Salesforce-Certified-Education-Cloud-Consultant test success - Salesforce Certified Education Cloud Consultant Updated: 2023

One of the most intriguing, and frankly long overdue, reforms the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) needs to consider is putting an end to the practice of for-profit entities like Unified Patents and RPX filing petitions challenging a patent. This practice has recently been called into question by the USPTO through an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) published in the Federal Register. The ANPRM, among many other things, raises the question whether the Office should discretionarily deny post grant proceedings filed by for-profit, non-competitive entities that in essence seek to shield real real-parties-in-interest (RPIs) and privies from the statutory estoppel provisions contained within the America Invents Act (AIA). And two exact decisions from the Office of Patent Legal Administration (OPLA) provide even more hope that the USPTO will take a reasonable approach going forward when it comes to RPIs.

Subterfuge

Unified Patents and RPX will tell you they do not take direction from their subscribing members when deciding which patents to challenge at the PTAB, but it is well-known and well-documented that these entities file challenges against the patents that are being enforced by patent owners against their subscribing members, whether as a part of a licensing program or in litigation. It is also equally well-known and well-documented that follow-on petitioners for reexamination are filed even after the PTAB has refused to institute AIA challenges.

The subterfuge that underscores the patent challenges filed by the likes of Unified Patents and RPX wouldn’t pass muster in a third grade classroom, but has long befuddled the PTAB. For some reason the Federal Circuit’s ruling in  Applications in Internet Time, LLC v. RPX Corp., 897 F.3d 1336 (Fed. Cir., 2018), where Judge O’Malley explained that the PTAB had been engaging in inappropriately shallow consideration of who is a real party-in-interest, has been largely ignored. O’Malley turned to the Wright & Miller treatise that law students become familiar with during their first year of law school while taking Civil Procedure, explaining the well-established law of what it means to be a real-party-in-interest, and concluded: “[T]he focus of the real-party-in-interest inquiry is on the patentability of the claims challenged in the IPR petition, bearing in mind who will benefit from having those claims canceled or invalidated.” Id. At 1348. Under that definition, Unified and RPX members are clearly and unambiguously real-parties-in-interest whether or not they are “directing” the petition, whatever hair that deception was meant to split.

A Glimmer of Hope

But sanity may be reengaging at the USPTO. While we wait to see what the ultimate fate will be of for-profit, non-competitor, estoppel shielding petitions, the Office has finally determined that it is inappropriate for the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) to proceed with an ex parte reexamination where the requesting party was an unnamed and time-barred real-party-in-interest with a previous inter partes review against the same patent. Specifically, on May 26, the Office vacated Salesforce’s reexaminations against Applications in Internet Time for the entirely sensible reason that Salesforce was a real-party-in-interest with RPX’s previous IPR against the same patents, and the Office determined that each of the grounds presented for a finding of unpatentability “reasonably could have been raised in the previous inter partes reviews.” And, as such, Salesforce is estopped from challenging the patents under 35 U.S.C. 315(e)(1).

The patents at issue are U.S. Patent Nos. 8484111 and 7356482. They were challenged by RPX, Corp. in 2015 via IPR2015-01750; IPR2015-01751; and IPR2015-01752. The PTAB issued decisions in favor of RPX, and finding that Salesforce was not a RPI, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit subsequently vacated those decisions and remanded to the PTAB. On remand, the PTAB determined Salesforce was a RPI, taking into account the Federal Circuit’s holding that “the Board applied an unduly restrictive test for determining whether a person or entity is a ‘real-party-in-interest’ within the meaning of § 315(b) and failed to consider the entirety of the evidentiary record in assessing whether § 315(b) barred institution of these IPRs.”

The USPTO’s Office of Patent Legal Administration (OPLA) in both of its May 26, 2023, decisions addressed Salesforce’s argument that “courts ‘have uniformly held’ that estoppel does not apply following vacatur of final written decisions,” explaining that the three decisions cited in support of that argument were not persuasive. Salesforce pointed to three non-Federal Circuit decisions, 3^rd Eye Surveillance v. Applications in Internet Time, LLC; General Access Solutions, Ltd. v. Sprint Spectrum L.P.; and Power Integrations, Inc. v. ON Semiconductor Corp. to bolster its position, but the OPLA said that 3^rd Eye Surveillance does not address Section 315, General Access Solutions does not address the relevant statutory language and Power Integrations is a non-binding district court decision. The OPLA decisions note:

“In Intuitve Surgical, Inc. v. Ethicon LLC…the Federal Circuit held that the estoppel provisions of 35 U.S.C. 315(e)(1) are effective once an IPR concludes with issuance of a final written decision…. Therefore, the fact that the Federal Circuit vacated the PTAB’s final written decision and remanded to the PTAB for further proceedings in the ‘1750 IPR does not negate the § 315(e)(1) estoppel effect resulting from the final written decision on claims 13-18.”

