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Vista College is now offering an online continuing education (CE/CPE) program for accounting professionals via a new Continuing Professional Education (CPE) website (http://accounting.vistacollegepro.com).  This program provides a convenient, accessible solution for prospective students who are looking to satisfy their continuing education requirements for the purpose of maintaining professional designations. This particular course has been designed to aid in meeting CPE requirements for Certified Public Accountant designation holders.

“Professional development is required in many states for licensed CPAs and PAs, and Vista College’s new online program provides a self-paced way to earn those credits from the comfort of home,” said Jim Tolbert, CEO, Vista College.  “The tremendous amount of flexibility we provide to students – often juggling classes with careers and family obligations – is a huge benefit of our programs and a large reason for Vista’s ongoing success.”

Each course includes comprehensive online readings and materials that students can work through at their own pace. Review questions and reference materials follow the readings to reinforce the material and provide students the opportunity to apply what they have learned in a question and answer format.  The last step is a final examination that assesses understanding of the material. Students who pass this exam earn a certificate of completion, verifying they have passed the course and earned continuing education credits.

Developed by experts in the field, classes include Accounting Tools and Metrics for the CFO; Accountant’s Guide to Financial Management; Analyzing and Using Financial Statements; Analyzing Cost Data for Management; Analyzing the Corporate Annual Report; Balance Sheet: Reporting Liabilities; Effective Business Communication; Financial Concepts and Tools for Managers; Financial Essentials for Not-for-Profit Managers; Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior; Understanding the Economy; and Valuations: Businesses, Securities, and Real Estate.

“Our classes are designed to not only provide CE credits but also help professionals grow in their accounting careers,” added Tolbert. “We also feel it’s important to provide courses to reinforce soft skills – critical to success in the workforce – including courses focused on communication and management.  Vista’s goal is to not only help students learn new skillsets, but also improve upon existing ones at any career level.”

For years, Vista College has provided continuing education credits through the State CE program, including courses focusing on insurance, HVAC, cosmetology, and many more.  The accounting program is the first provided through its own website.

Vista College is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.

For more information on Vista College, go to www.vistacollegepro.com

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Vista College announced today that it has earned the 2017 Military Friendly® School designation by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, STEM Jobs, and Military Spouse. This is the 5th consecutive year Vista College has earned this designation. Each year the list of Military Friendly® Schools is provided to service members and their families, helping them select the best college, university, or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from Victory Media’s proprietary survey. More than 1,700 schools participated in the 2017 survey; 1,273 were award with the designation. Rating methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Victory Media with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining Vista College’s survey scores with the assessment of Vista College’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Load Default rates for all students, and specifically, for veterans.

According to Daniel Nichols, a Navy Reserve veteran and Chief Product Officer at Victory Media, “Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to the majority of colleges gives veterans a comprehensive view of which schools are striving to provide the best opportunities and conditions for our nation’s student veterans. Military Friendly® helps military families make the best use of the Post 9/11 GI Bill and other federal benefits while allowing us to further our goal of assisting them in finding success in their chosen career fields.”

“We are proud to receive this recognition again for 2017,” said Jim Tolbert, CEO of Vista College. “A significant number of our students are veterans at our ground and online campuses.  We take pride at Vista College having a welcoming campus environment that our veterans can transition into civilian life with great academic support that will help them succeed in pursuing the careers of their choice.”

Vista College offers a wide variety of career training programs throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, and online.  Each career program is staffed with industry experts and leading professionals, ensuring students an affordable, quality education that will help them pursue successful careers in their chosen fields.  Financial aid is available for those that qualify.  Graduates benefit from Vista’s career services assistance, which includes resume preparation and interview coaching.

For more information on Vista College, go to www.vistacollege.edu

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Vista College Heart Walk Pictured front and center is Vista College CEO Jim Tolbert with the Richardson Corporate Office American Heart Association Heart Walk Team

Vista College was one of the top 20 fundraising companies for the 2016 Dallas Heart Walk – American Heart Association’s annual premiere event for raising funds to save lives from this country’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers: heart disease and stroke.  In 2016, over 400 Vista College staff and families participated, raising $62,200 – a 65 percent increase in the amount the company raised in 2015. Vista raised $25,200 more in 2016 and $16,600 more than the college’s overall goal. 

“It is an honor to be ranked as #19 of all Dallas company participants with our fundraising totals,” said Jim Tolbert, CEO, Vista College. “This is incredible given our size compared to all corporations in Dallas. This year, our company has moved up six spots from our ranking last year by increasing our participation numbers and raising a significant amount of additional funds. I couldn’t be more proud of all of our campuses and their involvement, which demonstrates the dedication of our employees toward such a worthy cause.”

Vista’s Heart Walk campus participants included all seven of its Texas campuses, located in Amarillo, Beaumont, College Station, El Paso, Killeen, Longview and Lubbock, as well as its Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, campuses.  Additionally, it includes Vista’s online division at the Richardson headquarters. Vista College first became involved in Heart Walk in 2014 with the support of all of its on-ground campuses operating at that time, as well as its Richardson headquarters.

“The American Heart Association’s Heart Walk is Vista College’s primary way of giving back to our community,” added Tolbert.  “We look forward to this event each year with the hope of not only raising much needed funds for the American Heart Association, but also increasing awareness of ways we can prevent heart disease and strokes.  Simply teaching others the importance of eating right and exercising within our communities goes a long way in the fight to reverse these two leading causes of death.”

www.vistacollege.edu. 

