Last night marked one of the last Open Door Thursdays of the school year; in fact this was one of the last Open Door Thursdays that I will have the chance to attend before graduating in just a couple weeks–a bittersweet time indeed.

Open Door Thursdays!!?? You may be asking yourself what is this event? Well for those of you who are unfamiliar with ODT, it is an event sponsored by Campus Ministry and hosted by Maria Crookston, Megan McQuillen, Caitlin Hoak, and Jessica Russo. These kind-hearted girls open up their room week after week to the entire campus for food, fellowship, and fun! Each week brings about a new menu and theme for the gathering. This past week was Easter themed with a breakfast menu (Pancakes, sausage, bacon) along with Easter treats and prizes for the raffle winners! The talented chefs making the pancakes went a step further to create Easter bunny shaped pancakes (who would have thought?) The food was delicious and I even entered into the drawing—I didn’t win, but the fun I had while attending made up for it!

A group of us enjoying some delicious pancakes!

Thursday seems to be the perfect day for these gatherings, as I always have some time after choir before student government where I just want to relax. I’m sure for many of you by the time Thursday rolls around you could use a little break, even if that just were 10-20 minutes away from your studies. What better way to relax than with friends, great hospitality, and delicious food?! There’s even video games like Guitar Hero and Rockband (just to name a few) to play and unwind for a bit.

Maria Crookston has been in charge of this, along with Miguel Chavez and several Campus Ministry members for several years now, and it’s turned out to be a great success. Each week e-mails and Facebook invites go out campus wide to invite everyone to this event. With guest appearances from faculty, staff, and alumni, there’s always something new and exciting waiting behind the door—although you won’t have to worry about knocking, as it’s always open! The welcoming atmosphere and great hospitality provided is something that makes everyone feel like they are at home—not something you would typically find on a college campus so its worth taking advantage of this opportunity.

The time and dedication put into an event like this goes beyond just a couple hours of Open Door on Thursday nights, it takes planning and organizing to reach the level of success it has today. Without dedicated individuals like Maria and members of Campus Ministry working hard to think up new ideas and diligently sending out invites we would not have this great opportunity. They deserve a lot of thanks for all that they do!

Maria and I came to the conclusion that after 4 years of being friends we never had a pic of just the two of us. Successful!

I look forward to the next couple of Open Door’s before the semester is over, and I encourage all of you to come and check this out: Thursdays, 7-9pm, Stein 9B. “All are welcome!”

Have a great week everyone! At this time of excitement as we can see the end of the semester in site…remember to stay focused, dedicate more time to your studies, and put in the time now—rather than stressing later to make up for lost time.

Take care and God Bless,

Chris Burr

Hey everyone,

Wanted to share with you the exciting news that I just learned of soon after I picked up my cap and gown the other day. The timing could not have been better. After completing a small survey and waiting in line for my cap and gown in the David Center, I thought back how it seemed like just yesterday I was in the same spot to pick up my welcoming package before moving into my freshmen dorm, now I was surrounded by friends that I had made over the years and grew so close to that it felt as if we were having a small family reunion at the time. Ok, so I know you’re probably saying…so what’s the big news?? Well without any further delay, I found a letter in my campus mailbox notifying me that I had made it to the next step of the yStark Fellowship Program!! For those who are not familiar with the yStark program, it is a department of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce that provides professional development for our areas young professionals. Since the day I saw their posters around campus looking for highly driven, motivated leaders that would like to make a difference throughout the county, as well as earn a full-time job, I was convinced this opportunity was my calling. The thing is that at the time of applying, I knew the basics of the program and loved the opportunities available for the fellows accepted. However, it wasn’t until the Walsh Career Development Department held a career networking night, what I was able to learn a great deal about what this program could offer graduating seniors such as myself, as well as the dynamic impact that the participants make on the entire community.

The set-up of the career network event, in my opinion, worked very well. Students were divided into several groups, with about 5-6 students and 2 professionals in each group. These young professionals would speak to us about their career choices, how they achieved success, and “words of wisdom,” that we could use as we venture quickly into our future endeavors. After about 10 minutes, these professionals would all play musical chairs and switch groups so that we would get several different perspectives in about an hour. During each rotation, questions were welcomed, and there was additional time given after for students to talk one-on-one with yStark members. The entire evening was highly beneficial for me, as I felt that I had made the best choice in choosing yStark as a potential future career opportunity. I didn’t know at the time that I would be meeting some of the leaders from the program, I must say I was a little nervous when I was introduced to these members, but I quickly found out that they were simply interested in what are plans for the future were, and what we had done so far. Walking back to my dorm after this event I felt that in spite of our poor economy that I had the chance to still come out on top and ahead of the game because of events such as this career night, as well as organizations such as yStark. Looking forward to everything the future has to hold for all of us! Best of luck to you all!