According to Jim Carmichael of Carmichael IP, who represented Applications in Internet Time in the case, “this is the first known time an unnamed, time-barred real-party-in-interest attempted to repackage their rejected IPR grounds as a reexamination request.” Carmichael added that the firm is “pleased the PTO did the right thing and put an end to such abuse. A time-barred petitioner should not be rewarded for hiding behind a member-based organization such as RPX.”

IPWatchdog reached out to Salesforce’s counsel, James Glass of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart, for comment but had not received a reply as of the time of publication.

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Author: Feverpitch

Next Wednesday some 60,000 Leaving Certificate students will undertake what many regard as a sadistic rite of passage: a marathon series of exams, the results of which will sum up their academic achievement, and may affect the rest of their education – and, possibly, the rest of their lives.

Then there is a brutal CAO points race to contend with: a system which pits students against each other in a competition where grades and availability of university places determine if they secure their dream course. Even then, some places are awarded by lottery.

If that was not anxiety-inducing enough, the fact that many of this year’s candidates have never sat a State test before – due to the cancellation of Junior Cycle exams during Covid – adds to the sense of jeopardy.

Liadhain Quaid will not be one of them. The 18-year-old saw the levels of stress her older sister went through and decided on another path. Instead of sitting her Leaving Certificate, she pursued a post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) course in healthcare at the age of 17 at Gorey Institute of Further Education in Co Wexford.

[ A new model of progression linking further education and higher education ]

[ Delayed release of Leaving Cert results needs to stop ]

In general, applicants should have completed the Leaving Certificate to be eligible for a PLC course. However, students can also apply for courses if they have not completed the exam, have work experience relevant to the course or can demonstrate an ability in that area.

After securing distinctions in her PLC course, Quaid secured a place on a UCD nursing honours degree programme last year without the need for CAO points. The same course had an entry requirement of 531 points for regular applicants in 2022.

“I think it is an amazing option,” she says. “I don’t think people know enough about it. It’s often seen as inferior, or as a backup if you don’t do well in the exams. But it is far less stressful.

“PLC courses allow you to get a taste of what you think you’d like to do, without having to study subjects you’re not interested in. It’s not like school. There’s far more independence. You have control over what you’re learning.”

Officially, it is Government policy to attract more school leavers to choose PLC courses. Yet, the further education and training sector suffers from a status problem.

Education experts point to a “cultural snobbery” where the CAO route is seen as key to future success.

Ireland sends more school leavers to university – about 60 per cent – than almost any other EU member state; this is about twice the rate of Germany. Ireland, by contrast, sends far fewer students to more vocational routes.

So, why is there such stigma? Everything from the lack of an industrial revolution in Ireland to the media and guidance counselling have been invoked as factors.

The result, says Brian Mooney, a guidance counsellor and chair of two colleges of further education in Blackrock and Stillorgan, is that parental self-worth is often wrapped up with sending children to university at all costs.

“The perception that the only route to success is through direct entry to university through round one in the CAO is, to be frank, a load of nonsense,” he says. “If it was the only route to some careers once, it is certainly no longer the case.”

Simon Harris, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, says a key aim of his has been to “change the conversation at kitchen tables across the country” around students’ options after the Leaving Certificate.

He says he has visited dozens of secondary schools to talk to students about their options.

“Being honest, you can see the fear and the anxiety in the eyes of so many,” he said, recently. “Somewhere along the way, we have created an unhealthy and disproportionate pressure on our young people to excel in written State exams ...

“At school and societal level, there is an over-emphasis on the Leaving Certificate. Our country is obsessed with CAO points. This has meant our young people are forced to focus about the points they need, rather than the career they desire. We have allowed a culture to develop where all too often university is perceived to be the only gateway to personal and career success.”

Harris says that this pressure cooker environment is not just placing the well being of our young people at risk but is also leading to significant skills shortages in key areas of our economy and society.

It is why his department has focused on trying to broaden students’ horizons by ensuring school leavers are exposed to college and PLC options on the CAO website.

