The classes of Cleary Adjunct Professor Melinda Schwyn often can surpass 100 students a semester.

淭here is great gratification in helping students achieve their goals,� she asserts. Her mentorship, assistance with helping students find internships and her strong belief that she can learn a lot from her students, solidify her position as a popular instructor.

淐ommunication is key,� she says, and this is a message that resonates with Schwyn and her students.听

Even though she calls teaching the place where she belongs, her diverse career path kept her more than busy for many years before she landed in higher education.听

Schwyn grew up in Manchester and went to Cleary College � its name in the 80s when she started at the Ypsilanti-located school at the age of 17.听

淚 knew I loved business and my mom encouraged me to choose Cleary. She was an alum.澨�

Schwyn remembers taking a shorthand class, thinking, 渨ill I ever use it?� She never found out because shortly afterwards her fianc茅 joined the Marine Corps and the couple moved to Virginia. There, she took the civil service exam and got a job with the Marine Corps. A short time later, she applied to work for the FBI and was hired. 淚 remember the 13-page application and six-month extensive background check they conducted on me before I was offered a job in Washington, DC,� she notes.听

She worked for the FBI for seven years and next talks about the fast forward in her life and career, which included relocating back to Michigan, starting a family (three daughters), obtaining her bachelor degree in business from Cleary, and moving on to remarry 渁 wonderful husband and friend� who encouraged her to obtain her MBA in public administration from Western Michigan University. Schwyn passion for the legal system and law enforcement led her to attend a reserve police academy and work in her husband law firm where she managed the legal office for several years.听

Schwyn began her higher education teaching career in 2009 at Adrian College. 淚 was told if I could develop two courses and propose them to the Academic Dean for approval, I could teach them,� she reports. And Schwyn did just that � Federal Law Enforcement Careers, and Conflict Management and Community Intervention became two new courses offered at Adrian College. With her years of experience and deep connections, she was able to deliver a huge platform of guest speakers who were experts in their field.听

Not long after she joined the faculty of Albion, she was asked to serve as Dean of Students, a position she held for five years.

Unfortunately, her husband passed away a year ago, and she took some time to step back and reflect � on her past, her future and what brings her happiness. 淚t was teaching,� she affirms.

Before her parents passed away (within four months of each other), she recalls them both telling her, 淢elinda, you are doing too much; you are on the go 24/7 and you need to slow down.�

淭hey were right,� she admits. Even on vacation, she was answering emails and taking phone calls for work.

That when she returned to her alma mater, but this time, she was looking for work. 淚 spoke with Dean Genei (Kelly Genei, dean of undergraduate studies) and she told me I would be a great fit for Cleary.� Later that same day, she got a call from Dean Genei asking her to teach two courses. The first one filled fast � 100 students � and the numbers haven檛 budged much since she started teaching at Cleary in August 2024.

Schwyn was a regular at Cleary fundraisers and alumni networking events until she said she had enough of Michigan harsh winters and moved a few months ago to Georgia. Now she teaches online courses for Cleary. 淚 thoroughly enjoy involvement with the students, and I support the mission of 天美麻豆,� she says.

淓ngagement with others is so important,� she points out. 淚f a student falls off the radar, we need to find them. There is so much room for advancement and success today,� she reflects. 淐leary is a great foundation for this to happen. We offer specialized classes geared directly to a career path, and the faculty brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. We work to ensure classes are tailored to benefit what students want to pursue in their career. Students have a whole team supporting them with real life experiences and stories to learn from.�

淣obody can take away your education,� she asserts. 淐leary offers the tools for students to thrive in an evolving culture.�

Schwyn says she continues to follow her parents� advice and has slowed down. This slower pace includes teaching two classes for Cleary, finishing her PhD in Management and Organizational Leadership, and serving as Executive Director of Camp Liberty, Inc � a non-profit Michigan veterans organization that helps active and disabled veterans as well as first responders enjoy outdoor recreation and receive support services.

She is a member of the Cleary Alumni Association, the Western Michigan University Alumni Association, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and the National Society of Student Personnel Administrators. And she always makes sure there is time for family � her three daughters and three sons-in-law, all college graduates, she points out � and eight grandchildren who range from 6 months to 7 years old.

