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Prevent fraud this holiday season with these helpful tips

By Kerrie Turcic
Velocity Contributor

Identity and credit card theft are more prevalent than ever - yet many people still think it can’t happen to them.

“Be paranoid. It can happen,” warns Mark Wilson, an accounting and fraud expert, licensed investigator and managing director of Wilson & Associates, LLC in Bellevue, Wash.

“You have to be proactive and know it can happen to you,” says the City University of Seattle alumnus and faculty member.

About 90 percent of fraud self-protection is common sense but Wilson still suggests the following tips:
• Get a secure mail box or post office box
• Don’t carry unnecessary credit cards
• Don’t carry a Social Security card
• Don’t carry a passport unless needed
• Pick up checks from the bank instead ordering them by mail
• Shred sensitive information, including pre-approved credit card applications
• Get a secure computer firewall and use passwords
• Verify Web addresses when shopping online; secure sites have a padlock icon or have a link beginning with https
• Never give personal information over the phone or Internet.

Be Aware

Ed Wortman, Chief of Police for the Rockaway Beach Police Department in Oregon and City U of Seattle alumnus, insists that people protect themselves against fraud at all times.

“Do not give your personal information to anyone,” he says. “Guard your credit card numbers. Do not give people not known to you your personal information, such as full name, date of birth, mother’s maiden name, Social Security Number and other personal information like your driver’s license number.”

Unfortunately, there’s always a chance credit or identity can be compromised but there are some steps that can be taken to minimize the damage.

Check credit periodically. Wilson says the three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion - must provide free credit reports once per year by personal request.

Review bank account and statements often, especially after shopping online. Wortman says the latest credit card scam being used by perpetrators involves not large but small charges to a stolen credit card. He says perpetrators do this in the hopes the purchases won’t be noticed by the credit card’s owner.

Wilson and Wortman both say identity theft signs to watch for include inquiries, payment or collection notices on unfamiliar credit cards or accounts.

Act Fast

Those who notice something should deal with it immediately by calling the local police and filing a report, Wilson says.

Next, contact one of the three aforementioned credit bureaus for a walk-through of the process. Also, notify the credit company, agency or bank where the fraudulent charges have been made or recorded and close that account.

“Essentially, you are trying to cut off any access the perpetrator may have to your information or assets,” Wilson says.

According to Wortman, depending on where the crime was committed, the incident may be out of the local police department’s hands. Those reports can be filed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation online by visiting www.fbi.gov/hq.htm.

Of course, the best situation would be to avoid becoming a victim of fraud by following simple prevention steps. With a little common sense, caution and awareness, everyone can keep their identity and personal information safe.

CityU alumni discuss their personal milestones; planning experts share tips to use in 2009

By Anna King
Velocity Contributor

David Neisen balances his family, school and career by taking small steps toward larger goals.

The 30-year-old Renton man just graduated from City University of Seattle last spring with a general studies degree. He did it while working full time for Target as an executive recruiter.

“I would take one to two classes a (quarter) just to chip away at it,” he says. “It took me 11 years to finish my degree, so yes, the sense of accomplishment was huge.”

Neisen’s goal setting hasn’t stopped with his degree. He’s also an ironman competitor. To get himself in top shape he uses the same strategy he did for his academic career.

“Bite off small chunks,” he says. “You can’t run a marathon in one day. Do small things and they add up. If you are patient and pay attention you will see results.”

Whether it’s losing weight, finishing a degree or starting a new business — goals can help people reach those milestones in 2009. Experts say many successful people set goals for daily life as well as bigger ones down the road.

Karen Langer, CityU of Seattle’s Counseling Center Director, says goals are a good way to see the bigger picture.

“It helps you avoid all the little things that can trip you up,” she says.

Langer says making a calendar or schedule can really help people keep on track to meet their goals. It’s harder to procrastinate, or not make time for something important, if it’s on a calendar.

Langer also says making time for exercise, fun and family is just as important. For example, students who neglect personal relationships can derail a term paper if they get into an argument with friends or family members.

Fran Fisher, a master-certified life coach in Bellevue, Wash., says people who want to reach their goal should explore their motivation. Identifying why they want to reach a goal will help them overcome the obstacles, she says.

Fisher says it’s also important to measure progress.

“Without having a plan or measuring their progress, they will get discouraged or give up,” she says.

