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- Following in Her Father’s Footsteps Toni Mascione ’26 CPS never planned to complete her bachelor’s degree, but a personal connection to Villanova through her late father inspired her to return to school while continuing her career in law enforcement. Through Villanova’s College of Professional Studies, Mascione found an online degree path that supported her work, family life and long-term commitment to public service. As she prepares to graduate, she reflects on how Villanova helped her grow as a leader and continue a family legacy rooted in purpose, service and transformation.
- Student Spotlight: Troy Vlahos CPS ‘26 Embraces a Life of Learning Troy Vlahos CPS ’26 returned to school to continue growing as a professional, teammate and person. After building a successful career with innovative global brands and sustainability-focused companies, Vlahos found in Villanova’s College of Professional Studies a learning environment that helped him strengthen his communication and reconnect with the human side of business. As he prepares to complete his bachelor’s degree, he reflects on how CPS deepened his commitment to lifelong learning and renewed his confidence to lead in a changing business environment.
- The New Supply Chain Stress Test Global supply chains depend on systems that can absorb disruption without losing momentum. As instability around the Strait of Hormuz renews concerns about energy volatility, freight costs and operational exposure, leaders are being pushed to rethink how resilience is built into everyday execution. Flexibility, digital visibility, workforce capacity and disciplined scenario planning are no longer secondary considerations but core capabilities for organizations building long-term resilience.
- Developing Talent from Within Organizations facing skills gaps can build stronger, more resilient teams by investing in the employees already doing the work. Internal upskilling supports retention, strengthens leadership pipelines and helps workforce capability grow in alignment with business priorities.
- Villanova’s College of Professional Studies Announces New Agreement with Williamson College of the Trades, Assisting Skilled Trades Workers on Path to Bachelor’s Degree Villanova University's College of Professional Studies (CPS) has entered an agreement with Williamson College of the Trades in Media, Pennsylvania to provide Williamson graduates additional access to degree and professional education programs at Villanova. This new partnership marks the first for the University with an institution that exclusively offers trade-based education, and will grant Williamson graduates and alumni a merit-based tuition reduction for students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Currently, CPS has existing partnership agreements with over a dozen community colleges and associate degree-granting institutions in the Greater Philadelphia area.
- Student Spotlight: Adam Richardson ’27 Provides Inspiration to His Sons, Through Education, Determination, and Selflessness Adam Richardson ’27 CPS made a promise to himself when he became a father. “I will never ask my kids to do something I haven’t done, or wouldn’t do,” he explained. “And that includes completing my college degree.” After dropping out of college three times in his late teens and early twenties, now, at age 35, Richardson is determined to earn his bachelor’s degree in organizational development and management.
- College Curious? Villanova's Pre-College Summer Academy Offers Immersive Campus Experience Villanova's Pre-College Summer Academy is a four-week intensive program, open to current juniors and seniors that gives students a taste of college life, earning them real college credits they can list on their transcript.
- Create a Better Performance Review Cycle: A Human-Centered Approach to Goals and Feedback If you work in HR, you’ve seen how quickly unclear goals and inconsistent feedback can derail a performance review cycle. You’re often asked to step in after expectations have already drifted and conversations have gotten tense. Putting the human back in performance reviews starts with raising the quality of goal-setting and feedback because they sit at the center of performance management, coaching, talent development and motivation, the very areas where HR leaders are poised to create the most impact.
- The Risk You Didn't See Coming Projects don’t unravel only when something dramatic breaks. More often, they drift off course because of a surprise that didn’t make it into the plan: a dependency that slips, a vendor delay that compounds, a stakeholder shift that quietly changes what “success” means.
- The Hidden Value of ROI in Process Improvement Process improvement has a branding problem. When leaders hear “Lean Six Sigma,” they often picture tools, templates and a lot of time spent mapping workflows. If they’re supportive, they’ll say yes because it feels like the responsible thing to do. If they’re skeptical, they’ll ask the question that shuts projects down fast: What’s the ROI?
- How to Build a Successful Digital Marketing Strategy Digital marketing works best when every channel, message and metric is pulling in the same direction. A clear strategy helps you define goals, focus resources and turn day-to-day tactics into measurable results. In this article, you’ll find the “why” behind digital marketing strategy, plus the tools and metrics that help you measure what matters and keep improving over time.
