VIU Scholarships: Our Students’ Success is VIU’S Success

                It is well-known that students feel more motivated when they are recognized for their effort and hard work, and as a result, they are more likely to be engaged in activities proposed by their professors and university. Thus, the question is: what is the best way for a university to acknowledge and promote student accomplishments and support students on their dreams at the same time? The answer is: SCHOLARSHIPS!

                Virginia International University has a history of supporting its students. Since it was founded, VIU has been awarding scholarships to full-time undergraduate and graduate students as a way to recognize students who have special talents, demonstrate academic excellence, or actively participate in on-campus activities. VIU has been offering different types of scholarships throughout the years, always expanding in order to benefit more students. Right now, there are seven types of scholarships which are available for eligible prospective and current students: fresh start (for transferring students); student activity (for students who are strongly engaged in on-campus activities); campus employment (for those students who work on campus); special achievement (for students who demonstrate a special talent); new horizon (for students who come from countries which face economic and political problems); and deans and presidential (for students with exceptional academic results). Scholarships are available for both on-campus and online students. Over the years, more and more students have been granted scholarships at VIU. When students receive scholarships, they tend to exceed their own expectations by putting more efforts into achieving their academic goals. And our students’ success is VIU’s success.

Scholarship Trends in US Higher Education

                For anyone considering a college degree from a school in the United States, the cost of tuition – and the means by which to pay tuition – is a primary concern. In our last issue, University Magazine examined the steady rise of the price tag on an American education. One of the best ways students can make college more affordable is by applying for financial aid in the form of scholarships and grants.

The Statistics

                Data available from the National Center for Education Statistics allows us to track financial aid trends over a number of years. In 2011-12, 59.1% of undergraduate students in the US received financial aid in the form of scholarships or grants. The average amount those students received was $6,200. In the same year, 37.7% of graduate students in the US received aid in the form of scholarships or grants. The average amount received by those students was $10,800. When compared with data collected about a decade ago, we see that the trend for this type of financial aid is improving, both in the percentage of students receiving aid and the amount of aid students are receiving.

                Paying for the rising cost of tuition will continue to be a concern for students attending colleges and universities in the United States, at least in the foreseeable future. While tuition assistance in the form of scholarships and grants has increased, it is not always rising quickly enough to match the astonishing speed at which tuition prices are increasing. However, statistics show there has been an increase in institutional grants to students. This is good news for American students, of course, but it is also good news for international students who may not have the same access to federal aid as US citizens.

                Scholarships are and will continue to be important to college students, especially in light of rising tuition costs. It is clear that scholarships are out there for the taking, but competition is fierce. A great source for identifying scholarship opportunities is your school; find out if your institution offers grants or scholarships, especially if you are an international student!

TIPS FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS

Do Your Research

  • There are search sites which pull scholarships from many sources. Find a site that you like and create an account! Check back often for new and updated scholarships.

  • Find out what department is responsible for scholarships at your school and become familiar with the scholarship offerings, requirements, and deadlines.

  • Never pay to apply for a scholarship. If you are asked to pay a fee in order to apply, it’s probably a scam!

Know What Makes You Unique

  • Find your niche and maximize on it; you would be surprised what types of scholarships are out there. What are your scholastic interests? What are your hobbies? Do you have a unique family situation? Have you overcome an obstacle? Use your experiences to your advantage!

Start Early

  • Do not procrastinate when you’re working on a scholarship application. Build plenty of time into your schedule to complete applications, write and revise essays, and meet deadlines!

Persevere!

  • Don’t give up! If you don’t receive one scholarship, keep trying for others.

Ali Iqbal Murshed, MBA in Global Logistics

                Never considering myself an “A” student, I always struggled with academics. However, since coming to VIU, the supportive learning environment has consistently inspired me to regain interest in learning, which has reflected in my recent academic successes. My professors were generous enough to write some excellent recommendations for me and my past experiences certainly did pay off by adding much needed credentials for the selection committee to consider. Receiving this scholarship has boosted my confidence to a whole new level and motivated me to continue to strive for excellence in the future. I must also mention that VIU has given considerable attention to providing financial support for international students whereas many other well known institutions surprisingly do not have such facilities.

