After Anderlene Streeks graduated from high school she decided to continue her education at nursing school. Her degree plans sat on a shelf, however, as she stayed home to raise her five sons.

• You can pursue an education that meets your needs.
  Fitchburg State offers graduate and undergraduate evening programs along with professional development options designed for today's industries for students who are interested in continuing their education and developing their career path.
  

Graduate and Continuing Education at Fitchburg State has a program for you!

In addition to undergraduate degrees in nursing, occupational education, and business, we offer a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies where you can select a primary program of study (a university-approved minor) along with one or two other areas of study, and then complete a capstone project that ties them all together. Courses are offered in a variety of formats, including face-to-face, hybrid, online, and accelerated.

Chances are something might be holding you back:

• It’s been a long time since you’ve sat in a classroom.
• You work full time and have a long commute to and from work.
• You have young children at home.
• You’ve never taken an online class before.

Want to know about dolphins? Ask a marine biologist.

How about a question about your car? Ask a mechanic.

Buckets Lists and Bumper Stickers:  Some Reflections from Seat 17B

As I write this blog, I am on a Delta flight over southern Saskatchewan headed for Minnesota and eventually, my Boston home. Yesterday, I gave an all-day lecture on student motivation to 350 rural school teachers in Prince Albert, 200 miles north of Saskatoon. They were a great and responsive audience. Many of them teach in one room schoolhouses in isolated areas of the province. The majority of their students are First Nation, the Canadian term for their aboriginal (Indian) population.

One teacher told me that her village is facing a crisis this week because their only small food market and gas station were suddenly foreclosed upon and shuttered. The nearest gas station and market is 160 miles away. A difficult, challenging life.

Next week I travel to suburban Alexandria, Virginia with its gleaming state-of-the-art schools and a gas station and supermarket on every corner.

And yet, the presentation that I delivered at both venues will be basically the same.

You’ve earned your associate degree, you’ve passed your NCLEX, and now you’re a registered nurse… congratulations!

While these things provide you access to the medical field, including allowing you to work with patients, recording vitals, operating medical equipment, and passing along basic educational information, wouldn’t it be nice to have additional options?

Just look at the benefits:

1. Convenience - learn from anywhere!

With online learning you can learn anywhere - even in the comfort of your home. Save countless hours travelling that you would otherwise waste every day going to and from school. Instead of enduring the drive, which could be stressful, use those hours for learning!

I'm too busy.

I don't feel comfortable being the ol... most experienced person in the classroom.

To address these concerns, Fitchburg State now offers

Thanks to guest blogger and OneCard Office student employee, Izzy, we're going to learn all about the many uses of and how to obtain your Fitchburg State OneCard. Thank you, Izzy!

The OneCard is the most versatile and useful tool you will obtain as a student here at Fitchburg State University. Apart from being your official form of identification, it can be used for many other university services. The OneCard is your library card, print and scanning card, Recreation Center pass, key to some labs and classrooms, campus event access, and has a stored value account known as Fitchburg Gold.

So you may have a few questions. Where do I get one? Are there any other benefits to having this card? Can I use it anywhere else other than on campus?