As TWU Extension’s new Associate Director of Adult Degree Completion, Jodi Reek will be focusing on two main areas, engaging more adult students in the program as well as supporting the current students in the BA in Leadership. Jodi says, “ I am really looking forward to getting to know the people in our programs and helping them reach their goals.” Her direct line is 604 513 2121 ext. 3899 and her email is jodi.reek@twu.ca. Give her a call - she would love to get to know you.
 
Jodi has been involved with Extension over the past couple years, helping service our adult learners.  She graduated from TWU in 1989.   Right before coming back to TWU, Jodi worked as a Social Worker and in Health & Wellness with seniors and their families at ElimVillage, a seniors’ residential retirement community. She has also been in children's ministries as a director/pastor at Gracepoint Church in Surrey BC.
Her experience in working with adults and volunteers, coordinating activities, counseling and guiding will be tremendous benefit in her new role.  
 
As Linda Long, Executive Director of  TWU Extension said, she is very personable and has a deep desire to help people achieve their goals and dreams.  Jodi’s a busy working mother herself, so she understands what it means to run a busy household and juggle many interests.   She and her husband Peter Reek (marketing specialist with his own recruitment firm, Smart Savvy & Associates) have three daughters, Jaime (17), Megan (15) and Jessie (11). Their oldest is graduating from high school this year.  

By Eleanor Long, Summer Sessions Student

Spring, summer, winter, fall; but summer I like the best of all.
One of my favorite things about attending Trinity Western University is that after attending schools where my summer didn’t start until mid to late June, it now started at the end of April. Two months of summer instantly doubled!
But while I’ve enjoyed my extra long summers, I also know the benefit of taking extra courses over the summer. Last year while preparing to turn in my grad audit, I discovered I was six credits short. Not exactly a dire emergency, but there was some mild panic involved.
Summer courses were the obvious solution to my predicament. So in May I took two, two-week courses on campus. I earned my credits and was still able to enjoy the rest of my summer.
If being in the classroom during your summer isn’t your cup of tea, there are other options to explore, such as online courses and travel studies. If you’re looking for something closer to home, and still want meaningful learning integrated with face-to-face interaction, then look no further than TWU’s retreat courses.
Offered in May and September, retreat courses take place off campus in beautifully rustic and remote settings, where students can relax and have fun as they earn credits. The assigned pre-reading and post-assignments allow students and instructors to engage in uninterrupted discourse, creating a holistic learning environment. It is a different way to do education, and a potentially life changing experience.
Sign up today!

Ever wonder what it's like to float on the Dead Sea, walk where Jesus walked, or ride a boat on the Sea of Galilee? For most, these activities describe the vacation of a lifetime, but for 28 Trinity Western University participants, this is just another day at school.

From May 3-21, TWU will launch an innovative travel study program that offers students the opportunity to earn university credits while experiencing the sights and sounds of biblically significant locales.

Students can choose up to two courses of the four facilitated by Professors Kent Clarke, Ph.D. and Ivan De Silva, M.Div.: Introduction to Old Testament Studies, Introduction to New Testament Studies, Biblical Archaeology, and the Life and Teaching of Jesus. “Studying the story of the Bible in the land in which it is set, moves biblical studies from a two-dimensional experience to a three dimensional one,” says De Silva. “Students no longer just read about the events; they see, hear, smell and touch them as well.”

Every location is connected with a discipline, and the course curriculum will be taught at various locations around Israel, including a trip to Bethlehem and lecture at Bethlehem Bible College, a tour of the Valley of Elah (site of David and Goliath’s famous battle), and Caesarea Maritima (Herod's harbor retreat—which also served as a launching point for Paul's missionary journeys and later, was the site of his imprisonment). “The professors will be teaching in a land where the land is the classroom,” says TWU’s Lucy Gerbrandt, who is organizing as well as participating in the trip. “It’s our first travel study trip to Israel, and our content experts will teach our students.”

