MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Capella Education Company (CPLA), a provider of online post-secondary education, primarily through its wholly owned subsidiary Capella University, today announced financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2012.

Leading business indicators are strengthening, said Kevin Gilligan, chairman and chief executive officer. While the market environment remains challenging, we have improved our execution as we continue to gain experience in our new marketing and learner success strategies, continued Gilligan. Capella has a reputation for quality online academic programs, a track record of regulatory compliance and demonstrated career outcomes for our graduates. This is a strong foundation as we build Capella for long-term sustainable growth.

For the three months ended June 30, 2012:

For the six-month period ended June 30, 2012:

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of June 30, 2012, the Company had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $123.7 million, compared to $127.0 million at Dec. 31, 2011, and no debt for the same periods.

Cash flow from operations for the six months ended June 30, 2012 was $35.6 million compared to $45.0 million in the same period a year ago.

Share Repurchase

The Company repurchased approximately 700,000 shares of Capella stock for total consideration of $25.5 million during the six-month period ended June 30, 2012.In the second quarter 2012, the Company repurchased approximately 390,000 shares of Capella stock for total consideration of $12.5 million. The remaining authorization as of the end of the second quarter was $34.2 million.

Original post:
Capella Education Company Reports Second Quarter 2012 Results

By Public Affairs, UC Berkeley | July 24, 2012

By the Executive Committee for Online Education

Elements of higher education are moving online very quickly. More than 30% of all enrolled college students, some six million people, participated in online learning at accredited U.S. colleges and universities in 2011. At the same time, online higher education is still at an early stage of development, with enormous opportunities for experimentation and learning. Every student, faculty and staff member, administrator, and alumnus has an interest in how we approach this opportunity. This document proposes principles to guide Berkeleys strategy for online education that should assist units in designing online education offerings, clarify campus-level priorities, and accelerate Berkeleys growing reputation for leadership in this area.

Our approach to online education reflects five principles:

Our approach to enacting online programs will adhere to an approach that has served Berkeley well in all of our other initiatives. This is characterized by:

Categories: Campus news, Education Tags: administration, Chancellor Birgeneau, education

Read more:
Principles of UC Berkeley’s online education strategy

People do yoga to relax and relieve stress. You may find it surprising that kids find it helpful for the very same reasons.

Levi says yoga helps him focus. When asked, "Are there times in class when you think, ugh... I just need to do yoga?", he responded, "Yeah, like when I'm doing math or writing because I sometimes get stressed out."

Levi's yoga teacher Brynne Caleda decided to combine her two passions, yoga and education, using yoga as a tool in an academic environment. "The idea that if children have tools for self regulation that that goes in tandem with academic achievement and success," she said.

Preliminary results of her pilot program at Ala Wai Elementary school show an increase in attendance, class participation, focus and concentration, with reduced levels of stress and anxiety. Eight year old Riley says, "It makes me feel focused and like relieved."

"I feel like I get all of my pain out and then I get to have fun," said Quinn. Oliver says "It makes me feel balanced and calm." Oliver Nishikawa has been practicing yoga for three and a half years. I asked him what he would teach other kids his age, "I would teach them turtle, tree and rock because turtle you really get to stretch your body, tree you get to feel balance and rock you just get to be calm," he said.

Stretching, balance and calm, things we could all use in our daily lives. Why not make it a part of your routine? Levi says, "I like to do it with my mom and dad." His father Jaco said, "He has a video now so at night he says 'oh let's do some yoga' so we put the video on and we kind of do it as a family."

Yoga media is easy to find on the internet or if you'd like to check out Brynne's educational yoga DVD, check outomolulu.com.

Copyright 2012 America Now. All rights reserved.

Read the rest here:
Kids can benefit from yoga, and have fun

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW6Lc8Iv2T8

22-07-2012 14:26 ViSalus is committed to championing Life, Health and Prosperity around the world and supporting people to achieve whatever personal victories they set their mind to. So for anyone who's up for the Challenge, we're providing huge rewards! Just for working toward your health goals, ViSalus is offering over $25000000 a year in free products, prizes, and vacations for those with the best 90-day transformations. Learn more about ViSalus and Kevin Maher Let's become friends on Facebook

Here is the original post:
Who's Up for A Challenge? Join The #1 Health And Fitness Challenge Today | Kevin Maher - Video

Newell and Diggins Talk Skiing, Fitness And Olympics With YMCA Summer Camp Kids In Brooklyn

Andy Newell working with YMCA campers on July 19 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Katie Osgood.

