This 2019 SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition interview is with Colorado Christian University, which offers over 80 programs for adult students. Below is a quick Q&A with the Enrollment Director Stephanie Krawzyk.
Who is Colorado Christian University!? Tell us everything, just as you would someone approaching your booth and asking you this question at SHRM ‘19 in Las Vegas.
Colorado Christian University (CCU) is focused on making an impact on the world. Our goal is to equipp student to enter into the workplace with the education and skills needed to be successful in their chosen career fields. We have full time and part time tuition rates, military rates, scholarships, business and church partnerships all over the US that allow CCU to be an affordable option for students.
Let us in on the magic. What’s it like to work at CCU? Do you utilize your resources to educate your employees?
I have worked for CCU for just under 10 years now, and I would say that it is a magical place to work. The culture and business model of CCU is one that is unique and promotes authenticity. Higher education or degree completion is absolutely encouraged among employees, and the majority of staff members do take advantage of the resources available to them.
What are the biggest challenges companies face when educating their employees? How do they overcome those challenges?
The biggest challenges are not having programs that everyone wants or that when people complete their next level of education, advancement opportunities are not readily available that would allow them to be compensated for their degree. Overcoming those obstacles boil down to finding a similar program available or waiting for a new opportunity to arise.
What do you wish more HR professionals and recruiters knew about online education?
Education across the country is moving online. Think about this from your perspective: as a working professional, we want to learn more so we can advance our knowledge base and skills, but juggling work, school, and home life can be a trick. Online education is the key to making this almost impossible feat, possible. In most cases, classes are short, they operate under and adult learning model and students can obtain the skills and degrees they desire in a short amount of time, which benefits them, and their organization.
Educational institutions, such as CCU, focus their entire academic rigor around working adult students. Using relevant, applicable case studies and scenarios as teaching tools. It would be incredibly advantageous for HR directors to encourage their staff to go back to school so that their employees can be educated in their fields. Likewise, many colleges and universities have partnering options with organizations, to help cut the cost of college tuition, in most cases with ZERO obligation to the company.
How important is it to stay educated in today’s business world?
Imperative! So many college courses teach students how to stay technologically savvy and relevant in this fast-paced and ever changing business world. With technology advancement continuing to grow by leaps and bounds, falling behind in the world technologically, regardless of which field people are in, is when people lose their vigor and motivation for their job positions. Relying solely on the media or social media for industry updates promotes bad, ungrounded information to cycle; which could lead to bad organizational decision making.
For anyone who won’t be able to make it to the CCU booth in Las Vegas, what do you want them to know?
Education is paramount in today’s culture; everyone knows that people can easily advance their careers with or without a degree. However, people would much rather follow someone who has both knowledge and skills in their fields; for they are the ones who know how to impact the world and spark positive change. CCU desires to prepare students to change the world through the education they receive. With the various tuition discounts, business partnerships and scholarships available, CCU has an affordable option for anyone.
Brett Farmiloe is the Founder and CEO – and currently CHRO - of Terkel.io, a platform where business leaders can answer questions related to their expertise and get published in articles featuring their
insights. Brett is a #SHRM22Influencers and has also been a keynote speaker at several state SHRM conferences around the topic of employee engagement.
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