In addition to the teaching of TWU professors, students will receive an insider’s guide to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, from Jewish archaeologist Hanan Eschel. Other locations include a visit to Herod’s fortress, Masada, where the last Jewish Zealot resi
stance was crushed. Students will tour Ein Gedi, an oasis on the edge of the Judean desert, where David hid from Saul in the numerous clefts and caves lining its craggy trails and visit the Golan Heights and the Mount of Beatitudes.
 
Students will also visit Eilat (the oasis the Israelites encountered after crossing the Red Sea), the city of Petra (a UNESCO World Heritage Site carved out of the rock), and St. Catherine's Monastery. The trip ends in Jerusalem where the Temple, Mount of Olives, Old City, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Garden Tomb are located.

“Educators tell us that the more senses we can engage in studying a topic, the deeper we will understand it,” De Silva says. “This is what we've designed the trip to be: a fully tactile experience that will deeply impact the students and etch the story of the Bible in their memories.”

“This course is the most tactical approach to degree completion that you will encounter in education,” is how instructor Marilyn Edwards describes Leadership 301, the first course in the TWU BA in Leadership. This is an excellent course for anyone going back to school because of its modular focus on leadership, learning, and self. Understanding oneself, setting goals, managing one’s time, and applying what is learned are significant elements of LDRS 301.

This unique course uses its leadership theme to train adult learners how to study efficiently and achieve academic success. It teaches them effective reading, research, and critical thinking skills and provides a writing “tool kit” with resources specific to producing a well-structured paper that is clear, concise, and coherent.

Edwards, along with Linda Long, Executive Director of TWU Extension, guides students toward three main achievements during this course. First, they will discover how to become authentic leaders, grounded in character and guided by a moral compass. Each one will practice and succeed in becoming a master student through the assignments and course activities targeted for their learning success. They will establish a greater sense of self as they determine and build on their five key strengths or core talents.

Edwards believes that education is one way to build on that core. Just as in an Olympic sport, the player who seeks to become more knowledgeable in that sport and practices to improve will achieve a goal that the equally-talented player will not.
Edwards says that LDRS 301 teaches adult learners to operate from their strengths, rather than focusing on their weaknesses. And through this course these students will experience the joy of reaching for their goals with the wind in their sails instead of wasting their time paddling upstream.

Despite the diverse backgrounds of the students in each cohort, they will all have a chance to explore beyond their current status, whether related to business, work, volunteer organizations or relationships.

“It’s a delight to work with them,” says Edwards.

The leadership principles that students learn can be applied at home, work and church. All course content and learning is directed to a practical end. Each class or cohort is comprised of a small group of adults who have committed to learning and want an accelerated path to achieve their goal to complete a degree in the next two years.
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Marilyn Edwards has a Master’s in Educational Leadership from San Diego State University. She has always loved working with the written word and has taught students of all ages, from kindergarten to university. In addition to experience in business and leadership, Marilyn lived in Taiwan for five years, teaching English Literature at an international high school as well as English as a Second Language. While in Busan, Korea, she taught ESL at Dong-A University, preparing senior students for study abroad. Prior to teaching in the Adult Degree-Completion program, Marilyn has led undergraduate and graduate English language support programs for international students at TWU.

"Condensed summer courses at Trinity Western University are the way to go. You focus on one or two courses and it is great for organizing your work schedule. Summer courses are a great way to alleviate stress from the regular fall and spring semesters and I'd definitely recommend them." Carmen B.

TWU summer courses let educators take courses to broaden their teaching skills. College students can pick up a course in their major. Business people can learn about leadership development. Pastors and lay leaders can delve into in-depth study. People can become trained to teach English in Canada and overseas. Whether you want to study for university credit or take a class for personal growth, there's a TWU summer course for you.

Depending on how much time you have, you can take a course that's only one week long or up to eight weeks long between the end of April and first week of September.

Summer sessions also help those who need to get prerequisites to programs beginning in the fall, such as anatomy and physiology.

Teachers who move to BC can fill any gaps in their BC teaching requirements by taking accelerated summer courses.

Summer courses are a way to accelerate your studies. Both professors and students appreciate the more intense nature of summer courses and the higher interactivity that results. Choose from over hundred summer courses.
Retreats are a special kind of course available only in the summer: Studies on Thomas Merton, for example. This retreat meets for one week at Westminster Abbey in Mission, BC in the guest house of the abbey.