Fisher says people should also have a goal buddy.

“That could be a support group, a buddy, a church group or a classmate,” she says. “You are there for each other, you meet on a regular basis and you help each other stay on track.”

Perhaps the most important skill to have if you want to reach your goal is scheduling time to plan.

“People get so busy, they are always going, going, going,” Fisher says. “I encourage my clients to schedule 30 minutes a week. It’s sacred time but it’s for themselves.”

Fisher advises people to use that time every week to reflect on what worked and didn’t work. Finally, Fisher says people should balance their heads and hearts — like partners.

“What the heart does best is show us what our deepest desires are,” she says. “The head is the planner and executer. Life is more satisfying when we let our heart show us what we want, then let the head shows us how we can get there.”

Plans Goals for 2009: 10 Quick Tips

• Take small steps toward a larger goal
• Eat well
• Make time for good sleep
• Exercise
• Limit caffeine intake
• Identify those things that might keep you from reaching your goal, then strategize how to overcome those obstacles
• Make time for family, friends and personal relationships
• Create a schedule or calendar with your goals lined out
• Enlist your friends and family to help support your goals
• CityU of Seattle’s Counseling Center is available to help students and the public with their goals. For an appointment call 425-709-5333.

City University of Seattle recently sponsored and participated in a special panel discussion at City Club in Seattle, Wash. to discuss education’s role and significance worldwide as a part of its Global Collaboration in Higher Education Week.

More than 100 guests, including CityU of Seattle leaders from campuses abroad in Bulgaria, Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, Slovakia and Switzerland, attended the luncheon program Education for a Global World of Competition & Collaboration on Oct. 29. 

The guest panelists were: Lee Gorsuch, CityU President; Elson Floyd, Washington State University President; Dr. J. Michael Adams, Fairleigh Dickinson University President and Michael Richey, Boeing Company Associate Technical Fellow. Barry Mitzman, Seattle University’s Professor of Strategic Communications, moderated the event.

Gorsuch pointed out during the discussion the United States must aggressively cultivate its talent pool, such as the international students who move to here to earn doctorate degrees but often return to their own countries to find work.

Washington universities also must find new ways to encourage students to take classes and participate in programs abroad so they can take those experiences with them into the workforce. Gorsuch noted the University of Washington, Washington State University and Pacific Lutheran University offer these opportunities through research or specific programs. About 40 percent of CityU’s students learn in 10 different countries around the world, he adds.  

“If you are going to innovate in the world you have to understand what the world is all about and there is no substitute to having been there and having visited,” Gorsuch says.

If you would like to view the discussion, click here to watch the video recorded by the TVW Washington State Public Affairs Network.

You can also read more about it here in the Seattle Times article published on October 30, 2008.

CityU’s role in global education

By Melissa Hoyos
Communications Specialist, City University of Seattle

In 1973, City University of Seattle, then City College, emerged as a small, not-for-profit university for Washington state’s working adults.

Join CityU's Global Alumni and Friends group on LinkedIn. Click here to connect with more than 120 members from dozens of countries across the globe.

Students chose from a modest selection of undergraduate classes taught by industry professionals in satellite offices along the Interstate corridor. For a time, CityU of Seattle held courses on-board a Washington ferry as commuters crossed the Puget Sound.

Today, more than 42,000 CityU alumni worldwide, along with current students, can attest to the university’s commitment to flexible education with an international perspective. Click here to read alumni profiles.

Unlike other top international colleges, CityU provides identical programs throughout the U.S. and 10 different countries, including Mexico, Switzerland and Australia. Under this academic model, students may easily attend classes at CityU in Athens, Greece and later transfer credits to finish up their degree in CityU in Trencin, Slovakia.

Fernando Leon Garcia, International Division Chancellor

Those who don’t have access to a CityU location abroad may pursue an American-style education by choosing from many online classes.

Antonio Esqueda, CityU’s International Programs Academic Coordinator

“Very few institutions in the world are positioned as CityU is to offer students the opportunity to study the same program with the same intended [learning] outcomes in a seamless and potentially uninterrupted manner across more than one country,” says Fernando Leon Garcia, CityU’s International Division Chancellor.

Organizations devoted to international higher education consistently recognize CityU’s increased global presence.

