For the first time in history, six incarcerated men earned bachelor’s degrees in business with highest honors, summa cum laude, from Lane College in partnership with THEI at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee.

TIPTONVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Tiptonville, Tennessee— On Thursday, November 2, 2023, six men incarcerated at the Northwest Correctional Complex (NWCX) marched across the stage to receive their Bachelor of Science in Business degree from Lane College. Their educational trajectory is a continuation of historical and momentous strides made by Tennessee Higher Education Initiative (THEI) to help educate men and women behind the wall.

The graduates were the first to receive a bachelor’s degree in the facility’s history. To add to the list of firsts, the students were also the first in the state of Tennessee to receive degrees from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) while incarcerated.

THEI along with educational partners Lane College and the Tennessee Department of Correction celebrated the fortitude and commitment of the six men who have shifted the course of history in the state of Tennessee, by forging a path for others to follow. Each student is a testament to the indomitable spirit of resilience our brothers behind the wall possess when given opportunities to excel and engage with the transformative and liberative power of education that was paved with sacrifice.

“They are coming home,” stated Dr. Laura Ferguson-Mimms, Executive Director of THEI. “We are breaking the cycle of recidivism that tells us that 47% will return to incarceration if we continue to do exactly what we have always done.”

Dr. Ferguson-Mimms continued, “When we introduce post-secondary educational options while the individual is incarcerated, we reduce the risk of recidivism by nearly half. I will always remember the first day of classes at NWCX. The lecture was supposed to be online, but the president came to speak to the students in person. He talked about the history of Lane College and the legacy of HBCUs as a tool for Black liberation. The students were absolutely mesmerized.”

Lane’s President Dr. Logan Hampton shared after the graduation ceremony, “Lane College and THEI have been a natural fit. Lane is deeply committed to the transformative liberal arts education, and Lane College has a history of helping students excel despite challenging environments and backgrounds. The Lane faculty were confident they could ensure the full integrity of college access for incarcerated students, and they have. The Lane/THEI partnership has been an overwhelming success!”

Senior Advisor Richard Donnell, Sr. to the President, shared, “Lane College has an academic focus on tomorrow, not yesterday, and helping students to realize the power of their potential has been a hallmark of Lane College since 1882. We continue to be excited about the partnership with THEI, and we are confident in Lane’s ability to help students of diverse backgrounds earn their college degrees.”

Daryll Coleman, Vice President for Academic Affairs, added “The Lane College faculty have aggressively researched the best behind-the-wall academic programs in the nation and developed a rigorous program that maintains the full integrity of college access while preparing incarcerated students with a career-ready and transformative liberal arts education. Lane is grateful for our amazing faculty and their insistence that we develop a best-in-class program to reach incarcerated scholars.”

About THEI

Tennessee Higher Education in Prison Initiative (THEI) is a non-profit organization working to disrupt systems of harm and create opportunities for autonomy and success by providing college access to people inside Tennessee prisons, preparing students for skillful re-entry, and reducing barriers to continued education and achievement.

About Lane College

Lane College was established in 1882 and is in Jackson, Tennessee. The residential campus has thirty-six buildings sprawling across 55 acres and is one of America’s oldest HBCUs. The College provides a deeply transformative undergraduate education – intellectually, spiritually, and socially – and has award-winning programs and career credentials in dozens of majors and minors.

Lane is consistently ranked as one of America’s most affordable private colleges. In addition to affordability, Lane has no application fee, no standardized test requirement, and has an outstanding record of creating accessibility to higher education for first-generation college students. Lane College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.

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In a groundbreaking collaboration, Advanced Communities joined UNICEF Ukraine and the Ukrainian Professional Development NGO to address the needs of children and families affected by the war in Ukraine. By providing a streamlined online event management system, they assisted in organizing and managing over 11,000 children’s events across 10 locations, delivering the power of technology to make a positive impact during challenging times.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ –The Spilno Meeting Points project, a joint effort by UNICEF Ukraine and Ukrainian Professional Development NGO, aimed to provide humanitarian aid, psychological, and educational support to children impacted by the war. The mission involved organizing various events for kids to give them a chance to take a break from the challenges of growing up in a war zone and simply have fun being kids. Events organized by Spilno centers were held in safe, nurturing spaces, from open-air tents to repurposed subway stations, and included puppet shows, bubble making, board games, and drawing classes, as well as learning and child development activities and psychological consultations. As the initiative expanded to multiple cities, the need for streamlined event organization and management became apparent. Ukrainian Professional Development NGO and UNICEF Ukraine partnered with Advanced Communities to develop a comprehensive online event management system on the Salesforce platform.