Get away to 100 Mile House for a course on psychology and spirituality or study the Book of John. There is time for personal reflection, horseback riding, fishing, line-dancing, hiking and camp fires.

Try the camp experience for the last week of August and build friendships at Green Bay Bible Camp in Kelowna BC. There are six courses to choose from—everything from Photography to Religious Studies. This camp is on Lake Okanagan, so in your free time you can ski, wakeboard or tube behind one of Green Bay's Mastercraft competition boats.

Need a liberal arts core? Start on April 26—one night a week over six weeks.

Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) is another option. Students can begin their certificate to teach ESL, by taking their first course two nights a week in May and June.

Your next life-changing experience could begin with Mission Possible. This one week course offers the opportunity live in Downtown Eastside Vancouver. You will learn about the sociological and theological motivations of faith-based social services and have extensive interactions with street people.

Guatemala is the site of an opportunity to spend a month in another culture. This experience includes a one-week home stay with a Guatemalan family and time helping at an orphanage. Or, choose from six other travel study experiences.

TWU has open registration during the summer, so it only takes five minutes on the phone to sign up. There are online and evening courses for those who are working through the summer.

For more information, contact summer@twu.ca or call Jonathan Barkowsky at 604.513.2121 ext. 3078. www.twu.ca/summer .

"Returning to university after a 22-year hiatus has been such a rewarding experience for me. I had set my sights on attending TWU many times in the past, but always was unable to do so because of circumstances and finances. Suddenly, it felt that God had whisked me into this newly developed BA in Leadership through the accelerated Adult Degree Completion program. It's about time this type of program was available for adults who work full-time but still have dreams to fulfill. I was seriously considering another university on Vancouver Island, but TWU is close to home, the program is doable, and the experience so far, rewarding. What is most fun, is calling myself a student after so many years. Completing my degree will provide closure to a long thirsted-after goal, and I am sure, open new doors of opportunity for me in my future!" - Shauna H.

Learn how you can finish your degree in one convenient night a week!
Advisors are available in the Northwest Building on the campus of Trinity Western University. Contact an advisor at adc@twu.ca for more information.
DIRECTIONS: When you drive into campus, go straight  on 76th Avenue (the street that enters the campus) until you come to the end of the road to the four-story orange/red building with a green roof. Enter the building through  the first pair of doors off the parking turnaround under "Global Learning Connections." 

Contact an advisor for the schedule for the next  Leadership Adult Degree Completion information night  in the Northwest Building on Trinity Western University’s campus. (Go to the first doors under "Global Learning Connections" facing the parking turnaround.) The next cohort starts Tuesday, April 26 from 6-9 p.m. in the Northwest building.

Degree Completion interview – a conversation with Jonathan and Linda

Linda Long, Executive Director of Trinity Western University Extension, and Jonathan Barkowsky, Degree Completion Program Advisor, answered some questions about TWU’s degree completion program:

First, what is a degree completion program?

LL: What everyone's been waiting for. A faster, quality-packed, format designed to help working adults finish their degree in reasonable time frames.  It’s a unique opportunity for adults to finish what they started years ago in a way that works with their busy work and life schedules. They don't have to quit their day responsibilities in our one-night-a-week, year-round schedule. 

How long has TWU had an adult degree completion program?

LL: We began our degree completion programming in 2007 at our Bellingham, Washington extension site.  In September 2009 we launched the BA in Leadership Degree Completion program for the first time in Canada at our main campus.

Why did TWU create an Adult Degree Completion program?

LL:  Two reasons: 1) We wanted to extend the TWU educational experience to an adult audience that otherwise can't access TWU, and 2) We believe in people.  We want to do all we can to help adults advance in their careers, to help them reach a milestone in their lives and to feel good about their personal accomplishments, and to equip people with the capacity to reach their fullest potential to impact their world. 

What makes it special?

LL: We have a very adult-friendly approach. The delivery format and the accessibility of it make it unique.  Depending on how many credits the adult brings into the program, they may be able to finish their degree in as few as 18 to 24 months through our accelerated format. 