The university hosted the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Internationalization Collaborative Regional Meeting last month. Special guest panelists included CityU President Lee Gorsuch, Fairleigh Dickinson University President J. Michael Adams and Western International University President Michael Seiden.

“City U was recognized as a leader in international programs and branches abroad,” says Antonio Esqueda, CityU’s International Programs Academic Coordinator and meeting planner.

CityU’s international appeal also attracts U.S. students, including future business entrepreneurs who seek a worldly education and want to travel. The university allows Americans to attend one of the multiple CityU sites abroad because classes are taught in English and don’t require a language proficiency in the respective country.

Academic and career opportunities exist locally for those from other countries. Seattle’s Fortune 500 companies, such as Starbucks, Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon, continue to entice those abroad who wish to relocate to Washington state, earn their degree and start a local job search.

Many students hope to secure jobs with Seattle’s top-tier corporations after graduation, says Sabine Saway, CityU’s International Admissions Director.

This fall quarter, CityU accepted 79 new international students from 24 different countries into various programs. According to the admissions office, popular degrees among international students include the Master in Business Administration (MBA), the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), the Bachelor of Arts in Management (BAM) and the Master of Science in Project Management.

Find, e-mail or instant message thousands of CityU alumni using the Online Community. Click here to sign-in or join now!

In these programs, international students also interact with faculty members from all over the globe.

Glenda Campos, a CityU alumna and native of Mexicali, Mexico, says her experience last year learning from an instructor from another country taught her to pay attention to others’ views of the world.

“This without a doubt helps you in the working world since it gives you a wider view of how every country does business,” says Campos, who studied business.

Recently, the admissions office kicked off the International Student Mentor Program to serve students like Campos who are new to the U.S. The mentors - all international graduate students - answer questions on textbook purchases and student activities and take new students on a tour of the Seattle area.

“We saw a need for this because we know it’s sometimes hard for international students to leave their families and start over in another country,” Saway says.

This fall, four international graduate students signed up to serve as mentors to nine new students. Mentors receive a stipend for helping students over one quarter.

More information on the program and mentorship opportunities can be requested from CityU International Admissions Coordinator Inese Woodward at iwoodward@cityu.edu.

American CityU students, like Lauren Fambrough, who shared a classroom with international students say they’re better for prepared for the global workplace because of this daily interaction.

“It was very interesting learning about their culture in comparison to the U.S.,” says Fambrough, who studied ethics at CityU’s Everett campus with Japanese and Indonesian students. “I learned how corrupt some countries are due to wealth and how some things seem ethical in our country but would be (looked down) upon in another.”

Throughout the academic year, Chancellor Leon Garcia expects to develop more international-focused programs, including partnerships in Latin America and the Asia/Pacific region to stay globally competitive.

Says Leon Garcia, “CityU (is) in a very select group internationally.”

Genoa Sibold-Cohn also contributed to this story.

Jerry Schwartz

Jerry W. Schwartz has been appointed to the Board of Governors at City University of Seattle. Schwartz, along with the other board members, is responsible for approving and monitoring the implementation of the mission of the institution, along with overseeing the establishment of broad institutional policies. He will serve on the international affairs and audit committees.

Schwartz has more than 30 years of legal and leadership experience in the technology, publishing and telecommunications industries. He is currently director of Microsoft’s Office of International Affairs in Redmond, Wash. Prior to joining Microsoft he served as chief operating officer for Ecuity Advanced Communications, Inc., and chief executive officer and president of eAxis, Inc.

Schwartz holds a Master of Laws in Transnational Legal Practice/International Taxation from Salzburg University, and Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees from the University of Puget Sound. He is licensed to practice law in the states of Washington and California.

Seattle P-I Columnist Bill Virgin discusses college tuition prices with university leaders, including President Lee Gorsuch. Click here to read the column.

Washington state alumni:

Interested in team sports? City University of Seattle’s sponsored soccer team is looking for men and women players to join its Division 1 co-ed group.

Now in its fourth season, CityU alumni started the soccer team with the university’s financial assistance with seasonal fees. The team has since won several championships at the Division 3 and 4 levels. They have advanced to the Division 1 level this season.

Patrick Earley, a CityU School of Management alumnus and longtime team member, says the all-ages team plays year-round on outdoors fields throughout King County. The CityU team recently was featured on the cover of the King County quarterly recreation magazine.

E-mail Patrick Earley at bienpatricio@gmail.com for more information on the CityU team.