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Vista College Named Innovator of the Year by CCST Pictured are Jeff Brown, CCST Chair; Jewel Reid, Corporate Director of Process Excellence, Vista College; Jim Tolbert, CEO, Vista College; Jerry Valdez, CCST Executive Director

Vista College was recognized for implementing The S.A.V.E. Process, an innovative new program to prevent students from withdrawing from school

The Career Colleges and Schools of Texas (CCST) awarded Vista College (corporate headquarters located in Richardson) the “Innovator of the Year” Award in recognition of implementing an innovative program (The S.A.V.E. Process) within the school to solve the problem of students withdrawing from school, which improves students’ lives as well as business results for Vista College.  The award was presented to Vista College’s CEO Jim Tolbert and Jewel Reid, Corporate Director of Process Excellence, at CCST’s 2015 Annual November Conference in The Woodlands, Texas.

“What really caught my attention when reading Vista’s submission, was the depth of statistical analysis they presented,” said Jeff Brown, CCST Chair.  “You just don’t see that.  Typically, when there’s a problem such as retention and improvements are needed, most organizations will just try to come up with a solution, but they don’t attack the problem like Vista College did.  Another benefit of putting this kind of time and effort into finding a solution is that it can lead to the discovery of other things along the way that may also need to be addressed.   CCST was quite impressed with Vista’s approach to tackling this problem, and we feel they are very deserving of this honor.”

The S.A.V.E. Process is a multi-departmental advisement structure designed to prevent students from withdrawing and to inform them of the consequences of withdrawing.  The process normally begins with the program director advising the student, but it is designed so that any campus employee can become involved and direct the student as needed. The S.A.V.E. acronym stands for Seek the truth; Acknowledge their reality; Verbalize and visualize successful solutions; and Engage in next steps.  It is implemented for students who give notification in person, by phone, or letter, of their desire to withdraw from school.   

“Vista College utilized a systematic project approach to solve the problem of students dropping out,” said Jewel Reid, Corporate Director of Process Excellence, Education Futures Group, LLC / Vista College.  “In my opinion, this is one of the greatest things about winning the award.  Many times in education, staff members simply try to come up with quick solutions.  This thorough approach enabled us to address many factors that caused the problem and create a series of steps to ensure successful outcomes – most importantly, keeping our students in school so they have the opportunity to get a good education and a better chance in life.”

 The S.A.V.E. Process, implemented across Vista College’s seven Texas on-ground campuses (Amarillo, Beaumont, College Station, El Paso, Killeen, Longview and Lubbock), its Las Cruces, New Mexico, campus and its online campus, resulted in approximately 900 students going through the S.A.V.E. process since July 2014. 

“We are excited to have The S.A.V.E. Process in place already making a difference, and we look forward to continued positive retention results from our students across all campuses,” said Jim Tolbert, CEO, Education Futures Group, LLC / Vista College. “We’ve learned how to better identify and monitor at-risk populations before they leave school; we’ve developed processes to provide visibility into trends that highlight drop risk; and we are providing students with solutions to the academic and life challenges that create their desire to drop.  It goes without saying that this is a win-win for both the students and the college.  Congratulations to our hard-working staff, whose dedication to our students will, without question, result in even more innovative programs in the future.”

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Many veterans transitioning to civilian and student life often face unique challenges including isolation, academic difficulties, and mental health issues such as depression, PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Vista College, with corporate offices in Richardson, wanted to better understand this student environment and began a special training where its faculty and staff can engage in virtual role play conversations with veterans through a unique program provided by Kognito, a leading provider and innovator of mental health and suicide prevention programs for higher education.

Kognito recently recognized Vista College with a Certificate of Excellence for its outstanding performance in executing its mental health awareness program. The award acknowledges the college’s best practices and commitment to creating and sustaining a culture of support for students, primarily veterans, in the 2014-2015 school year.

Vista College launched Kognito’s Veterans on Campus Training in October 2014 on all of its campuses.  To date, 333 staff and faculty have gone through the training – an online, interactive learning experience that helps faculty and staff in understanding the needs, experiences and cultural issues affecting student veterans. By engaging in role-play conversations with virtual student veterans, users get hands-on experience managing challenging conversations, gain important skills in recognizing signs of psychological distress and learn how to connect students to appropriate resources. 

“We have found Kognito’s program to be a valuable training tool for all of our staff and faculty and are thrilled to receive this honor,” said Jim Tobert, CEO of Vista College. “A significant number of our students are veterans transitioning to civilian and student life.  This often presents unique challenges for them including isolation, academic difficulties, and mental health issues such as depression, PTSD and traumatic brain injury.   We began utilizing this training at Vista College because we wanted to better understand the perspective of these students and create a helpful and supportive environment. This program has been embraced by staff and faculty as a wonderful tool to identify students in need of assistance. We have seen its results among our students as they have been directed to appropriate resources for assistance.  Additionally, the program has also proven useful for non-veteran students who might be in need.”

 

A recent national study by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported that 31.6% of college students felt so depressed that it was difficult to function. As a result, many colleges and universities are proactively training staff and faculty, as well as students, how to support such students. This award recognizes Vista College’s ability to engage an exceptional number of people within its community in the training.

 “Vista College has demonstrated the heart, commitment and drive to truly create a campus-wide culture that’s skilled and supportive for students who may be suffering from mental distress,” said Lori Janjigian, VP Client Services at Kognito. “They are dedicated to not only creating such an atmosphere, but also sustaining it.”

Vista College offers a wide variety of career training programs throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, and online.  Each career program is staffed with industry experts and leading professionals, ensuring students an affordable, quality education that will help them pursue successful careers in their chosen fields.  Financial aid is available for those that qualify.  Graduates benefit from Vista’s career services assistance, which includes resume preparation and interview coaching.

For more information on Vista College, go to www.vistacollege.edu