Ironically, exact Government decisions have led to fewer students choosing PLC options in exact times. The creation of thousands of extra university places during Covid – in a bid to take some of the heat out of high CAO points linked to grade inflation – resulted in a sharp drop in the number of school leavers choosing further education and training courses.

While numbers bounced back somewhat last year, it is reminder of the challenge of changing attitudes towards further education and training.

Harris says that 14 new “groundbreaking” degree courses, outside the CAO points race, could be a game changer. The courses, in areas such as nursing, computer science, engineering and business, are due to begin next September. A second batch of courses is due to commence in September 2024 in areas such as culinary arts, music technology, sustainability, performing arts and supply chain management.

These courses will start in a further education college before transitioning to a university. The move is part of a drive to create alternative pathways to third level without the need to secure high points. It also aims to forge closer links between further education colleges and universities and reduce student dropout rates.

The range of apprenticeships or “earn and learn” options is also broadening to include dozens of new roles in green skills such as wind turbine maintenance and white-collar areas such as international financial services, software and aircraft asset management. Many of these “earn and learn” options provide a degree-level qualification at the end of them.

Ethan McDonald (19) is one of the first students in Ireland to join a new apprenticeship in wind turbine maintenance.

He sat his Leaving Certificate last year at Tarbert Comprehensive, Co Kerry. The fact that he his place secured in advance transformed his experience of the exams, he says.

“It was unbelievable, really, the amount of pressure it took off,” he says. “There was no freaking out over having to get 500 points. All that was expected of me was to sit the exams. Points didn’t come into it. I’d say I was 10 times less stressed than others who were looking for college places.”

He says he always had an interest in hands-on learning in electrical and mechanical engineering, so jumped at the chance of an apprenticeship with Enercon, one of the world’s biggest wind turbine makers.

The “earn and learn” approach combines classes at Kerry College and on-the-job training over three years. The advance certificate at the end of it, he says, will allow him to work internationally.

“I think people see university as the only way to chase the bigger salaries,” he says. “But, I’m earning already. You can make a very good living when fully qualified. I’ll be able to work anywhere in the world or stay locally. There is so much employment in this area ... I don’t see any downside to it. I think people don’t know enough about this.”

If we have so many school leavers heading straight to university, does it really matter? Surely, having too many college graduates is simply what is called a first-world problem?

Tom Boland, former head of the Higher Education Authority and Ellen Hazelkorn, professor emeritus at Technological University Dublin, who run the education consulting firm BH Associates, disagree.

They argue that Ireland urgently needs a much more balanced tertiary (or further and higher education) system to provide for the wide range of skills that our society and economy needs. There are, for example, urgent skills gaps in construction and areas like retrofitting, which cannot be filled by higher education.

Despite strong employment and earnings potential, Boland and Hazelkorn say further education, and many of the careers which stem from it, occupy a much lower status in society compared to Switzerland and many other European countries.

One senior education source, who declined to be named, conceded that there is an uphill battle to convince school-goers over the merits of further education.

“We haven’t won the culture war yet – there is still a tendency to say, ‘that’s what my mum says I need to study’,” said one source.

Another says vocational routes will continue to be seen by many parents and students as second-best until employers like Google start hiring from the sector.

But Andrew Brownlee, head of Solas, the umbrella body which oversees further education and training, says this is happening already.

Tech companies such as Microsoft have started to hire from the further education pool and have developed cloud computing traineeships with the further education sector; in addition, new degree-level apprenticeships in cybersecurity, network engineering and software development are now available.

“All the big tech companies are now engaged in taking on apprenticeships, such as Salesforce and Google. The tech companies are starting to realise that it can be better to bring people in, allow them to earn and learn, and shape them into the kind of tech workers they’ll need,” says Brownlee.

He says there is increasing evidence to show further education works, as a destination or a route into higher education.

“We know that 90 per cent of PLC graduates are going directly into sustainable work or progressing into higher education degrees after study,” he says. “We also know that doing a PLC gives you a better chance of completing a higher education degree.

“On top of that, there is also an acute need for so-called intermediate skills areas – the green transition, the knowledge economy, hospitality, construction – so the opportunities are tremendous,” he says.

School leavers, in the meantime, will need to adjust to the fact that education no longer ends following a degree or qualification in their early 20s.

With the rise of artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, experts agree that lifelong learning is a reality for everyone.

Claire McGee, head of education and innovation policy at employers’ group Ibec, says today’s school-leavers will probably make multiple career changes and transitions, requiring new skills and new expertise at every turn.