“We wanted to organize events for kids to give them the emotional and social support they need to help them navigate the tough times brought on by the war in Ukraine.”

Dmytro Lobanov, Project Coordinator

Technology as a force for positive change

As part of this initiative, Advanced Communities provided its AC Events Enterprise solution for Salesforce Experience Cloud for free. Implemented at no cost and tailored to the project’s unique requirements, AC Events Enterprise helped to create a centralized hub for managing events for children in Spilno Meeting spots, eliminating the hurdles associated with paper documentation and making the event management more efficient.

Thanks to Advanced Communities and its technology solution, UNICEF Ukraine and Ukrainian Professional Development NGO managed to bring all kids’ events together on a single platform and introduce a user-friendly online registration system, making it much easier for parents and caregivers to sign up their kids for events happening in their cities.

“AC Events Enterprise gives us all the tools to easily handle our events on Salesforce. We can view everyone who signed up for the events, along with their contact details. This helps our volunteers stay in touch with attendees and send surveys to ensure they’re satisfied with the services we offer.”

Maryna Dudnichenko, Project Manager at Ukrainian Professional Development

The initiative gained tremendous popularity enabling 19,000 smiles during a time of war in Ukraine. Within the first seven months of the program’s operation, organizers successfully conducted more than 2500 children’s events in over 10 locations across Ukraine, engaging over 200 volunteers.

About Advanced Communities:

Advanced Communities is an official Salesforce SI and ISV Partner specializing in building class-leading Salesforce portals and product apps for the Salesforce Experience Cloud. With 15 years of industry experience, they have gained expertise in all aspects of creating portals in Experience Cloud and building impactful software solutions that help both nonprofits and commercial organizations achieve their goals and missions.

NEWS ALERT! Hear the Advanced Communities and UNICEF Ukraine success story by registering for the free Zoom webinar with a special guest speaker from Ukrainian Professional Development – Maryna Dudnichenko.

Join us on Wednesday 29th November at 2pm GMT.

Sign up here: https://brenv.my.site.com/s/event-management-on-salesforce

For further information, please visit:

https://advancedcommunities.com/

Contact Advanced Communities at:

[email protected]

Media Contact

Anna Babur, Advanced Communities, 34 665070219, [email protected], https://advancedcommunities.com/

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SOURCE Advanced Communities

Emperor’s College, ranked as the number one acupuncture school in California, has launched a doctoral residency program in collaboration with the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS), one of the largest VA facilities in the United States, serving over 80,000 veterans.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Emperor’s College, ranked as the number one acupuncture school in California, has launched a doctoral residency program in collaboration with the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS), one of the largest VA facilities in the United States, serving over 80,000 veterans.

The partnership allows Emperor’s College Doctor of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine residents to treat combat Veterans in the PTSD Clinic at the West LA VA Medical Center under the direction of Dr. Kirsten Tillisch, MD, Chief of Integrative Medicine. Dr. Jeremiah Krieger, DACM, LAc, an Emperor’s College alumnus and the first licensed acupuncturist to be hired on staff at VAGLAHS, and Dr. Jacques MoraMarco, DAOM, OMD, LAc, Academic Dean at Emperor’s College, supervise the residents.

This historic partnership is a significant step forward for VA’s “Whole Health” initiative, which brings complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies to Veterans. VA has approved eight CIH therapies as part of the standard VA medical benefits package, including acupuncture, biofeedback, clinical hypnosis, guided imagery, massage therapy, meditation, Tai Chi/Qigong, and yoga.

The first cohort of doctoral students began their residency in January 2023 by treating a diverse group of Veterans suffering from PTSD and chronic pain who are referred for acupuncture treatment by VA physicians and psychologists. Veterans have access to the standard evidence-based therapies for PTSD provided at VA and choose, in collaboration with their medical team, to add acupuncture for additional symptom management. According to Dr. Krieger, after just a few months of treatment, the Veterans are seeing tremendous benefits from this multi-faceted approach. “In general, the Veterans we treat are able to be more present, less reactive to stress, and less reactive to triggers that would have sent them into PTSD episodes,” Dr. Krieger reports. “We also see patients who find relief from other symptoms, such as pain, severe migraines, or sleep problems that sometimes went unresolved for years.”

