City University Of Seattle: Razor Focused On Providing High-Quality Relevant Programs For Future Leaders
Randy Frisch , President, City University Of Seattle
Established with the vision to be the destination of choice for accessible, career-focused education with a focus on equipping a diverse student population with 21st-century skills and technology tools, City University of Seattle has been relentlessly reimagining higher education in the Pacific Northwest and around the world since 1973. Created by Seattle business leaders who wanted their employees to be able to get an education without quitting their job, CityU of Seattle was initially set up when night classes were relatively new, weekend classes were rare, and studying on a Washington State Ferry commuting to work was never considered. This was until CityU began transforming and disrupting higher education.
CityU has always been razor focused on providing high-quality relevant programs with a desire to learn whether online, onsite, or hybrid. Being a pioneer in online education, today, City University of Seattle is ranked as a top online university by U.S. News and World Report. Internationally, CityU is a major player with campuses and partnerships in seven countries around the world, and the University is determined to meet students' educational objectives regardless of location. In 1980, CityU opened its doors to international students, who are now an integral aspect of CityU's diversity and inclusion, and CityU provides a different voice in and out of the classrooms.
Preparing Students for the Future
CityU takes numerous approaches to ensure that its programs meet the needs of employers and prepare students for the realities of the workplace. The primary way to achieve this is through their faculty. CityU utilizes a practitioner- scholar model that employs working professionals with appropriate academic credentials to teach in the classroom. These faculty members bring their everyday work experience into their classrooms, providing students with real-world learning opportunities. Some of CityU's programs are also offered in partnership with local companies.
These partnerships provide local employers the chance to have direct input in the curriculum development process and frequently combine formal academic training with on-the-job experience. In addition, many of the programs at CityU maintain professional advisory boards made up of leading professionals from the relevant field. Their role is to guide program leaders in maintaining a curriculum current that addresses contemporary needs and anticipates future trends. Many programs also work closely with professional organizations and accrediting bodies to ensure that our programs and courses meet evolving professional standards.
"Ensuring quality faculty starts with hiring the right professionals. We seek faculty who have a strong combination of professional experience and academic qualifications. Years of working experience in the field in which they teach help ensure faculty teach the right concepts and theories coupled with meaningful, engaging classroom activities. Academic credentials ensure faculty understand the rigor required to challenge students and adequately prepare them for graduation and beyond.
We also provide our faculty with several development opportunities aimed at supporting their growth as an instructor. All faculty participate in an orientation course that provides consistent training in quality teaching and creating an engaging learning environment. Once a faculty member has started with the university, there are a series of other development opportunities for faculty to advance their teaching skills in a variety of areas', briefs Dr. Scott Carnz, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. To add to this, in each of their courses, students complete end-of-course surveys in which they provide feedback on instructional quality, course structure, and course content. This feedback is used to assess faculty performance over time and is used to improve course design and instruction.
"CityU takes numerous approaches to ensure that its programs meet the needs of employers & prepare students for the realities of the workplace"
Unique Offerings
City University of Seattle offers a broad array of infrastructural amenities to students. All of their courses employ a contemporary learning management system through which students may access all course materials, communicate with faculty and students, submit assignments, and receive their grades and assessments. This is coupled with a web-based student portal through which students may access all the support services the university offers including academic tutoring and writing support, library services, counseling, disability accommodations, student residence hall, financial services, career services, and the registrar's office. The portal also allows students to connect to a variety of student clubs and affinity groups.
"De p e n d i n g on their program o f study, students may engage in a variety of learning activities outside of the classroom. Examples of these activities include guest panels and guest lecture workshops; business case study competitions; group business development competitions; technical seminars on cloud computing, blockchain, and other emerging areas of computing; workshops on job searching and resume writing; and participation in professional organizations that provide networking and professional development seminars", shares Christopher Bryan, Executive Vice President for Global Initiatives.