What is the degree?

LL: We are currently offering a BA in Leadership.  We chose this because it fits with so many career fields.   What organization doesn't need trained leaders?

For people who want to move up in their organization or keep their current job, being trained in leadership is critical.  As baby-boomers retire, more leadership positions are opening up, yet fewer people in the workforce are prepared to meet the challenges of the next level of their organization.  The bonus is that leadership studies are extremely practical and relevant, even in your personal and family life. 

What is the advantage for my employer?

LL: Working with your instructors, assignments and projects can be tailored toward your workplace.  The program has two practica (field placement courses) that culminate in a final project.  These may be done in the context of your workplace or a volunteer organization.

How do I figure out if this is for me?

JB:  I advise and help people figure out if this is for them or not. In our view, it’s not about putting people in our boxes, but about creating opportunities for adults.  Here, the door is open and we want to work with each person, aiding them in achieving their goals.  We give each student a customized learning plan before they get started so they know what to expect in advance and plan ahead.  This is based on their prior education and work experience. 

I’m kind of fearful about going back to school.  How will I know where to go and what to do?

LL: Starting with your first advising, admission and registration steps, we minimize the time and administrative work it takes to get set up and travel through the program – we essentially do this work for you.  Your time is precious; we’d rather have you focusing on your course work than “busy work”.   We even see to it that your textbooks are available in class. 

JB: We’re always looking out for adults fearful about coming back to university. Most people who have been out of school for a while tend to be nervous about coming back. By taking only one course at a time, students are eased back into studies. Starting with the first course, students experience a supportive learning environment with professors who assist them in refreshing their reading and writing skills. 

What are the classes like?

LL: Interactive classes provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.  It’s a supportive environment and the cohorts form close friendships. Adults have knowledge from years of experiences that makes for a very rich class discussion.  Some of our students have commented that class has become “the highlight of my week.”

When can I start?

LL: We have continuous enrollment opportunities.  We are constantly building cohort starts for fall, winter, spring and summer.  You no longer have to wait for September or January start dates like traditional university programs. 

JB: Before prospective students make a decision to attend, they can send unofficial transcripts to me to review and to see what they need in order to finish a degree.

The next cohort starts Tuesday, April 26 from 6-9 p.m. in the Northwest Building.

Call Jonathan Barkowsky at 604-513-2067 or email barkowsky@twu.ca

 

Trinity Western University’s Travel Studies Office is at the heart of many study abroad options.  Attending a travel study program provides the adult learner experiences in career and personal enrichment development.  The travel study venue becomes your opportunity to make a difference in your life and the life of another –within the communities visited, or with fellow travelers.  TWU-Extension programs cover a wide range of interests, including business, health care, human/social services, political science and religious studies.

What Is A Travel Study Program?

 A travel study program is a unique academic opportunity in which the environment becomes the classroom and learning is not confined to reading texts or attending lectures.  A travel study program is exceptional because it takes place largely in a country and culture often far removed from the Canadian norm. 

Why Go On A Travel Study Program?

Travel study programs provide students opportunities for visits to historical and cultural places, dialogue with resident professionals and academics, as well as with ordinary people.  A travel study program is more than a tourist experience; while you are in the host country you’ll meet people in the context of their lives and work.

Who Can Go?

Travel Studies are open to TWU and adult/casual studies students; including alumni or students from other universities. Guest registrations are also accepted.  Many who register for a travel study also have a friend who is interested in the program – TWU-Extension office can accommodate those interested travelers as well!  If you are eager to learn about other cultures, philosophies, people and places; if you are interested in professional/personal development – you are the perfect applicant. You must be in reasonable physical condition.  You’ll be expected to carry your own luggage and to participate fully in all field trips (which may require a fair amount of walking).  Because a travel study itinerary allows little time for rest, and special facilities/diets cannot be guaranteed abroad, you are asked to be entirely realistic in assessing your own limitations regarding participation.

Trinity Western University offers various courses and destinations every summer.

To view 2010 travel study programs and student profiles – visit our “Travel Studies” website.

