Congratulations Simon Jeynes and Amy York!

Simon Jeynes, ISM Senior Consultant, graduated on March 31 from Concordia University with a Master of Education in Educational Leadership degree.

Amy York, Senior Copywriter and Graphic Designer in the ISM Marketing Department, graduated with an MFA in multimedia design from Full Sail University on March 2, 2012.

“Lifelong growth and renewal is not just a phrase,” said Simon. “It is compulsion for me, partly because knowing more is good, and partly because we are at a time of revolution in education and to stand still is to become irrelevant. Doing a degree is merely a means to the end of being challenged about one’s assumptions, challenged to think in different ways, and challenged by information that didn’t exist yesterday. Doing it online was an opportunity to see where online learning has gone and to interact with a wide age range that clearly had different world views than mine. As always, education is an exciting and dangerous adventure. I wish it on us all!”

Amy York, Senior Copywriter and Graphic Designer in the ISM Marketing Department, graduated with an MFA in multimedia design from Full Sail University on March 2, 2012.

“I entered the program as a bit of a skeptic,” Amy said. “I knew I wanted to achieve my master’s, but I wasn’t sure if an online platform would be as rewarding as a program with face-to-face classroom time. We write a good amount about 21st century learning here at ISM, which of course includes online learning. As one of the staff writers here, I am very aware of how powerful learning can be in a well-designed online program. Even still, I was suspicious. I must say I was surprised at how intense and detailed the program was—and how difficult it was! I’m looking forward to using the new skills and methods I’ve acquired to strengthen ISM’s Marketing Team in any capacity I can.”

“ISM’s research shows that faculty professional development is a key ingredient to student performance and success,” said Roxanne Higgins, President of ISM. “We believe that professional development at ISM leads to better performance within the company and for the schools we serve. In order to stay on the cutting edge, everyone at ISM needs to stay current, learn differing perspectives, and incorporate what we have learned into our own perspectives. We are excited that Amy and Simon have taken their professional development a step further and achieved master’s degrees in their fields of interest. My congratulations is extended to the both of them.”