Check out these links below I think you will find them very beneficial, as always feel free to message me on here or at christopherburr@walsh.edu for any additional questions, comments, or concerns:

www.walsh.edu/career

www.ystark.org

www.cantonchamber.org

Have a great weekend everyone

Hey everyone, I hope this blog finds everyone doing well! I apologize for my absence of blogs for the past few weeks. With Spring break, and classes becoming much more demanding I had to put this on the back burner for a short time, but now I’m back in the swing of things.

So I had a great opportunity a couple weeks back to just get away for a weekend and take part in the Campus Ministry retreat at Loyola Lakes Retreat House. When first finding out about this weekend, I was hesitant as I didn’t know if I would be able to commit an entire weekend to this, but then I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was strictly a one day, one evening retreat, with minimal structure, and emphasis on relaxation.

Surrounding landscapes--such a beautiful place--only 20 mins. from Walsh! Worth the short drive!

We departed from Walsh on Saturday morning to arrive at the retreat house for a full breakfast served to us along with some reflection following. Then that was it! We were on our own for the rest of the morning/afternoon. We all looked around at each other? Could this be? Was Miguel joking? Clearly he must have an agenda or some type of schedule for us to follow. Surprisingly, there was not. Miguel actually planned this retreat in this manner intentionally, so that we would be able to take time to relax, visit with others, and really reflect on our lives—which he believed could be just as beneficial as a schedule full of activities.

Now don’t get me wrong, we did have a very nice prayer service to begin, along with several group activities to break the ice a bit, but then the free time we were given allowed us to take full advantage of the beautiful facility. From a snowball fight, to sled riding on boxes, and countless board games, and activities to choose from–everyone was completely satisfied by the end of the day. We ended with a relaxing activity, and then, you guessed it…more free time! For once I actually got a complete 8 hours of sleep, and on top of that, we were in comfortable rooms (each getting an individual room).

The chapel of the retreat house

Sunday morning, we all woke refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the semester, as we headed back to campus, and attended mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel. I am so fortunate to all those who attended, and for those that I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time while on this retreat. Thinking back on the priceless memories that we had in this short amount of time together, its ironic just how much we were able to grow and learn about each other, simply by being together. I cannot think of a better example to support the old adage “less is more,” than this retreat. Whether you treated this retreat as a time to grow spiritually, mentally, to build new friendships, or even just to get in touch with yourself—this retreat covered all bases, and is a time that I will never forget.

I would like to thank Miguel Chavez for all his hard work and dedication to making this retreat truly memorable, as well as the entire Campus Ministry department for all their efforts!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a week since the Freshmen Discover Retreat was in full swing. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Freshmen Discover retreat, it is a time for freshmen to get away from the stress of schoolwork and meet other freshmen that they would most likely have never had the opportunity to meet if it was not for this weekend. Discover is known for exactly that…to discover ones self more effectively, enrich ones self, and overall allows for freshmen to fully transition to college life and others around them by encouraging them to come out of their shell and become aware of all that Walsh has to offer them to fully adjust.

The excitement all began last Thursday. After months of planning and preparation, and as one of the core team leaders for this Discover retreat, I was anxious to pack-up and head out to the camp that we had been going to on a yearly basis since my freshmen year for this retreat. All the plans had been finalized, and Jordan Miller, our core team leader had every last detail finalized. Suddenly, the unexpected (or perhaps not so unexpected, as it was inconvenient, for us Ohioans) A SNOWSTORM! Yes, Thursday afternoon and evening brought warning after warning of severe weather conditions targeting the campground area as well as North Canton and surrounding cities. Basically, where we were going to be headed was the eye of the storm. Great right? The university made the responsible decision to cancel the reservation at the camp, and was not sure if the retreat would be able to be rescheduled. Thursday afternoon and evening brought hours of rescheduling, and tons of phone calls to see what options were still open to us. Jordan and our student activities director, Michael Koluch, worked effectively and efficiently to quickly come up with a back-up site that we could hold the retreat. It was decided that the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, located only about 10 minutes from Walsh would have to be the back-up location.

We anxiously await the freshmen to arrive in the lobby!

As soon as availability was confirmed at the hotel all the leaders were called to an immediate meeting Thursday evening around 7pm for updates. Jordan braced us as the news he was about to break to all of us about this drastic change was truly a surprise, as the weather did not seem to be any bit close to severe. He assured us that the camp director had even called to warn them that the roads would be impassable near the town of Camp Aldersgate, Carrolton, Ohio. As much as we didn’t want to think that it would get as bad as forecasted, we knew that the students safety was our first priority and did not want to risk anything happening, or getting stranded because of extreme conditions. Jordan reassured us all that everything was under control. As a Discover retreatant, and past leader, it was hard for me to think that any place could do the retreat justice better than Camp Aldersgate—but we all took our leaders advice and faced this situation with an open mind.

As you can see the hotel was more than accommodating for us, we actually had additional rooms as businesses who were booked to stay actually backed out because of the weather.

