WAVERLY, IA (11/20/2014)(readMedia)-- Paris White received the 2014 St. Elizabeth Award for Service for her commitment to service as part of the annual St. Elizabeth Week celebration at Wartburg College.

White, a senior from Muscatine, was one of three students chosen for the honor, which recognizes students who express a desire to live a life that embodies the college's mission.

White is president of the Suicide Awareness for Everyone organization, a resident assistant and involved with campus ministries.

Ashley Lahti and Tawanda Murinda also received the award.

St. Elizabeth Week honors the legacy of the 13th century German woman who built a hospital, fed the hungry and assisted the poor. After her death in 1231, Pope Gregory IX proclaimed her a saint.

Wartburg, a four-year liberal arts college internationally recognized for community engagement, enrolls about 1,700 students. Wartburg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and named after the castle in Germany where Martin Luther took refuge disguised as a knight during the stormy days of the Reformation, while translating the Bible from Greek into German.

Kaplan University's Davenport campus will celebrate the commencement of 87graduates at the RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. Kay Runge, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Kaplan University, will be the keynote speaker.

Who: Graduates of Kaplan University Davenport Campus - See full list below

Kay Runge, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Kaplan University

What: Kaplan University Davenport Campus Commencement

 

Where: RiverCenter, Great Hall

136 E. 3rd Street

Davenport, IA 52801

 

When: Friday, December 5, 2014

6:00 p.m.

 

Note to Media: Upon arrival at the graduation please ask for Lisa Zerbonia. Interviews are available.

 

The Fall/Winter 2014 graduates of Kaplan University's Davenport Campus:

Master of Business Administration

Derrick Barry, Clinton, IA

Nichole Karstens, Colona, IL

Jennifer Kritz, Wilton, IA

 

Master of Health Care Administration

Rosina Boddicker, Long Grove, IA

 

 

Master of Science

Criminal Justice

Sharita Couch, Davenport, IA

Stacey Hart, Davenport, IA

Raitanza Kalu, DeWitt, IA

 

Psychology

Heather Brown, Davenport, IA

Jessica Sabel, Davenport, IA

 

Bachelor of Science

Accounting

Heather N. Damewood, Knoxville, IL

Tracey Kirschbaum, Marquette, IA

Trisha Lester, Tukwila, WA

Amanda McElroy, Muscatine, IA

Samantha Strohbehn, DeWitt, IA

Lauren Vincent, Cambridge, IL

Patricia Woolley, Muscatine, IA

 

Business Administration

Rhoda Burrage, Knoxville, TN

Elizabeth Hayward, Maquoketa, IA

Ashley Hixson, Andalusia, IL

Sharon James, Davenport, IA

Dean D. Macke, Taylor Ridge, IL

Jedidiah Petersen, Davenport, IA

Jessica L. Phillips, Muscatine, IA

Greg Reed, Hemet, CA

Kerry Rempt, Park View, IA

 

Criminal Justice

Angela Holtby, Fort Wainwright, AK

Cheryl Murphy, Davenport, IA

 

Early Childhood Development

Sariah Luna, Davenport, IA

 

Environmental Policy and Management

Jada King, Davenport, IA

 

Health Care Administration

Amanda Hitchcock, Moline, IL

Latisha Humphrey, Norcross, GA

Gwendolyn Marino, Davenport, IA

Kelsey Pisel, Bettendorf, IA

 

Health Science

Stephanie Simmons, Moline, IL

 

Human Services

Tonya Bartrom, Bettendorf, IA

Susanne Goodner, Davenport, IA

Renea Harbison, Davenport, IA

Brittany A. Mussmann, Coralville, IA

Stephanie Stansbarger, Clinton, IA

 

Information Technology

Hannah Gray, Davenport, IA

Mark Rankin, New Bern, NC

 

Nutrition Science

Rachel Ostberg, Bettendorf, IA

 

Psychology

Amanda Lightfoot, Davenport, IA

Brianna Varner, Clinton, IA

 

Associate of Applied Science

Business Administration

Olmedo Clarke, Davenport, IA

Ayanna Dawson, DeWitt, IA

Rhonda Estes, Milan, IL

Cord Heim, La Motte, IA

Noble Henry, Moline, IL

Stephen Koonce, DeWitt, IA

Patricia Musch, Camanche, IA

Stephanie Stevens, Davenport, IA

 

Criminal Justice

Demetrios Elliott, Davenport, IA

Brittney Noel, Donahue, IA

Joelle Stone, Davenport, IA

 

