The Future of…Post Graduate Education

10. March 2010 member

admin

I received this from one of my law professors today about redesigning law school education. I say: YAY! Here’s what I love to see for ANY higher post grad education program, including law:

First year: classroom learning. Hard core. Face to face in order to learn the concrete principles in a field of study.

Second year: Online classrooms so we can learn anytime, anywhere, at our own pace–with a heavy portion of our final grades as applying the concepts to our real world work (as part time students and full time employees. While some can go back to post grad ed full time, I just don’t think the majority of us have that luxury anymore.) So - anytime Tivo-like learning with real world personal application would be the cornerstone of year 2.

Third year: Online and rotations. ”Real world classroom” learning. For law, maybe a student their third year could work at a free clinic for one rotation, work at not for profit leadership during another, to corporate law at yet another, and even other crazy places–like think tanks or the Mayor’s office, or the state or federal government (and even though I’m thinking in the construct of law school - why not have ALL types of grad students working in these places, or better yet, in teams at these places?) To see law in many applications would be fantastic. The only trick to this is for the part time students - they’d have to work out a schedule they could live with and bank their hours. Not hard to do - there are other professions (like pharmacy) which require a certain # of practical hours in the real world before students can graduate. Last but certainly not least, the student could work in a graduate capacity as a 3rd year for their DAYJOB employer! That way there’s a win-win-win. Student gets hours in on the job, student brings something extra to the employer, and school gets students with practical applicable knowledge. Also, the schools could create huge positive alum networks who could work as preceptors to the grad students.

Fourth year: Idea time. Paper/dissertation/presentation time. But, more about what did you learn, how does it apply to your current life, and what could you do with your learning moving forward? What could you do with this learning for your current employer? What could you do with this learning for your community? Self directed learning…kinda like self-actualization, but educationally. Go Maslow.

Now sign me up for that grad school! That would be AWESOME!!!

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Props to the Single Parents: Project Parachute

9. March 2010 member

admin

Finally - something better out of The Bachelor (beyond drama and pop entertainment)…Project Parachute. This was set up by one of the bachelors to be a way to assist single parents. They’ve got a good list of resources already included on the website too.

While it’s fabulous to be single, it’s also hard sometimes…and while I can’t imagine it, even harder for single parents.

We dig this!

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What Makes a City Great?

8. March 2010 member

admin

Recently, I was asked - if I were redesigning Indy, no holds barred, as a young professional, what would I want it to look like? What amenities would I want to have? Two things I’m never short on: ideas and opinions. So, here we go!

1. Mass transit - having interviewed many young professionals for my next book, this was the #1 thing they wanted, far and away. So, if I had an unlimited budget and no worries, I’d be designing a bullet train system that started in Chicago, South Bend, Ft. Wayne, Terre Haute, Richmond, Louisville, Cincy, Bloomington, and run each of them right into Indy. Union Station, baby! And one of my friends suggested we run the tracks thru all the medians of the major interstates, as the state already owns that land. That rocks, that would rock, that could have infinitely high impact on creation of economic development.

2. Funky coolness - I’d love to see more mom and pop businesses. I want off the wall funky businesses! I’d like a cool antique shop next to an apothecary that stocks rare products to a coffee shop with fair trade products, to a free range meat market, to a farmer’s market, to a restaurant with local ingredients, etc. Blah blah blah. The possibilities are endless, but we must train our Hoosier peeps how to run a business and give them the tools, resources and support to make their businesses flourish. One last point on this: the city and the state need to make it EASIER on the small business owners who are WBE/MBE eligible. I had one of my businesses certified as a WBE, but when it came time to renew, I basically had to start all over again with a mountain of paperwork. NOT user friendly, and NOT going to do!

3. Transparent government - When I email a chuckhole into the Mayor’s office, I’d like it fixed in 24-48 hours. Furthermore, if the Mayor’s office has a problem and is seeking solutions, I want to have the ability to know what those challenges are and offer solutions back to her or him. Ditto with the Secretary of State and the Governor’s office.

