USAA and Rio Salado`s Partnership Expands

Volume 4 No.1
Summer 08 / Spring 09
Inside This Issue
USAA and Rio Salado’s Partnership Expands
USAA has grown its Valley
staff nearly 10 times since
becoming a Rio Salado
College partner in 2002.
The company expanded
from 300 employees when
it came to Arizona in 2002
to 2,800 today.
“Good habits of life-long
learning and continuous individual improveBill Putnam,
ment are becoming core
Senior Vice-President
competencies for any
USAA’s Phoenix and Regional
person in today’s rapidly
Operations
changing workforce,” Bill
Putnam, Senior Vice-President of USAA’s Phoenix
and Regional Operations said.
“Creative agreements such as USAA’s partnership
with Rio Salado College in granting college credit
for demanding job-skill training help lay a firm
foundation for continuous learning by rewarding
new employees for their efforts in personally
meaningful ways,” Putnam added.
“USAA has been a great partner,” Karen Stigers, Rio
Salado Director of National Accounts for Corporate and
Government Programs said. “The company has a large
presence in the Valley with state-of-the-art training
facilities on a beautiful green campus.”
Rio Salado College, a member of the Association for the
Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education,
also does its part to reduce its global footprint. The
college provides 450 online classes that save time,
money and gas.
Nearly 3,100 USAA employees have earned a significant
amount of college credit through Rio Salado.
USAA provides more than 150 products and services to
active and former military members and their families.
A pioneer in online education, Rio Salado has
forged partnerships with businesses and industry
around the nation.
And like Rio Salado, USAA is growing green. Sustainability is part of planning, values and everyday
practices at the two organizations.
USAA’s 575-acre North Phoenix campus was honored
with Leadership in Environmental Excellence and
Design certification for New Construction from the U.S.
Green Building Council.
Valley Forward Association recognized USAA with two
Environmental Excellence Awards of Merit.
USAA North Phoenix campus
Page 1
• USAA and Rio Salado’s
Partnership Expands
Page 2
• Rio Salado, DES Inspire Employees
to Advance Education
• New eLearning Program Teaches
Tools to Design Exciting Training
Page 3
• Celebrate 30 Years of Learning,
Innovating & Partnering!
• Grow ‘Green’ with Rio Salado and Save Money, Time as Partner
Page 4
• The Rio Salado Institute for
Employee Development
Rio Salado, DES Inspire Employees to Advance Education
When Lovette Donaldson started her new
job she didn’t know she’d be getting an
education too.
soon after she graduated from high
school but had to quit 18 months later
and go to work.
In May, Donaldson received her certificate of
completion in Human Services-Assistance:
Customer Service from Rio Salado College
along with 3580 certificate completers. Her
certificate’s a product of a unique partnership
between the Arizona Department of
Economic Security (DES), her employer, and
Rio Salado College.
Her new certificate has given her the push
to go on and finish her degree. Many of
those who are enrolled in the program
go on and finish a college degree at Rio
Salado, earning an associate in arts or
science.
“I haven’t been to school since I was 18.
At 39 years of age I am finally able to get
back in school,”said Donaldson, who plans
to take as many classes as she can online
through Rio Salado and then transfer
to Arizona State University to finish a
bachelor’s degree in communications.
The industry specific training providing
college credit is offered to new DES
employees to help improve their job
performance. Donaldson earned 18 college
credits in the program.
Class for Donaldson and her co-workers
included eight weeks of training eight
hours a day.
Donaldson was thrilled with the training and
the chance to earn some college credit.
“I think it was a great opportunity for us. And
it’s a grand statement about DES and how
they want their employees really educated
about the services we provide for the public,”
she said.
“The longstanding partnership between
DES and Rio Salado College has been helping employees continue their education
since 1994. The inspiring stories at graduation are a true testimonial of how beneficial our partnerships are to both the employees
and the organization,” said Susan Lawrence, Rio Salado Manager of
Corporate and Government Programs.
Lovette Donaldson received her certificate of completion in
Human Services-Assistance: Customer Service
Earning a college degree has been a long-time dream for
Donaldson. She started community college in Washington State
New eLearning Program Teaches Tools to Design Exciting Training
Looking for a way to create professional, interactive, online training
that will hold your employees’ attention?
Rio Salado College’s new eLearning Design program teaches
training managers how to create online staff instruction that can
include compelling video, flashy graphics and interesting audio
that will hold participants’ attention.
