Berkeley

Patten University Offers Personalized Degree Programs for Working Adults

Published

10 years ago

January 23, 2014

Working students are the fastest growing part of the student population in the country because most people realize they need advanced credentials to create the life they want but cannot afford a traditional undergraduate or schooling experience.

Designing a program that meets the needs of these students is a major goal of Patten University in Oakland, which has become one of the fastest growing online universities, serving students in 38 states across the country, the majority from California, according to Dr. Thomas Stewart, president of the university.

About 37 million Americans start college and do not graduate. Too many of them stumble over the difficulties of going to school while supporting themselves and their families, says Stewart, who explains that Patten was founded to “create a university that addresses the needs of working adults.”

“If I’m a working adult, and I have a family, I can’t go to CAL,” he said, noting that 15 percent of Patten’s online students are over the age of 50. “Patten is designed to give you what you need.”

Dr. Thomas Stewart, President of Patten University

A native of Washington, D.C and raised in an urban community, Stewart understands that urban universities must fit urban realities.

He points to his own experiences. As an undergraduate, Dr. Stewart flunked out of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), but after serving in the military, he returned to the university to finish his bachelor’s degree and went on to gain his masters and doctorate from Harvard.

While the degrees from Harvard confer status, he said, the name of the institution does not matter at the end of the day. What is important is a person’s work ethic and the skills they are able to offer an employee.

“Assumptions are made from names,” he said. “There are over 4,000 universities. If you eliminate [schools] named after a state or after someone famous, most people can’t tell the name of 3,000 of them,” he said. “…People have to find what’s a good fit for them.”

Expanding rapidly, Patten has grown to a student population over 1,000 in its first 18 months. Stewart says that number will be 10 times as large by the end of the year.

He credits Patten’s success with its application of the “UNOW Model,” which allows students to pay as they go, offers personal coaching, works on a self-paced format and has voluntarily chose not to receive Title IV funding.

The school also uses an interactive teaching approach that monitors a student’s progress and readiness indicators that show a student’s understanding of the subject, identifying the areas they should look over again before taking a final exam.

As one of the most affordable private universities in the nation, Patten’s tuition is $5,000 for an academic year and includes all fees for books and other learning resources. While the university does not offer financial aid, it does offer financial options, strongly discouraging students from saddling themselves with student loans.

“Forfeit a cable bill for a year or two, and it could pay for you to go to college,” Stewart said.

In addition to its online courses, Patten offers campus-based degree programs for students who want a classroom experience,

Patten University is located at 2433 Coolidge Ave. in Oakland. For more information, www.patten.edu or call (510) 485-7820.

Related Topics:California City of Oakland Oakland online education online university Patten University post secondary education Thomas Stewart

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Arts and Culture

Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theater to Hold Fundraiser for Youth Programs

The Bay Area Jazz Society will hold a fundraiser and CD listening party to raise funds for youth programs at Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theater (BBRT), the only Black-owned-and-operated theater in the East Bay.

Published

3 days ago

September 27, 2023

Oakland Post

Larriah Jackson from ‘The Voice” will be one of the guest artists at the fundraiser for the Berkeley Black Repertory Group. Courtesy photo.

By Clifford Williams
Special to The Post

The event will take place at the BBRT on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at 3201 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA. Tickets are $25. The master of ceremonies will be KPFA’s Afrikahn Jamal Davis.

Many artists featured in “The Sounds of Oakland: Music from the Streets” compilation CD will perform with special guests including Larriah Jackson from “The Voice” Niecy ‘Living Single’ Robinson, one of the Bay Area’s most popular vocalists and Derick Hughes, who sang with Roberta Flack for many years, taking the place of Donnie Hathaway.

Other artists attending include Donnie Williams from “American Idol,” (the same year Jennifer Hudson and Latoya London appeared), and Williams’ sister, Terrill Williams. There will be live performances with food and drink for everyone, and the CD will be playing in the lobby when the performers take a break.

BBRT has had limited programming during and throughout the pandemic and is now struggling to regain continual of operations. Bay Area Jazz Society Executive Director Paul Tillman Smith, has an extensive background in theatre, starting with a stint as musical director for the Oakland Ensemble Theater’s Melvin Van Peebles play, “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death,” featuring television star Ted Lange of the “Love Boat,” as director.

Tillman Smith is also the co-producer, along with Norman Connors, Levi Seacer Jr., and Nelson Braxton for the new Bay Area CD ‘The Sounds of Oakland: Music from the Streets.” Other artists listed on the CD may be in attendance, including Lenny Williams, Derick Hughes, and Lady Bianca to meet and greet guests.

The Berkeley chapter of the NAACP will also support the fundraiser.

The first 20 individuals attending the fundraiser will receive a free copy of the CD. Thirty percent of the CD sales will go into a fund to help aging artists who don’t have a pension and, in many cases, no social security.