4. More business ownership support - I’d like to see more mentoring and networking among young professionals who have the guts/tenacity to run their own business. We have some fantastic general leadership programs like Lacy, Options, UW, etc., but there’s nothing specific for young business owners.

5. Ditto on #4 with training on how to perform on not for profit AND for profit boards. Where is the training for our next generation of young professionals into leaders of the city? I found some good training, but it wasn’t in Indy. I have to go to Chicago or NYC for it.

6. Outdoorability - In France, you can literally walk down a brick road during the evening, where a bunch of restaurants are connected in a row, check out the menus, and feast outdoors. We don’t really have this in Indy, but it could be easily possible. Why not shut down monument circle in the summer and have live performances by the symphony AND restaurants serving outside al fresco? We need a city to be more walkable…the ‘walkability’ or ‘outdoorability’ factor.

7. More apparent arts/music/culture - I loved the Opie exhibit outdoors. We need more public arty space - downtown, and in the niches of Indy - Fountain Square, Broad Ripple, Irvington, etc. Furthermore, why not take older spaces that we haven’t been using and convert them into third spaces in these neighborhoods for us to hang out and trade ideas in? Now, with the new Low Profit Liability Company (L3C) business model, many states that offer this model are salvaging great old spaces and converting them into third spaces for the community. Why not here? Furthermore, we do a fantastic job hi-lighting sports in the community, but what if one of the TV news networks reduced the sports segment once a week and instead dedicated that time to music, art, and other cultural items going on in the city?

8. Now that we have one of the best airports in the world, it’s time to grow up and be a hub city for one of the major airlines so we don’t have to fly to ATL, ORD or other hubs to visit fabulous places. We should be cranking on this.

That’s enough for now. I’ll leave you with the same question: what to you, makes a city great?

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March Forth

5. March 2010 member

admin

I posted a blog entry about March Fo(u)rth awhile ago - a concept that a company called Brighthouse makes happen each year with its employees. I’ll let you read that post. Then, I’ll ask you, what have you tried new lately?

Since I was ill with a nasty cold most of this week, I did my March Fo(u)rth stunt today on March 5th. I went to a new place I had never been before - Oliver’s Twist, and experienced a store fully dedicated to one of my passions: writing.

I hope you might consider trying a March Fo(u)rth challenge, even though March 4th has passed. Try it on the ides, or anytime! Just try something new. After all, that’s what life is all about - trying new and cool things out!

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Stuff Worth Thinking About When It Comes to The Benjamins

28. February 2010 member

admin

1. Move Your Money

2. Read this.

3. This report - particularly the table on page 6. Is it REALLY appropriate for a CEO in the US to make more before lunch than the lowest wage earner in the company makes in an entire year? The US has the highest disparity between CEO and lowest earner pay on this table. I’m all for capitalism, but the only term I can come up when I read this report is “gouging”.

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The Ultimate Indy Swag Bag

27. February 2010 member

admin

I was lucky enough to be invited to the annual Go Red for Women luncheon today downtown, and wow! Not only was it totally packed, and everyone looked swanky in their red, BUT we also received these super cool “swag bags” full of goodies - from a fast food calorie and fat counter, to a pedometer, and even red nail polish! So, I began to wonder - if I was putting together the ultimate dream Swag Bag or Indy Implements, what would I include? Here’s a start:

1. A big o’l box of DeBrand Chocolates - my fave!
2. A bag of carmel corn from Just Pop In
3. Gift card for one free lunch at Yats
4. A candle from Linneas Lights
5. One cupcake from The Flying Cupcake
6. A custom cookie in the shape of Indiana made by The Whimsical Whisk
7. Coffee from Hubbard & Cravens
8. Chai from Chai, Baby!
9. A mini flight of 5 wines from Indiana
10. A deck of cards or thank you cards with the top 52 local artists or art students’ work on them
11. A coupon book full of one free or reduced admission to all theaters in downtown Indy.
12. A coupon book full of awesome professionals in Indy for reduced fees on their first consults.
13. A calendar with all festivals, annual events, and cool stuff going on around the city on it (ditto per #10 on the art)
14. Duh! The Indy Guide!
15. The coolest product made out of CORN - seriously!

