Coal Valley Student Excels in Classroom

MADISON, WI (06/17/2013)(readMedia)-- Monet Neal of Coal Valley has earned Semester Honors for the Spring 2013 semester at Edgewood College. Full-time students who achieve a 3.5 grade point average for the semester are eligible for this honor.

About Edgewood College

Located in Madison, WI, Edgewood College is a liberal arts Catholic college in the Dominican tradition, with 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers more than 40 academic and professional programs, including master's degrees in business, education, nursing, and other fields, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership. For more information about Edgewood College, please visit www.edgewood.edu.

OMAHA, NE (06/14/2013)(readMedia)-- Full-time students who rank in the top 10 percent of their class for the semester and earn a 3.5 grade-point average or better on a 4.0 scale are eligible for the Dean's List at Creighton University.

The following students from your area were named to Creighton University's spring 2013 Dean's List:

Michael Barnes of Bettendorf

Adam Dilla of Bettendorf

Samantha Staver of Bettendorf

Emily Stensrud of Bettendorf

Erin Dorpinghaus of Davenport

Elizabeth Hines of Davenport

Christina Laubenthal of Davenport

Andrea Millea of Davenport

Ellie Simpson of Davenport

Alan Buttars of De Witt

Katie Dorpinghaus of De Witt

Stephanie Till of Delmar

Andrew Wilson of Eldridge

Kailee Steger of Milan

Sara Bollaert of Moline

Elizabeth Dentlinger of Moline

John Philibert of Rock Island

About Creighton University: Creighton University, a Catholic, Jesuit institution located in Omaha, Neb., enrolls more than 4,200 undergraduate and 3,500 professional school and graduate students. Nationally recognized for providing a balanced educational experience, the University offers a rigorous academic agenda with a broad range of disciplines, providing undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs that emphasize educating the whole person: academically, socially and spiritually. Creighton has been a top-ranked Midwestern university in the college edition of U.S. News & World Report magazine for more than 20 years. For more information, visit our website at: www.creighton.edu.

CHICAGO, IL (06/13/2013)(readMedia)-- The following local students received degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago at the May 2013 Commencement:

Margot Brobst of Eldridge, earned a MS in Forensic Science.

Emily Johnson of Moline, earned a PHARMD in Pharmacy (PharmD).

Rajendra Mishra of East Moline, earned a PHARMD in Pharmacy (PharmD).

Melissa Armstrong of Lyndon, earned a MS in Nursing.

Lisa Blixt of Moline, earned a BSN in Nursing-R.N. Completion (BSN).

Peggy Creamer of Wilton, earned a MS in Nursing.

Reena Dhakal of East Moline, earned a MS in Nursing.

Gregory Jasper of Clinton, earned a MS in Nursing.

Jennifer Junis of Rock Falls, earned a MS in Nursing.

Amy McCormick of East Moline, earned a MS in Nursing.

Catherine Roche of Davenport, earned a MS in Nursing.

Kelli Rutledge of Moline, earned a BSN in Nursing-R.N. Completion (BSN).

Stephanie Spinosi of Muscatine, earned a MS in Nursing.

Elizabeth Zelnio of Moline, earned a BSN in Nursing (BSN).

Matthew Wolf of Erie, earned a MD in Medicine - Chicago.

Francisco Castaneda of Rock Island, earned a BS in Biological Sciences.

Darby Finnegan of Coal Valley, earned a BA in Psychology.

Roman Poon of East Moline, earned a BS in Biological Sciences.

Matthew Collier of Rock Island, earned a BS in Electrical Engineering.

Irene Patricio of East Moline, earned a BS in Finance.

Jacquelyn King of Rock Falls, earned a MS in Health Informatics.

UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,500 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.

A record 33 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds hold bachelor's degrees, up from 17 percent in 1971. Today's high school graduates know that a college degree means earning power so, despite the rising expense of post-secondary school, the business of higher education is more competitive than ever, says industry-leading social architect and entrepreneur David Porter.

An often-overlooked component in the coveted "three Rs" - Recruitment, Retention and Alumni Relations - is the dining hall and student meal plans, he says.

"During the mid 1990s, campuses throughout the country were dealing with widespread disenchantment with their aging dining facilities and stale menus, so many paid food contractors to take over management. That was a big mistake," says Porter, who designs dining programs and dining halls at colleges throughout North America. He shares tips for keeping students on campus, where they're more likely to bond with each and their schools, in "The Porter Principles: Retain & Recruit Students & Alumni, Save Millions on Dining and Stop Letting Food Service Contractors Eat Your Lunch" (www.porterkhouwconsulting.com).

"For most universities that contract out, the foodservice provider that controls tens of millions of dollars in purchases for the school is also its sole source of guidance on student dining. No matter how you slice it, there is a blatant conflict of interest here."

Porter, who has worked with the University of Georgia, University of New Hampshire, Ferris State University, George Mason University and the University of Richmond, among others, identifies three areas schools should focus on in their meal program and facilities:

• Do they make students want to eat on campus? Social architecture is the conscious design of an environment to encourage social behaviors that lead toward a goal. In this case, the goal is solidifying students' connections to one another and commitment to their school by drawing them together in a leisurely way at least once a day. Gathering together and socializing over meals on a regular basis helps students develop relationships that increase the odds they'll stay in school, and that they'll be active alumni after graduation. Students who live and dine on campus tend to have higher GPA's and are more likely to graduate.

• What do prospective students see? When giving tours to prospective students and their families, is the dining hall a destination, and if so, is it one to be proud of? The kitchen is a non-negotiable element in creating a home. If a future student sees the dining hall as an uninviting ghost town with drab food, then he or she will feel less inclined to live on campus, and may even seek another school simply for its more accommodating campus.

• Are good meals available when students want them? Parents and students both know what time young people tend to get up in the morning and how late they go to bed. Many classes extend well into the evening and lots of students avoid early morning classes. Meals need to be available well beyond the outdated 9-to-5 time frame. Trying to accomplish that by including off-campus restaurant deals in the meal plan, or having too many locations available on campus, will be counter-productive. That decentralizes the dining experience.

About David Porter

David Porter, FCSI, is chief executive officer and president of Porter Khouw Consulting, Inc., a foodservice master planning and design firm based in Crofton, Maryland. David has more than 40 years of hands-on food service operations and consulting experience and is a professional member of the Foodservice Consultants Society International. Porter Khouw Consulting has worked with more than 350 clients to conduct market research and develop strategic plans, master plans and designs for the college and university market. Porter is a graduate of the prestigious hospitality program at Michigan State University and has been recognized repeatedly as a leader in his field.