How having a bad memory could spread H1N1 in our office… The Importance of Communication, and Meet Professor Leslie Werden

Do you have a good memory?

Most of my colleagues in the Admissions Office would probably argue that I don’t. Sometimes I’ll stop by their office, but forget the reason I actually went to see them. However, I’m even more notorious for leaving behind things I took with me to their office; usually half empty cans of coke or bottles of water… with all this H1N1 talk going around they may start banning me from their office if I don’t remember to take my “contaminated” items with me. Oops, my bad.

While my short term memory may be that of a goldfish (someone once told me this is about 3 seconds…), believe it or not I have a pretty good long term memory and there are a some things I will never forget. Today I’d like to share one of those memories with you, and on a related topic introduce you to quite possibly one our most interesting and influential professors here at Morningside College.

A Trip Down Memory Lane…
I can recall a few classes from high school as if I were in them just yesterday; English, composition, and speech. These were some of the most challenging courses I had ever taken as a high schooler, but they were also the most useful because everything I learned in them could be applied to almost every assignment, course, and every day situation I have ever encountered. These classes taught me what I consider to be the single most important thing that everyone should learn, and continue to practice… good communication skills.

A major reason I think I can remember these classes so vividly is because they were taught by two amazing teachers. Both made me and my classmates work hard inside an outside of the classroom (we had a lot of homework), and they also happened to be very interesting, passionate, and influential people who added a dose of humor at just the right time which helped make them and their material more engaging and memorable.  Thank you Mr. Curbow and Mr. Nesbitt.

Now I’d like to introduce you to one of our professors at Morningside who also teaches classes that are essential to learning good communication skills, and, from what I’ve heard, also has a similar impact on the students she works with.

Meet Professor Leslie Werden
Assistant Professor of English

Professor Werden has been at Morningside for 3 years now. She’s currently an assistant professor in our English Department, the director of first year studies, and the director/coach of our Speech Program.

In the English Department her main focus is British Literature (16th century to be exact), but she has also taught a number of different courses including writing to persuade, public speaking, and last May (May Term) she took a group of students to California for a film adaptation class.

As the director of first year studies Professor Werden teaches and oversees our Passport Class and Composition and Communication Class (C&C). In case you were wondering… first year studies are required classes for all freshmen at Morningside. I asked Leslie to explain what these classes consist of. “Passport teaches our students how to get along on campus; what it’s like to be a college student, where to go for help should they need it, and their course instructor is also their freshman advisor. It’s a good starting point for freshmen to learn strategies that will help them become good analytical readers and writers. C&C is a little more in depth and focuses on research, writing, and public speaking. This course helps better prepare them for the rest of the classes they will be taking at Morningside.”

Professor Werden is also beginning her 3rd year as director/coach of our Speech Team. Our speech team consists of about 20 students and continues to grow. The main focus of the speech team is in independent events, and she told me they will compete in 5 tournaments this year. Learn more about Morningside College’s Speech Team.

Aside from teaching Professor Werden also does a lot of public speaking both on campus, in our community, and abroad. She is happily married and has 3 boys, the oldest of which plays hockey, and she’s originally from Minnesota. When you visit with her you can sometimes hear her speak with a slight northern Minnesotan accent. I love it! “eh”

I never had the chance myself to have Professor Werden as an instructor, but after getting to know her I wish I had. She’s full of energy, is very engaging when she speaks, knowledgable, and experienced in her field; but most importantly she’s passionate about what she does. I asked what her favorite thing about Morningside was, and before I could finish my question she answered, “The students, and I especially love working with the freshmen because there’s an air excitement with them.” She also mentioned one of her favorite classes is public speaking because it allows her to teach students from areas outside the English department; for example business majors, communication majors, and education majors.

If you ever have any questions for Professor Werden feel free to email her anytime.
*You may also want to mention you read the blog post about her! :)
Email Professor Leslie Werden – werden@morningside.edu

By they way, you may have caught her mentioning the talent awards in her introduction video… If you’re a prospective high school student and have questions about them please contact your Morningside College Admissions Counselor and they’ll be happy to tell you more about them.
Click here to meet your Morningside College Admissions Counselor.