It’s one of the first programs in the country to be offered at the
undergraduate certificate level. Your trainers can earn 21 credits
and a certificate of completion in the program.
“This program is designed for people in training who want to put their
training online in a professional, interactive format,” Jennifer Freed,
faculty chair for the new program said. “The focus is on the students
to design training using the new technology that is out there.”
Your staff members will be pleased, too! They can learn how
to do everything from designing curricula and multimedia
presentations to teaching their students to use wikis, blogs,
video-sharing and social networking. They will be able to use 21st
century skills to create exciting training in eLearning Design, one
of the hottest fields in the job market today.
Carrie Finke, of AdvancED which is the parent organization of the North Central
Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, says she has
really benefited from the class.
For more information contact Jennifer Freed, faculty chair, at
480-517-8384 or academic advisers at 480-517-8540 or visit www.
riosalado.edu/elearning/.
2
Celebrate 30 Years of Learning, Innovating & Partnering!
Rio Salado College is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Established in 1978 as one of seven “colleges without walls” in
the nation, Rio Salado has been partnering with corporate and
government organizations since 1990.
Thank you to all our partners for growing with us over the years!
To learn more about Rio Salado’s history visit www.riosalado.
edu/30years.
Grow ‘Green’ with Rio Salado and Save Money, Time as Partner
Rio Salado College is more than a smart choice in online education.
When your organization becomes a partner with Rio Salado, you
are joining a leader in the sustainability movement.
Rio Salado has adopted “green” thinking in its values, strategic
plan and everyday living.
Socially just & equitable
When your organization becomes a partner, you can provide
customized training to your employees at your sites, saving gas,
time and money. That adds up to more sustainability and gives
your staff the opportunity to learn the skills they need to advance
in your company.
Economically
robust
If your staff members continue on to earn degrees through Rio
Salado, they can take advantage of the college’s more than 450
online classes, an effective way to reduce the carbon footprint.
As students, they can also buy new, customized textbooks that
save paper and reduce costs by 50 percent through the Textbook
Savings Program.
The Triple Bottom Line
In 2007 Rio Salado’s President, Dr. Linda M. Thor became a charter
signatory of the American College and University Presidents
Climate Commitment, an effort to address global warming.
Rio Salado is a member of the Association for the Advancement
of Sustainability in Higher Education and hired a sustainability
consultant to help reduce its global footprint. Our goal is to try
to meet the needs of the present generation while taking care of
the future.
To learn more about Rio Salado’s green practices visit
www.riosalado.edu/ci/sustainability.
3
Environmentally
viable
The Rio Salado Institute for Employee Development
Choose the Best Program for Your Organization
Educational Partnerships: Get the best of both worlds by
combining your industry-specific training with Rio’s
high-quality academic component to create customized
industry certificate and associate degree programs.
Customized Training and Professional Seminars: Keep your
employees up to date with the most current knowledge
and future trends in management, leadership, customer
service and a variety of other areas. In addition to being
cost-effective, Rio’s programs are tailored to fit your
organization’s specific needs and culture.
Online Business Advantage: Save your organization time and
money by converting your in-person training to an online
format. Let Rio standardize and upgrade your training so it
is easy to educate employees at multiple sites.
Susan Lawrence, Manager of Corporate and Government
Programs and Karen Stigers, Director of National Accounts,
Corporate and Government Programs
The Rio Salado Institute for Employee Development
consists of a team of dedicated individuals who work
with corporations, government agencies and community
organizations to establish customized educational
partnerships.
Why partner with Rio Salado College?
Through a partnership with Rio Salado College your
organization can access quality education and customized
training to develop a more highly educated workforce.
Rio Salado’s programs empower adults to earn certificates
and college degrees in a variety of fields, usually right at
their places of employment. Other benefits for employers
include:
Foreign Language Training: Open the door to a whole new
customer base by providing foreign language training
to your employees. Classes can be customized to your
industry’s specific vocabulary. Also, online classes are
available in Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic.
For more information
on these programs
please contact us at
480-517-8460 !
• Experiencing a positive impact on employee recruitment
and retention
• Providing opportunities for your employees to receive
college credit for employer-based training
• Having employees with increased confidence when they
obtain new skills and knowledge
Rio @ Work is published by: Rio Salado College, c/o Institutional Advancement | www.riosalado.edu | 480-517-8460
The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA Institution.
6203-2008
Rio Salado College
2323 West 14th Street
Tempe, AZ 85281
480-517-8000
www.riosalado.edu