“As a result, we will constantly be on a learning journey, regardless of our initial qualifications. Business is constantly seeking new ways of attracting and retaining people with talent and skills. This new economy and the new workplace is anything but conventional. This is why, as school leaders and business leaders, we must do more together to promote the depth, breadth and range of opportunities that exist beyond school,” she says.

With the range of jobs and careers that now exist, she says there is no longer only one entry ticket to the world of work.

“The once tight relationship between degree and job is widening, creating a window of opportunity for different forms of education and qualifications to gain valued recognition.”

Meanwhile, Theo Monaghan (17), another school leaver who opted out of the points race, has no regrets about taking the further education route.

Driven by a passion for amateur drama, he bypassed the Leaving Certificate and started an acting course in Ballyfermot College of Further Education last year.

After a year, he realised he wanted to keep acting as a pastime rather than a full-time career. In September, he is due to switch to a highly-regarded two-year film and TV course where he will try his hand at screenwriting and production. There is also a route into a college degree at the end of it.

Monaghan says he is conscious that if he did the same in a university degree course, there would be a considerable financial penalty. There are no such fees for PLC courses.

“I think doing a PLC gives students a lot more freedom to study and learn about things that interest them,” he says. “It’s more of an introduction to university, the stakes are much lower if you feel that the course is not for you.”

• Partner certifications grew 51.5% in Salesforce’s FY24 Q1

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates:— Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the global leader in CRM, has announced the winners of its annual Middle East Partner Awards 2023 across 10 categories.

The Middle East Partner Awards event, which was held at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai as part of Salesforce World Tour Essentials Dubai on May 18th, gathered more than 1,500 attendees across Salesforce’s regional ecosystem.

Salesforce’s partner network experienced robust growth of 46% year-on-year by the end of Q1 2024 (January 31, 2023). Over the same time, the total number of Salesforce certifications rose by 51.5% to reach 3,673.

“The spectacular growth of our partner network is a reflection of both the success of our partner program and the surging demand for solutions that help organizations put their customers at the center of everything they do,” Mukesh Kumar, Regional Vice President for Salesforce Alliance & Channels Middle East, said. “This level of growth made the 2023 awards a truly special occasion, with an eclectic mix of regional partners and global system integrators, and partners covering newly represented sectors including telco and financial services competing for awards.

“What these awards really demonstrate is that we value our partners as extensions of our organization: We are members of one family and share similar core values. This is vital to ensure we work as one unified team, focused on our customers’ transformation journey and success in the Middle East.”

Awards were handed out as follows:

1 Customer Success Partner (Implementation - CSAT) - recognizes partners who share Salesforce's commitment to customer success through the development of product, industry, and service expertise, as demonstrated by Salesforce specializations. Building a strong track record of successful implementations and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction. Winner: Coberg

2 Outstanding Knowledge Partner (Innovation - Credentials) - recognizes partners who have a laser focus on expanding their Salesforce Practice. By utilizing all available enablement tools, they have increased their total number of certifications, certified individuals, and use of partner learning camps. Winner: Smaartt

3 Sales Excellence Partner (Engagement - ACV) - this award celebrates partners who are committed to growing the Salesforce footprint across the commercial and enterprise markets. They have demonstrated this through increased sales and marketing engagement reflected in being the Top influenced Annual Contract Value (ACV) contributor. Winner: CloudzLab

4 Community Impact Partner - recognizes partners who have dedicated their time, money, and resources to have a positive impact on the local community. This is measured through their enrollment in Salesforce’s Talent Alliance, Pledge 1% and sustainability programs, and their demonstrated corporate responsibility.

Winner: Deloitte

5 One A&C Cloud Solution Partner – this category recognizes partners across the One A&C cloud solutions, which includes Mulesoft, Tableau and Slack. The partner must demonstrate great product knowledge which helps to address customer challenges.

Winner: Capgemini

6 Marketing/Commerce Cloud Partner – recognizes partners who excelled in using Salesforce marketing and commerce cloud solutions to drive transformation programs and build a niche set of skills that are relevant for customers. 

Winner: Horizontal Digital

7 New Cloud (NetZero, Data Cloud, Whatsapp, CDP, Industry Clouds) – partners who invest resources to understand Salesforce’s latest product offerings or industry solutions. Building on the incredible salesforce knowledge and taking this further to truly leverage the maximum value from the salesforce platform.

Winner: Publicis Sapient

8 Outstanding New Logo - This award celebrates the partner who positioned Salesforce to help solve unique and complex business challenges for new customers across the Middle East.