Below are a few other helpful links if you’re a prospective student. Thanks for reading, and I’ll try and do more Professor Interviews throughout the year!

- Jim

Other Helful Links
Visit the Morningside College Admissions Website
Become a fan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/msideadmissions)
Follow Msideadmissions on Twitter (www.twitter.com/msideadmissions)
APPLY NOW! – Free online application to Morningside College

Filed under: Professors

Meet Jim

My wife and I outside the Omaha Zoo.

On Monday I went to the Omaha Zoo with my wife, my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, and my little niece and nephew. I was excited for the trip because I don’t get to see my niece and nephew as much as I would like, and I was also really looking forward to seeing the new animals and attractions the Zoo had added over the years.

When I was I younger I remember looking at the animals with so much excitement like my niece and nephew did, but with the exception of the penguins, my favorite animals at the zoo, I actually found it kind of boring. The animals didn’t do anything! In fact, if I had a tail we could have just stayed home and had the same experience watching me lay on the couch because I do the same thing the animals were doing all day; sleeping and scratching themselves.

Most of the animals just stared back at you from across their cage or slept half hidden behind the giant rock or tree in their enclosure; many times we were only able to see a paw or tail. By the time I reached the Cat Complex I was hoping they would raise a defenseless little goat out of the ground like they did in Jurassic Park for the T-Rex… but of course this didn’t happen, and instead we just watched the big cats lick themselves, purr, and sleep the afternoon away. All things considered It was still a lot of fun, and it was great spending time with my family. I would definitely do it again sometime.

Below are a few photos of my family from the trip, and following the pictures you can learn more about me and what I do at Morningside College.

My parents and my niece and nephew... sacked out in the stroller!

My sister and brother-in-law and their kids.

Tried on my nephew's child "leash"... bad idea once the wife got a hold of it!

Meet Jim Braunschweig
Sophomore/Junior Admissions Counselor and Electronic Communications Manager

I grew up in Alta, Iowa, a small town about an hour from Sioux City, and came to Morningside as a student in 2002. I played 4 years of baseball for the Mustangs and graduated in 2006 with a major in graphic design and a minor in mass communications. I married my high school sweet heart, who is and will remain forever my best friend. (I’ll go ahead and say what you’re thinking… aww, and yes, I’m always looking for new ways to score brownie points.) My wife also graduated from Morningside and now works as a nurse at Mercy Hospital. We currently reside in the Morningside area of Sioux City with our dog, Teddy.

I’d also like to take a moment and tell you about the people that helped me become the person I am today, my parents and my sister.

My parents are my biggest inspiration and are responsible for my major interests of baseball and art.
Baseball – My dad coached me off and on throughout little league and high school. My favorite player is Ken Griffey Jr. and my favorite team is none other than the Seattle Mariners.
Art – My parents started an art business together over 30 years ago that my mom continues to work at full-time, while my dad is now a high school art teacher. Check out my mom’s website, she does some amazing stuff! www.braunschweigpottery.com

My sister is the brains of our family, and even though we don’t agree on everything (she’s usually right, and I really don’t like admitting I’m wrong) it’s good to know she’ll always have my back, literally… she’s a lawyer! :)

Finally, you may be wondering what I actually do at Morningside. As the Sophomore/Junior Admissions Counselor and Electronic Communications Manager my job is to assist Sophomore and Junior High School students begin their college search, as well as assist our Admissions Office with all means of electronic communications. I update and manage the admissions pages on our website, and also research and implement new ways of communicating with our prospective students and their families. This blog is a great example of a new method I’m trying out, and I hope you’re enjoying it as much as I am. :) We are also actively using facebook and twitter in our Admissions Office, and we continue to experiment with other social networking sites and internet programs as they become available. Our overall goal is to make communicating electronically with our prospective students and their families as simple and convenient as possible.

If you ever have any questions for me, or some suggestions or comments about The Mside Admissions Guy blog please email me at braunschweig@morningside.edu, or click here for my other contact information.

I’ll be back with a few more posts next week. As of right now I honestly have no idea what they’ll be about, but there’s always something happening here so I shouldn’t have any trouble finding a topic. Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading!

