OT program named 1st in nation

October 24, 2014

[caption id="attachment_5340" align="alignright" width="300"]photo of OT summer session An occupational therapy class during the 2014 summer session.[/caption] Current and former students have voted Colorado State University's Department of Occupational Therapy as the best in the country — again. In the latest rankings by GraduatePrograms.com, CSU’s occupational therapy program beat out OT departments at Washington University in St. Louis (2nd), Boston University (9th), Columbia University (12th) and the University of Southern California (20th) for the top spot. “We are honored to be ranked as the number one occupational therapy department in the nation,” said Robert Gotshall, interim head of the department. “Our students and alumni rank us through Graduateprograms.com, and this is the second year in a row that we have topped the list of 25 best occupational therapy programs in the nation. Now it is the responsibility of our faculty to maintain the educational quality that has inspired our students to rank us so highly.” The professional program in the Department of Occupational Therapy — part of the College of Health and Human Sciences — long has been recognized as one of the nation's best. U.S. News and World Report ranked the program No. 6 in the country in its 2014 survey. Graduateprograms.com reaches current and recent graduate students through scholarship entries as well as social media platforms. The program rankings cover a period from Sept. 1, 2012 to Sept. 30, 2014. Graduateprograms.com assigns 15 ranking categories to each graduate program at each graduate school. Rankings cover a variety of student topics, such as academic competitiveness, career support, financial aid, and quality of network. For a given graduate program, rankings are determined by calculating the average score for each program based on the 15 ranking categories. More information is available at www.graduateprograms.com/top-occupational-therapy.

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Ripple Effect offers grants for innovative ideas

October 24, 2014

CSU has always been a place of great innovation, where faculty and staff breathe life into pioneering ideas that change the way we solve problems around the globe. Now, thanks to a donor, the Ripple Effect has $50,000 in funding to support great ideas that can make CSU a better place for women to work. All CSU employees are invited to submit proposals to the Ripple Effect that will further the mission of making CSU the best place to work or learn if you’re a woman, as well as improve the university for all employees. All ideas submitted will be considered, and funding will be distributed based on merit as evaluated by an awards committee with membership from faculty, admin pros and state classified staff, among others, with options ranging from awarding the entire sum to one idea that needs a high level of seed money to awarding numerous, smaller grants. “Thanks to a generous donor, who has asked to remain unnamed, we’re able to take this next step in our quest to make CSU an even better place to work if you’re a woman,” said Amy Parsons, vice president for operations, who oversees the Ripple Effect. “If you have never written a grant proposal, don’t let that stop you. We are looking for great ideas from people who are working across the university.”csu_ripple_effect_final-stack-01 “Creating the model workplace for women – and all employees-- requires the collaboration and thoughtfulness of all employees. We want your best ideas, and, because we want to foster creativity, we are not putting any constraints on the ideas that can be proposed. The sky is the limit – ask us for training, physical improvements, speakers, books, events, subsidies, programs or anything else you can imagine, and we’ll consider it.” Grant proposals should be submitted via email to Katie Esquivel in the Office of the President by email at Katie.Esquivel@colostate.edu by 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19. Awards will be announced the first week of the spring semester. In support of this opportunity, the President’s Commission on Women and Gender Equity has scheduled workshops on proposal writing and have developed a proposal form (including a Spanish language version) to provide guidance on what to include in the proposal. Workshops are scheduled from noon to 1 p.m., Monday, Nov. 3, in Clark C 217, and noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Clark C 146. Lunch will be provided at the workshops and you will be asked to RSVP. More information about the grant program, including a call for proposals, a template form for the proposal, and information about how to submit the proposal will be available on the Ripple Effect website at www.rippleeffect.colostate.edu. For more information, contact Lorie Smith at Lorie.Smith@colostate.edu.

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Online sustainability leadership training

October 23, 2014

ISM_ModelTo meet the growing demand for professionals who can manage sustainability initiatives within organizations, Colorado State University is offering an online Integrated Sustainability Management badge and certificate program. The program, delivered by OnlinePlus and the Institute for the Built Environment, provides the knowledge and tools to develop more environmentally and financially sustainable practices inside an organization, as well as build and foster an organizational culture to support them. “Across industries, the momentum to create socially and environmentally responsible settings continues to increase,” said April Brown, program manager. “The leading researchers and experts who teach in this program help you become an effective agent of positive change for healthier economies, cities, and workplaces.” The program features four course modules, each focusing on a key area of sustainability: organization, people, resources, and facilities. For each module completed, participants earn a digital badge that can be displayed on a resume or shared on social media, and can provide proof of expertise to employers because it links to a site listing details of competencies learned. Upon completion of all four modules and an assessment, participants earn a Mastery Badge and certificate. Course registration is now open, and courses begin in February 2015. To register, or for more information, visit the website or call (970) 492-4711.

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