Join Graduate School USA at the 34th Annual National Blacks in Government (BIG) Training Conference August 13-16, 2012 in Detroit, MI.

Graduate School USA Vice President for Operations Denese Powell and Center for Leadership and Management Director Kimberly Robinson will be presenting four workshop sessions on Navigating Your Career: Strategies for Thriving.

Careers in healthcare are as varied as the personalities of the people that work in the industry. The diverse nature of healthcare offers tremendous opportunities for those just starting on a career path or for career changers looking to make a difference. The American Medical Association's Health Care Careers Directory lists information about more than 80 healthcare careers.

According to Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI) analysts, the Health Care and Social Assistance industry in the metropolitan region is thriving, with more than 324K jobs in 2011. More than 75% of those jobs are in the District and in the immediate surrounding counties of Maryland and Virginia (Montgomery, PG, Arlington and Fairfax). This trend is expected to continue through 2018, with 16% job growth.

Graduate School USA is pleased to announce it has acquired the assets of two well-respected security training firms – Kenneth Sudol & Associates and JPW Security Solutions. With this addition the School can now offer an even broader security curriculum to address the critical training needs of federal, state and local government employees as well as to contractor companies in the private sector requiring security training. Specifically, courses in the areas of Information Security, Personnel Security, Physical Security, Counterintelligence, and Industrial Security, among others, will now be offered by renowned security instructors through Graduate School USA.

The firms' principals, Kenneth E. Sudol, President, Kenneth Sudol & Associates, Inc. and John Waller, CEO/President, JPW Security Solutions, will be working on a smooth transition for customers and will be joining Graduate School USA as instructors, along with other instructors from the two companies.

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2012 – Graduate School USA presented its W. Edwards Deming Award to the Naval Aviation and Test Evaluation University (NATEU) on May 7, 2012. NATEU won the award for its training of Department of Navy flight test personnel and its collaborative training with other Department of Defense entities and industry partners.

The Naval Aviation Test and Evaluation University was developed by the Naval Air Systems Command to provide training to Department of Navy flight test personnel and to share this training with other Department of Defense entities and industry partners. Unlike other areas of postgraduate study, comprehensive test and evaluation engineering training is not available through any traditional academic institutions. The University was developed in response to a challenge from the Chief of Naval Operations to "improve training and development opportunities for our civilian workforce, recognizing that their individual growth is an institutional gain."

On Wednesday, March 28, 2012, Graduate School USA held a special celebration for its staff and special guests in honor of Women's History Month. Nearly 100 people attended, both in person at the DC event and via audio conference for others around the country.

Attendees heard from two amazing women who are special supporters of the School – Barbara Lang and Constance Newman. Ms. Newman is a member of the Board of Trustees and has served seven different presidential appointments, including assistant secretary of state for African affairs. She was recently named one of the "20 All-Time Greatest Feds" by Government Executive magazine.

DC Councilmember-At-Large Vincent Orange met with Graduate School USA President and CEO Dr. Jerry Ice to discuss how career-oriented education can help lift DC residents out of unemployment or underemployment by giving them training and education leading to careers in growth areas.

Graduate School USA celebrated 90 years as a Washington, DC institution on November 5, 2011 at a gala attended by several hundred well-wishers from the federal government, District government, the local community, and academia.

Graduate School USA's Center for Health Sciences offers three new academic programs, including a Medical Assistant Associate of Applied Science degree, an Electrocardiographic (ECG) Technician certificate, and a Medical Office Administrative Assistant certificate.

Graduate School USA's President and CEO, Dr. Jerry Ice, received the prestigious Blacks In Government (BIG) Presidential Award at a special ceremony on Thursday, August 25. The award was given to Dr. Ice in recognition of the longstanding collaborative relationship between Blacks in Government and the School.

"We want to recognize Dr. Ice for nurturing our long-standing relationship and assisting us in building dynamic, progressive leaders throughout our government,"said J. David Reeves, BIG's National President, as he presented the award at the organization's 33^rd National Training Conference.

After nine months of self assessment, training, experiential learning, interviews, and developmental assignments, the Executive Leader Program 2011-2 arrived at graduation. As friends and family gathered in Towson, Maryland, to celebrate the culmination of the demanding journey with their loved ones, the atmosphere in the room was one of both anticipation and relief. This ELP class included 156 participants from the U.S. and Virgin Islands, coming to the program from over 30 agencies. By realizing the value of continual learning, many of the participants stretched themselves and went to places they never thought they would ever go as a result of ELP.

Sharon Barcellos, Program Manager for ELP, began the ceremony with remarks in which she noted that 5 ELP participants were previous graduates of Graduate School USA's New Leader Program. Other participants were recognized as they were currently finishing degrees or experiencing career changes or job promotions due to their participation in this program.

The Executive Potential Program class of 2011 was the longest-running class in EPP history! Participants were scheduled to graduate in March of this year, but because of the looming government shutdown the ceremony was pushed back to June. Rick Henry, EPP Program Manager, told the graduating class: Each class is kind of like your child. So I was thinking. What child is this? This is the child who graduated from college but moved back home. At that time the parents say, 'I love you. I'm so glad to have had this extra time with you, but you've got to go!'

This lighthearted comment set the tone for the morning's festivities, as participants reflected on the last year they had spent in the program and also with each other. Rick began by recognizing all who contribute to the program. To all families: thank you for allowing your loved one to spend time away involved in EPP. To all children: you are our future EPP graduates. To all mentors: due to your unbelievable guidance, you really made the experience for our participants. To all program coordinators: your presence is invaluable, as you are the driving force for bringing participants to the program. To all supervisors: thank you for making the sacrifice to allow your talented staff to do a developmental assignment away from your agency. We appreciate how you believe in them."

E-Learning course soars
with Hermes Creative Award.

The Hermes Creative Award Group recently announced Graduate School USA's Developing Performance Audit Findings course as a 2011 Gold Award winner in the e-learning category.

The Hermes Award acknowledges the creative work involved in the development of this course, setting it apart from more than 4,400 entries. This international competition evaluates the conceptualizing, writing, and design of both traditional materials and programs and emerging technologies.

Graduate School USA is honored to receive this award as we continually strive for effective and engaging distance education in the government sector, said Sharon Fratta-Hill, Ph.D., Vice

President of Distance Education, Graduate School USA.

Current participants in Graduate School USA's Executive Leadership Program (ELP) recently completed their team project, titled "Foot Lose." ELP group The Soaring Swans organized this project in support of the President's Challenge and Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" Campaign to fight childhood obesity. The Swans teamed up with Charles Houston Elementary School in northeast, asking students to write and submit essays on the importance of fitness.

ELP group projects allow all participants to practice their team-building and leadership skills. As each participant has the opportunity to become team leader, group projects help them put theory into practice. Participants work toward a common goal: in this instance, educating children about the importance of fitness.

In the midst of implementation of the Telework Act of 2010, many federal supervisors and managers are experiencing challenges with embracing telework as a method of operating. One question looms large: I can't see them so how do I know they my employees are being productive? The answer is the same as the question when you do see your employees, how do you know that they are being productive?

The Graduate School's Academic Programs debuted its first DC-area degree program this fall, the Medical Lab Technician Associate of Applied Science, with the opening of the Center for Health Sciences. The establishment of this division enriches the School's capabilities and expands our mission. Through these programs, the School hopes to positively impact the community by preparing residents for employment and further professional education.

Headed by Dr. Elaine Ryan, Provost, the division is dedicated to building high-quality credit programs that meet the career-preparation needs of area residents. Academic Programs will offer certificate and degree programs, as well as professional development courses, activities and resources.