For more information regarding the fundraiser and how to obtain tickets, contact Paul Tilman Smith at 510. 689.3332, or Bayjazz@gmail.com.

Bay Area

The Multicultural Institute Honored as 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year

The Multicultural Institute (MI) has been selected as a 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Assembly District 14, which includes Richmond. The nonprofit’s Executive Director Mirna Cervantes and Senior Programs Director Rudy Lara attended a luncheon at the State Capitol in Sacramento earlier this month, where they were honored with a resolution and met with Assemblymember Wicks to mark the occasion.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Representatives of the Multicultural Institute hold the resolution given to them by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. Photo courtesy of the Multicultural Institute.

By Kathy Chouteau

The Multicultural Institute (MI) has been selected as a 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Assembly District 14, which includes Richmond.

The nonprofit’s Executive Director Mirna Cervantes and Senior Programs Director Rudy Lara attended a luncheon at the State Capitol in Sacramento earlier this month, where they were honored with a resolution and met with Assemblymember Wicks to mark the occasion.

MI is “one of the nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve,” said the nonprofit in a statement.

The nonprofit—which has offices in Richmond, Berkeley and Redwood City—envisions a community where immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, are valued in their live/work communities, per the statement.

To this end, MI provides an array of services including job placement assistance for day laborers and domestic workers, immigration/health support, weekly food distributions, after school tutoring, adult education courses, day laborer housing and more centered on serving immigrant families.

Cervantes, said that “The Multicultural Institute’s staff and Board of Directors work daily to improve the lives of day laborers, domestic workers and their families and we are deeply humbled to be recognized by California State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks as a 2023 Nonprofit of the Year.”

Learn more about the organization at https://mionline.org/

Bay Area

Renew your residential parking permit before July 1

Use our parking permit portal to renew your residential parking permit or sign up for a new one by June 30, when 2022-2023 permits expire. Starting July 1, you will need a 2023-2024 permit to avoid getting ticketed in Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) areas.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Renew online, in person, or by mail; existing permits expire June 30, 2023.

Use our parking permit portal to renew your residential parking permit or sign up for a new one by June 30, when 2022-2023 permits expire.

Starting July 1, you will need a 2023-2024 permit to avoid getting ticketed in Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) areas.

Residents with a 2023 permit should have received a renewal notice letter by May 1 with instructions. If you did not receive a notice, use the parking permit portal to renew an existing permit or apply for a new one.

If you do not renew your permit before July 1, 2023 you’ll need to submit a new permit application, including your photo ID and current vehicle registration.

Use our parking permit portal to renew your existing permit, apply for a new permit, or get one-day digital visitor permits. One-day digital visitor permits are valid for 24 hours from the time of activation. A hangtag visitor permit for a single day or 14 days can be purchased in person at the Customer Service Center.

RENEW YOUR PERMIT ONLINE

Most residents can use their existing login information to renew parking permits on the portal.

Some residents may need to use a link code from their renewal letter to renew their permits. If you lost the letter, request the code by calling 311 inside Berkeley limits or (510) 981-2489.

If your renewal has incorrect information, such as listing the wrong RPP area, use the portal to apply for a new permit online. Likewise, residents whose permits are labeled “Suspended” in the online portal must re-apply to verify residency.

New online applications will be approved in 5-7 business days, and you will receive a confirmation receipt via email when your application is submitted and again once it is approved. Permits are not valid until an application has been approved and payment is received.

RENEW BY MAIL OR IN-PERSON

To renew by mail, fill out the payment coupon included with your renewal letter, enclose payment by check or money order, and send it to the address listed in the letter, City of Berkeley RPP Permit Renewal, PO Box 29, Berkeley CA 94701.

To renew in person, bring your renewal letter to the Customer Service Center to complete the purchase.

In-person purchases may be completed by cash, check, money order, Visa, or Mastercard.

APPLY FOR A NEW PERMIT

If you need to re-apply for a permit, you may do so via the parking permit portal, in person, or by mail.

If applying by mail, download the application and mail the completed forms with your supporting documents and payment by check or money order to:

City of Berkeley Customer Service Center
1947 Center St, 1st floor
Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

If applying in person, bring your proof of residency documents to the Customer Service Center to fill out an application and purchase a permit by cash, check, money order, Visa, or Mastercard.

Note that permits are not valid until an application has been approved and payment is received. A mailed application will take longer to process.

Online or in-person renewals are the safest ways to avoid a ticket.

ENFORCED THROUGH LICENSE PLATES, NOT STICKERS

Once your application has been approved, your license plate will be your permit. You will not receive a sticker in the mail.

Parking enforcement officers have been using license plate readers since 2016. This database is a closed system, not linked to any other database, such as DMV databases. Violation data is kept for one year. Our privacy policy is that no data is kept for more than 30 days unless we act, such as through a citation or violation found.

Be sure to renew your permit online, by mail, or in person by June 30.