Just in time for Military Spouse Appreciation Day, which is Friday, May 6, we are excited to announce today the expansion of our website www.SalutetoSpouses.com, as the new go-to resource for education and career news for military spouses.

Bryant & Stratton is proud to be a \”military spouse college\” meaning that we have programs designed to make it easier for military spouses to get an education. Besides the convenience of being able to complete a degree online – perfect for military wives and husbands who may find themselves moving house frequently – we provide other online educational resources for military spouses. In particular, we take pride in our online resource SalutetoSpouses.com. Home of the college’s Salute to Spouses Scholarship, which awards $6,000 towards a Bryant & Stratton College degree to spouses of active duty military personnel, SalutetoSpouses.com is also an online community that military spouses can join to read the latest articles on careers and education as well as participate in a wide variety of forums with their peers.

Edited by a military spouse, with contributing writers who are military wives as well. This unique online resource is sponsored by Bryant & Stratton College’s military relations department and features weekly polls, how to articles, tips, resources, advice columns, personal stories, and financial aid options for military spouses.

“As military spouses, we understand the challenge of earning a degree or navigating the competitive job market while caring for your military family,” said Allison Perkins, Editor at SalutetoSpouses.com. “SalutetoSpouses.com is a community where military spouses can find support, information and resources tailored to their unique needs.”

SalutetoSpouses.com engages its user community on a variety of topics through forums and blogs. Registered community members are also able to receive a monthly newsletter that keeps them aware of new content that has been added to the site that month.

Bryant & Stratton College created the Salute to Spouses scholarship after the U.S. government temporarily suspended and later reinstated a restructured MyCAA in 2010. The expansion of the site builds on the success of the scholarship and increases the resources available to military personnel and their families interested in earning their degree or building a sustainable career.

“We understand the commitment and sacrifices that military spouses make. We are proud to support them with the Salute to Spouses scholarship and now with SalutetoSpouses.com, which will help by providing critical information on career and education issues specific to their experience as a military spouse,” said Ed Dennis, Military Relations Manager at Bryant & Stratton College. “Creating a portable and sustainable career is incredibly important for military spouses and often requires advanced education, but a college degree is now more accessible than ever to military spouses.”

For more information about participating in the Salute to Spouses community and applying for the scholarship visit www.SalutetoSpouses.com and take a look around!

The art of negotiation is a delicate balance between asking for too little and too much, according to Tim Lybarger, a human resource and organizational development expert.

To reach a balance, and a solution that is acceptable to both sides, you need to focus on the other person and anticipate what they need.

“You want to offer the other party things that are low-cost for you but high-value for them,” Lybarger explains.

As an instructor of professional development and corporate training courses in leadership and management, Lybarger focuses on principled negotiations, in which negotiators are neither friends nor adversaries but problem solvers. They are not “soft” negotiators who make concessions or “hard” negotiators who make demands and seek victory but “principled” negotiators who avoid having a bottom line, focus on the problem as something for both parties to solve, and work to find the wisest outcome that will result in mutual gain.

He’s used this technique throughout his career in both corporate and nonprofit settings. For 10 years, he served as manager of training and development with Nestlé University.

At one point, he negotiated with his boss to leave Los Angeles and work out of his newly purchased home in Vermont. He made it clear that he understood the pressures she was under to trim directors like him. Lybarger offered her a concession, suggesting he take the diminished title of manager – and live in Vermont. “At first she said no,” he recalls, “but then she thought about it and came back and agreed.”

Tips for negotiatingWhen you head into a negotiation, be it personal or professional, it’s important to be prepared. Lybarger offers these five steps to get ready:

Emphasizing Values Over Profits“Most people get so focused on the dollar value,” Lybarger explains, “that they lose the greater value, which doesn’t have a lot to do with money, and then they damage the relationship.”

Emphasizing values over profits will benefit you not only in negotiations but also in other workplace situations, including restructuring and layoffs. In his professional development courses and leadership training seminars, Lybarger encourages professionals to develop “personal leadership” steeped in values.

“Each individual today has to have a clear understanding of what they truly value, over and above money, and a constantly evolving sense of how they can create value for others. This makes them less reliant on the leaders above them,” Lybarger says. “There’s an unlimited amount of opportunities for people. The biggest challenge is figuring out which ones resonate with your values.”

A former elementary school teacher, Bernadette has been guiding students through the admissions process for the past 18 months.

Her time teaching fourth grade at an all-boys school instilled a positive attitude that she has carried into her position at Bryant & Stratton as she notes the excitement she often shares with each new student she enrolls. Bernadette’s background in education (she has an English degree from Hilbert College) extends beyond her time in the classroom and the numerous Bryant & Stratton students and alumni she’s worked with. While none have been published, Bernadette has written several children’s books with her son as the main character.

“[The books] chronicle each stage of my son’s life as he was growing up and all the adventures he had,” she explained. “Now that he is grown and starts having children of his own, he can share his own stories with them.”

Among her many other talents, Bernadette also boasts a strong skillset in Kan Jam and horseshoes. Although perhaps her greatest gift is connecting and helping the many students she works with each semester.

What is your favorite thing about working at Bryant & Stratton? I love the people I work with! Equally as much, I enjoy working with the students.  It makes me happy to help someone start their college career.

Is there one student success story that stands out above the rest? I spoke to a woman in November who only wanted information.  She had no intention of enrolling.  I spoke with her for an hour and a half, found out she was scared about starting college as a 42 year old.  I listened and I encouraged her and within two days she was enrolled.  She is now on the Dean’s list!

Give one piece of advice to students as they\’re preparing to start classes. College is not easy; rise to the challenges and don’t get discouraged.  Having a degree is a huge accomplishment and the best investment you can make in yourself.

A former elementary school teacher, Bernadette has been guiding students through the admissions process for the past 18 months.

Her time teaching fourth grade at an all-boys school instilled a positive attitude that she has carried into her position at Bryant & Stratton as she notes the excitement she often shares with each new student she enrolls. Bernadette’s background in education (she has an English degree from Hilbert College) extends beyond her time in the classroom and the numerous Bryant & Stratton students and alumni she’s worked with. While none have been published, Bernadette has written several children’s books with her son as the main character.

“[The books] chronicle each stage of my son’s life as he was growing up and all the adventures he had,” she explained. “Now that he is grown and starts having children of his own, he can share his own stories with them.”

Among her many other talents, Bernadette also boasts a strong skillset in Kan Jam and horseshoes. Although perhaps her greatest gift is connecting and helping the many students she works with each semester.

What is your favorite thing about working at Bryant & Stratton? I love the people I work with! Equally as much, I enjoy working with the students.  It makes me happy to help someone start their college career.

Is there one student success story that stands out above the rest? I spoke to a woman in November who only wanted information.  She had no intention of enrolling.  I spoke with her for an hour and a half, found out she was scared about starting college as a 42 year old.  I listened and I encouraged her and within two days she was enrolled.  She is now on the Dean’s list!

Give one piece of advice to students as they\’re preparing to start classes. College is not easy; rise to the challenges and don’t get discouraged.  Having a degree is a huge accomplishment and the best investment you can make in yourself.