- Jim

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P.S. – Don’t forget to look for the confirmation email that will be sent to you!

Filed under: Office of Admissions

Meet Steph

Every campus has its share of buildings named after famous alumni or people that played important roles in the history of the college. Morningside has Dimmitt Hall, Lewis Hall, and Roadman Hall just to name a few. The person I will introduce you to today may not have a building on our campus named after her (yet), but she does have something that bears her name…

While Morningside’s official address is 1501 Morningside Ave, there’s a particular street you have to turn on if you want to reach the heart of campus. The street is not “actually” named after her, but sometimes I think it should be…

Meet Steph Peters
Co-Director of Admissions / Admissions Counselor

Steph has been working at Morningside for 9 years now in the Admissions Office and has established herself as one of our best Admissions Counselors along with Amy Williams, our other Co-Director. Steph is a ’99 graduate of Morningside and as a student Steph studied business and economics (by the way, business is one of our top majors here, along with education and nursing). She was also a member of our softball team.

Steph has been an Admissions Counselor since she’s been here, and the way she works with her students and their families is a great example for everyone in office. Steph doesn’t just tell her students about Morningside, she really takes the time to get to know them more personally. In fact, I was up in Steph’s office last week, and the mother of one our incoming freshmen called. I decided to sit down and wait until the conversation was over… 25 minutes, and half a bag of chips later (… Steph always has snacks around), the conversation finally ended. As Steph hung up the phone she told me that was ____’s mom… “she had some questions about ____’s roommate, and then we just started talking about ____’s upcoming softball game.” Steph paused, gave a big smile, “I love them.”

As an admissions counselor It really makes us feel good when we know we helped bring a student to Morningside that is going to absolutely love it here – the phone call I mentioned above was with the mother of one these students.

Steph has a typical office… a desk full of papers and to-do lists as well as numerous pictures of her family and friends… but there are two things that really stand out about it… For starters, she has a maroon couch (which is really comfortable I might add). She also has a few display boards FILLED with senior pictures of the students she’s working with and thank you cards she’s received from them. These things are great evidence of the kind of relationships Steph has with her students, as well as the level of customer service she provides them.

A few other things about Steph…
She’s addicted to working out over the noon hours, loves listening to a variety of different music, and aside from being an amazing Admissions Counselor and Co-Director, she’s a great friend, AND a NEW mom!
Steph has been known in the office as “Ma” for quite some time (It’s kind of an inside joke), but as of a three months ago she’s now the real deal to her baby boy, Koen.

Koen Michael Peters

If you want to see more pics of Koen just become friends of Steph on facebook… she’s been pretty busy putting up lots of photos of the little guy. (In fact she got a new camera for it!)
Steph’s Facebook Profile: http://facebook.com/msidesteph

Finally, I’d like to dedicate the videos below to “Ma” and Koen.
If Koen’s anything like his mother… look out world! :)

Want to know even MORE about Steph?
Click here for Steph’s contact information and view her counselor profile on the Morningside College Website.

Thanks for reading!

“Ma”

“Koen”

Filed under: Office of Admissions

Meet Char

While I was watching The Simpsons last week I heard a phrase that reminded me of someone in our admissions office. In the episode (“Midnight Towboy”) Marge hires a counselor to help her with Maggie who has become a bit too clingy. When the counselor talks to Marge she tells her “hugs are drugs and Maggie’s addicted!” I thought this was pretty hilarious and it made me think if hugs really are drugs I know a person at work who isn’t only a “hug addict” but also a “hug dealer”…

Meet Char Jorgensen
M.I.S. Manager (Management Information Systems)

Char has been working at Morningside for over 20 years. She does many different things for our office, but her main responsibilities are processing student applications, entering important information like students’ ACT scores and transcripts into our data management system, and with Colleen’s help, she manages various projects for our student ambassadors.

While Char’s role in our office doesn’t grant her the opportunity to meet many NEW incoming students like our admissions counselors who work with them year round, she is able to develop extremely close relationships with current Morningside students who become student ambassadors. (Student ambassadors are current students who work for our Admissions Office during the school year. Their main role is giving tours to our visitors, but they also perform other tasks around the office.) Many of these students tend to think of her as their second mother, and often go to her for advice on just about anything ranging from homework to relationships. Char may not be our school counselor, but she is a very close friend to them, and a lot of times that’s all they really need. I’ve personally witnessed a few of her talks with these students, and I’ve had my own share of talks with her. Most chats with Char begin and end with a big hug which helps brighten your day.