That evening we headed to Courtyard Marriott to see what we were working with as far as a room for activities and how the room situation would be set-up. We had to analyze what we were working with. In this case each room was fitted with many luxuries that we felt may need to be removed in order for the retreatant to be able to truly bond with one another and not stay in their rooms the entire time watching TV or listening to music. After getting a quick tour of the hotel we were all really impressed with how accommodating the hotel staff was willing to be, especially for the last-minute request and the fact that we would have a ton of young adults running around the entire premise all weekend. I cannot tell you how appreciative we all were of the hotel staff the entire weekend.

Anyways, we headed back that evening and finished packing for the trip with optimistic minds and excitement for what the weekend would finally hold. Friday afternoon came quickly, and while the flurries began outside, it didn’t look half bad. I remember saying “what if the forecast was wrong and we did all this for nothing?” It seemed as if God wanted us to know that we made the right decision. By the time we had arrived at the hotel and was busy setting up everything we barely had a chance to glance outside. Sure enough, just before the students arrived the snowstorm hit!

After welcoming them in and allowing them to get situated we settled right in and the weekend truly went off as if nothing had changed. Proving that you can change the location, but you will never lose the sole purpose of the retreat. In this case, I can assure you that the individuals that chose to go on this retreat are truly thankful for their experience. Its obvious this retreat is a turning point for freshmen, as I can still remember back to my Discover experience, and vividly remember the individuals I met that I could never imagine going through these past four years without.

Along with are student leaders, we had several residence life members come along, as well as several faculty and staff members to assist with activities and fully enrich the weekend simply with their presence.

After seeing the amazing results that came from hard work and determination of every member involved, I can honestly say that while Camp Aldersgate was is a beautiful retreat location, this past weekend has proven that no matter how far—whether it be an 1 ½ drive or just 10 minutes away, lake front view, or i-77 view, indoor pool vs. outdoor puddles—if the faith is strong and attitude positive, all things are possible if we simply set our minds to it. When it seemed as if we were going to have to call everything off, with all of our hard work wasting away. Suddenly, its when we hit rock bottom that we become resourceful and find alternatives that are available. Forgive me if this comes off a bit cliché, but I believe the Walsh Discover team leaders and supporting faculty/staff members lived up to the old adage “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”

Perhaps Meaghan Manning, a fellow leader on the retreat with me, sums up this past weekend the best by her Facebook status post: “this weekend was proof that it’s not where you are but who you’re with that really matters. ♥ DISCOVER 2010! ”

Found this while searching for some pics from this past weekend. Turns out I even found an old album from my Freshman year Discover experience!

Courtney and I: Who would have thought two retreats later we would be such good friends and Church-going buddies?! :)

Hope you all have a great presidents day weekend break. I know for myself I’ll be heading back home Sunday to get a passport for the upcoming choir concert that we will be performing in this May 2010. It will be nice to spend some time with my family, catch up on some rest, probably for the first time since Christmas break when I can actually just unwind for a couple of days. I suggest you all relax as much as you can over this break.

Discover Leaders Damir, Meaghan, Marc, Julie, and Miranda unwind after a busy day!

Take care, until next time, best of luck in all your courses of study!

Chris Burr

Well everyone I survived it, and I am here to tell you about my phenomenal experience throughout the Walsh University Career Boot Camp sponsored by Career Services @ Walsh. Now for those of you who are not familiar with our WU career services, you may be thinking, “Career Boot Camp?? How intense!!” Well you’re not wrong about that…however, this is not a camp that you will be asked to “drop and give you 20, and I highly doubt you’ll break a sweat, however, there’s always enough activities planned that are aimed at getting students “in-shape” with their future!

I’ll admit, when I first received the email I thought, why call it a boot camp, or even make a special week out of this? These are things I can do anytime of the year. Well, true, however, the more I participated and actually gave this “boot camp” a try the more I realized the importance of combining so many career building exercises into one week. It’s comparable to a total body workout—in the way that you can brush up on everything you need to get in-order in a timely fashion. Cause as we all know, time is money, and it won’t be long before we are all out looking for a job, in a market that has seen far better days!

“Resume Week” was the opening event for Career Boot Camp Week, where students could get their resumes reviewed directly on the spot in various locations on campus. I took advantage of this as I was going between my Natural Science class and English, and was in and out, on my way with a newly revised resume that I was sure would give me the “in” at my next job interview. Whether I was running between classes in the Barrette Business center, or across campus to work out in the PE building, I didn’t have to look far to see the next Resume Review Station! Various workers from Career Services devoted their entire day to sitting down with students and revising their resumes, answering questions about their futures, and giving advice towards their next job interview. The turnout was fantastic and I could not get over how effective these “on the spot” review sessions would be!