Faria Islam, MBA in International Finance

                It came to me as a pleasant surprise when I realized that I was one of the proud recipients selected for the Special Achievement scholarship this year. As this was my first semester at VIU, I really did not expect to be awarded a scholarship.  As an international student I have gone through lots of challenges, one of them being financial challenges. This scholarship has really helped me by reducing some of the pressure. Moreover, this is the first time studying and staying outside of my country and I was expecting it to be tough. But with VIU, the transition has been very smooth, as I have been helped by the university at every step. Everyone has been a great support to me.

New in Online Learning

Some readers may be familiar with any of a handful of online learning platforms. Websites like edX, Coursera, and Udemy allow users to enroll in online courses for free or for a small fee. Current trends on these sites seem to focus on courses in computer science (e.g., “Learning Oracle 12c” and “Pattern Oriented Software Architecture”), self-improvement (e.g., “Becoming a Resilient Person” and “Double Your Productivity), healthcare (e.g., “Fundamentals of Immunology”), business (e.g., “Supply Chain Management”), and ethics (e.g., “Social Science of Wrongful Conviction”). For anyone who has not taken an online class, trying out one of these free courses is a great way to test the waters and explore. Experienced and novice online learners who are ready to pursue a degree can take their online learning to the next level by enrolling in courses with VIU Online (online.viu.edu). Courses recently offered include “International Marketing,” “Web Development Methods,” “Teaching with Technology,” “Business Ethics & Law,” and dozens of others in the fields of business, computer science, education, public and international affairs, and ESL.

Logo Power

It is often said that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and this statement also rings true when it comes to corporate logos. Who among us doesn't recognize Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, or McDonald’s from just their logo?

In their truest sense, corporate logos are a type of shorthand, allowing consumers to instantly recognize the company and its product. However, logos do not act alone but are part of a company’s visual brand identity program which includes the logo, the design, the colors used and the marketing message. As an example, consider the company that, in my opinion, is the most widely known company brand in the world: Coca Cola.

From its inception more than 120 years ago, the Coca-Cola logo has used the stylistic handwriting of Frank Robinson – no relation to the author – as part of the logo. The wavy red letter writing over a silver background is instantly recognizable whether it is on a can of soda or the cardboard packaging.

Color is everything

So, what components make up a powerful logo? At their most basic, logos are made up of color and design. An image shown in vivid reds and oranges gives a completely different feel and meaning (excitement or anger) from the same image shown in pale blues and greens (restfulness and peace). Depending on the product, black typically indicates a premium product which allows the company to charge a higher price for the product when compared to competing brands that use a different color.

Choosing the logo

Perhaps the most expensive activity in creating the logo is hiring a professional graphic studio. The studio can help in choosing the right colors, the right design, and the right marketing message. The typical cost of hiring a professional design studio is between $40,000 and $50,000. Today, it is not uncommon to have a logo created for you by an Internet company in as little as 24 hours costing only $19!

Logo Lawsuits

Wherever creativity is involved, lawsuits over logos, corporate trademarks, and other forms of intangible intellectual property are not far behind. One of the largest lawsuits involving logos involved Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) and Apple Corps (the holding company owned by the 1960's British rock group, the Beatles).  Between 1978 and 2007 there were numerous legal disputes between the organizations over competing trademark rights: an apple.

In 1978, Apple Corps, the Beatles-founded holding company and owner of their record label, Apple Records, filed a lawsuit against Apple Computer for logo / trademark infringement which involved the use of an apple as a logo. The suit was settled in 1981 with an undisclosed amount being paid to Apple Corps. This amount had been estimated to be US$50–250 million. As a condition of the settlement, Apple Computer agreed not to enter the music business, and Apple Corps agreed not to enter the computer business.

In 1991, another lawsuit and another settlement involving payment of US$26.5 million to Apple Corps were reached. Outlined in the legal settlement were each company’s respective trademark rights to the term “Apple.” Apple Corps held the right to use Apple on any “creative works whose principal content is music,” while Apple Computer held the right to use Apple on “goods or services ... used to reproduce, run, play or otherwise deliver such content,” but not on content distributed on physical media. In other words, Apple Computer agreed that it would not package, sell or distribute physical music materials.

