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College Credit
for Life Experiences
Prior learning
counts toward
college degree
D iscover how to earn college
credit forexperienlial learning—
sk ill, a b ility and k n o w le d g e
gained outside the classroom —
at a free Prior Learning A ssess­
m ent in fo rm a tio n s e ssio n at
M arylhurst U niversity on T u es­
day, Aug. I0 ,fro m 6 :3 0 to 8 p .m .,
BP John A dm inistration B uild­
ing, room 200.
“You can earn college credit
for the know ledge y ou’ve ac­
quired from accum ulated experi­
ence,” said D enis Law rence, d i­
rector o f M arylhurst’s Learning
A ssessm ent C enter. “ L earning
can com e from career, volunteer,
m ilitary or parenting activities, or
from hobbies and life-expanding
experiences.
"Through PLA you’ll dem on­
strate how your prior learning
has potential for credit at the
college level,” Law rence said.
“ You provide the evidence o f
what you have already learned,
and PLA evaluates it. A suc­
cessful request will be aw arded
credit.” Up to 45 credits, the
equivalent o f one year, may be
obtained through PLA.
To register for the PLA infor­
mation session or more inform a­
tion, call 503-699-6260 or 8(X)-
634-9982, extension 6260, e-mail
p la @ m a ry lh u rst.e d u o r v isit
w w w .m arylhurst.edu.
M arylhurst is located 10 m in­
utes south o f Portland on H igh­
way 43. The university is rated
first in O regon for small class
size according to U .S.N ew s and
W orld Report. It offers p ro fes­
sional certificates and degrees
for undergraduate and graduate
studies.
Science Careers Promoted
(A P )— Energy Secretary Spen­
cer Abraham has announced an
initiative to promote “science lit­
eracy” and boost the number of
American students interested in
becoming scientists and engineers.
The program will award scholar­
ships at national labs for math and
science teachers. It also will require
the 17 labs to host fifth- and eighth-
graders for at least one day each
year, sponsor annual science ap­
preciation days and have scien­
tists visit public schools.
The programs will focus on stu­
dents and teachers in middle school
- a time when American children’s
curiosity in math and science often
wanes.
According to an international
studycompletedin 1999,U.S.fourth-
graders ranked among the world’s
best in math and science. By eighth
grade, they fell below the interna­
tional average. By 12th grade, they
trai led students in nearly every other
industrialized country.
It’s unclear whether the initia­
tive will stem years o f declining
enrollment in science programs
among A merican col lege students,
and it’s unlikely to change a
broader concern: Engineering and
science graduates from develop­
ing nations dramatically outnum ­
ber those from U.S. universities.
|uly2l,2O O 4
New Jobs Coining to Oregon Steel
North Portland
industry plans
expansion
Thanks in a large part to the efforts
o f a business recruitment committee
made up o f some o f Portland’s key
private sector business leaders as
well as public officials, Oregon Steel
Mills Thursday announced it would
bring up to 200 new jobs to the Port­
land area.
The com pany plans to build a new
pipe making facility at or near its north
Portland, Oregon mill. The project
would consist o f two mills that pro­
duce large diameter line pipe.
It is estimated the project will cost
approximately $35 million. The facility
is expected to be com pleted during
the fourth quarter o f 2005.
“This announcement points to the
true value of public and private entities
teaming up to encourage business in­
vestm ent in Portland,” said Judy
Peppier, Qwest President, Oregon and
chair of the Portland Ambassadors
committee leading the effort.
The team is designing a proposed
package o f incentives that includes
Enterprise Zone and Construction-
in-Progress tax abatements as well as
G overnor’s Strategic Reserve Funds
and other state tax credit programs. In
addition, W orksystems, Inc. offered
a wide array o f customized services to
meet the com pany’s recruitm ent,
screening, hiring, training and reten­
tion needs.
“Portland is an attractive place to
do business and Oregon Steel M ill’s
choice to expand here is a great credit
to the public-private partnership now
in place that advertises and promotes
that fact,” said M ayor Vera Katz.