The next event at Boot Camp was “Professor for the Day”. This was a 2-day event that allowed Alum or community members to speak in various classes about their career path and give insight on where they are today, and how they got there (words of wisdom indeed)! For my “Professor for the Day” I had Ricky Martin, a recent graduate, I believe 2007(?) from Walsh and colleague of mine, who now works at Bridgestone, who gave our Computer Programming class a truly beneficial speech on how he got his foot in the door at Bridgestone’s technology department. He went on to share how his academic and work experience from his days at Walsh, truly has allowed him to have a stable career in these times of uncertainty. I was even able to have lunch with several of the professors (alum) that came to speak, as I was invited to the luncheon that was held for them as I am an Alumni Ambassador for Walsh. This was a great afternoon of socializing with some great leaders of our community, faculty, staff, and alum. I was really glad that I was able to be part of this and it made me realize just how reputable Walsh is with our local Akron/Canton community. The networking opportunities are endless!

Another exciting event that is a special event at Walsh was the “Dress and Dine for Success” Have you ever been faced with the dilemma of which fork to use when you’re out on a hot date? Perhaps you like to keep it simple and just dine out at McDonalds or BK so it doesn’t get complicated. Well don’t let these minor details, like which utensil to use keep you from dining in the finest restaurant in town. Maybe you’re wondering if you should wear a tie if you’re at your next business luncheon? All of your questions are answered at the Dress for Success Dinner! After attending last year’s event I felt that I had been failing at dinner for years, luckily I corrected my mistakes in time before our Business and Communications luncheon. Not only do you have the chance to brush up on your dining skills, but you get a delicious meal at the same time. You’ll leave with a feeling of confidence, as you know you’ll stand out at the next dinner party or Business luncheon when you show off your exquisite manners.

Last, but certainly, not least, Career Boot Camp offered Mock Interviews Week! January 25-29. During the week employers from various businesses were on campus ready to give mock interviews, grilling student with the questions “they never saw coming,” and offering helpful tips and tricks to have a successful interview. I was a participant in this year’s Mock Interviews, and I can honestly say I feel that it was truly beneficial. I didn’t mess around; I took the suggestions seriously, and showed up wearing my best suit and tie, carrying a notebook, pen, and several copies of my resume. I was told to treat this interview as I would an actual interview. I went in not knowing what to expect, and left with a feeling of complete control and confidence like no other. In fact, I was fortunate enough to have an individual who works for Mercy Medical Centers HR department as my interviewer. What better way to practice an interview than with someone with similar career choices. I actually felt like this mock interview could have potentially allowed me to leave my impression on the employer. Who knows what my mock interview could lead to down the road when a job offer pops up?

Overall, I cannot express how much gratitude I have to our Career Services Department at Walsh. I feel that I know all of the staff on a first name basis, as they have been there for me every step of the way since my freshmen year. I never hesitate to just pop in their office if I have a question, and they seem to constantly be concerned about our future success and happiness which really gives me peace of mind. In fact, during my mock interview, as well as several interviews throughout the community of North Canton, I have found that all the employers have nothing but great things to say about Walsh Career Services, and the students they interview from there. I know my interviewer complimented on how she felt she barely had to recommend anything for our resumes, as she felt confident that a good majority of the students at Walsh have taken full advantage of the many leadership and development activities on campus.

Even though this was not technically the same type of camp as one might think, such as the more conventional “summer camp, or even band camp” type of experience… it was still an experience that left a great impact on the individual after they participated in the events. Just as we may feel completely transformed after a powerful camp or retreat experiences, Career Boot Camp can have the same impact for some and can really jump start your career search!

I hope that you were able to take advantage of this great opportunity, and I encourage you if you were not able to make it, to stop in any time in Career Services, located in the David Center, to make an appointment, talk with a professional, and get your life on the right track for great success! All the resources are right at your fingertips and even more intriguing—it’s FREE!!

Check out their page at: http://www.walsh.edu/career.htm

Until next time, have a great, safe, and productive week!

Take care,

Chris Burr

As I move along briskly into my final semester here at Walsh I am proudly working another internship with the IS department on campus. This is the same internship that I have had for the past year now and really have enjoyed, as well as, gained a great deal of knowledge from. I was anxious to get back to work after winter break as I hadn’t worked for almost a month, in fact, the first time I didn’t work over Christmas break in a couple years. Normally I would work back at the winery (Laurello Vineyards) back near my hometown, but this winter break was cut a bit shorter than usual as I was part of chamber choir and we performed locally around the North Canton community before heading back for break. Once back, I was busy getting together with family and friends and it seemed that work would not be feasible. On top of that my family encouraged me to stay home and relax, as I really hadn’t had a summer break (working here at school and taking classes from May-August 2009) then going right into classes for the fall semester. Looking back at break I’m glad I decided to just take it easy, spend the time with the people who mean the most to me—my family and friends! But nonetheless I was chomping at the bit to get back to work come spring 2010.