- What is the UCC If a contract involves goods, the UCC is often in the background, even when nobody names it. It influences how agreements form, how terms conflict and what remedies are available when performance breaks down. If you’re building NCMA-aligned contract knowledge or working toward becoming the contract expert your team relies on, this is one framework worth understanding early.
- How to Develop Purposeful Digital Content Why is it that some content performs while some doesn’t? Is your content underperforming, or failing to perform at all? Publishing is easy. Earning trust is harder. When content tries to do too much, audiences move on fast. Here are a few ideas to help you create content that serves a purpose so you can start earning attention by offering something clear, valuable and worth coming back to.
- Here's The Reason Your Gen AI Tool Sounds Right, But Might Be Wrong When an AI answer “sounds right,” it’s easy to trust it. But confidence doesn’t always mean correct. False predictions, often called hallucinations, are a real risk when using generative AI. To understand why models hallucinate and the types of errors professionals see most often, it helps to know how generative AI produces outputs, then apply simple guardrails that support responsible use in your work.
- New to Contract Management? Start Here First. Contract management often becomes part of someone’s role before it becomes their title. For professionals who are new to the field or beginning to take on more contract-related responsibilities, building the right foundational skills early can make a meaningful difference. Developing those skills can help strengthen judgment, reduce risk and support more strategic contributions across teams and organizations.
- Beyond the Prompt: Moving from Curiosity to Confidence in AI To thrive in an AI-driven economy, professionals must move beyond prompts and into confidence. That means moving past just asking questions and into learning how to evaluate answers, apply AI responsibly and integrate it into workflows in meaningful ways.
- “It Felt Like Home”: How Villanova’s Paralegal Certificate Launched Lauren Berry’s Legal Career When Lauren Berry arrived on Villanova’s campus to study as part of the Fall 2023 cohort of the Paralegal Professional Certificate Program, she brought a standard five-subject notebook for class. As the program continued through the semester, covering 15 topics over just a few months, Lauren’s notebook slowly filled with all the knowledge she absorbed day after day. Now as she continues her path in the legal field, as a paralegal hopeful to attend law school and with aspirations to reach the top of the industry, her notebook is always nearby – a resource to remind her of the foundation of knowledge she’s built for a budding legal career.
- VUnited Inclusive Employment Symposium Celebrates Neurodiversity and Accessibility in the Workplace This March marked the inaugural VUnited Inclusive Employment Symposium, an event championing neuroinclusion in the workforce. Created in conjunction with Villanova’s VUnited Scholars the symposium welcomed lawmakers, employers, educators, students, and guests to discuss inclusive hiring practices. Presenters included Pennsylvania First Lady Lori Shapiro and speakers from KPMG, Comcast and Wawa.
- CPS Graduate and Former Villanova Basketball Star Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to Deliver Student Address at Villanova's 2025 Commencement Jeremiah Robinson-Earl '25 CPS, a former member of the Villanova University Men’s Basketball team, has been selected as the student speaker at Villanova’s 2025 Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 15. Robinson-Earl, currently a member of the New Orleans Pelicans in the National Basketball Association (NBA), completed his degree in General Studies online through the College of Professional Studies (CPS). This marks the first time that a CPS student will deliver the student address at Villanova’s Commencement ceremony.
- Degrees of Determination: Jen Villalobos is a Villanova Story of Persistence and Pride Jen Villalobos’s journey to her degree wasn’t a straight path—it was a story of persistence, determination and the belief that it’s never too late to take the next step forward. The road to receiving her degree wasn’t without its challenges. As a working professional, wife, and mother of six in a blended family, Jen juggled a demanding job with part-time coursework.
- “Finish What You Start”: Russ Ebbets Completes Villanova Degree 50 Years in the Making When Russ Ebbets arrived at Villanova University for his freshman year in the fall of 1972, he never would have expected that he would complete that degree more than 50 years later, having traveled the world, built a career and published a handful of books in between. After the many twists and turns of his life, he returned to CPS, with a bachelor's degree and multiple graduate degrees to his name, to proudly finish what he'd started decades prior.
- Philadelphia Eagles VP of Marketing Brian Papson Brings Championship Experience to the Classes He Teaches at Villanova Philadelphia Eagles VP of Marketing Brian Papson brings championship experience and real-world insights into the classroom at Villanova. From Super Bowl victories to global sports marketing, Papson shares his expertise to inspire a diverse student population in sports management and leadership.
