View photos from orientation…

A former football coach, insurance claims adjuster, investment banker, and attorney were among those who met recently for the first day of CU-Boulder’s Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical 2013-2014 Program. The seemingly diverse and accomplished individuals all have one thing in common: a desire to pursue a career in the medical field.

Ranging in ages from 22 to 37, the new cohort of Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical students will seek enrollment in medical and dentistry schools after the program concludes next year. The Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program is designed for “career changers” who were academically successful as undergraduates and have completed a bachelor’s degree but have not completed the prerequisite courses needed to apply to medical and dental schools. The rigorous, one-year program helps students prepare with coursework, MCAT support, individual advising, and more.

“I admire your courage for changing careers and for pursuing your passion in medicine and dentistry,” Program Director Brian Hand, PhD, told the group. “After reading your applications and learning about your successes so far, I am excited to work with all of you.”

Kimberly Aut is a former army nurse who returned to the U.S. from Afghanistan in February and moved to Boulder just days before the program’s orientation. Over the course of her career Aut has been gaining experience in a variety of settings, from medical tents in Iraq to obstetrics units stateside. Each experience has moved her closer to her goal of becoming a doctor, and she sees the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program as the next phase.

“There have been stepping stones to get to where I am going, and every part of that path has solidified my desire to pursue medicine,” Aut said.

Chris Ruettinger concurs. After completing his undergraduate degree, Ruettinger said he was somewhat of a “lost soul” trying different jobs looking for his calling. Then, as a firefighter for Colorado State Forest Service, he was part of a fateful medical call in which he tended to a 12-year-old girl who had fallen ill while at summer camp. Ruettinger helped arrange for the girl’s emergency flight. The experience spurred his interest in completing his Emergency Medical Training and ultimately deepened his desire to enroll in medical school.

“Helping that girl made me realize I was interested in the medical field,” he said. “I’ve finally found a career interest that I did not know I had in me.”

In between speakers, introductions, study survival tips, and campus tours, Aut, Ruettinger, and their new classmates were abuzz getting to know one another. These students will be learning together as a cohort — a central benefit of the program, said Jim Ahern, who completed the program with the 2012-2013 cohort.

“Something that really struck me was the cohort model and the way that the faculty and staff at CU have shown their dedication to their roles in supporting students,” said Ahern, who is now the program learning assistant and 2013-2014 cohort mentor. “That is what really sets this program apart.”

Ahern encouraged the students to take advantage of the university’s support network and to never lose sight of their reasons for pursuing the health field.

View photos of orientation in our Post-Bacc Pre-Med Orientation Facebook Album…

Designed for beginners ages 5-7, youth will learn from Elizabeth Leger, an experienced instructor from the College of Music. The camp will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays, from July 1 to July 17, 9-10:30 a.m. in the IMIG music building. Participants may also have the opportunity to attend the Colorado Music Festival on July 18 when they perform Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf.”

The registration fee is $200, and space is limited. To learn more, visit the CU Youth Piano Program web page or contact Amy Yen-Shi Li at 303-492-5950 or yyli@colorado.edu.

In “Lives of 007” students are exploring, from a scholarly perspective, the ways in which the James Bond movies reinvent post-World War II British history and how they have adapted to shifting historical contexts, political landscapes and social anxieties while still appearing fresh, he said.

“We’re less interested in James Bond as a ‘character’ and more as a political and cultural ‘construct,’ ” Acevedo-Muñoz said. “The James Bond movies are not a franchise, they’re a brand name that has stubbornly defeated its past due date by being repackaged, every few cycles, into a slightly different bundle.”

Often a popular course, “Lives of 007” is being offered for the first time during Maymester, an intensive session that allows students to earn up to three credits in three weeks. Acevedo-Muñoz thinks Maymester’s immersive structure may help students better understand the course concepts.

“We will be watching 14 movies in 14 days, so it’ll be like watching a time-lapse photography effect on five decades of cinema technique, cinema history, cultural politics and gender politics. I hope it works,” he said.

“Lives of 007” is one of more than 140 Maymester courses offered May 13-31. Maymester commences Summer Session, which offers a wide range of courses throughout a series of flexible terms.

Student Steven Gordy is taking one course over Maymester and two other courses during Summer Session. The ambitious double major in ethnic studies and sociology believes the courses will help him stay on track to graduate.

“I enjoy summer classes because it allows me to focus my energy on classes individually as compared with the semester with three or four other classes,” he said. “This is particularly beneficial when taking difficult classes.”