Now back at Walsh I can honestly say I’m excited to be back at work. Perhaps you don’t believe me? but I really enjoy working on campus. It’s worked out so well over the past couple of years. I means the reasons to work on campus are endless. It’s so convenient (I mean in all honesty, if you live on the Walsh campus there’s a 99.9% chance you won’t have to walk longer than 5 minutes to get to your job)! Also, the people you work with, as well as the customers (students, faculty, and staff) that you assist allow you to further network and stay involved and up-to-date on everything that’s going on at Walsh. The IS department is great about scheduling your work schedule around your school schedule, so there’s never any conflicts that keep you from your academics. In fact, we are encouraged to bring in our homework for a slow day so we can work on our assignments at the Help Desk. A personal reason I enjoy working on campus is that I feel that I am giving back to the Walsh community, as they are giving so much to be in return. Faculty and staff do so much for their students, that I feel that I can somehow return this favor whenever a technical problem arises. The feeling of accomplishment when you can solve someone’s stubborn computer questions, or recover files that they thought were toast, is a feeling that keeps me passionate about my job. When it comes to my savings, I feel that I am able to truly save the money I make from working in IS, and several other jobs on campus. I mean sure I take a little out for spending money and for essential things for school or the room, but the rest I can put in the bank and actually save, instead of throwing it all into my gas tank every week to drive to a job. I guess at this point in my life, this is the perfect job situation for me, and I am truly thankful for this opportunity.

When I describe my job to family and friends, I think they think I am having too much fun to be actually working, but in all honesty we do work hard. I mean sure there are a lot of fun times. I don’t think there’s been a time I’ve worked in IS that I haven’t had fun—no matter how busy. In fact these first couple of weeks beginning the spring 2010 semester has been pretty hectic from new student email set-ups to new computer set-up and registrations on our student network for those who brought back new computers after break. But at the same time the hours fly and before we know, it’s time to go. I feel that as an intern I’m exposed to a great deal of “real-life” experiences that I can take with me into my future career. Things such as the ability to sit-in on important conferences, the ability to perform all help desk tasks, handle all phone calls, and ability to physically go out of the office and fix the PC or technical problem on the spot. No making coffee and running copies for us interns (I mean sure Katie Brown and I have attempted coffee on several occasions—however this was not one of our strong suits—as we made the coffee extremely weak, I mean it was a tough feat with a coffee maker designed with more features than a Swiss Army knife—we now stick to pure IS work!).

I feel that everyone I work with would say the same—that our job rocks! I mean sure you have paper runs in the middle of a blizzard while its -40 out, or have to change every toner cartridge on your paper run because someone went to every lab and printed out a 200 slide PowerPoint, only to get impatient and leave before it began to print(multiple times). But the way we all get along so well and joke around makes up for any downside. In fact the people (full-time staff) we work with are truly all great individuals!! They all have great attitudes, are understanding, and have a great sense of humor. From my supervisor Brian kidding with me that he will make me wear a sign that says “do not talk to Chris Burr, he is on IS’s clock!” (hence, I talk to everyone I see on campus and sometimes forget that I am still working and need to return to the office—I’m improving on this though, right Carey? ha-ha–to the hilarious things that just randomly come up in conversation between us co-workers throughout our times at the help desk…too many to even mention. Overall, we work as a team to solve most of the problems we face on a daily basis, if one person isn’t sure, there’s a good chance someone else knows, and can teach that person so that they will have the knowledge. Perhaps this job is a perfect example of a “win-win situation,” as we are constantly helping others, while gaining important skills and the knowledge we need to take us the places we want to go in our near future.

My wish for all of you is that if you’re in the market for a job/internship (if you’re a junior or senior, you should be looking) that you will be able to have the opportunities that I have been given. I am truly grateful, and hope and pray that your future is filled with many opportunities like this!

Until next time,
Have a great day!

Chris Burr

Hello all! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season full of lots of R&R, family and friends to share wonderful times together, and delicious home-cooked meals! Happy New Year as well! I hope this New Year brings you all great health, success, and many blessings! It seems like its been forever since I last blogged, in fact, its been so long since I logged into the blog site that I had forgot my password and had to go through several steps to retrieve it. But not too worry, I’m back on track now!

Well since the last time I blogged quite a few things have taken place at Walsh, as well as back home. Back in December, shortly after finals were finishing up and everyone quickly packed to head home for Christmas break before the weather took a turn for the worse, there were several of us who were looking forward to an additional couple of days on the Walsh campus as we sang for the Walsh University Chamber choir. Now I know what your thinking…why would you want to stay any longer than you had to?? Schools out and its Christmas break!! Well true in some regards, but I was excited as this was my first year to sing in the Chamber Choir and I had heard from fellow choir members and friends how much fun the days ahead would be. Turns out they were exactly right!

Our choir director Dr. Cooper had several events that we were performing at throughout our local community. This spanned from a Christmas dinner performance for a true Walsh supporter and sponsor, local nursing home Christmas concerts, to a formal concert at Our Lady of Peace Parish that was open to the entire community. Our days were full of singing and fellowship with our other Chamber choir friends, as well as several occasions when Dr. Cooper treated us to lunch and even a special dinner at his home. I don’t think there are many large choirs such as our chorale that are as close as we all are. In those last couple of days on campus, when it felt like we were truly the last ones to walk on campus, we all became so close, and you could truly feel the camaraderie by the last day. Especially the night when Dr. Cooper and his wife so graciously welcomed us all into their home for dinner. We broke the “Apples to Apples” game and all had a blast!! Leaving Dr. Coopers house that evening and heading back to my quite dorm gave me some time to think just how fortunate I was to be able to share in this experience. I kicked myself for not signing up for choir years ago. However, I’m a firm believer that when the time is right it’s right and this is exactly the extracurricular I needed my senior year to allow me to take hold of just about every opportunity Walsh has made available to me! Going into this next semester (my last) I have no regrets that I will have an amazing experience.