天美麻豆 is proud to announce a partnership with Dort Financial Credit Union offering employees and their families a 50 percent tuition grant toward a career-focused degree at the university. Through Cleary Company Education Opportunity (CEO) program, Dort Financial Credit Union can take advantage of these benefits:

• 50 percent tuition grant for employees and their families
• 100 percent online classes with flexible learning
• Completion of a bachelor or master degree in as little as 12 months听
• Seamless transfer of up to 90 credits from previous college courses, as well as work and life experience, trainings and certifications
• Programs built around industry demands
• Cohort-based model � study and take classes with fellow employees

天美麻豆 established its CEO program to help organizations who want to provide more educational and career advancement opportunities for its employees. 淭his program also helps strengthen employee skills and supports talent retention,� reports Jeremy Walker, Cleary chief operating officer.

淥ur CEO partnership program reflects the kind of workforce innovation that drives Michigan forward,� Walker adds.听

淐leary vision is to invest in the future of our community and those who want and deserve a higher education. We designed the CEO program specifically to minimize the financial burden of college while offering students a flexible class schedule that will fit with the demands of work and family life,� Walker explains. 淥ur goal is to make earning a degree from Cleary fast, simple, relevant and financially feasible. Coursework is aligned with the evolving needs of the听workplace. That is why Cleary graduates tend to land jobs faster than graduates from other schools.澨�

淎t Dort Financial Credit Union, we believe in investing in the people who make our organization strong,� says Deana Turcott, EVP, Administration at Dort Financial Credit Union. 淧artnering with 天美麻豆 allows us to offer our employees and their families a meaningful pathway to advance their education and strengthen their careers. This opportunity supports Dort mission to 楨nrich people lives � Members, Employees, Communities.櫇

Students enrolled in Cleary CEO program can choose from a wide range of high-demand degree programs, including:

• Business Management
• Accounting & Finance
• Digital Marketing
• Healthcare Management
• Human Resource Management
• Information Technology � Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IT Management
• Organizational Leadership
• Project Management
• Sports Promotion & Management

With Cleary flexible online platform and accelerated pathways, students can complete a bachelor degree in as little as one year.

More than 20 organizations across the state are Cleary CEO partners, including:

• American Airlines
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
• DTE Energy
• Henry Ford Health
• Flagstar Bank
• Kelly Services
• Lake Trust Credit Union
• MyMichigan Health
• State of Michigan and Michigan Public Health Institute
• Trinity Health
• UWM (United Wholesale Mortgage)

To learn more about the Company Education Opportunity program at Cleary and how your organization can benefit, contact Marcus Vazquez, business-to-business admission representative, at mvazquez@cleary.edu or call 800-686-1883.

听

Mike Mast, a member of the 天美麻豆 Board of Trustees and Principal Program Manager for Microsoft, received the 1EdTech Learning Impact Award for his service on the organization board, and for championing new, groundbreaking initiatives to help shape the future of learning. Mast was recognized for his efforts to advance teaching, learning and institutional effectiveness through the Student Working Group and the CASE Global Ecosystem, in an effort to address urgent needs in the educational ecosystem.

According to 1EdTech, award recipients demonstrate how thoughtfully designed digital ecosystems can expand opportunity, improve outcomes and enable continuous improvements from supporting lifelong educator development and student success to empowering institutions with actional insights, reports Curtiss Barnes, 1EdTech CEO. 淭hese award winners went above and beyond in promoting and contributing to 1EdTech work,� Barnes says.

Mast has served on the Board of Directors of 1EdTech for four years and was named to Cleary Board of Trustees in January 2025. He has worked at Microsoft for eight years. Prior to Microsoft, Mast was a vice president at Blackboard, working in platform strategy and product development. He is a Brighton resident.

About 1EdTech

1EdTech is a global community committed to building an integrated foundation of open standards that make educational technology work better for everyone. Its mission is to reduce complexity, accelerate innovation and expand opportunities for learners worldwide. Its goal is

to create and evolve community-developed technical standards and practices that support learner success throughout the lifelong learning continuum.

