PYSCHOLOGY PROF IS ARGOSY UNIVERSITY’S FIRST FULL-TIME INSTRUCTOR

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Psychology is the nation’s number one university major said Wendy Vasquez-Osborn, interim campus president of Argosy University/Inland Empire. “It’s the fastest growing department at Argosy, and also throughout America’s colleges and universities,” she said.

Argosy University has helped working professionals succeed for more than 30 years. San Bernardino’s Inland Empire campus, however, celebrates its first year this June. “We’re just a year old here,” she says, “but growing at an astounding rate. We recently hired our first full-time faculty member in Psychology. More full-time teaching staff are expected in the near future, too.”

Dr. David Sellen is a full-time faculty member in the Psychology Department. He joined Argosy full-time in May after a year as an adjunct professor. “We have about 150 students in the department now,” Sellen says, “and we’ll be adding 25-30 each semester. It’s very exciting.”

Sellen teaches such courses as clinical psychology, testing, counseling, psychotherapy, research techniques and forensics. In forensics, Sellen has spent 25 years aiding the justice systems of Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, testifying in countless cases. He possesses a law degree from Southwestern University in Los Angeles as well as a Doctorate in Neuropsychology from the University of Southern California.

“I’ll be assisting students who want to learn about human behavior and also those who plan to enter professional practice, education, forensics or do clinical research,” he said. “I have a staff of well-seasoned professionals in the department, and I’m proud of each one.”

Sellen has an enviable background, too, as a lecturer and as a counselor and trainer on violence in the workplace.

The Argosy University/Inland Empire campus is located at 636 S. Brier Dr., Suite 235 in San Bernardino. For details on its programs, admissions and financial assistance programs call (909) 915-3800 or go to http://www.argosyu.edu/inlandempire.

Argosy University/Inland Empire is one of 18 Argosy University (www.argosyu.edu) locations in 12 states. Argosy University offers doctoral and master's degree programs in psychology, business, counseling, and education. Argosy University also offers bachelor’s degree completion programs in psychology and business, and associate's degree programs in various health sciences fields. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, 1-800-621-7440), (www.ncahlc.org).

Professor Says Long Deployments Can Cause Disruptions in Work, Education

SANTA ANA, Calif. — With American service men fighting wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq, long deployments are becoming standard. Some members of the armed forces are currently on their third and fourth tours in Iraq.

These long deployments are causing a huge strain on members of the countries various National Guard and reserve units, who are weekend warriors and often hold down full-time jobs.

Dr. Majdin Taba, a professor at Argosy University, said he witnessed many of these issues while he oversaw courses for the military for the University of Phoenix. “I had one major who was a project manager at her firm and she was gone for a year,” he said. “But they were willing to take her back.”

Taba stated there were incidents when National Guardsmen who were gone for long periods of time returned to find they had been replaced on the job. Servicemen are protected by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Acts (USERRA). Statistics provided by the Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve state that employers are required to support employers for a cumulative total of five years. This includes inactive duty, annual training, involuntary recall to or retention of active duty, national emergency or active duty in support of a war.

However the Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve also states that employees have to provide written or oral notification before going on duty. Employers can request for written orders after a military absence of more than 30 days.

Taba has been a professor at Argosy University’s Orange County campus for two years and teaches courses such as survey techniques and statistics He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tehran, Iran, a master’s degree from the University of Dallas and doctorate from Dubnah International University in Moskow, Russia.

Dr. Jeb Egbert, campus president at Argosy University’s Orange County campus, said students benefit from professors like Taba who had a wide variety of experience teaching students in various classroom settings. “Our professors are often people who have either worked on their industry or taught adults students from non traditional backgrounds,” Egbert said.

Taba was responsible for setting up courses at military bases across Europe, in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We worked with service men to set up courses in Germany, England, Belgium, Spain, Bosnia and Italy,” Taba said. “Most of the courses were graduate programs, MBAs, Information Technology and education degrees.”

Long deployments often caused problems when trying to conduct classes, Taba said.

“People in the Army were deployed for the longest periods of time, usually about a year,” he said. “Air Force deployment, usually were for about two to three months.”
This meant class numbers could drop while service members were in the field, he said.

He said that servicemen and women are very interested in continuing their education, because they need advanced degrees to promoted to a higher rank.

MBA degrees, with minors in IT and Finance, are popular because they are very marketable in corporate America. “Education degrees are popular because some servicemen want to teach after they retire,” he said.

Taba said that most of the commanding officers encouraged their servicemen to take advantage of the opportunities the Armed Services offered and prepare themselves for civilian life.

“Most of the high-ranking officers wanted to make sure that when their men and women left the military they could contribute to society,” he said.

For more information about Argosy University’s Orange County campus call (714) 338-6200 or go to http://www.argosyu.edu/orangecounty.

Argosy University’s Orange County Campus is one of 18 Argosy University (www.argosyu.edu) locations in 12 states. Argosy University offers doctoral and master's degree programs in psychology, business, counseling, and education. Argosy University also offers bachelor's degree completion programs in psychology and business, and associate's degree programs in various health sciences fields. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, (800) 621-7440; www.ncahlc.org)

Argosy University’s Flexible Programs Help Working Mom Pursue Her Education

SANTA ANA, Calif. — After a divorce left Mary Ellis the single mother of two young children she realized she needed to come up with Plan B. Ellis decided she needed to make a life-altering decision. She quit her job as a pre-school teacher and enrolled at Argosy University, Orange County Campus.

“I wanted to better myself and make a better life for my two young boys,” said Ellis, who lives in Irvine. She left behind her 10-year career and enrolled in Argosy University’s Paralegal program. Ellis said returning to school as a full-time student was a tough decision.

“It was difficult making the change to go back to school after so many years of not being a student,” said Ellis, who works part-time in the University’s Student Services department. “I chose Argosy University because the staff was very enthusiastic and made me believe I could do it.”

“The staff at Argosy University encourages students,” Ellis said. “The attitude here is ‘Your education is important to us.’”

Dr. Jeb Egbert, Argosy University, Orange County Campus president, said both staff and faculty members are committed to the success of their students. “Many of our students are working adults who have taken time out of their busy lives to further their education. Our goal is to give them the best education possible that can help them move to the next level of their careers,” Egbert said.

Ellis said it was the encouragement of the Argosy University staff that gave her the confidence to continue in the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree completion program after she finished her associate’s degree.

She also said that Argosy University’s flexible programs are perfect for single parents. “The associate’s degree had a morning and afternoon program,” Ellis said. “While my children were in daycare, I was taking morning classes from 9 a.m. – noon,” she said.

As a student in the Psychology bachelor’s degree program, Ellis is also taking advantage of Argosy University’s flexible scheduling. She says she has taken online, evening and weekend classes. “I can take 49 percent of my bachelor’s degree program online and 51 percent of it on campus,” Ellis said. “They always have something to fit my schedule.”

After she finishes her bachelor’s degree program, Ellis is considering working with at-risk youth or pursuing a master’s degree in forensic psychology.

For more information about Argosy University’s Orange County campus call (714) 338-6200 or go to http://www.argosyu.edu/orangecounty.


Argosy University’s Orange County Campus is one of 18 Argosy University (www.argosyu.edu) locations in 12 states. Argosy University offers doctoral and master's degree programs in psychology, business, counseling, and education. Argosy University also offers bachelor's degree completion programs in psychology and business, and associate's degree programs in various health sciences fields. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, (800) 621-7440; www.ncahlc.org).