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Deke
Butler
JOB: Packaging
engineer for
Interbake Foods
FAMILY: Married
to high school
sweetheart,
Amanda
WHAT FEW PEOPLE
KNOW ABOUT ME:
I want to be a
dad someday. My
dad played a
huge role in my
life and taught
me all about
working hard and
focusing on a
goal.
WHAT EVERYONE
KNOWS ABOUT ME:
I love football
and am a huge
fan of the
Denver Broncos.
You’ll know it’s
game day when
you see me in my
lucky Broncos
socks and my
worn-out blue
and orange
Adidas.
STARTED AT BCU
Fall 2006
Deke Butler has
always been a
hard worker, and
he’s had a good
job for as long
as he can
remember. In
fact, his
co-workers
usually
identified him
as someone
likely to move
up in the
company. But in
2006 he realized
something. He
had reached a
plateau, and he
wasn’t moving up
at all.
As Deke observed
others who were
moving up, he
was also
painfully aware
of the “new
guys” who were
coming into the
company with
college degrees.
They were the
ones taking the
jobs he wanted.
They were the
ones, his bosses
explained, who
had
comprehensive
skills and a
broad base of
knowledge that
would benefit
the company.
As everything
added up for
Deke, he knew it
was time. He
needed to go
back to school.
Deke first
learned about
Briar Cliff
University from
his
brother-in-law,
Phil Bishop, as
he was
completing his
BCU degree. Phil
gave Deke a tour
of the campus
and encouraged
him to contact
the Office of
Admissions. Deke
made the call,
and everything
fell perfectly
into place.
He began classes
at Briar Cliff
University in
the fall of
2006. His first
class?
Principles of
Management. The
instructor
immediately made
Deke and his
classmates
comfortable by
applying what
they had
experienced at
work and
relating it to
management
theory. Deke
loved learning
explanations and
applications of
the business
“buzz words” he
had been hearing
for years.
Deke has already
completed 29
credit hours,
and he’s earned
excellent
grades.
According to
Amanda, his
wife, he
approaches
classes with the
same intensity
and focus that
he gives his
job. “Sometimes
when Deke
studies,” notes
Amanda, “he’ll
say, ‘Wow, now
that really
makes sense!’
It’s like a
lightbulb comes
on inside his
head.”
Briar Cliff was
Deke’s first
choice for
higher education
because of its
great reputation
for quality
among Siouxland
employers and
because of BCU’s
convenient class
times. “I was a
little nervous
about returning
to school,” Deke
admits, “but
I’ve felt so
comfortable in
my classes at
Briar Cliff.
Being surrounded
by other working
adults, you
realize you’re
all in the same
boat.”
BCU for Deke…
BCU for you!
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Fidencia Cortez
JOB: Financial
counselor at
Siouxland
Community Health
Center
FAMILY: 4
children—Jonathan,
Alex, Arrianna
and Alyssa
WHAT FEW PEOPLE
KNOW ABOUT ME:
I love to watch
my children play
dress-up.
WHAT EVERYONE
KNOWS ABOUT ME:
I strive to
model the
importance of
education to my
children.
Nothing is more
important.
STARTED AT BCU
Fall 2004 with
no previous
college
With four
children and a
full-time job,
it hasn’t been
easy to pursue a
college degree.
But for Fidencia
Cortez, this is
really the first
thing she has
ever done for
herself.
As a child,
Fidencia worked
alongside her
parents and
siblings in the
fields. School
was not an
option. And as a
young mom,
Fidencia lived
paycheck to
paycheck. While
she was bored
with her job and
wanted more than
repetitive work
for the rest of
her life, she
knew she lacked
the education
required for a
better job.
Determined to
provide a better
life for herself
and her
children, she
set a goal to
earn her General
Education
Diploma (GED).
After that? A
college degree.
Fidencia first
learned about
Briar Cliff
University’s
ADVANCE program
on the radio.
Nervous and a
little
intimidated, she
contacted the
Office of
Admissions—fearing
she would lack
the academic
credentials for
acceptance. To
her surprise,
Fidencia met
experienced
counselors who
listened
carefully,
offered
suggestions, and
helped her
explore the
options
available at
Briar Cliff.
Fidencia decided
BCU’s ADVANCE
program offered
the best fit for
her busy
schedule—especially
since it allows
her to pursue
the degree at
her own pace.
Life has changed
dramatically for
Fidencia. She
has a new job
where she can
apply many of
the tools she’s
learning in
class—and where
coworkers
recognize that
she is striving
to improve her
life. At Briar
Cliff,
professors
encourage
Fidencia to
complete quality
academic work,
and they respect
the unique point
of view that she
brings to the
classroom. And
in her personal
life, Fidencia
has been
motivated by the
support of her
fiance and the
enthusiasm he
shows for her
achievements.
More than
anything,
Fidencia wants
to share her
story with
others. “I’m
Hispanic, I’m a
mom, and I need
to work
full-time to
support my
family,” she
says. “But I am
also getting my
degree—and Briar
Cliff is making
that possible.”
BCU for Fidencia…
BCU for you! |
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Steve Benson
JOB: Small
business owner
FAMILY: Married
to Joan; 3 grown
children
WHAT EVERYONE
KNOWS ABOUT ME:r>
I love to ride
motorcycles,
catch walleye
and chase elk.