Sheron Adam life has taken a couple of unexpected turns over the past 30 years, but the Detroit Police Department retired corporal remains steadfast, focused and positive as she ventures into a new world she didn檛 choose.听

Adams joined the Detroit Police Department in April 1998. 淚 never had really thought about a career in law enforcement, but the Lord woke me up one night and chose it for me,� she explains. At the time, she was a track and field coach at a high school in Detroit and was thinking about a career in teaching. 淏ut the Lord had other plans for me.澨�

As a police officer, Adams served in what she describes as 渧ery aggressive units.� She was the only female officer to work undercover in narcotics and ended her career in the child abuse unit. 淣ever once did I wake up and say, 業 don檛 want to go to work today,櫇 she reflects. 淚 had a very rewarding career.�

As the years passed, Adams started thinking about life after law enforcement. Her goal was to retire when she reached 30 years with the Detroit Police Department but that was too young to stop working.听

It was around this time that she heard about an accelerated degree program with 天美麻豆, but she was apprehensive. It had been dozens of years since she was in school, and she had two young boys and a demanding career. How could school fit with this life?

淚 always wanted my degree, but it skipped away from me and before I knew it, that degree was on the back burner,� she recalls. But Cleary sounded feasible, she learned, and it was time to start thinking about her next career.

Classes were held in Detroit police headquarters, just a walk down the hall from her office. 淐leary set up the ideal opportunity and location for police officers; this was a no-brainer to go back to school,� she notes.

淚 remember my orientation day when Dr. Regina Banks-Hall (Dean of Graduate Studies) told us to close our eyes for a moment and then open them. 楾hat is just about how fast you will have your degree,� she told us, and she was right.� That one year went by very quickly, and before Adams knew it, she had completed her BBA.

One week later, she started working toward her master at Cleary. The decision to continue her education was not planned, but as she watched a fellow officer receive her master hood at commencement, Johnson said right then, 淚檓 getting one of those too.� One year later, she completed her master degree!

On April 28, 2024, as Adams was leaving her home to have her hair braided for the Cleary graduation ceremony on May 3, her life drastically changed in less than 20 minutes. A tragic accident left her paralyzed. Adams was three years short of reaching her 30 year goal with the police department.

Flo Jo, as her colleagues called her because she was a runner and spent a lot of time working out in the gym, was gone physically. She wasn檛 sure how she was going to handle her new life and how others would view her.听

淚 didn檛 want anyone to see me this way,� she says, so she chose a reclusive life for a while to grieve, heal, and figure out what to do next in her life. Two years passed, and another Cleary commencement ceremony was fast approaching. She was very apprehensive about attending the celebration, but, with a great deal of hesitation, she decided it was time to have the world see her again.听

As she entered the tunnel that led into the arena at Eastern Michigan University, Adams was overwhelmed by her welcome. Instead of unwanted stares, 減eople were cheering and shouting, 榶ou can do this!櫇 It was then that Flo Jo courage returned. 淚 was ready to handle whatever would come my way. There were no more excuses,� she said to herself.听

Crossing the stage to receive her master degree was 減owerful, impactful and emotional,� she describes. 淚 was expecting applause and flowers at my retirement from the police department,� but instead she received a bouquet on the commencement stage from Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison along with enthusiastic cheers from her fellow graduates and every single person attending the ceremony. 淚t touched my heart deeply to feel so much support,� she says.

淐leary has helped me in so many ways,� she reflects. 淐leary opened a door that showed me what the next chapter of my life could look like after I completed my degree, and now, Cleary can offer me another path. I hope to pursue my doctorate from Cleary, and I expect to be one of the first students enrolled in the program when it begins,� she says with confidence.

