Keiser University

NEWSLETTER Volume #18

WELCOME

Welcome new students starting on August 30, 2021! In

addition to welcoming new students, the Keiser University Orlando Campus would like to welcome back students in

nursing and clinical programs, as they return to campus. On August 30, 2021, we are also welcoming back to campus

online and hybrid students. In addition to our new and

returning students, please join us in welcoming our new

faculty and staff.

FINANCIAL AID President Biden has agreed to

extend the Federal Student Loan Covid forbearance until at least

January 31, 2022.

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STUDENT SERVICES It has been a long time since we have heard that familiar sound of steps coming down the hallway or voices talking about an exam!

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GRADUATION The Keiser University Orlando

Campus hosted its first commencement ceremony since

COVID-19.

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KEISER UNIVERSITY Orlando Campus

5600 Lake Underhill Road Orlando, Florida 32807 Telephone: 407-273-5800 Fax: 407-381-1233

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT August 30, 2021 Dear Students, Faculty, & Staff, Welcome to Fall Semester! As we conclude one semester and move into the next, it’s a good time to reflect. Life often has a way of inserting challenge after challenge. As difficult as many of life’s challenges are, I am continually impressed with the stories I hear of overcoming them. I am constantly impressed by the dedication, focus, sacrifice, and pure grit of our students, alumni, faculty and staff. There are so many inspiring stories but one that comes to mind often for me is that of a single mother of 5. This student attended school full time and worked 2 jobs to take care of her family. She also fought through numerous health issues along the way among other heart aches. This student knew the benefits of a college education and worked diligently to reach her goals. She was also a first generation college student and knew her example would help shape her children’s futures. Ultimately she graduated and is working very successfully in her field. This student and so many others like her are an inspiration. No matter the challenge or obstacle that may face you in life, keep going. Keep doing what it takes to be successful. Utilize the vast resources Keiser University has for you. As we all know, there is no easy path to success. We must work every day, every hour to reach out goals. We must be humble and open to feedback. We must be willing to do what it takes. Below are several key areas that will help us be successful: Guiding Principles:

• Respect Everyone • Remember: What you focus on grows • Work Hard and Stay Focused on Your Goals • Be Humble / Be Teachable • Have a Positive Attitude • Follow the rules • Make decisions that will lead to the results you want • Show Up to Class • Behaviors + Attitude = Results

Together, lets continue to DO what it takes to be successful. In conclusion, as you may have already heard, The 2021 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges ranking named Keiser University #11 in Social Mobility nationwide and #1 in Florida! Congratulations to all Keiser University Students, Alumni, Faculty, and Staff for making this happen! There is so much to be proud of at Keiser University and that starts with you. Have a wonderful Semester! Dr. Harrison

www.keiseruniversity.edu

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NEWS IN

FINANCIAL AID

Of course, any Federal Direct Student Loans that you are using during your

current enrollment at Keiser will not go into repayment until 6 months after

your last date of attendance. However, if you have loans from a prior school

they may go back into repayment in February unless you request an in-school

deferment, so you do not have to pay on them while you are still attending

Keiser. You can fill out the In-School Deferment Request form in the Financial

Aid office. No appointment is needed for this. Just stop by or contact your

financial aid office and ask for the form.

KEISER SUPER CON Issue # 2 of Keiser University-Orlando’s Comic Con is scheduled for December

10-11, 2021. This event will be open to the community as we bring together

artists, vendors, cosplayers, and various geeky and nerdy fandoms to celebrate

pop-culture. The event is entirely for charity, this year will be benefitting the

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of North and Central Florida. If you are

interested in volunteering to help with the event or want to find out more,

please see Amy Flowers (Batman) in Financial Aid or Dennis Ferraro in Student

Services.

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“We will assist you with your

job search.”

STUDENT SERVICES Scare Fair STUDENT SERVICES IS HERE TO ASSIST YOU Cortni Merritt, MA: Writing Studio

Coordinator It has been a long time since we have heard that familiar sound of steps

coming down the hallway or voices talking about an exam! Distance

learning has presented many challenges for you and Student Services! It

has been quiet since March 2020, but now it is going to get so much

better!

It does not matter if you are on-campus or on-line with your studies,

because Student Services is here to assist you with the tools that are

required to get that job! We offer 14 seminars that help with your study

skills, time management, resumes, interviews, or even job searches to

name a few! Yes, we will assist you with that job search even after

graduation!