CityU staff and students share volunteering experiences; urge others to give back

Anna King
Velocity Contributor

The national economy is pretty scary these days but Tim Gould makes sense of his corner of the world by volunteering.

“I think the people that are truly giving from their heart will keep giving,” he says.

Gould, an instructor for City University of Seattle’s School of Management, and others like him give back in their professional and personal lives. And with many volunteer opportunities from helping the poor to cleaning up the environment to caring for animals, more CityU of Seattle students, alumni and staff continue to make a difference around the world.

Specifically, Gould works as a finance manager for World Vision - a worldwide agency that fights hunger, helps people suffering in disaster areas and raises money for impoverished children. Gould says he was tired of working for companies that were only concerned with the bottom line.

“I had enough of that,” he says. “I wanted to work for a company that helped the needy and children.”

In his off time Gould volunteers for his church. And each year he gathers a team of friends to walk for the Relay for Life to support cancer research.

“There have been several people that I’ve lost - aunts and cousins,” Gould said. “Volunteering gives me a great feeling inside. It’s a once-a-year chance to do something good.”

CityU students are volunteering too, like 23-year-old Peter Rigo. He’s studying business administration and plans to graduate next year. Rigo worked to organize a Green Day event at his CityU campus in Trencin, Slovakia. He and other students helped pick up trash around campus for about five hours.

“It is very important to show young people that our planet needs their help,” Rigo says. “If we could get people into the habit of caring for the environment now when they are still young, in the future they are going to be doing the same thing without even thinking about it.”

LaMonica Shelton, a representative with the federal agency Corporation for National Community Service, says people don’t have to pick up trash or scoop soup into bowls to be a volunteer. Shelton says a federal study shows that people with higher levels of education are more likely to volunteer. She adds that many people use their marketing, teaching or finance skills to assist their communities.

“Volunteering can provide some great skills to those college students who are about to graduate and want to get some real world experience in their field,” she says.

At CityU, several organized volunteering activities exist for staff. Kourtnie Chamberlin, a benefits specialist for CityU’s human resources department, organizes a blood drive a few times a year. She says about 15 staff members donate blood each time the Puget Sound Blood Mobile comes to the Bellevue campus.

And over the last few years, thousands of dollars have been raised by CityU staff for United Way. Last year, staff gave more than $9,400.

Up north in British Columbia, CityU Faculty Member Glen Grigg volunteers to help professional counselors at the Vancouver-based campus. He assists the B.C. Association of Clinical Councilors who write regulations for the Canadian counseling industry.

“It’s a source of very deep personal satisfaction,” Grigg says. “It goes beyond what I can do as an individual and ensures safe and ethical treatment of clients throughout British Columbia.”

Grigg says he’s glad to be working for CityU because the university encourages volunteering.

“It’s presenting yourself as living the values that you teach,” he says. “I encourage my students to give back to the community; so if you are going to do that you have to live it as well.”

City University of Seattle’s Alumni Relations Department recently hosted its quarterly Project Management Networking and Presentation at the Renton campus.

Speaker Tim Rahschulte, a business transition consultant to the State of Oregon and George Fox University School of Management assistant professor, discussed the difficulties of organizational change and related management tips at the Sept. 25 event. He recently gave a presentation to the Portland, Ore. PMI Chapter entitled Building Readiness For Change Through Communication. He also will be an upcoming speaker at the PMI Global Congress this month in Denver, Colo.

Guest speaker Tim Rahschulte and CityU Board member Steven Weidner visit during the quarterly project management event.

More than 40 Project Management and Master’s in Business Administration alumni listened to Rahschulte’s presentation in-person and through the online Live Meeting program. For participating in the event attendees will receive two PDUs as credit that can be claimed on the PMI Web site on Oct. 10.

Other special guests included Steven Weidner, CityU of Seattle board member and project management graduate, and Kathy Milhauser, CityU of Seattle program director for project management and technology management.

Rahschulte teaches courses in the doctor of management program and capstone transformational

Dr. Bruce Lee, CityU MBA graduate, met with Antonio Esqueda, CityU International Programs Academic Coordinator, during the event.

leadership class for the MBA program at George Fox University. His areas of research include organizational change, human resource development, global teams and leadership.

“He’s able to take deep grounded research and apply it,” Milhauser says.