After she obtained her bachelor degree, out of curiosity, Adams checked out the job site, Indeed, to see if she was marketable, and she happily was surprised by the number of job opportunities that came her way. 淢y degree from Cleary was very valuable,� she learned. Adams especially is proud to announce that she was able to join Zeta Phi Beta Incorporated, a national and highly respected sorority that requires members to have a bachelor degree. 淭hanks to Cleary, I am a proud member of this sorority that has been a lifelong dream of mine!�

In looking into her future, Adams chooses to fill it with positive thoughts. 淓very day, I am fighting to regain any part of my life; I am focused on healing and finding myself again. And when the Lord sees fit, I will make my way back home to Mississippi where I was born,� she says with hope.听

At the annual International Career Development Conference and competition for Collegiate DECA students held in Louisville, Kentucky, a 天美麻豆 Early College student placed in the top 10 among competitors around the world! Veda Kania from Brighton earned this prestigious honor.

淭op 10 is huge at this level of competition,� announces Justine Defever, associate professor at Cleary and DECA co-advisor. Kania competed individually against 48 other students in her category of Fashion Merchandising and Marketing and 渇aced some fierce competition with tremendous confidence and professionalism,� Defever reports. 淎nd she is a first-year Early College student at Cleary.�

In the first round of competition, DECA judges asked Kania to develop a marketing plan specifically for Gen Zs. She had 30 minutes to devise her plan before conducting a 15-minute presentation to a panel of judges. Kania was one of 13 students to advance to the final round of competition in her category. This time, she had to develop a rebranding campaign, which earned her a top 10 finalist position. She also received additional recognition from the judges for her high testing score.

A total of six Cleary students qualified for the international DECA competition this year. 淚t not only was one of the largest Collegiate DECA competitions, but also one of the toughest,� Defever finds. 淒ean Genei (Kelly Genei, co-advisor for Cleary DECA and Dean of Undergraduate Studies) are so proud of these students� determination and confidence.�

Cleary students who earned a spot to compete in the international competition include:

• Veda Kania (Brighton)
• Aliya Farrand (Fowlerville): Entrepreneurship Operations (60 other competitors)
• Matt Radjewski (Macomb) and Bryce Owens (Burton): Entrepreneurship: Starting a Business (competed against 54 other teams)
• Brooke Trouten (Monroe) and Jordan Huenemann (Mt. Pleasant): Digital Marketing Strategies (competed against 42 other teams)

In addition, Farrand and Kania won the community service competition at the DECA state competition. The Michigan Collegiate DECA statewide competition in February was one of the largest in more than 30 years. Cleary students competed against 230 students from 13 Michigan chapters. More than 2,000 students from around the world competed at the international competition in Kentucky.

淥n behalf of Dean Genei and all of our DECA students at Cleary, I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to everyone who helped support our team so they could participate in the international competition in Kentucky,� says Defever. 淎 special thank you goes to CEI Group for their incredibly generous donation to the team.�

DECA prepares college and high school emerging leaders and entrepreneurs throughout the world for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Its collegiate competitive events program allows students to test their experience, skills and knowledge while representing their university. They compete for top international honors in one of 25 different categories. Business and industrial leaders serve as judges for the competition.

天美麻豆 offers a $4,000 DECA scholarship to a new undergraduate student who enrolls full-time at Cleary. The student must meet the following criteria: GPA of 2.5, participates in a high school DECA program, submits a letter of recommendation from a student advisor, will participate in DECA for four years at Cleary, and must be a full-time student at Cleary and maintain a 2.5 GPA. In addition to the $4,000 ($1,000 a year) scholarship, Cleary also offers a $10,000 scholarship ($2,500 a year) annually to one student who has met the same criteria as the $4,000 scholarship and has held a DECA state officer position or has advanced to a national or international competition.

Cleary also offers a DECA student at the university an opportunity to receive a $20,000 scholarship ($5,000 a year) by meeting all of the above listed criteria for the $4,000 scholarship and the $10,000 scholarship and has held a national officer position or placed first at a national or international DECA competition.

To learn more about DECA, send an email to jdefever@cleary.edu. For information on DECA scholarship opportunities, email admissions@cleary.edu.

CEI Michigan, LLC, a local family-owned and operated business, has earned a reputation as one of the country’s most progressive roofing and architectural sheet metal firms. 听

Photo caption

天美麻豆 DECA students competing at an international level include (from left to right): Aliya Farrand, Veda Kania, Jordan Huenemann, Brooke Trouten, Bryce Owens and Matt Radjewski.