In 2010, the parties reached a final settlement that included the launch of the Beatles’ music catalog being made available on the iTunes platform. It is hard to believe that after almost 20 years of legal action, the central issue of the case involved the use of an apple as a corporate logo. This is why it is so important to protect one’s corporate logo through legal means.

What is the value of a corporate brand logo?

While it is difficult to separate out is the actual monetary value the logo adds to the company’s profitability, Interbrand, the global brand consultancy, conducts an annual ranking of the value of the corporate brand, which includes logos. After excluding all of the company’s physical assets such as office space, real estate, manufacturing plants, etc., what is left over is the intangibles such as logos, trademarks, and other intellectual property.

Conclusion

Other than the mission, vision, and core values, the corporate logo is perhaps the most important weapon in a company’s visual identity arsenal. Using the appropriate design, color, and marketing message.

Bad Apple: DEALING WITH A DIFFICULT EMPLOYEE

Every employer’s ultimate goal is to attract and retain valuable employees in their workforce through acquisition of the right talents that would help them attain their strategic objectives. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Some employees may end up exhibiting counterproductive behavior, which could hinder the company’s productivity as well as interfere with interpersonal relationships with fellow employees. So what should an HR Manager do in such a situation?

If you look at this list, you would agree that some of them may appear to be difficult depending on the circumstances. Since dealing with difficult employees is not as simple as it sounds, we would need to look at several factors, which will help us shed some light on steps that will result in a positive outcome for the company, the employee, and the co-workers.

Address the situation using the following steps:
1. Open a line of communication with the employee to investigate fully the nature of the problem. At this point, the policies of the organization will be revisited to ensure that the employee is on the same page with acceptable behavior, rules and regulations, as well as the strategic goal of the company. Employees may become unhappy if they are not linking their responsibilities to the goals of the organization and also their responsibilities are not challenging or their talents not fully utilized. This may result in boredom and we know that an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. Should such a situation arise, the HR Manager should address it right away so that it doesn’t get out of hand. It would be good to have a one-on-one with the employee. Also, the employee may prefer to discuss the issue with their own peers, and there has been proven success in engaging a respected co-worker to speak to a difficult employee.

2. Plan a course of action based on the findings in the first step. One of the actions would be to assign a mentor to the employee that seems to be struggling with work or interactions with his/her team members. A mentor should also be able to assist the employee with both personal and company goals. An employee may engage in counterproductive behavior due to inadequate knowledge and experience required to successfully complete their daily tasks. If this is the case, the employee should be assigned to take appropriate training programs to enhance their skills and competencies.  The HR manager would need to properly look into the circumstances surrounding the situation and address them, making sure to separate opinion from actual behavior.
3. Reach a positive outcome/resolution that will benefit the company, the employee, and co-workers. The decision has to be closely monitored to ensure desired results. If after applying the interventions mentioned in step #2 above the problem still persists, disciplinary action may be considered.

If the employee’s misconduct is considered serious in nature, it may lead to immediate discharge.  Otherwise for minor offenses, HR may impose several levels of penalties as follows:
- First offense—oral warning
- Second offense—written warning
- Third offense—second written warning and suspension without pay
- Fourth offense—termination

In summary, the key is not only to address the person’s behavior but also what may have contributed to the employee acting in an unfavorable manner. Often times the so-called “difficult employee” may actually be the most creative in the company. Companies want to retain their most valuable employees, and employees, on the other hand, do not wish to lose their jobs.

TYPES OF DIFFICULT EMPLOYEES:
- The hostile worker, who is verbally abusive and destructive
- The whiner, who complains just about everything
- The pessimist, who never believes there will be any good outcome and at such can affect others with his negativity
- The sniper, who constantly criticizes others
- The impatient, who doesn’t care about policies and procedures
- The know-it-all, very smart and an expert in his field but can be very exasperating
- The arrogant worker, who will never admit that he doesn’t really know anything
- The indecisive worker takes too long to make a decision, thereby causing unnecessary delay in productivity
- The silent employee takes an offensive position and simply does not contribute to any decision
- The “yes” worker that will agree to anything without really intending to carry it out

Overcoming Obstacles: Manar Alhazmi

We recently sat down with one of our students, Manar Alhazmi, who is currently completing the elementary level of VIU’s ESL program. Her talent, determination, and personal story have made her family, teachers, and peers admire her, and I was eager to meet her myself. As a genuinely open person, Manar is strong enough to share her life with us, and she hopes that her story will inspire and motivate others.      