“We are honored to serve these deserving Veterans who have sacrificed so much to serve our country,” said Dr. Yun Kim, EdD, LAc, President of Emperor’s College. “Emperor’s College has always worked to bring acupuncture to underserved and underrepresented communities, and this partnership with the VAGLAHS is a testament to our commitment to that mission.”

“As a model of how multidisciplinary Integrative Medicine can elevate patient care, this program is another sign of the incredible commitment VA and our local VAGLAHS leadership have made to advancing the Whole Health of Veterans. We are not only able to provide expert, specialized care to Veterans with PTSD in this collaboration with the professionals and students of Emperor’s College, but we are also able to help train the doctorate-level acupuncturists of the future,” said Dr. Kirsten Tillisch.

• “At the West LA VA Medical Center, I get to treat conditions I wouldn’t normally get to see, like Gulf War Syndrome. Being able to watch our patients’ progress over the weeks and months has been amazing,” said Kirsten Thomas, a doctoral resident.
• “Having the opportunity to participate in this historic program at VA is an honor,” said doctoral resident Jay Gunther, CMT, LAc. “Seeing patients weekly over the course of an entire year allows us to further our specialized clinic experience under the guidance of Dr. Krieger and Dr. MoraMarco.”
• Doctoral resident Agustin Orozco, LMT, LAc, shared, “This has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career so far. It’s remarkable how much we learn and how the Veterans’ conditions improve over time thanks to this integrative approach to treating PTSD.”
• “Of all the externships I have participated in, this is by far the most hands-on opportunity to work in an integrative clinical setting,” said Jennifer Haidenthaller, LAc. “Not only are we honing our needling techniques and diagnostic skills, but we are also becoming proficient at working with various physicians in an integrative setting while learning how to chart in a unified system.”
• “I have learned a lot because we can treat PTSD patients with many different symptoms over a sustained period of time,” said Michelle Wan, LAc. “The impact we have on these Veterans’ lives is tremendous, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”

One of the Veterans treated in the PTSD Clinic at the West LA VA Medical Center is Angel Yos. He shared, “There’s great communication between the physician and patient. It’s a comprehensive approach to care based on the unique mechanism of a unique injury. I have experienced above and beyond human behavior to support the rehab and recovery provided by the healthcare professional Jen (Jennifer Haidenthaller, LAc).”

Veteran Victor Buoz said, “I always look forward to Tuesdays. Tuesdays are when I get my acupuncture therapy done. I leave relaxed, less anxious, and relieved of a lot of pain. This therapy helps me sleep, which allows me to cope with day-to-day problems.”

“Emperor’s College has a long history of serving the Veteran community, including participating in Veterans Standdowns, Women’s Veterans Summits, and the West Los Angeles Veterans Health Fair. We are grateful to Dr. Tillisch and Dr. Krieger for their commitment to bringing acupuncture services and the highest level of care to the Veteran community,” said Dr. Jacques MoraMarco.

MoraMarco continues, “I have been in practice for almost 50 years, and serving our Veterans is one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I feel so fulfilled when patients tell me that after years of experiencing nightmares and disturbed sleep, they can achieve a good night’s sleep, feel less stressed, and feel capable of confronting problems in their lives.”

For more information about the Emperor’s College and VAGLAHS partnership, please visit: https://www.emperors.edu/2022/12/emperors-college-signs-an-academic-affiliation-agreement-with-the-greater-los-angeles-va/

About Emperor’s College

Emperor’s College is one of the oldest and most distinguished acupuncture colleges in the nation, specializing in a broad-based approach to the art and science of East Asian medicine. Founded in 1983, Emperor’s College has been leading the way for the integration of East Asian medicine into the modern healthcare system. Offering a master’s and doctoral degree program, Emperor’s College alumni are pioneering leaders in academia, clinical practice, advocacy, and research in the field. For more information, visit emperors.edu.

Media Contact

Yun Kim, EdD, Emperor’s College, 1 3104538300, [email protected], https://www.emperors.edu/

SOURCE Emperor’s College