OSM already em ploys400 workers
at its facilities on North Rivergate Workers oversee production at the Oregon Steel Mills plant in north Portland. The company
Boulevard, adjacent to the site o f the announced plans last week to build a new pipe making facility at or near the existing plant,
proposed plant.
bringing 200 new jobs to the Portland area.
Popular Interview Questions
Anticipating questions takes the edge off
Some interview questions tend
to pop up i n al most every job i nter-
view. While the bad news is that
common questions are usually dif­
ficult to answer, the good news is
that you can prepare for them well
in advance.
The four most common inter­
view queries are, tell me a little bit
about yourself, why did you leave
your last job, w hat’s your greatest
weakness and do you have any
questions for me?
Som etim es the most general
questions can be the hardest. To
tackle the common introductory
questions, tell me a little about your­
self, keep in mind that this is not an
invitation to sum up your whole life
in three minutes or less. Instead,
it’s an invitation to describe what
you can offer the company.
In the book 101 G reat A nsw ers
to the T oughest Interview Q u es­
tions author Ron Fry suggests
focusing on your key accom plish­
m ent at previous jo b s and how
they relate to the jo b for w hich
y o u ’re applying. Rather than re­
citing your resum e, tell the in ter­
view er how you cam e to be inter­
ested in this p articular com pany
and job.
Chances are, you’ll have to ex­
plain why you left your last job at
your interview. The biggest sign of
a troublemaker is when someone
trashes his or her former em ployer
so stay positive.
An interview is not the time to
vent frustration with former bosses
or co workers. If you were fired, be
honest and quick about explaining
what you learned from that experi­
ence. If you were laid off, don’t
apologize or act defeated. It’s not
as taboo as it was five years ago to
be caught in the slaughter o f a
bankrupt dotcom or massive lay­
off. If you quit, be honest and posi­
tive by stating that the work didn't
challenge you enough or that you
are seeking higher levels of respon­
sibility. Be sure to discuss your
desire for growth.
The question about exposing
y o u r biggest w eakness should
not be a pitfall to convince an
em ployer not to hire you. Instead,
use it as an opportunity to d is­
cuss how you tackle challenges.
Be sure to follow up a w eakness
w ith your action plan for o v er­
com ing it. Be sure the w eakness
is jo b -related , but d o n ’t reveal a
w eakness that will torpedo your
chances o f getting hired.
An interview usually closes with
an invitation to ask the interviewer
some questions. D on’t pass up this
opportunity to show that you've
been listening and have done re­
search on the company. This is not
the time to inquire about vacation
days, salary or other compensation
p ac k ag e s. In stead , ask ab o u t
growth opportunities in the com ­
pany or what your interviewer likes
about working for the company.
Finally, don’t forget to ask for the
jo b by saying that this is the exact
type of position you are looking for
and what is the next step in the
interview process.
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FALL TERM STARTS SEPTEMBER 23™ .
To w o r k w i t h a n a d v i s o r , e - m a il s l u d e n t i n f o 0 m a r y l h u r s f . e d u
Portland General Electric values the
energy o f TEAMWORK. DIVERSITY and
INNOVATION to maintain high quality
service as Oregon's largest provider of
electric service.
Our 2,800 employees - from diverse
backgrounds and cultures - serve close to
740,000 customers in the greater
Portland, Oregon area. Our employees
contribute their unique skills, creativity
and commitment towards a common
goal of building unity through diversity
Career fields include: Accounting/
Finance, Engineering, Information
Technology and Customer Service.
To learn about our current career
o p po rtu nitie s, visit our website at
w w w .po rtla nd ge n eral.co m , or call our
Job Information Line at 1 888-346-3291
(TDD Access Line at 503-464-2996)
J
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"N u m b er one in Oregon w ith classes under 2 0 students"
MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY
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1 7 6 0 0 PACIFIC HIGHW AY (HW Y 43)
MARYLHURST OREGON - JUST 10 MINUTES SOUTH OF PORTLAND
Serving students since 1 8 9 3 .
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