Winner: Sirocco

9 Rising Star Partner - celebrates the partner with the most growth based on program pillars: Customer success (Navigator + CSAT), Innovation (Credentials & Practice Growth), Growth (Influenced ACV) and Lead (Equality and Sustainable Development).

Winner: Conx Digital

10 Overall Partner of the Year - recognizes a partner that has gone above and beyond in their commitment to building a world class Salesforce practice. They have excelled across all of the consulting program pillars, built a strong alignment with Salesforce’s sales team and dedicated marketing to ensure pipeline creation and progression. These partners are a true extension of Salesforce.

Winner: EI-Technologies MENA

-Ends-

Media Contacts:
Michelle Oribello
Wallis
salesforce@wallispr.com

Employee engagement and wellness are finally taking center stage in the business world. For too long, they have been viewed as the responsibility of the HR department and not an integral part of business strategy. However, it is increasingly clear that unhealthy and unengaged employees are a drag on productivity, innovation, and the bottom line.

Gallup’s recent announcement that employee engagement in the U.S. had ticked up to 34% was seen as a sign of progress—but should we really settle for a situation where two-thirds of our workforce is still not fully engaged?

My executive consulting practice was founded on the principle that engagement and wellness are inseparable. Healthy employees are happier and show higher rates of job satisfaction. Engaged employees show up to work with a bounce in their step and are less vulnerable to stress, a significant driver of poor health.

Healthy and engaged employees, in concert with a strong workplace culture, are the secret sauce for business success. The following statistics underscore the need to make engagement and wellness strategic priorities for your organization.

1. Highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability

This finding by Gallup punctuates the fact that employee engagement consists of concrete behavior, not an abstract feeling. Organizations that view engagement as a feeling conduct employee surveys and offer perks to Improve the results. The report finds that the most successful organizations make employee engagement central to their business strategy. They give employees clear expectations and provide them with the tools and support to do their best work. Why are engaged teams more profitable? Those teams who score in the top 20% in engagement realize a 41% reduction in absenteeism, and 59% less turnover. Engaged employees show up every day with passion, purpose, presence, and energy.

2. 89% of HR leaders agree that ongoing peer feedback and check-ins are key for successful outcomes

A recent report on the importance of employee recognition finds clear and regular feedback to be critical. The report also stresses the importance of what it calls values-based recognition. Feedback and recognition should always tie back to a company’s core values and mission. Employees want to be reminded that their work has purpose and meaning. This is another reminder that employee engagement should not be relegated to the HR department, but instead, be featured as a central part of overall business strategy.

3. Employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work

Recognition and feedback are important but not enough. Today’s collaboratively-minded employee expects communication to be a two-way street. As this Salesforce report also finds, ensuring that employees’ voices are heard needs to be part of a larger push for equality and inclusiveness in the workplace. Companies with greater gender and ethnic diversity consistently outperform the competition. They more accurately reflect the diversity of society and reach more potential customers, and they incorporate a broader range of perspectives into their decision-making and strategy. Inviting more people to the table, and ensuring their voices are heard, is a win-win for everyone.

4. 96% of employees believe showing empathy is an important way to advance employee retention

Empathy is an essential part of emotional intelligence, the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions and be mindful of the emotions of others. Engagement and empathy are inextricably linked, as employees are unlikely to feel truly respected and empowered in an organization that does not show empathy. A exact report on workplace empathy reveals mixed results in this area. Employees are nearly unanimous in agreeing on the importance of empathy—yet 92% feel empathy remains undervalued. Moreover, while 92% of CEOs feel their organization is empathetic, only 50% of their employees say their CEO is empathetic. Empathy must start at the top which is one reason why teaching emotional intelligence figures so prominently in my work as an executive coach. Empathy may be a soft skill, but it pays off in improved business outcomes.

5. Disengaged employees cost U.S. companies up to $550 billion a year

An exhaustive report by The Engagement Institute—a joint study by The Conference Board, Sirota-Mercer, Deloitte, ROI, The Culture Works and Consulting LLP—underscores how important engagement is to the bottom line. Interestingly, the majority of respondents recognize why they are not fully engaged. They list compelling missions, highly trusted relationships, and well-designed jobs as things they are looking for leadership to provide. This is another reason why communication is crucial to a healthy organizational culture. Employees will tell you what they need to be engaged if you listen to them.