Eileen Ryan-Rojas, Director of Alumni Relations & Development, says e-mail feedback from the event included these comments:

“Thanks again for a great presentation last night. Really enjoyed hearing from Tim.”
“Awesome event! I’m glad I stayed up for it.”

Julie Petherick, CityU Project Management Alumna and Regional Project Control Specialist with the Washington State Department of Transportation, attended Rahschulte's presentation.

A special thanks to CityU of Seattle Site Coordinator Fran MacVey and her team along with caterer Herban Feast for providing hospitality. Visit alumni.cityu.edu to learn about future events.

Alumni look to upcoming elections around the world for college reform; discounted tuition

By Rebekah Schilperoort
Velocity Contributor

Canadian Mark Giesbrecht passed up a government-funded education at a local university in favor of City University of Seattle’s Master’s in Counseling Psychology program.

“My Canadian friends thought I was nuts,” says Giesbrecht, who took out a $35,000 college loan to attend classes in Vancouver, B.C. “Most graduate programs in Canada are already free, however, their (admission) numbers are low. So, I went for CityU.”

Global higher education reform continues to be a debated topic in ongoing election campaigns, in particular, among U.S. presidential candidates. Americans choose their next president on Nov. 4. Washington state residents also select a governor on Super Tuesday.

CityU students and alumni concerned about higher education and increasing related costs say they want national and local politicians to provide solutions.

Giesbrecht hopes candidates vying for seats in the upcoming 40th Canadian General Election will make an affordable, quality education more accessible. The country elects Parliament and House of Commons members on Oct. 14.

“Canadians do not have the same access to university education as Americans do,” Giesbrecht says. “The biggest issue for students in Canada is the frustration at the lack of access to higher education schooling and most students also feel that the costs are too great to bear for the average citizen.”

United States

In the U.S., Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama and Republican candidate Sen. John McCain vow to help struggling college students.

Obama proposes a universal American Opportunity Tax Credit - a refundable credit to ensure the first $4,000 of a college education is free.

The credit would cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at most public colleges and universities, according to his campaign Web site.

McCain’s higher education philosophy includes modernizing the system to compete with increasing competition overseas. He proposes on his campaign Web site a plan for simplifying financial aid and tax benefits.

Washington state

In the race for Washington state governor, Republican Dino Rossi and incumbent Democrat Chris Gregoire want to make college more affordable by increasing financial aid and expanding grant eligibility.

Rick Fleehart attends CityU’s Renton campus and works for Boeing. Fleehart’s employer pays for his degree but he’s familiar with higher education complexities. He researched student loan and federal aid programs to send his two children to Gonzaga University in Eastern Washington.

“It would be great to simplify the tax credit process. Education costs should be somehow discounted to encourage use,” he says.

Democracy Matters, a non-partisan group, notes the average tuition at four-year public colleges increased 35 percent since 2001 and by 5.9 percent at private colleges in the past academic year. Many undergraduate students leave college $20,000 in debt.

Washington state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) supports Obama’s Opportunity Tax Credit proposal.

“We need to expand our financial aid programs but also restructure the federal loan programs (so) that students are not encumbered with such high levels of debt,” she says.

George Stefan, who studied at CityU in Romania and graduated from the Vancouver, B.C. campus, says education in America has become “a business.”

The Romanian government paid his college education.

“When it comes to education, medical and social services coverage…the U.S. has a long way to go,” Stefan says.

Elections Abroad

Significant international elections took place earlier this year while others will be held by year’s end.

Canada holds its federal election next month. Major education goals include providing equitable opportunities to earn college degrees to support a strong economic workforce.

The country’s liberal campaign platform specifically calls for a 10-year, $70 billion plan to invest in education, child care and infrastructure.

Education reform is a top priority in the Republic of Macedonia, Greece where a new conservative government coalition recently was voted into power. The coalition plans to offer better education throughout the country, including Athens where CityU runs two campuses.

Register to Vote

National and local polls show an increase in young voters signaling some may want changes in higher education policy.

The U.S. saw a surge of democrats registering to vote for the first time during the primaries. In November, election analysts expect a record turnout, including in King County where 10,000 new voters register each month.

Mail-in or online voter registration in Washington state ends Oct. 4. In-person voter registration for new residents ends Oct. 20. Visit http://kingcounty.gov/csc/#sites for more information.