Early Childhood Development

Jillian Miller, Savanna, IL

 

Human Services

Jessica Bass, Rock Island, IL

Larry Bebber, Muscatine, IA

Jessica Cervantes, Moline, IL

Jenny Dierikx, Orion, IL

Courtney Elijah, Tipton, IA

Doris Lee, Davenport, IA

Terry Randolph, Davenport, IA

Robert Snell, Colona, IL

 

Information Technology

Lylah Lagerstam, Silvis, IL

Michael Myers, Davenport, IA

 

Medical Assisting

Perla L. Anaya Sanchez, Davenport, IA

Chiquita Austin, Clinton, IA

Kaitlynn Francois, Port Byron, IL

Jennifer Griebel, Clinton, IA

Ashley Hartz, LeClaire, IA

Sara Loerzel, Davenport, IA

Carol Noah, Davenport, IA

Sarah Ribbens, Davenport, IA

Danielle Robinson, Davenport, IA

Doris A. Septer, Wilton, IA

Kelsey Woolam, Muscatine, IA

 

Medical Office Management,

Brenda G. Bogle, Clinton, IA

Tammy Dirksen, Long Grove, IA

Jennifer Wendt, Atkinson, IL

 

Paralegal Studies

Kylara Brandt, Rock Island, IL

Melissa Brune, Davenport, IA

Sharlia Clark, Moline, IL

Keila Jordan, Davenport, IA

Tori Lawson, Tampico, IL

Larisha Tot, Davenport, IA

Courtney Yeater, Colona, IL

 

About Kaplan University

Kaplan University offers a different school of thought for higher education. It strives to help adult students unlock their talent by providing a practical, student-centered education that prepares them for careers in some of the fastest-growing industries. The University, which has its main campus in Davenport, Iowa, and its headquarters in Chicago, is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org). Kaplan University serves approximately 46,000 online and campus-based students. The University has 13 campuses in Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Maryland, Maine, and Wisconsin, and Kaplan University Learning Centers in Maryland and Missouri.

Kaplan University is part of Kaplan Higher Education LLC and Kaplan, Inc., a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Kaplan's higher education institutions serves approximately 61,000 students online and through 56 campus-based schools across the United States and offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from certificates and diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a juris doctor degree. Kaplan serves students of all ages through a wide array of offerings including higher education, test preparation, professional training and programs for kids in grades K-12. Kaplan, Inc. is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company and its largest division. For more information, visit www.kaplanuniversity.edu.

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The media is invited to join us in the classroom on Thursday, November 20, 2014 to see how are students are using 3D software and printing to learn about how to design buildings with the architectural integrity to withstand earthquakes.

The class will be held from 1:55 until 3:30 with a special presentation from 2:00 to approximately 2:20 by a structural engineer from Shive Hattery.

Students will be available to discuss their projects.

Students will be wearing blue on Thursday in support of diabetes awareness month and their classmates with the disease.

Rivermont Collegiate is located at 1821 Sunset Drive in Bettendorf. Parking is available on the right hand side as you enter the campus. Enter through the double doors of the mansion at the top of the circle drive.

For scheduling purposes if you plan to come, please contact Jill Weitzel at
563-359-1366 Ext. 308 or email at weitzel@rvmt.org.

There's a reasonable tendency among Americans to view the education of their kids as an exclusively local issue and distinct to their communities. After all, school buildings are constant fixtures in neighborhoods, sports teams play crosstown rivals and the vast majority of public students still attend schools based solely on zip code.

However, the innovations and flurry of activity that takes place in classrooms and communities are guided by the state level policies that govern them, which is why the 2014 gubernatorial election results matter, and could potentially mean substantial improvements to student learning.

A national analysis found that more than half of governors hold encouraging views or have proven track records on promoting the types of choice and accountability measures that will lift student outcomes and give more power to parents in the educational process.

Post-election media reports signaled an overall victory for candidates with fresh ideas on how to make education the great equalizer.

This means that if there are meaningful shifts in policy that facilitate excellent schools, they're likely to originate from the statehouses and governor's mansion.

These governors and governors-elect understand that schools cannot be properly held accountable for results if parents don't have the choice to look around them and find the best educational fit for their child. And the teachers that work hard day in and day out should be rewarded for performing well and going the extra mile for kids.

They appreciate that some students need an alternate environment to master course content, and want to expand charter schools to operate alongside traditional schools, with the necessary autonomy for teachers to cater to particular learning needs.