PACE student selected as PSU summer commencement speaker

GSE students have dominated the podium at PSU graduations this year. Emily Coleman, MS (VIL), and Jacob Sherman, MS (LSE), were chosen for this year’s spring ceremony held at the Rose Garden in June. Now add Debra Kidney to this year’s list of outstanding Portland State GSE graduates.

Debra Kidney, BA ’84, an Educational Leadership master’s graduate, was one of two students tapped to speak to the 700 students and their families and friends attending PSU’s summer commencement ceremony, Saturday, August 18, 2012—the last graduation ceremony PSU will hold in the Park Blocks. Ms. Kidney specialized in the Postsecondary, Adult, and Continuing Education (PACE) program and completed the Training and Development program in Continuing Education.

“Debra’s dedication to empowering adult learners and her passion toward workplace learning has been evident in her academic commitment in both the PACE master’s degree and the Training & Development programs,” said Program Manager Toni Plato. “Her positive personality, professional experience and education from the GSE all contribute to her ability to inspire adults to keep learning a lifetime priority. We are very proud of her.”

Read more:
www.pdx.edu/commencement/profile/debra-kidney

PSU hosts national training expert

Continuing Education’s Training & Development program recently sponsored an American Society of Training Development (ASTD) event that featured Don L. Kirkpatrick, PhD, expert and leader in assessing training. Dr. Kirkpatrick presented to over 130 members of the Portland workplace training community on “Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels.”

Dr. Kirkpatrick is a well-known industry consultant and speaker, professor emeritus of the University of Wisconsin, and past national president of ASTD. He has received the Lifetime Achievement in Workplace Learning and Performance Award and is a member of Training Magazine’s Hall Of Fame. In 2007, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asia Human Resource Development Congress.

Dr. Kirkpatrick has authored seven management books, including the third edition of Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels, which has become the basis for training evaluation worldwide.

Training and Development program celebrates 16 Certificate of Completion graduates

Sixteen PSU students received their certificates of completion in the Continuing Education Training and Development (T&D) program at a casual graduation ceremony for students, instructors, family, and friends.

The students received certificates in one or more of the following areas:
Training
Scott Buckley
Melany Budiman
Pamela Henry
Julie Nuse
Beverly Peterson

Management of Training
Mark Dunn
Delores Hankins
Jeffrey Moors
Sharon Padgett
Terry Reich

Multimedia and Web-based Training
Gina Anzaldo
Melany Budiman
Susan Gollihugh
Malerie McCarty
Jeffrey Moors
Bryan Shirota
John Williams

Intercultural Training
Sara Saltzberg

Some are also PACE master’s students, and some work for companies such as Standard or Nike and use this education to better their skills and understanding of adult education and how it relates to training in the workforce.

Also recognized were the first two professionals to become CPLP (Certified Professional in Learning & Performance) certified after taking PSU’s CPLP exam prep course and Work Product Coaching group.  Shelby Gramling and Lucas McQuillan both received this nationally recognized certification through ASTD this spring after completion of the two courses with our CPLP certified instructor, Dan Vetter.

During the graduation event, GSE Dean Randy Hitz stressed the importance of continued education in a world that changes in unpredictable ways over the course of our careers. Several instructors spoke about the individual talents of their students, sharing personal stories that indicated just how close-knit T&D program participants can become.

The evening closed with graduating student comments, where students told story after story of how their courses and instructors influenced their lives, both professionally and personally. In all, the event was a touching acknowledgement of the hard work and collaboration these students put in during their time at PSU.

Contact Toni Plato, Program Manager, at 503-725-4706 or plato@pdx.edu if you would like more information about how to obtain your own Training & Development Certificate!