Additionally, the School of Technology and Computing also offers Extra Curricular activities to assist students to succeed in their future careers. These activities provide a platform for students to build upon their skill sets.
Planning for Promising Future
City University of Seattle's School of Technology and Computer (STC)partnered with industry leaders to bridge the technological gap between academia and industry. Some of these partnerships include - Cloud Security Alliance: The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) is the world's leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment; AWS Academy Member Institution AWS Academy provides higher education institutions with a free, ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum that prepares students to pursue industry-recognized certifications and in-demand cloud jobs; CompTIA Academic Partner - CompTIA's Academic Partner Program provides valuable tools and resources to assist schools in recruiting, training, certifying and upgrading the skills of their students in IT; Visual Paradigm Online Academic Partner - Visual Paradigm grants CityU online UML tools, BPMN tools, Agile Story Mapping tools, Task Management tools under the Academic Partner Program; Mendix University Program Partner - Turning learners into makers: Professors, empower your students to build web and mobile apps in the classroom; Infosec Learning Partner - Infosec Learning provides colleges, universities, and businesses with innovative, impactful virtual labs for hands-on, personalized learning; TryHackMe Partner - Making it easier to break into security, all through your browser. "Students enrolled in an STC program are provided a myriad of opportunities to connect their in-class learning with real-world opportunities", states Dr. Sam Chung, Dean, the School of Technology and Computing.
For the years to come, City University of Seattle plans to include the addition of virtual and augmented reality modules into the curriculum as well as create the ability for students to gain micro-credentials/badges along the way to earning the degree. Programmatic accreditations will provide the university's programs with the additional quality and delivery rigor that is required by students and employers. "CityU programs will include creating cuttingedge modalities to better facilitate experiential learning and serve students with a variety of learning needs and preferences. We are also planning to produce high-quality instructional media including interactive video lectures, podcasts, and activities in parallel with granting timely access to tutors and other resources to assist students. We are ready to welcome you at the City University of Seattle", signs off Randy C. Frisch, President.
Randy Frisch, President
Randy Frisch is the President of City University of Seattle, a position he has held since September 2016. He has contributed significantly to the institution's growth and development. Prior to his current position, Randy served as the General Counsel at the National University System. He also held the position of Vice Chancellor, Business and Administration at City University of Seattle. In addition, Randy served as Interim President at National University.
CityU has always been razor focused on providing high-quality relevant programs with a desire to learn whether online, onsite, or hybrid. Being a pioneer in online education, today, City University of Seattle is ranked as a top online university by U.S. News and World Report. Internationally, CityU is a major player with campuses and partnerships in seven countries around the world, and the University is determined to meet students' educational objectives regardless of location. In 1980, CityU opened its doors to international students, who are now an integral aspect of CityU's diversity and inclusion, and CityU provides a different voice in and out of the classrooms.
Preparing Students for the Future
CityU takes numerous approaches to ensure that its programs meet the needs of employers and prepare students for the realities of the workplace. The primary way to achieve this is through their faculty. CityU utilizes a practitioner- scholar model that employs working professionals with appropriate academic credentials to teach in the classroom. These faculty members bring their everyday work experience into their classrooms, providing students with real-world learning opportunities. Some of CityU's programs are also offered in partnership with local companies.
These partnerships provide local employers the chance to have direct input in the curriculum development process and frequently combine formal academic training with on-the-job experience. In addition, many of the programs at CityU maintain professional advisory boards made up of leading professionals from the relevant field. Their role is to guide program leaders in maintaining a curriculum current that addresses contemporary needs and anticipates future trends. Many programs also work closely with professional organizations and accrediting bodies to ensure that our programs and courses meet evolving professional standards.
"Ensuring quality faculty starts with hiring the right professionals. We seek faculty who have a strong combination of professional experience and academic qualifications. Years of working experience in the field in which they teach help ensure faculty teach the right concepts and theories coupled with meaningful, engaging classroom activities. Academic credentials ensure faculty understand the rigor required to challenge students and adequately prepare them for graduation and beyond.