Our door is open, so feel free to swing by if there is anything that Student

Services can do to assist you!

The Keiser Univeristy Orlando Scare Fair Open House is Wednesday, October 27, 2021 5 PM-8 PM. The Keiser University Orlando Campus is transformed into a haunted house for the Scare Fair. The theme of the haunted house is “Last Stop: Route 13.” You're driving down an old country road, but things are not as peaceful as they seem out in the middle of nowhere. You take a wrong turn and your car breaks down. Can you make it back to safety, or will you succumb to the horrors you find on Route 13? The haunted house is for adults and teenagers. For younger children, the Keiser University Orlando Campus hosts a Trunk ‘o Treat with Gateway Orlando for children to trick-or-treat with local businesses. There will be costume contests, bounce houses, face painting, and balloon animals. Admission is FREE and open to the community with a donation of non-perishable food for a local food pantry. Bring your friends and family! Volunteer, vendor, and sponsorship opportunities are available.

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GRADUATION The Keiser University Orlando Campus Commencement

Ceremony was on June 18, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. at Orlando Baptist

Church behind the Keiser University Orlando Campus.

“I have participated in a lot of commencement ceremonies, but this

ceremony was special to me as my first one at Keiser University,”

said Dr. Todd Harrison, the Keiser University Orlando Campus

Campus President.

One hundred graduates participated in the 2021 Commencement

Ceremony. Because the campus has not had a commencement

ceremony since 2019, students who graduated between June 2019

and June 2021 were eligible to participate in the ceremony. The

number of graduates and guests were limited to maintain social

distancing and everyone was asked to wear a facial mask. Every

academic program was represented, including master, bachelor,

and associate degrees.

Lloyd Coleman, Bachelor of Science in Forensic Investigations, was

the Valedictorian. Gordon “Adam” Pollett, Bachelor of Arts in

Homeland Security, was the Salutatorian.

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DIGITAL HAPPENINGS @LIBRARY

Are you writing a paper; researching a topic; working on a project, or studying for an exam? Your first stop should be the

Keiser University Orlando Library. Aside from the physical book collection, you have access to thousands of online journals,

books, magazines and newspapers. Log in to keiserlibrary.com, your access point to all the information you would need to

complete your task. Practically everything on this landing page is clickable: the database list, ebook sources, ejournals and

streaming videos are among your initial starting points. Your best bet is the “Popular Databases” box located in the lower

middle of the page. Click on any of these links and you will be required to sign in with your Blackboard credentials. This is

a one – time sign in; after that you may move freely from database to database.

Once into the search page of a database, there are several tools to use to focus your search results, print and/or save articles

and formatting for your reference/ bibliography page in APA 7th Edition format.

It is important to remember that the more you use these databases, the better you will get at research and that the online

resources are available to you from any computer, anywhere.

GABRIELLA ELENA REYES

was born on March 10, 2021 at 8:52 a.m. to Amber Reyes,

Nursing Faculty Member, and Jaime Reyes. She was 7 pounds 11

ounces and 20 inches long.

KIMBERLEE THOMAS

received her Master of Business Administration in Finance and is getting married on February 12,

2022.

MEL ISSA SOTO started as the Receptionist in Admissions on June 28, 2021.

Before Keiser, she worked 20 years in the hospitality industry. She changed careers to spend more time with her daughters Sasely Diaz (21) and Janelly Herandez (8). She is Puerto Rican and was

born in Frankfurt, Germany.

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KU ORLANDO WRITING STUDIO

KU ORLANDO MATH LAB

Cortni Merritt, MA: Writing Studio Coordinator

John E. Martinausky, MEd: Beginning Algebra Instructor

September 2021: Monday & Thursday: 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tuesday & Wednesday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Need help with your writing? Worried about the “flow”? Visit the Writing Studio for more than grammar, punctuation, and technical rules (but yes! I do that, too!). Get help with:

• Organizing your ideas • Structuring your essay • Fitting your research together • Focusing your topic • Delivering a solid conclusion

Visit the following link to book a 30-minute one-on-one session with me to review and enhance your work. https://kuorlandowriting.setmore.com/ Did you know?: In “My Courses” in Blackboard, you are already registered for the Keiser Writing Studio (the “OWL”). Check there to find:

• Access to SafeAssign – the KU plagiarism checker – to check your paper before you submit it for a grade.