Press Release

T2 FOUNDATION/U.S. SKI TEAM ATHLETES ANDY NEWELL AND JESSIE DIGGINSTALK SKIING, FITNESS AND OLYMPICS WITH YMCA SUMMER CAMP KIDS IN BROOKLYN

Brooklyn, New York As the world gears for the summer Olympic games in London, T2 Foundation and U.S. Ski Team members Jessie Diggins and Andy Newell met with YMCA campers to talk about what it takes to be a world-class athlete, the importance of fitness and the meaning of team spirit, while introducing kids to cross-country skiing.

The event was organized by the T2 Foundation, a non-profit committed to supporting elite athletes and inspiring youth, SIA, the trade association for snow sports, which is interested in promoting all aspects of cross-country skiing and the YMCA, which is committed to nurturing the potential of kids, promoting healthy living and fostering a sense of social responsibility.

Over 140 campers age 7-12 took part in the event.

Before learning a series of exercises Jessie and Andy use in their everyday training, like critter crawls and various types of bounding with ski poles, the group gathered for a talk about being a World Cup athlete and Olympian. They watched a video of the athletes racing this winter and they got a show and tell of cross-country equipment. The crowd went wild when Andy strapped on his roller skis and raced around the indoor track.

Go around the track, go around the track! they chanted.

The event was a total success. The kids loved meeting Andy and Jessie and having the chance to interact with them. Hopefully, the kids will be inspired and carry the experience with them, Marina Knight, Director of the T2 Foundation said.

Read more from the original source:
Newell and Diggins Talk Skiing, Fitness And Olympics With YMCA Summer Camp Kids In Brooklyn

Monday, July 23, 2012 | 10:58 a.m. CDT; updated 2:00 p.m. CDT, Monday, July 23, 2012

BY The Associated Press

NEVADA The western Missouri city of Nevada is embarking on a health care initiative which organizers hope could become a model for communities around the nation.

The goal is to improve both the health of the residents and the quality of health care they receive.

The Kansas City-based health care technology company Cerner is teaming up with local officials on the initiative. The city's hospital will spend $10 million on an electronic medical records system that will allow information to be shared with the town's two dozen doctors and medical experts in bigger cities.

Nevada's city government may build bike lanes and sidewalks to encourage exercise. An educational campaign will promote better nutrition and health screenings. Residents will alsocompete in fitness challenges like walking and weight-loss contests.

Report corrections or additions here. Leave comments below here.

You must be logged in to participate in the Show Me the Errors contest.

Speak up and join the conversation! Make sure to follow the guidelines outlined below and register with our site. You must be logged in to comment. (Our full comment policy is here.)

See more here:
Rural Missouri town serves as health care experiment

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. & NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

As part of its long-standing commitment to improving the quality of life of its members, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield has agreed to a four-year extension through 2015 of its current contract offering Healthways (HWAY) award-winning SilverSneakers Fitness Program to eligible members. SilverSneakers, the nations leading exercise program designed to keep older adults active and healthy, is offered to Arkansas Blue Cross more than 120,000 Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplement members.

Providing programs and services to help our Medi-Pak and Medi-Pak Advantage members be their healthy best is an important aspect of our health plans, said Cindy Thornton, vice president of Senior Products. SilverSneakers continues to be one of the benefits that helps our members feel better and enhance their quality of life. Our members tell us SilverSneakers has made a difference in their health and well-being, and Arkansas Blue Cross is committed to keeping this program available to our members at no additional cost to them.

Using proven methodologies based upon more than 16 years of science and outcomes, the SilverSneakers Fitness Program increases physical activity in older adults, resulting in higher well-being and lower health care costs. The program engages participants in active behavior change through access to a variety of physical activity venues and senior-specific programming that incorporates physical fitness and social experiences.