Many of CU-Boulder’s most popular, core courses are offered during Maymester and Summer Session. Students can enroll via myCUinfo until the first day of class. The Maymester and summer course lineup is often dominated by core courses that help students fill major requirements, but there are many courses that are both versatile and unique, much like a James Bond film.

Other featured summer courses include:

– “Hacking in Practice”
explores the technical underpinnings of the rapidly growing field of computer security with a special focus on reverse engineering and the mindset of a computer hacker. Maymester

– “Appreciation of Music” allows non-music majors to explore Western music literature and develop discriminating listening habits. June 3-July 5

– “Introduction to Theatre” is taught by visiting scholar and master director Jane Page as part of the FIRST (Faculty-In-Residence Summer Term) program. As part of the class, students will attend Colorado Shakespeare Festival rehearsals and will hear from guest speakers. June 3-July 5

– “Hazardous and Industrial Waste” is an online course that will evaluate the various processes used for treatment of wastes requiring special handling and disposal, and the environmental impact of such processes. June 3-Aug. 9

– “Our Changing Environment: El Niño, Ozone and Climate” discusses the Earth’s climate, focusing on the role of the atmosphere, oceans and land surface, and describes the water cycle, atmospheric circulations and ocean currents, and how they influence global climate. July 9-Aug. 9

All community members, including former Continuing Education students, can now register for these classes at a rate of $150 per course. CU-Boulder faculty, staff, graduate students, and retirees, as well as spouses are eligible to enroll at a subsidized rate of $75.

Classes run for 5 weeks, and meet for 3 hours per week. The first day of classes start the week of June 10 and the classes end the week of July 8. If there are an insufficient number of paid students by 5 pm on June 3, the class may be cancelled. In case of a cancelled class, students will be notified by e-mail on June 6 and tuition will be refunded. In all other cases tuition is non-refundable.

ALTEC language classes are non-credit and for enrichment only. Credit courses are available through Continuing Education and the CU Language Departments. Students enrolled in a language class will have access to a large collection of foreign language materials at the ALTEC Multimedia Language Library. The Multimedia Library is located on the CU campus in Hellems 159.

To learn more, visit the ALTEC  website.

“The reason for the trip was to reconnect with friends, many of whom I’ve taught. Some of the students had not seen each other in years even though they live in Tokyo,” said McCracken, who was traveling Japan for personal reasons but wanted to organize a student reunion while abroad.

“To my knowledge, there have not been any other IEC reunions outside the U.S. like this and certainly none of this size.”

The IEC, established in 1975, is an intensive English program especially designed for students who are preparing to enter a college or university in the United States.

For some students at the reunion, nearly a decade had past since their enrollment in the IEC. Many of the former students knew one another from their time in Boulder, but some were meeting to the first time.

“I think we all enjoyed seeing friends we hadn’t seen in years,” McCracken said. “I enjoyed seeing students connect who had never met each other but who found joy in connecting through shared CU-Boulder experiences even if they experienced CU at different times.”

Nearly 10 years ago, he was hired for a job in the financial service center in the College of Arts and Sciences. After a year, he was promoted to the position of budget officer for the School of Education. During the evening hours, he pursued his master’s degree at CU Denver using the university’s tuition waiver program. After three years, he accepted the job of finance manager in the provost’s office; during that time, he completed his degree. This January, he moved to the Division of Continuing Education as the director of budget and finance.

“I found out how much I enjoyed CU: the atmosphere and the students, faculty, and all the great staff,” he said. “I quickly developed a sense that this is where I’d like to spend my career, and I’ve been lucky enough over the past nine and a half years to have followed that.”

Read more about Nate’s career and his love for fishing, baseball, and CU, of course, in CU Connection’s Five Question for Nate Bindel.

High school students taking courses at CU-Boulder this semester will talk about their experiences, and an admissions counselor will explain how college and university admissions offices view high school concurrent enrollment.

Light refreshments will be served. Free parking is available at the meters along University Avenue after 5:30 p.m. and directly behind the Continuing Education Building after 5 p.m.

The application process for fall 2013 is now open. If you would like to learn more about the High School Concurrent program, schedule an appointment with your high school counselor or email ceadvise@colorado.edu.

Instructor Dieter Bruhn in Costa Rica.

Have you considered living overseas and teaching English? In the Maymester course Applied English Language Teaching Techniques, LING 3800, section 570, participants will gain a strong foundation in methods for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL).