We also provide our faculty with several development opportunities aimed at supporting their growth as an instructor. All faculty participate in an orientation course that provides consistent training in quality teaching and creating an engaging learning environment. Once a faculty member has started with the university, there are a series of other development opportunities for faculty to advance their teaching skills in a variety of areas', briefs Dr. Scott Carnz, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. To add to this, in each of their courses, students complete end-of-course surveys in which they provide feedback on instructional quality, course structure, and course content. This feedback is used to assess faculty performance over time and is used to improve course design and instruction.
"CityU takes numerous approaches to ensure that its programs meet the needs of employers & prepare students for the realities of the workplace"
Unique Offerings
City University of Seattle offers a broad array of infrastructural amenities to students. All of their courses employ a contemporary learning management system through which students may access all course materials, communicate with faculty and students, submit assignments, and receive their grades and assessments. This is coupled with a web-based student portal through which students may access all the support services the university offers including academic tutoring and writing support, library services, counseling, disability accommodations, student residence hall, financial services, career services, and the registrar's office. The portal also allows students to connect to a variety of student clubs and affinity groups.
"De p e n d i n g on their program o f study, students may engage in a variety of learning activities outside of the classroom. Examples of these activities include guest panels and guest lecture workshops; business case study competitions; group business development competitions; technical seminars on cloud computing, blockchain, and other emerging areas of computing; workshops on job searching and resume writing; and participation in professional organizations that provide networking and professional development seminars", shares Christopher Bryan, Executive Vice President for Global Initiatives.
Additionally, the School of Technology and Computing also offers Extra Curricular activities to assist students to succeed in their future careers. These activities provide a platform for students to build upon their skill sets.
Planning for Promising Future
City University of Seattle's School of Technology and Computer (STC)partnered with industry leaders to bridge the technological gap between academia and industry. Some of these partnerships include - Cloud Security Alliance: The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) is the world's leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment; AWS Academy Member Institution AWS Academy provides higher education institutions with a free, ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum that prepares students to pursue industry-recognized certifications and in-demand cloud jobs; CompTIA Academic Partner - CompTIA's Academic Partner Program provides valuable tools and resources to assist schools in recruiting, training, certifying and upgrading the skills of their students in IT; Visual Paradigm Online Academic Partner - Visual Paradigm grants CityU online UML tools, BPMN tools, Agile Story Mapping tools, Task Management tools under the Academic Partner Program; Mendix University Program Partner - Turning learners into makers: Professors, empower your students to build web and mobile apps in the classroom; Infosec Learning Partner - Infosec Learning provides colleges, universities, and businesses with innovative, impactful virtual labs for hands-on, personalized learning; TryHackMe Partner - Making it easier to break into security, all through your browser. "Students enrolled in an STC program are provided a myriad of opportunities to connect their in-class learning with real-world opportunities", states Dr. Sam Chung, Dean, the School of Technology and Computing.
For the years to come, City University of Seattle plans to include the addition of virtual and augmented reality modules into the curriculum as well as create the ability for students to gain micro-credentials/badges along the way to earning the degree. Programmatic accreditations will provide the university's programs with the additional quality and delivery rigor that is required by students and employers. "CityU programs will include creating cuttingedge modalities to better facilitate experiential learning and serve students with a variety of learning needs and preferences. We are also planning to produce high-quality instructional media including interactive video lectures, podcasts, and activities in parallel with granting timely access to tutors and other resources to assist students. We are ready to welcome you at the City University of Seattle", signs off Randy C. Frisch, President.
Randy Frisch, President
Randy Frisch is the President of City University of Seattle, a position he has held since September 2016. He has contributed significantly to the institution's growth and development. Prior to his current position, Randy served as the General Counsel at the National University System. He also held the position of Vice Chancellor, Business and Administration at City University of Seattle. In addition, Randy served as Interim President at National University.