• Links to YouTube playlists for basic writing & APA assistance, including videos on topics like “how to write an abstract” and “the facts about fact-checking”.

• PDFs & Powerpoint presentations on APA you can download.

• Links to Podcasts for Students on topics including grammar, academic writing, and “productivity, personal finance & other interesting things.”

See you soon!

John Martinausky teaches Basic Math in the Math Lab as a competency based, mastery-learning course. Learners work on one sub-objective at a time with computer assisted instruction using the Pearson “My Math Lab” program. Students are evaluated on individual competencies and can only move on to other competencies after they have learned the current skill/sub-objectives. As the student progresses, higher and more complex competencies are learned. Mastery learning means that the student must demonstrate a high level of proficiency by attaining a homework score of 85% or higher before moving on to more advanced topics. In traditional courses, students are sometimes awarded partial credit for their work. In a mastery-learning mathematics course, this is not appropriate. If a student does not achieve mastery on an assignment, then the student is given time and additional support in learning. Computer assisted instructional software makes this possible by generating similar exercises or whole problem sets, as needed, for HW’s or quizzes/tests respectively. The cycle continues until the learner accomplishes mastery, at which point, the student may move on to the next stage. In keeping with the tenets of competency-based learning, the Basic Math learning path in the Math Lab is a logically arranged, finely graduated, linear sequence of competencies.

CAMPUS PARKING For the Fall 2021 Semester, the Keiser University Orlando Campus is welcoming and welcoming back the largest number of students to the campus. For everyone to convently find parking, have your parking permit with decal number visible. If you do not have a parking permit, visit the Receptionist in Admissions or Human Resources. Students are permitted to park in the front and back of the campus. Faculty and staff are permitted to park in the back of the campus to Orlando Baptist Church and at Denny’s. Students are not permitted to park at Denny’s.

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META TELETHERAPY Keiser University partners with META to provide mental health and wellness resources for students, faculty, and staff. META is a FREE App from the Google Play or Apple App Store. Free articles and resources are available through the app. If you need to connect with a mental health counselor or provider, you can connect with them through the app. Confidential counseling is available virtually through the app. If you would like to meet with a counselor or provider in-person, you can schedule an appointment with them through the App. For questions and additional information about META, visit Student Services.

BE RED CROSS READY Hurricane Safety Checklist Know the Difference Hurricane Watch—Hurricane conditions are a threat within 48 hours. Review your hurricane plans, keep informed and be ready to act if a warning is issued. Hurricane Warning—Hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours. Complete your storm preparations and leave the area if directed to do so by authorities. Hurricanes are strong storms that cause life and property threatening hazards such as flooding, storm surge, high winds and tornandoes. Preparation is the best protection against the dangers of a hurricane. What should I do?

• Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio for critical information from the National Weather Service (NWS). • Check your disaster supplies and replace or restock as needed. • Bring in anything that can be picked up by the wind (bicycles, lawn furniture). • Close windows, doors and hurricane shutters. If you do not have hurricane shutters, close and board up all windows

and doors with plywood. • Turn the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting and keep them closed as much as possible so that food will last

longer if the power goes out. • Turn off propane tanks and unplug small appliances. • Fill your car’s gas tank. • Talk with members of your household and create an evacuation plan. • Planning and practicing your evacuation plan minimizes confusion and fear during the event. • Learn about your community’s hurricane response plan. Plan routes to local shelters, register family members with

special medical needs as required and make plans for your pets to be cared for. • Evacuate if advised by authorities. Be careful to avoid flooded roads and washed out bridges. • Because standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flooding, it’s important to have protection from the floods

associated with hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy rains and other conditions that impact the U.S. For more information on flood insurance, please visit the National Flood Insurance Program Web site at www.FloodSmart.gov.

NURSING PINNING CEREMONIES The Keiser University Orlando Campus Bachelor of Science and Associate of Science in Nursing Programs hosted their Pinning Ceremonies on Friday, August 27, 2021 in Building 1, Rooms 202-204. Bachelor of Science students and faculty were able to celebrate the Pinning Ceremonies in-person at the Orlando Campus. Family and friends were able to join the ceremonies online through Zoom. Associate of Sciece students, faculty, friends, and family were able to celebrate in-person at the Orlando Campus.

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