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^ P o r t i a n i » ffib s e ru e r CAREERS EDUCATION_____________________ November21.2007
This is my world... Insidethe College
finding and applying
your passion
“I love Oregon State because
I’ve learned that people are
people, regardless o f where
they come from. To be an
OSU student is for you to
discover your passion and
apply it, because no matter
what it is you’re passionate
about, you will find someone
who will support you and
push you in the direction.”
Uzo C. Ukeagu
Senior
New York City; Lagos Nigeria
Philosophy, chemistry,
international studies
I go through my day with enthusiasm—learning new things in a supportive
environment. At Kaiser Permanente, my pride and confidence translate
into determination to be my best Supported by the latest technologies,
talented colleagues, and managers who trust my abilities, I am enhancing
my skills every day. It's a great feeling to know I am making a difference.
I am proud of the role I play at Kaiser Permanente. Along with a smile,
this is something I pass on to my colleagues, and those in my care. If you
believe professional satisfaction comes from personal empowerment, this
is the place to put your beliefs into practice.
Application Process
Looking beyond
GPA and test scores
Standardized college admissions tests and
their parent companies have become a multi-
million-dollar business. But what do such tests
really reveal about an individual’s preparation to
succeed in college? Just as importantly, what
about high-school grade inflation? D oesa"B " in
English at School X really equal a “B” in English
earned at School Y?
There is much debate surrounding the admit­
tance to colleges. At Oregon State, admissions
officials decided to take a hard look at the college
application process.
After analyzing the data, they found that
traditional measures (i.e. test scores and high­
school grade-point average) make up only about
40 percent of the predictors of student academic
success in college. That was a startling number.
What predictors could be counted on for the
other 60 percent?
Professor William Sedlacek has worked in
the field of “non-cognitive assessment” for more
than 30 years, so OSU leaders asked him. His
research points to several important student
characteristics that are strong predictors of fu­
ture academic success. Among them are lead­
ership or contribution to a group, the ability to
overcome adversity, setting goals, sticking to
tasks and being able to deal with systematic
challenges. All carry more weight when mea­
suring how successful an applicant will be than
traditional measures, such as test scores and
GPA.
Unlike traditional measures, these character­
istics can be measured equally, regardless of
students' ethnicity, gender or socio-economic
status or where they are from. With Sedlaeek’s
help, OSU figured out how to gather and evalu­
ate those characteristics for its more than 9,(XX)
applicants each year.
In 2004, OSU created and began using the
Insight Resume (IR) tool to gather student infor­
mation beyond GPA and standardized tests.
Data has since shown that it works: IR scores
work better than our old systems in both predict­
ing student success and in increasing student
retention (in this case, the percentage of stu­
dents who persist from their freshman to sopho­
more years).
O S U ’s use of this holistic assessm ent tool
has been noted nationally in books and publi­
cations, and is now being replicated at schools
across the nation, including W ashington State,
DePaul, the University of British Colum bia
Business School, Eastern W ashington and
Colorado State.
Michigan, Harvard and many others have
contacted OSU about the Insight Resume and its
potential for their campuses.
Erza Curry
Holly Sylvia
Embarking on Air Force Careers
Two local graduates are mak­
ing a career in the military.
Holly S. Sylvia and Erza T.
Curry have recently graduated
from basic military training at
Lackland Air Force Base, San
Antonio, Texas.
During the six weeks of train­
ing, they studied the Air Force
mission,organization, and mili­
tary customs and courtesies;
performed drill and ceremony
marches, and received physical
training, rifle marksmanship,
field training exercises, and spe­
cial training in human relations.
In addition, airmen who com­
plete basic training earn credits
toward an associate degree
through the Community College
of the Air Force.
Sylvia, a 2007 graduate of
Open Meadow High School, is
the daughter of Hope Wirta of
Scappoose and the niece of
Vivica Wirta of Portland.
Curry, a 2007 graduate of
Grant High School, is the son of
Rosalind Curry of northeast
Portland.
¡MHMKCMMnMMMMMWmMMWWMMNHKMMHMMMMMMMMMNI
Career Officer Takes Command
A 15-year career military of­
ficer from Portland, Air Force
Maj. Emille M. Bryant, has as­
sumed command of the 386th
E xpeditionary M aintenance
Squadron at an overseas field
operating base in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom, the
official name given to military
operations involving members
of the U.S. armed forces in
Iraq.
Bryant, who graduated from
Benson High School in 1998,
received a bachelor's degree in
1993 from tLie U.S. Air Force
Academy, Colorado Springs,
Colo. He earned a master's de­
gree in 2003 from the Univer­
sity of Oklahoma at Norman.
He regularly serves as com­
mander of the 317th Mainte­
nance Squadron at Dyess Air
Force Base, Abilene, Texas.
Backing Diversity in Law Enforcement
One of the nation's largest nonprofit health plans. Kaiser Permanente Northwest serves approximately 475,OCX)
members in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington O ffering excellent benefits and career
opportunities, Kaiser Permanente was voted one o f the to p com panies to work fo r in O regon O ur health
care professionals enjoy w orking in an environm ent where they have the support and resources they
need to bu ild rewarding careers Join us and p u t your beliefs in to practice
P rofessional and s u p p o rt o p p o rtu n itie s are ava ila ble in th e fo llo w in g departm ents
ACCOUNTING/FINANCE
MATERIALS
NURSING MANAGERS
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
MEDICAL RECORDS
OENTAL
FACILITIES SERVICES
PATIENT CARE SERVICES
PHARMACY
Kaiser Permanente offers a com petitive salary and benefits package For consideration, please call our
em ploym ent office at. (503) 813-3601, or visit our W eb site Individuals who are biling ual or have m u lti­
cultural or diverse pa tient populatio n experience are encouraged to apply
KAISER PERMANENTE,
*
t h r iv e
With recruiting,
hiring and
retention effort
The local chapter of the Na­
tional O rganization of Black
Law Enforcement Executives
(N O B L E ) and M ultnom ah
C ounty S h eriff G iusto are
working together to increase
opportunities for recruiting,
hiring, retention and prom o­
tions o f diversity within the
sheriff’s office.
The mission is to ensure eq­
uity in the administration of jus-
tice in the provision of public
services, and to serve as the
conscience of law enforcement
by being committed tojustice by
action.
NOBLE is committed in pro­
viding and assisting agencies
throughout the United States in
improving diversity through our
rec ru itin g
netw ork
and
mentoring program for future
leaders.
The organization was estab­
lished in 1976 with 60 founders,
two of whom have Northwest
connection, the late Robert
Lamb of Seattle and former
Sheriff of Multnomah County
Dr. Lee P. Brown who resides
in Houston, Texas.
F u rth e r in fo rm a tio n on
NOBLE can be found by visit­
ing noblenational.org.
The M ultnom ah S h e riffs
Office is a public-service orga­
nization that provides civil, cor­
rections. and law-enforcement
services to area residents. The
office is actively recruiting per­
sons from diverse backgrounds
to enhance services delivered
to our diverse community.
For information on available
jobs go ,0 multcojobs.org or cal I
the sheriff s office at 503-988-
4300.