Student Profile:  Justin Baerg / 2009 Guatemala Religious Studies program

Finishing my second year at TWU I was looking towards completing some of my core requirements, as well as taking courses over a shortened period of time. The Guatemala travel study offered me courses in Western World Religions (200 level religious studies) and a missions practicum (300 level). An added bonus was that during the missions practicum I was hoping to be able to work with the local Guatemalans and practice my Spanish that I had acquired over the last year at TWU.

Little did I know that God's plan would work so perfectly in my life. I am a Biology major, and I am looking towards medical school, so having world experience as well as a second language really helps my chances of getting in. Furthermore, I heard that the missions practicum could involve working with a doctor, and I was all for that. It turns out, that by the time the trip departed, it did not look like my hopes of working in a local medical setting was going to happen. I did settle with the idea, with being stationed in the elementary/secondary school where the other students would be doing their practicum teaching the kids and proclaiming the gospel.

Then, a Joanne Pepper heard about a doctor, who was working with Students International. He had a student working with him, but she was pulled out due to the Swine flu scare; and that left me an opportunity of a lifetime.

The doctor and I traveled from village to village healing the sick and tending to the poor and weak. He was just as much a pastor/mentor as he was a doctor, and we constantly prayed and laid hands on our patients. Dr. Jeff Kornelsen really showed me what love is, and how God is working in each and every person’s life.

The entire travel study changed my life, and opened my eyes to the souls around me. I came back and couldn't help but love on the homeless in my hometown of Abbotsford. Furthermore, this travel study has enhanced my relationship with my professors, and what a blessing they were to us in Guatemala. You really get to know your professors as people, rather than a source of academics, and that was significant to me.

Overall, the trip was spectacular and I haven't even shared about the Guatemalan culture, the weekend trips to ruins, and Honduras or the serene nature that behold God's creation to its fullest.

Student Profile:  Adrian Reimer / 2009 Middle East Studies program

As a student who had travelled a little already, choosing to do a study abroad term came fairly naturally to me. Spending a semester living in Cairo, Egypt is certainly one of the more unique opportunities that I have been given, and with our nation's continued involvement in the region it was certainly a worthwhile investment which provided me with a better understanding of the region and the attitudes that shape it. I can certainly say that my involvement in the Middle East is continuing to impact me in all areas of my life - in particular, it has given me a renewed respect for the incredible diversity of languages and cultures in the region.

One of the more interesting experiences that I had during the trip was spending a week living with an Egyptian family. This experience provided me with a new appreciation for the challenges that ordinary Egyptians face in rising above their upbringing despite being challenging at times due to the language barrier. Staying with my Egyptian family also provided me with opportunities to see their worldview in action; this being but one of many such opportunities that I had during this time.

Living in Cairo was certainly not without its challenges, but compared to Langley many things were actually simpler. Shops and services in Cairo appear to be available at all hours of the day and night - certainly not something that can be found in Canada. Coming back to North America, I'm still looking for the mall that is open at 1am outside of New York City. Though I wouldn't recommend this trip for everyone, it can be incredibly fulfilling if you're willing to listen to the unique perspectives that one finds in Egypt and throughout the region.

 

 

 

Our TESL graduates are impacting the world – why don’t you join them?
Rose Collins graduated from TWU in spring 2008.  On graduation day, as she waited to cross the stage to pick up her diploma, she began a mental checklist of what she needed to accomplish in the next 12 hours.  She wasn’t concerned with post-graduation parties or her future career … she had to get on a plane to China, en route to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (yes, North Korea). 

As part of Rose’s TESL certificate practicum, she taught a group of teachers from North Korea over a period of six weeks in Langley and volunteered with other delegations over the past years.  Now she was headed to the country to work as a teacher and program coordinator after her three-week teaching engagement there.  When Rose started the TESL program, she never dreamed it would open doors into such a mysterious and misunderstood country. Currently, our TWU professors and TESL graduates are working with the North Korean Ministry of Education to staff 12 teachers for a short-term teaching contract in May 2010. Recruitment for long-term teachers for Fall 2010 has also begun. 