Char is one of the kindest people I have ever known, and she also happens to be one of the most selfless. She truly enjoys giving back to her family and friends, her church, and her community at any time, and in any way she can.

I need your help…
In honor of Char and her charitable deeds I have put a SocialVibe widget on my blog which you can find on the far right side; it’s in bright orange, you can’t miss it. I don’t completely understand how SocialVibe works, but apparently the organization you choose to sponsor (in this case I chose Upper Deck) will donate money for your cause based on how long it is displayed on your blog and how many people click to help your cause. I chose to support the fight against Cancer. Please take a moment to click the “Help Now” button and help in the fight against cancer. (It’s Free!) Thanks so much for doing this!

AWKWARD man to man hug.

Finally, with all the talk of hugs in my post today, I’d like to end this post with an educational video lesson on something that in theory should be easy to do, but in reality is one of the most difficult and awkward things a man may ever perform… The man-to-man hug. While I have had my share of “awkward” man-to-man hugs in my life, I’m proud to say I’ve never given a “floppy half hearted attempt.” Don’t ask… just watch the video below to see what I’m talking about. :)

YOUTUBE VIDEO: How to give the perfect man-to-man hug.

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Filed under: Office of Admissions

Meet Mary and Terri

Have you ever seen the movie “What Women Want“?

I was never electrocuted and granted the ability to read women’s minds like Mel Gibson in the movie, but when you’re surrounded by women all day long like Jeremy, Mack, and I in the Office of Admissions, you tend to know what they’re thinking from time to time. (I’m not just talking about knowing you’re in trouble when they give you “the look” either… that one’s a gimme.) Today I’m going to prove my mind reading abilities to you while I introduce you to two very important ladies in our office, Terri Curry and Mary Krejci.

Meet Terri Curry
Vice President of Student Life and Enrollment

Terri has been working at Morningside for over 20 years now. She actually began her career here working in Residence Life, and I believe worked in a few other departments before becoming a Vice President about 10 years ago. Terri is not only in charge of the Admissions Office, but many other departments also report directly to her; Financial Planning, Residence Life, Student Services, Student Health, and Athletics.

I really enjoy visiting with Terri and learning all I can about Admissions and Higher Education, but due to her busy schedule it can be very difficult finding the time to meet with her. When we do get a chance to talk I always feel a little guilty for taking up her valuable time, but I think deep down she enjoys our conversations just as much as I do.

WATCH THE VIDEO: What Terri really thinks when I leave her office.

Meet Mary Krejci
Administrative Assistant for the Vice President of Student Life and Enrollment (Terri Curry)

Mary is Terri’s go to gal. Mary has been working at Morningside for 15 years, the last 8 as Terri’s Administrative Assistant, and she performs many different tasks and duties in her role. Aside from scheduling meetings, data collection and data entry, I’ve recently created a brand new role for Mary; the editor and chief of this blog. :)
I try hard to get every post edited by Mary before I publish them, but if you’ve ever come across one that looks as if it were written by a 5th grader… there’s probably a pretty good chance Mary wasn’t at work that day.

Mary has been one of my best buds in the office since I started here 3 years ago. We enjoy having regular conversations on just about any topic, and we can always count on one another for a good laugh. While we’re almost completely opposite in lifestyle, we get along pretty well; she’s extremely healthy, eating right and exercising daily, while i just… exist.

Every time I finish writing a post for this blog I go hunting for Mary to edit it. When I find her I’m always greeted with a smile, and she usually tells me, “oh Jim, I’d love to!” To bad I can read her mind though… I know what she’s really thinking.

WATCH THE VIDEO: What Mary’s really thinking when I approach her with a new blog post to edit.

These poor women put up with a lot from me each and every day. Both of them are very important to this institution, in assisting me with writing this blog… and in Terri’s case, allowing me to publish it. :)

Thanks for reading.

Filed under: Office of Admissions