St. Louis Park

DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management Announces Peggy Sowden as Student Graduation Speaker

DeVry University Keller Graduate School of Management's St. Louis Park center announced Peggy Sowden as the student speaker for its graduation ceremony held at the Metropolitan in St. Louis Park on June 21.

Sowden is the forecast, inventory and purchasing manager at The Village Company in Chaska, Minnesota. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management and computer science from Teikyo Westmar University in LeMars, Iowa and began her master's degree in general management at Keller Graduate School of Management in 2005. In 2006, Sowden participated in the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, walking 60 miles and raising over $4,000. She raised $5,000 for the cause in 2007 and plans on raising $6,000 this year.

DeVry University Survey Shows Two-thirds of Minneapolis Respondents Wish They had Achieved Higher Level of Education

According to a new Internet survey of 500 working adults aged 25 to 49 living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, 67 percent of respondents wish they had achieved a higher level of education and 40 percent said they plan to work toward a higher degree in the next five years. When asked how an additional level of education would affect them, 65 percent said their financial compensation would be increased, 58 percent said their opportunity for job advancement would be increased, and 52 percent said their general satisfaction with their position in life would be increased.

A graduate student at DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management in St. Louis Park, Dave Nelson, says, "I have always been happy with my job at Caterpillar®, but I knew I wanted more. After much thought and research, I realized the best way for me to advance my career was to earn a master's degree."

"DeVry University has long recognized the desire of working adults to advance their careers and improve their lives through the pursuit of higher education," said John Gariano, dean of DeVry University in St. Louis Park, Minn.

"I knew from the start that adding school to my demanding work schedule would not be easy," says Nelson. "I needed a university that helps to balance school with my schedule. My education is already paying off on the job. I am directly applying what I learn in school at my job, giving me a competitive advantage over my co-workers."

Despite the barriers to adult education, people in Minneapolis see value in furthering their level of education. Eighty-five percent of all respondents agreed with the statement "the higher the level of education a person achieves, the higher the person's income will be."