Could North Korea be your destination? 

Contact Lucy Gerbrandt at 604-513-2121 x. 3847

Juggling priorities at work, home and socially makes  the idea of  completing your degree in a traditional university setting very challenging – that’s why Trinity Western University created the Accelerated Adult Degree Completion Program.  Designed specifically for adults, the BA in Leadership makes a degree attainable.

Classes meet one night a week for six weeks per course on a consecutive basis throughout the year so that you can finish your degree in 18 to 24 months, depending on your previous studies.  Call us at 604-513-2067  today to find out how you can increase your earning potential, reach your lifelong goal, combine classroom knowledge with real-world experience at work and still have time for the important things in your life.  Read how one of our current adult students does it in her own words:

I am a fifty-something student at TWU in the degree completion program, working toward a BA in Leadership. It's been a lifelong journey to get here. Right out of high school, my traveling adventures began. My travels continued for 12 years. A product of the Trudeau era, I followed what he preached, "Get to know Canada before you leave it." I have always been proud of Canada but never as much as when I'm in another country and I can represent it well.
 
At 30 years old and with jobs getting a little harder to find after quitting to travel, I went back to school. I was accepted into a new six semester diploma course in Registered Psychiatric Nursing. It was a trial without any semester breaks. I was exhausted, but I needed to get back to making an income as soon as possible.
 
After I graduated, I was hired as a ward nurse in a pediatric hospital.  After a couple years of putting education into practice, I took a six month leave and traveled back to my  beloved New Zealand and sailed the Marlborough Sounds with friends, then went on to Thailand and trekked into northern villages, riding elephants and bamboo rafting along rivers to visit waterside villages.  From Thailand I went on to Europe: I enjoyed the pubs and beer in England and fine dining and wine in Paris. I spent time in Taize, France with 3000 backpackers seeking this unique Christian experience and spent time on the Aran Islands in Ireland.  I returned to Vancouver and continued to work in pediatrics for a few more years and then began a new position working with young children with visual impairment. This has been my work and dedication for sixteen years.
 
Missions Fest celebrated their 25th Anniversary almost two years ago.  It was there I met Jonathan Barkowsky in a booth for TWU. I asked him a few questions about adult education and transferring nursing credits into a degree program. He was very welcoming and we had a couple conversations by email. A year and a half went by.
 
I moved from North Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast just a month before I met Jonathan, and it took the first year to find the rhythm and the strength to commute into Vancouver for work every day.  I'm up at 4:45 every morning to catch the 6:20 ferry.  My car died as soon as I moved, so for the first three months I was hiking up to the main road to catch a bus to the ferry at 5:20 a.m., in the black of night, in the snow, with coyotes darting across the road in packs, and knowing full well the local two-year-old bear didn't feel the need to hibernate.
 
The bear has been seen lying on someone's lawn with the family dog.  He's a handsome guy really.  We've had a few chats. He knows I'm not amused that he shook down and uprooted my pear tree for one pear he couldn't reach.  When I moved to my agriculture-zoned property in Roberts Creek, I opened my arms wide and turned a 360, and welcomed all the animals. The visitors I know about include two llamas, a horse, a stag, coyotes and my mischievous black bear.  I'm not sure if the cougar has come by yet.  A friend suggested I might like to put some restrictions on my invitation.
 
One day at work I received a union notice inviting all members who were interested in upgrading their education to apply for bursaries. This was something new for them to offer.  Four hours later, and one and a half years since we last spoke, Jonathan called me and asked if I was still interested in studying.  I was ready and the message was clear. I had been praying for a new direction.  But this would only be possible if my nursing credits could be transferred and there was financial support.  I got busy collecting transcripts, Jonathan worked very hard to keep me organized, and the union awarded me their highest bursary. It was a go!
 
I am now a seriously older student at TWU and I'm excited and so grateful for this opportunity.  Getting to TWU has been divinely orchestrated.  The rhythm is a little quicker now.  It's amazing there is room to be a student again but there is. My only concern is there is one out-of-reach plum still on the tree.

 
Jo-Anne Chiasson