This hands-on course is for those who are interested in gaining credential to teach English abroad. The three-credit course is offered during Maymester, May 13-May 31, Monday-Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-3:30 p.m.

The basics of second language acquisition and English grammar will be covered, but the core of the course will focus on dynamic, creative, and interactive teaching techniques.  Topics will include: teaching listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and pronunciation, as well as classroom management, board techniques, icebreakers, language games, improv and theater techniques, movie clips, songs, chants, and rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns. In addition, there will be a foreign language component in which participants will be placed into the role of beginning language learners and participate in several lessons involving an unknown foreign language in order to gain deeper insights into both learning and teaching.  Moreover, the course will include a practicum, which will give participants the opportunity to assist and teach lessons in authentic ESL classes.

Dieter Bruhn is the course instructor. Bruhn has 20-plus years of experience in teaching, training, management, cross-cultural learning, curriculum development, and instructional design. In addition, Bruhn has taught English programs all over the world, including Germany, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and he has been involved in call center training projects in India, the Philippines, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Mexico.

“Teaching abroad is a wonderful way to experience a different culture while doing something meaningful and rewarding,” Bruhn said. “There is a great deal to be learned through living and working in a different country, and you can gain skills that are invaluable to your future.”

Tuition for Applied English Language Teaching Techniques is $1,074. CU-Boulder students can register via MyCUInfo. Non-students should download and fill out the Registration Form. The form includes registration instructions.

Discover what Summer Session has to offer you at the Summer Session Info Fair, Monday, March 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom. Many of CU’s most popular and sought-after courses are offered during Summer Session.

At the Summer Session Info Fair, you can talk with an advisor and explore your options. You will learn about unique summer offerings, including Maymester, online options, and summer-exclusive courses taught by renowned visiting faculty. Free pizza and giveaways provided!

Summer Session registration begins March 6. For more information visit: http://www.colorado.edu/summer/

Launched in 2009 by the Division of Continuing Education, CU Complete provides academic, financial aid and career advising to support students in degree completion. To date, more than 400 former CU-Boulder students have worked with Continuing Education advisors and 78 students have graduated with assistance from CU Complete.

“When we started this project, we were surprised to learn that a number of students had not completed their degrees despite being in good academic standing and well along in their degree requirements,” said Anne K. Heinz, dean of Continuing Education at CU-Boulder. “We wanted to reach out to these students, reassure them that it was not too late to finish their degree and that there are resources available to help them.”

Various factors can influence a student’s decision to leave school. Students cite family emergencies, health issues and employment opportunities as some of the reasons. But time and finances are the primary barriers that stand in the way of degree completion according to data gathered via CU Complete student surveys. In addition, work, family and geography — many former students no longer live in Boulder — make re-enrollment a challenge.

“We work closely with academic departments to offer flexible online and evening courses, which can help former students earn credit within their circumstances,” Heinz said. “No matter their reasons for leaving, we find that former students have a strong desire to complete their degrees and enjoy a great sense of accomplishment when they graduate.”

In 2008, CU-Boulder student Annie Barr walked with her class at spring commencement. She later discovered she needed to complete a few courses to graduate. Barr was working full-time in addition to completing a part-time internship. She attempted to finish her coursework, but her schedule and finances were a challenge and she quickly became preoccupied with her emerging career.

“My internship turned into a full-time position, and I began my career. With a busy schedule of late nights and travel, my priorities shifted away from completing my degree,” she said. “I was a committed and involved student in college — I participated in a leadership program, student government and jobs on campus. Not completing my degree was not a matter of ability; it was a matter of priority.”

Even with her career in progress, Barr continued to harbor hope for finishing her degree. Last year, she worked with a Continuing Education advisor and received a scholarship to enroll in her remaining course. In 2012, Barr graduated with bachelor’s degrees in communication and Germanic Studies.

“I didn’t realize how much the reality of not having my degree was really bothering me deep down,” she said. “The burden was finally lifted when I earned my degree.

“I can rest assured that if I come across an opportunity in life that requires a degree, I can produce it. More importantly, I have a degree that validates all the incredible experiences I had at CU-Boulder and all my hard work.”

Like Barr, many returning CU-Boulder students may be eligible for financial assistance and scholarships.

The CU Complete Scholarship, initially made possible with grant funding from the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, and the Lumina Foundation, has been awarded to more than 100 students and funding is still available.

For more information about CU Complete and the CU Complete Scholarship visit http://cucomplete.colorado.edu or email ceadvise@colorado.edu.