- Meet the CPS Class of 2025 Every year, the College of Professional Studies is proud to celebrate a graduating class, compromised of students of varying ages, from different backgrounds and different pathways to their degree. This year's graduates are no exception, with the Class of 2025 excelling in the classroom, in their careers and in their efforts to better the world around us. This page includes several stories of the members of this class making an impact.
- 2025 CPS Graduate Francis Schlupp Pursues Decades-Long Dream to Make a Difference This spring, at 53-years-old, Schlupp is graduating with his Bachelor of Arts in History, and he was selected to speak at the College of Professional Studies’ Evening of Celebration. The journey to his degree has spanned a lifetime, but well worth the time and effort. Schlupp, awarded for his research work as an undergraduate, will continue his education, in an effort to fulfill a lifelong dream to teach to those in underserved communities.
- WATCH: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, CPS Graduate and Former Villanova Basketball Star, Delivers Student Address at Commencement For the first time since the founding of Villanova University's College of Professional Studies (CPS) ten years ago, a student graduating from CPS delivered the student address at Commencement. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, a former star on the Villanova Men's Basketball team, spoke to thousands of his fellow graduates and their invited guests, earning massive cheers and praise for his heartfelt remarks at the ceremony on Friday, May 16.
- Evening of Celebration 2025 Villanova University's College of Professional Studies (CPS) held its annual Evening of Celebration, recognizing students who have completed their studies at Villanova. CPS was pleased to recognize its students' accomplishments, including 48 bachelor’s degrees, six associate degrees, and eight members of the VUnited Scholars program.
- Ambitiously Ahead of Schedule: Zachary Amos to Graduate from CPS at 19-Years-Old This May, while many 19-year-olds are finishing their freshman year of college, Zachary Amos is graduating with his bachelor’s degree in Information Systems & Technology (IST) from Villanova’s College of Professional Studies (CPS). After earning an associate degree at 17, he worked to complete his degree and start a career that will begin with a trip across the world to serve others.
- Resourcefulness and Resilience: Bella Cipresso's Journey from Cabrini to Villanova and Her Degree When Cabrini University and Villanova University finalized the agreement between their institutions, both sides stressed that the impact and legacy of Cabrini were to continue as part of Villanova. Bella Cipresso, a former Cabrini student and graduate of Villanova’s College of Professional Studies (CPS), epitomizes those efforts. Cipresso completed her degree at Villanova while fully immersing herself in the Villanova community. For her excellence in the classroom, she was awarded the academic medallion for her program.
- Villanova University Appoints the Rev. David Cregan, OSA, PhD, as Dean of the College of Professional Studies Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, ’75 CLAS, today announced the appointment of the Rev. David Cregan, OSA, PhD, ’89 CLAS, as Dean of the College of Professional Studies (CPS), effective August 1.
- Faculty Spotlight: Marvin Meissner, MBA In professional education, the value of a course often depends on how well faculty can connect theory to the realities of working adults. At Villanova, that connection is shaped by faculty practitioners who bring field experience, perspective and practical judgment into the classroom. For Marv Meissner, that means combining decades of industry, leadership and training experience with a teaching approach rooted in real-world application.
- Lean Six Sigma 101 Lean Six Sigma is a continuous improvement methodology that combines two established strategies: Lean and Six Sigma. These methods create a comprehensive framework that drives organizations toward streamlined processes, reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction, among other benefits.
- What Is Digital Badging? June 6th, 2024 - In a competitive job market where professionals are seeking to stand out from the crowd, discover how digital badging can propel you to toward your next promotion, accelerate your career growth, and fuel your commitment to lifelong learning.
- Evening of Celebration 2024 On Thursday, May 17, the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts hosted the CPS Evening of Celebration, a momentous occasion for students and their guests to celebrate accomplishments with CPS faculty and staff. Highlights included student and faculty speakers as well as honors and recognition of exceptional CPS students.
- CPS Students Experience Study Abroad in Portugal Villanova's College of Professional Studies offers its students the opportunity to study abroad. Through the European Innovation Academy, CPS students are gaining hands-on entrepreneurial experience, collaborating with students from around the globe, and immersing themselves in a new culture.
- Against All Odds: Tracey Barnes Student Spotlight Tracey Barnes is a living testament to the power of human resilience and the transformative impact of education. As a young mother facing overwhelming challenges, she defied expectations and forged a path to success. Her journey is a compelling narrative of determination, faith, and the importance of a supportive community.