By the last day of our performances I was excited to pack up and head home to see what all was in store for the holiday season! It had been quite some time since I had been home for longer than just a couple of days and I was ready for all the comforts that home brought. After packing just about everything I could think of into my tiny coupe (giant tropical plant and all) I headed off to find myself in a bit of a snowstorm as I neared my hometown. For some this would be a nightmare, for me—growing up in Northeast, OH all my life, it actually was something I was excited about. I know it sounds crazy, but I wasn’t too worried about the roads, as I drove 20mph down the highway, instead I thought of all the memories of past years being snowed in with my family and having the best time just being together in a house full of love. This thought, and careful driving got me home soon enough, and I was immediately greeted by my parents as they tell me how they had been waiting to set-up the tree until I got home! 42 ½ trips later of unloading the car, and I was ready to relax and see what the holiday season had in store.

To make a long story short, it was one of the best Christmas’ I’ve had! We had both sides of the family’s Christmas parties at our house. I was able to spend a great deal of time with friends who I hadn’t seen in months! And on the days we literally were snowed in (36+ inches of snow) my parents and I had some great times: from teaching mom and dad the Wii, to crash courses (Cell phone 101) on their new Smart Phones that they insisted they needed to have, there was never a dull moment. Of course we had carried on our tradition of watching the “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation” movie (my favorite movie of all time!) And what’s even better is that throughout the holidays we would point out how many instances that took place between my mom’s huge Italian family and my dad’s large family that could probably make a sequel to the hit film! Its times like these that I will always treasure and hold dear to my heart.

Well I better be going now, but I want to leave you with some photo’s that will hopefully warm you up and even cheer you up if your suffering from the winter blues. The photos below were taken by the professional photographer and one of my best friends, Miranda Burley. We decided last fall, late fall, when we had one amazingly warm day that we would take a bike ride as we wanted to take advantage of the great weather. Miranda and I wanted to capture the moment for all of you, perhaps some of you who have never stepped foot on our beautiful campus and would like to see all that it, as well as the surrounding community has to offer. Stay warm, and enjoy!

As you go into this next semester, think about all those things you truly want to accomplish and tackle them early on while you have some time to breathe. As assignments are assigned these first few weeks, take the time to do them and get them out of the way. Don’t make things harder on yourself by waiting and putting off small things that end up becoming big problems down the road when everything piles up. Just don’t want to see anyone stressed!

I wish you all the best for this next semester and look forward to what this next decade will bring!

Take care,

Chris Burr

Hey everyone, so I know it’s been a little longer than usual since I last posted a blog and I apologize for that, but I promise to deliver on this one… This past week has been one of the busiest of the semester yet. With several group projects, finals quickly approaching, and the planning of my parents 25th wedding anniversary that took place this past Sunday—it was truly a whirlwind of a week (however we only had a couple days and then founders day recess) so I’m definitely not complaining—especially now that I am enjoying all the comforts of home with family and friends

Well since my last blog I have had quite an adventure—this adventure being the SHAPE: Sophomore Retreat that took place in Perrysville, OH at Pleasant Hill Lakes campgrounds. I was a leader on this retreat, along with about 20 sophomores. A smaller group then originally planned, but this allowed everyone to really get to know each other better and made for a truly rewarding experience, for the retreatants, and leaders alike. The Retreat took place from November 13-15 (Friday-Sunday) and we could not have asked for a better weekend. We were truly blessed, as we had mid to high 60-degree weather all 3 days, with no rain, and beautiful sunshine. Thinking back after all that we did outdoors, its hard to even imagine how it would have turned out if the weather wasn’t cooperating—however with a great group as the one we had I ‘m sure rain or shine we would have had a phenomenal time! We started off early on Friday (the leaders leaving a lot earlier than the retreat ants to set-up) and carpooled to the campsite. The drive was very scenic and we even stopped along the way for Subway (a memorable experience in itself). Once at the outdoor center we were introduced to our program director and owner who showed us around. Turns out the leaders were able to score the Taj Mahal of cabins, as they just built a new cabin with full amenities and even a heated floor Perhaps one of the biggest highlights of Pleasant Hill Outdoor Center were the activities–so many activities So much room as well for these activities There were trails, high and low rope courses, and even a rock wall that we all got to climb From the time the retreatants arrived to the time they had to pack up and leave on Sunday we had the time of our life.

Group Pic in the beautiful weather!!