WHAT FEW PEOPLE
KNOW ABOUT ME:
I dreamed of
being an
archaeologist.
ENROLLED AT BCU
September 2005
through February
2007
Steve Benson was
sitting at his
daughter’s
college
graduation when
it hit him—the
realization that
he had his own
college
education to
finish.
The college work
he had done 30
years earlier
was set aside
when marriage,
kids and work
took precedence.
And even after
the kids were
raised, other
factors got in
the way of going
back—work
commitments,
family
circumstances
and other
obligations.
After undergoing
a knee
replacement and
a three-disc
fusion in his
back, however,
Steve knew it
was time for a
change. He would
complete his
education and
improve his
career path.
His first call
was to Briar
Cliff
University. When
his daughter was
a student at
BCU, he had
learned about
ADVANCE—Briar
Cliff’s
accelerated
degree
completion
program for
working adults.
Attracted by the
convenience of
the ADVANCE
class schedule,
he worked with
his advisor to
map out a plan
of study. With
dedication and
commitment,
Steve would
graduate
within18 months.
Steve’s job
requires heavy
physical labor,
but he knows
there may be a
time when he may
no longer be
able to meet
those demands.
With a degree
from Briar
Cliff, now he
has options. And
while Steve
knows that some
people may balk
at tuition
costs, he has
discovered that
higher education
does not have to
put a financial
burden on the
family. ADVANCE
courses are
offered at a
discounted
tuition rate,
and financial
aid is
available.
What has Steve
appreciated most
about his Briar
Cliff education?
Professional
knowledge and
personal growth.
He could see
theories at work
and apply
concepts
immediately to
his family’s
business. Steve
has also valued
the camaraderie
resulting from
BCU’s intense
study program
with other
working adults.
“Students bring
a variety of
backgrounds and
professional
experiences,” he
says. “That
results in
spirited
discussions,
richer learning
and new
professional
networks.”
“I’m a different
person then when
I started at
BCU,” notes
Steve. “I’ve
improved as a
manager, as a
business owner
and as a person.
I view issues
more
analytically
now, and I think
about them more
logically. And I
solve problems
with more
patience because
I’ve become more
accepting of
others.” Steve
admits that
completing his
college
education has
been more than a
personal goal.
It’s been a
professional
investment.
“Getting a
college
education is a
business
decision,” he
says. “There is
no better way to
invest time and
money…it will
pay dividends.
It already has
for me.”
BCU for Steve…
BCU for you!
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Shana Spier
JOB: Office
Manager/Producer
for Hornbeck
Allstate Agency
and a licensed
insurance agent
FAMILY: Married
to Ray; 2
children—Ethan
(4) and Gwyn (2)
WHAT FEW PEOPLE
KNOW ABOUT ME:
I love to put on
the “oldies” and
dance with my
kids!
I WANT TO BE…
More
civic-minded
STARTED AT BCU
Fall 2006
Shana Spier
doesn’t believe
in wasting time.
A
self-proclaimed
“master of
multitasking,”
she makes the
most of every
moment—whether
studying as she
eats lunch,
fixing dinner as
she catches the
news on her MP3
player, or
playing with her
kids as she
works out each
day. “Life is
full of new
things to learn
and do,” Shana
says. “I want to
take advantage
of every
opportunity.”
This busy mom
admits there was
a time when she
missed out on
life’s
opportunities.
She entered
college right
out of high
school, but she
wasn’t really
ready to learn
at that point in
her life. “I
didn’t
appreciate what
a college
education
meant,” she
explains. “I
didn’t make it a
priority, and I
wasted a great
chance to get my
degree.”
Today Shana is
enthusiastically
embracing her
second attempt
at college, and
she’s on the
fast-track to
her degree. Her
timeline is
ambitious. “Once
the kids start
school, I’ll be
busy with their
activities,”
Shana says. “I
need to complete
my degree before
we get to that
ultra-busy time
in our family’s
life.”
Briar Cliff
University’s
ADVANCE program
is making it
possible for
Shana to reach
her goal. An
accelerated
degree program
for working
adults, ADVANCE
features quality
faculty,
flexible
scheduling, an
accelerated
curriculum and
lots of personal
service. Best of
all, financial
aid makes it
affordable.
Shana has
reached junior
status quickly,
and she’s
excited about
all she has
learned. She
loves being in
classroom
settings with
other adult
learners where
the interaction
is highly
instructive. Her
favorite subject
so far?
Economics. “I
want to take an
active role in
shaping my
community’s
future,” Shana
says. “ I really
appreciate how
Briar Cliff’s
instructors
relate the
information to
things that are
important to
me.”
As she looks to
the future,
Shana wants to
be a role model
for her
children, and
she involves
them in her
education
whenever she
can. In fact,
she recently
used her
textbook reading
assignment as a
bedtime story
for her young
son, Ethan.
Thanks to Briar
Cliff’s ADVANCE
program, Shana
is making the
most of her
active life
through active
learning. And
she wouldn’t
have it any
other way.
BCU for Shana…
BCU for you!
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For more
information
about BCU's
ADVANCE program,
click here
Application for
Continuing
Education
(Daytime,
Evening/Weekend,
and ADVANCE
students) |
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