It’s not Manar’s first time in America; in fact, when she was seven, her family lived in Los Angeles for nine months. By the time she went home to Saudi Arabia, Manar had already fallen in love with America, its people and environment. Her favorite aspect is everyone’s friendly smiles and greetings. Manar is now back with a big vision: to improve her English and earn her MBA degree in Healthcare Management.  

Manar’s longtime dream has been to become a hospital manager, and she continues to overcome many obstacles to reach it. At the age of 10, Manar suffered from a serious illness and fell into a coma, staying in a hospital for many months. Although Manar’s loved ones were next to her and she had excellent medical care, she was still shocked at the sudden change in her life. Because she could no longer take care of herself, Manar started to give up hope of ever being a “normal” person able to walk, run, work or even hang out with friends.

I was curious as to her turning point and how she came from that low point at the hospital to being a healthy, energetic student in America. Manar credits her parents with her incredible improvement, and her “second chance at life.” When Manar was in the coma, “it was a very rough time for [her] parents to see [her] staying in bed day and night.” After six months, Manar finally left the hospital to continue her treatments at home. Her parents encouraged her to continue her exercises and her dad demanded that she continue her studies and stay strong, to “battle the disease in order to become a healthy and successful girl.” Manar completed high school and received her Bachelor’s degree from a university in Saudi Arabia. “Now I can do everything with my walker and my wheelchair,” she says. “I am always thankful to my parents for holding my hand and teaching me to fight for life. Without them, I would not be here today.” Her eyes turn tearful when she talks about her mother, Hanan Al Ahmadi and her father, Faisal Al Hazmi, a policeman who works tirelessly for his family of seven.

Her passion is helping children who suffer from illness. To make that dream come true, Manar pushes herself harder than ever. “I want to make new things which I didn’t find when I was in the hospital. It was very boring, and I had a hard time. Even though parents and friends come to visit you, something is still missing there. No matter how sick children are, they need time to play. There are no activities to make children happy!”  

For Manar, learning from her VIU professors means not only speaking English better but having more confidence in herself. “I was very shy when I first spoke, but today, because of my great teachers, I love to interact with others. VIU is helping my dreams come true!” Manar also enjoys the wheelchair access available on campus at VIU, on the streets and even on buses, which, she says makes it easy for her to get around. “Some people beg for food or money in the street. They are healthy, they can walk, run, and work. They can do anything they want, earn enough to buy food or even a house,” Manar says seriously, from the bottom of her heart. “Right before I came to the USA, I worked at a hospital as a receptionist. The manager told me to study and come back, that I will be the hospital manager, and I will do it!” Manar is so positive and motivated that her attitude is contagious, “In the near future, I will walk without a walker, run, even travel all over the world. Nothing is impossible. I will make it happen.”
And you will, Manar. With hard work, an excellent education and a great support system anyone can succeed!

What Makes a Good Writer?

This is a question that often plagues many of us who want to improve our writing skills!  If there were one thing to help us write better it would be to “write with a purpose.”  That is, know why you are writing and what message you want to convey.  Here are some tips to help you write with purpose:

Define your audience

Knowing your audience is one of the most important aspects of writing with purpose.  You need to know who your audience is in order to get them interested and engaged in the topic.

Outline your goals

Clearly defining what you wish to accomplish helps in formulating the overall message that you wish to convey.  We often have lots of things to say, and clearly organizing your goals helps to be able to fully accomplish what you set out to do.

Choose your voice

Purposeful writing is intentional in the choice of voice and register.  Are you writing to convey a sense of familiarity or charm?  Are you writing to catch a wide audience? Are you writing for colleagues or peers?  Are you writing to catch the attention of a CEO?  Approach your writing with the appropriate tone and register for your intended audience.

Practice your writing

Practice makes perfect!  We often go through many drafts and versions of our writing in order to achieve perfection – that’s okay!

Be intentional

Purposeful writing is intentional in word choice, placement, and organization.  Be conscious of what you convey and why.  Be ready to defend your choice if necessary!

https://twitter.com/WRMCatVIU