couldn’t believe the number of incoming students who showed interest in our natural resource sciences and wildlife ecology programs,” she said. “It was really amazing.” The information fair held in the Lighty Student Services Building on Wednesday provided students with job opportunities that seek to help the environment. Some of the groups in attendance included the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute, the Center for Civic Engagement, CAHNRS and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.

Washington State University and other schools across the country are offering college student the opportunity to earn a degree in an environmental field. There is currently a need for qualified people to fill green jobs.

As the technological and financial aspects of the American education system change rapidly, current and prospective teachers have more content and methodology than ever to learn.

As a result, schools experiencing shortages of qualified teacher are expanding certification options for their employees.

Earning a teaching degree online can be a great way to start a new career, or advance in your current position. Teachers who work for public institutions often have great benefits and retirement plans. State pension programs can make becoming a teacher a sound investment for their futures.

Sussex County Community College has launched a Healthy Campus, Healthy You campaign geared at promoting healthy habits for healthy living for their faculty, staff and students.

As part of this campaign the college will promote fitness friendly habits through various communication mediums including its Web site, posters around campus, e-mail blasts and staff and student testimonials.

Several initiatives focused on wellness are already underway, including the clearing of a one-mile fitness trail on campus, a walking club, exercise classes, new heart healthy menu choices in the cafeteria and vending machines and monthly promotions on health issues.

Additionally, the college recently launched an online health and wellness magazine, Student Health 101, to deliver monthly tips to students like reducing stress, succeeding in classes and eating well on campus.

In October, SCCC celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness month by sponsoring a number of events on campus and supporting local breast cancer fundraising activities. A Depression Screening Day was also held where students learned more about this illness.

The months to come will feature various health awareness events such as the Great American Smokeout, American Diabetes Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November and AIDS Awareness Month in December.

Promoting health and awareness on college campuses is a great way to get young people started on a more healthy life. If healthy choices are made early in life, it is more likely that they will be followed and passed on to others.

Do a rough cut of your family finances. Use the estimated financial aid calculators here to see how much money your family will be expected to contribute to tuition, room, board and expenses. If it’s an entirely unrealistic amount, based on what you’ve got in savings and how much you expect to earn over the next few years, start making alternative plans.

Be ready to get the financial aid numbers in early. Send those aid applications in before the end of January, even if you have to later revise some answers. Schools tend to be more generous with financial aid awards early in the season. Position your 2009 income to be as low as possible before the end of the year is out. It could help your family qualify for financial aid for the 2010-2011 school year.

Consider lots of alternatives. Community colleges are among the best. Even students who attend top-flight colleges have figured out they can take some of their basic required courses at a local two-year school and save on tuition. Most community colleges have agreements with state university systems; if you get reasonable grades in the first two years of community college you can transfer automatically into the flagship four-year school.

The cost of everything has risen, and will continue to do so. Economic situations aside, more and more students are applying to college, and the competition is tough. Best thing to do is get an early start on making your college plans.