I don’t think I’ve ever been in a leadership position that I felt I learned and developed as much from those I was leading, perhaps it was because many of the individuals are already highly involved on campus and in their own leadership roles for clubs and organizations—but I think it also has to do with the fact that these individuals are all exceptional individuals who, when put together, can accomplish anything they set their mind to. This was the case as many of the low and high rope courses required each retreatant to step out of his or her box and flex their leadership muscle (hence SHAPE! It up!! ). Certain times that really stuck out from this are when we all climbed the rock wall. The leaders and retreatants both attempted the climb and worked as a team to guide each other to reach the top. The feeling of reaching the top was definitely something I won’t forget. This feeling continued on as I had many firsts—such as breaking a board using a Karate move instructed to us by Professor Dunphey, and the powerful impact of the “stand up” activity.

Our pieces of wood after we Karate chopped them!We decided we would all point at the same thing--obviously not everyone got the memo haha love it!Leader group pic!! Hiiiiiiiyaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! My look of shock...I think I was thinking

All the time and hard work that went into planning this retreat really paid off as you could see the immediate impact that the retreat had on the sophomores who attended. I know I could see the impact after the first day, as our small group “The Smores!!” became so close to the point where we were able to have a nice fireside chat Saturday evening that really had an impact on me, and I know everyone was able to benefit from all the time we spent together.

I even met a girl, Courtney on the retreat and we instantly became best friends. We just happened to be talking about how bad the winters are where we are from, I happened to ask her where she was from and we found out we live close to eacht other. The crazy thing is one of her best friends was from my hometown and she named a couple other friends that she knew that I had grown up with! Talk about a small world! We immediately hit it off and I am certain we will remain good friends forever! Shows you what great surprises can come from opportunities such as this Retreat! I encourage everyone to take part in something like this. No matter what your thoughts are about retreats you really owe it to yourself to try one out, there’s no telling how much you would get out of it!!

Repelling!!

I cannot say enough about this awesome weekend that I was fortunate enough to help lead. I thank all those who participated; the faculty and staff that took time to make this a truly educational and memorable experience, the camp directors who provided all the high/low rope course guidance and insight into how these activities displayed leadership and strength, and finally for the exceptional leadership of our main leader Jordan Miller who held meetings to plan the weekend, as well as organized our overnight, and made all the calls to reserve our campsite and order our dog tags (another memorable experience, I’m sure he will agree:) .

Just hanging out…I think this is when I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Camp Fire

Finally, I would like to thank my fellow leaders—Zia, Miranda, Bernie, Julie, and Jordan who put so much into this weekend to make it an amazing experience for all!!

Fellow blogger and friend Kim showing us how its done!!

Well I have to run, time to pick up my aunts and help my parents with the finishing touches for Thanksgiving dinner!!

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and I encourage you to think of everything and everyone you have in life to be thankful for, as well as keeping those who are less fortunate in your prayers on this day of great thanks!!

Check back soon for my Thanksgiving Day update!!

Take care,

Chris Burr

The Walsh University Student Government meeting that took place this past Thursday evening at 9:30pm had a nice change in schedule as we welcomed Dr. Baxter, Walsh University’s Dean of Instruction to speak with us a bit on the reaccreditation process that will be taking place at Walsh University in the very near future. We learned that our institution is only up for accreditation once every ten years—and with this being Walsh University’s 50^th anniversary—this is pretty much a big deal for all of us!! So what does this mean to us (the students) you may ask? Well as Dr. Baxter clearly explained in his speech: the accreditation of a university is the value behind each degree. Therefore, various factors of the university are taken into consideration in order to determine if the university will be granted higher accreditation. Factors such as: is Walsh University living up to their mission statement, and finding out if the university is meeting its set-goals that were set by the faculty and staff. If all goes well and we are granted with higher accreditation then this means that the degree that you will receive someday from Walsh will have an even greater, more professional backing behind it then in the past. This not only makes the school more desirable, but has a huge impact on the degree holders (you and me!) who will be happy to know that this could land you a great job someday as this accreditation reflects so strongly on the quality of education in your courses of study.

Dr. David Baxter--Coordinator of Accreditation and Coordinator of Retention, Promotion and Tenure and a professor of English at Walsh University.

Basically in a nutshell—Walsh’s reaccreditation means great things and I am excited that I am at Walsh at this exciting time for the university’s history.

The meeting was very interesting and I feel that I learned a great deal about Walsh University’s mission. I felt honored to be able to get a sneak peak into the entire process. Dr. Baxter highlighted the entire process, which let me tell you did not sound like a lot of fun; however, his hard work, along with many other faculty members and staff is all dedicated towards the Walsh community and for that we should all be very thankful for the years of diligence that has been dedicated towards this process.