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Healthcare: Worth Another Rant

25. February 2010 member

admin

I was listening to the healthcare summit online today, and as a business owner and healthcare professional, please indulge me in yet another rant about it.

WHY do our employers have to bear the burden of our healthcare insurance? Furthermore, WHY would any of us want our employers knowing what our healthcare conditions are in the first place? We buy our own homeowner’s insurance (per MANDATES from mortgage lenders), we are MANDATED to buy our own car insurance in order to be able to have the privilege of driving in nearly all states, so why would I as an employee want my information shared with my employer? Also, why do I have the right to go out and party like a rock star, eat and drink and smoke whatever I want (not that I do…), while my employer gets to foot the bill for my bad behavior? WHERE is the personal accountability for managing one’s OWN health?

Healthcare costs are CRIPPLING economic development and the ability for our companies to move forward. Healthcare is nearing 20% of our total GDP. That, in case you were wondering, isn’t good.

Now, as for “managed care” and healthcare insurance companies, I think the only thing they are managing is risk at this point. I think I might have received one flyer on ‘wellness’ from my healthcare insurer over the course of the past year. I as a healthcare professional just keep scratching my head on how major healthcare insurance companies can be bringing in record profits while there are lay offs at hospitals, and everywhere else. Is this REALLY the very best way we can manage care in this country? Here’s where the federal government could come in and regulate pricing for healthcare insurance companies.

Why couldn’t we look at auto insurance as a model? Just like bad or risky driving, some PREVENTABLE healthcare conditions should DEMAND higher premiums for those who aren’t managing their own health. Employers shouldn’t have to bear this risk. As for pre-existing conditions, maybe insurance companies could offer not for profit models or lower profit models for healthcare insurance, and just offer preventative care (like PLPD insurance for autos). While I personally believe preventative care should be a right, not all healthcare should be a right.

We can’t have our cake and eat it too, without some cutting back elsewhere and exercise, peeps. Nor can we continue to assume that healthcare is a right through our employers. We all need to take back the notion of entitlement and start being personally responsible for our actions…whether it is diet, exercise, or dare I say…common sense. And, even though this site and company is all about the young professional, this healthcare issue affects ALL of us!

Thank you for indulging me yet again in this important rant.

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Mitch for Prez?

23. February 2010 member

admin

Mitch Daniels is getting a lot of heat from the press..for changing his mind…about running for the Presidency.

First off, since when is changing one’s mind a crime? I don’t think changing one’s mind is ranked anywhere on any ‘egregious behavior’ listing.

Second, we could do a lot worse than having Mitch as President. Even though everyone in the state may not love him and/or his policies (like–adhering to a budget, cutting spending when revenue is down, etc.), Indiana could be in an even bigger mess than the states surrounding us…or worse yet, states like CA that are bankrupt.

With all the doom and gloom in the world–the economy, the jobless rate, etc., why not have Mitch run for President in 2012? He’s done what he could for Indiana (thanks to term limits) and maybe some of that awesomeness could be applied to carrying out the laws at the federal level…?

Just let us know where we can pick up the T shirts, Gov D!

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Foursquare, Yelp, et al: Cool, or Creepy?

21. February 2010 member

admin

As a single gal, I’m still not sold on the benefits outweighing the risks on the newer and ‘next Twitter’ apps - Foursquare and Yelp. To “Check in” to where I am…it’s a little too Gattica or 1984 for my tastes right now.

However, I also see the benefits here. What if one of your best homies was right near you on a Friday afternoon, ready for a brew, and you don’t know? You could know with an app like foursquare or Yelp, but I don’t know…

If you have thoughts on the benefits or detriments, I’m all ears…

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