6. 61% of employees are burned out on the job

CareerBuilder’s survey on stress in the workplace also finds 31% of respondents report extremely high levels of stress at work. The survey documents how those high-stress levels manifested in poor physical health (fatigue, aches and pains, weight gain) and compromised mental health (depression, anxiety, anger). These findings emphasize the connections between wellness and engagement, and how stress undermines both. The best strategies to combat the plague of burnout are holistic approaches. Workshops on stress management and resilience will lead to a workforce that is healthier, more engaged, and more productive.

7. 89% of workers at companies that support well-being initiatives are more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work

In my consulting practice, I have seen that the critical factor in determining the success of wellness programs is the involvement and commitment of senior leadership—a fact confirmed by a report by the American Psychological Association. In organizations where employees do not view leadership as committed to their well-being, only 17% would recommend the company as a good place to work. The report stresses that employee well-being cannot be addressed through a silo program but is instead a reflection of broader culture and climate within the organization.

8. 70% of employers have improved their physical environments to encourage healthy behaviors

Research by Willis Towers Watson demonstrates how a growing number of employers are defining workplace health as a central part of company culture and strategy. Standalone wellness programs attract limited employee engagement and produce limited returns. Companies finally understand that wellness must permeate every aspect of an organization. Reshaping the physical environment to encourage healthy behavior includes adding healthy foods to breakrooms and restaurant delivery menus, ergonomic workstations, and appropriate lighting.

9. 61% of employees agree that they have made healthier lifestyle choices because of their company’s wellness program

This is just one of many findings in an Aflac summary of current benefit trends. A comprehensive and holistic wellness program will help employees change their lifestyle and make better choices, resulting in higher productivity and job satisfaction. The same report finds that Millennials, more than any other group, factor in benefits like health and wellness programs in deciding whether to take or remain in a job.

10. 87% of employees expect their employer to support them in balancing work and personal commitments

A exact Glassdoor survey reminds us that our conception of wellness has to go beyond traditional health measures. Although the idea of work-life balance is frequently misunderstood, employees are looking for help and support in attending to the non-work areas of their life. Employers can do so by being willing to offer flexible work schedules, and by encouraging employees to utilize vacation time.

The embrace of employee wellness and engagement as strategic imperatives is a significant paradigm shift in the business world, one that will only grow stronger in the coming year. Evolved leaders will bring a spirit of innovation to their employee engagement and wellness initiatives, and give them the same energy and care as their core products and services. Organizations that ensure their employees flourish and thrive will always be ahead of the curve.

VALDOSTA — Wiregrass Georgia Technical College has announced application fees will be waived during the week of June 12-16.

Those interested in applying for fall semester 2023 can apply online at Wiregrass.edu and save money, college representatives said in a statement.

During Free Application Week, the college will host open house events at the Valdosta, Coffee and Ben Hill-Irwin campuses.

Open houses are scheduled for the Valdosta campus Tuesday, June 13, and the Coffee and Ben Hill-Irwin campuses Wednesday, June 14.

“The community is invited to stop by and meet instructors and learn more about the in-demand programs, academics, student life on campus and the application process,” college representatives said. “Attendees are encouraged to RSVP by visiting the link https://wiregrass.my.salesforce-sites.com/events.”

For more information, contact Chandler Chancy, recruitment coordinator, at (229) 333-5365 or chandler.chancy@wiregrass.edu.

During the Free Application Week applicants can participate in themed days:

Monday, June 12:“Pop in” and learn more about the program with complimentary popcorn.

Tuesday, June 13: Valdosta campus food trucks with Grinnin’ Possum and K&K Kandies 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and open house 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 14: Ben Hill-Irwin and Coffee campus food trucks on Ben Hill-Irwin with Nabo’s BBQ and Coffee Campus Super Dawg. Open house on both campuses will be 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Thursday, June 15: Giveaway, enter the drawing to win $50 at the Wiregrass bookstore.

Friday, June 16: Apply online at Wiregrass.edu (campuses are closed).

Wiregrass has been named the 2023 Military Friendly School Gold Award recipient in the Small College category and ranked third in the nation among other colleges. The associate of science program was named number one in the state again according to NursingProcess.org for 2023. This is based on the students’ National Council Licensure test pass rates.

Applicants interested in applying for fall semester have more than 100 in-demand programs to choose from that qualify for the HOPE Career Grant.

Those who qualify for the grant could qualify for additional monies to help pay tuition, books and fees.

Wiregrass has a job placement rate of 99.4%.

The college’s One-Stop Enrollment and Success Center can answer questions and assist new students with class schedules. To learn more information, visit the college’s website at www.Wiregrass.edu.

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