Since the last accreditation back in 1999, the University has grown in leaps and bounds, not only in physically size, but all around—stronger education programs, stronger faith with the addition of Our Lady of Peace Chapel and Religious Education Center, as well as stronger in community outreach as Walsh constantly is involved in one way or another in our local community. In fact for our 50^th Anniversary celebration Walsh invites the entire community to participate in our many events hosted specifically for our friends and neighbors. The addition of several residence halls, and university apartments has allowed Walsh to truly expand its capacity and make for a comfortable living environment for close to 3000 students. All of this could not have been accomplished without the leadership of President Richard Jusseaume, as well as the many dedicated faculty and staff members who are all passionate about what they do and who truly enrich the Walsh community simply for being part of it.

Finally, we went over some of the university’s strengths and challenges that it has faced over the years. The entire speech was very insightful and each one of us immediately felt involved in this exciting process! As for now we must be patient and await the arrival of the accreditation team and then their final evaluation. Until then, I encourage you all to educate yourselves more about this process by reviewing the brochures and other material that will be available to the student body throughout the next couple of weeks. I don’t know about you but I always like to know what’s going on, and Walsh is making sure you know exactly what will be taking place—so take advantage of the great offer—it potentially could have quite a positive effect on your future!

Finally—I would like to leave you with this quote which I found while I was searching for quotes for the sophomore leadership retreat that is quickly approaching.

It’s the little things you do that make the big things happen.
- Michael Dooley

It seems fitting for the topic of this blog (the time and dedication Dr. Baxter put into this project), as well as for so many of us who may not think that they are actually making a difference for simply being kind, helpful, and respectful to others–know that this is recognized more than you know, and that you are a true role model to everyone around you.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Take care,

Chris Burr

So I have to admit that I may have been slightly confused about tonight’s night prayer session before actually arriving. Before heading over to Our Lady of Perpetual Help chapel I quickly glanced at the email reminder that I could have sworn stated that there would be ‘carving of pumpkins with the Bishop.’ I thought to myself would the Bishop really make the journey to Walsh to carve pumpkins with us? Now I will say that I was in a rush to get going and may not have read every detail of the message; however the main point did come across that the Bishop would be on campus and that’s what really caught my eye.

Well I headed over to the chapel and to my surprise the church was beautifully decorated with Pumpkins, in fact all the lighting was dimmed enough so that the candles within the pumpkins truly came alive illuminating the entire chapel, adding a truly unique element to this night prayer session.

It had been a while since I had last been at a night prayers session and I forgot just how much I appreciated them. The time (around 9:30pm) and the location (our beautiful chapel) make for a truly refreshing experience. It seems that no matter how many things are going on in my life or how much homework I may have waiting for me after—that night prayer is essential. It truly helps me to stay strong in my faith even during times that I may be overwhelmed with school, work, or other obligations. For my first night back in quite a while I definitely picked a winner! Bishop Murry, as well as several other guests joined us to celebrate this special mass.

Bishop Murry shared with us a beautiful night prayer that encouraged us to follow Jesus’ teachings as close as we can—not letting anything come between God and us. The entire mass was set up differently with the Eucharist at the center of the Altar for adoration, as Fr. Chris and Bishop Murry were back within the pews. This style of night prayer really addresses so many of our needs, especially as it does so in non-traditional manners.

The rest of the prayer service went beautifully, with a job well done from our truly talented Campus Ministry singers. Arriving right on time (slightly late) meant that my friend Joe and I had to sit in the back pew. Little did we know that this would be where the Bishop would actually be residing throughout the mass. This seat also had an advantage as I could see the entire group of people who were attending. I thought it was great how there was such a nice balance between faculty and staff, students, and of course our Brother’s of Christian Instruction. The evening wrapped up with a delicious pizza social down in the basement of the chapel where everyone was able to visit amongst him or herself, as well as visit with the Bishop, Fr. Chris, and several graduate students from Kent who are studying theology.

I cannot tell you how happy I am that I was able to attend such a spectacular event. I have officially marked my calendar so that each week from now on, I will be able to reflect and pray to get through the rest of the week. Night prayer could not take place on a better day (Wednesday) in my mind, since by Wednesday many of us our stressed, overwhelmed with so much, and simply may not feel that they can make it to Friday. Night prayer can help!! I stress (ok, I encourage everyone, no more stress! ha-ha) everyone to give this opportunity a chance and attend one of these upcoming Wednesday nights; it’s a choice you definitely won’t regret.

I almost signed off without leaving you a thought for the week. I thought it would be appropriate with the pumpkins displayed in the chapel throughout the week to ask that you take a look at the works of the talented artists who took the time to carve these pumpkins and to reflect on the significance of each. The designs range from saints, to religious figures and its truly amazing to think what a masterpiece can come from something so simplistic of a pumpkin. Truly a perfect way of showing natures beauty, and evidence that God’s beauty shines through everything he creates. Also, think of the importance of all the individuals in your life–this is a time of year that we may take many things for granted–lets try to remain thankful for all that we have and remember the importance of friends and family in our lives.

I wish you all the best this week and hope that you will find the time to reflect on everything in your life that you have to be thankful for!

Take care, and Happy Halloween!!

Chris Burr