As part of their mission, Arkansas Blue Cross offers products and services designed to create high customer value, confidence, peace of mind and an improved quality of life. By continuing to offer SilverSneakers to its Medi-Pak Advantage and Medi-Pak members, Arkansas Blue Cross is demonstrating its ongoing commitment to its older adult members through a time-tested, proven solution that provides a unique combination of exercise and social support to improve members health and overall well-being, said Ben R. Leedle, Jr., Healthways president and chief executive officer.

The enduring success of the program is evidenced through the SilverSneakers Fitness Program 2011 Annual Member Survey. According to the results, four out of five new members who were previously sedentary report, at least, doubling their amount of weekly exercise. Additionally, more than half of new members indicated that their SilverSneakers membership was their first fitness center membership. Fifty-six percent of SilverSneakers participants reported an increase in physical activity compared to the previous year, and a majority of participants reported reduced pain from arthritis, sciatica or lower back problems after participating in the program.

The SilverSneakers Fitness Program was founded in 1993 and serves more than 9 million eligible members. The Healthways fitness center network offers convenient access to 14,000 participating fitness and wellness facilities nationwide. Arkansas Blue Cross has provided SilverSneakers access to eligible members since 2007.

About Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Founded in 1948, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is the largest health insurer in Arkansas. Arkansas Blue Cross and its affiliates have more than 2,800 employees. If combined, the 38 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans collectively provide health care coverage for 100 million nearly one in three Americans.

About Healthways

Continue reading here:
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield Extends Relationship with Healthways, Offers SilverSneakers Fitness Program ...

Last weekend, my dad told my mom that their "retirement guy" had called and told them to transfer their assets from one mutual fund to another. Upon hearing this, I asked who "their guy" was and what the fees and performance were for these funds. They didn't know either.

According to Teresa Ghilarducci, a professor of economics and retirement specialist, this is fairly commonplace: "I repeatedly hear about the 'guy.' When I ask how much the 'guy' costs ... or if their investments do better than a standard low-fee benchmark, they inevitably don't know."

Though I actually think my parents will be just fine in retirement, this uninformed approach to retirement planning will be a major crisis in coming years. According to recent estimates, there are 58 million Americans between the ages of 50 and 64. The median retirement savings for this group is only $26,000 per person.

To give you an idea of how scant that $26,000 will be when combined with Social Security and spread out over the rest of one's life, consider this: Almost half of these middle-class workers will be living on a food budget of $5 per day.

According to Ghilarducci, a safe rule of thumb is that you must have 20 times your annual salary saved up by the time you retire. If you earn $75,000 per year, you need $1.5 million saved up to retire with a similar lifestyle.

Even those who are saving are getting screwed But even if you are doing a great job saving for retirement, there's an insidious, almost undetectable culprit eating away at your savings: mutual fund fees. Whether we are forced into certain plans by our employers or choose them based on our "guy's" suggestions, mutual funds are still a popular vehicle for retirement savings.

A casual glance at a mutual fund's expense ratio might show a seemingly low percentage that you're charged each year. My parents, for instance, had been locked into a mutual fund with an expense ratio of 1% for decades. It seems low, but those fees can really add up over time.

Let's take a relatively simple example and assume my parents' mutual fund earned 9.8% per year -- the S&P 500 average between 1970 and 2011 -- and that they've been putting away $5,000 per year for 40 years. At this point in time, their savings would total about $1.7 million.

Source: Author's calculations.

Of course, these kinds of returns aren't too bad. The problem is that a group of Wall Street "pros" have been getting rich off folks like my parents for years, and not enough people realize it. You see, the 1% charged every year is what the mutual fund's managers charge for their "expertise" in picking winning stocks and sectors.

Go here to read the rest:
The Shocking Retirement Numbers That Will Blow You Away

(MoneyWatch) Although most people are willing and able to save more for retirement, they're often unsure just how to go about it, according to recent survey by State Street Global Advisors that highlights this so-called action gap.

A large majority of the respondents -- 83 percent -- said they could cut their household budget by at least five percent to increase their retirement savings, while 64 percent said they could cut back as much as 10 percent. Fifty-two percent of the surveyed employees said they'd even be willing to increase their 401(k) contributions to as much as 10 percent of their pay if their employer automatically increased their 401(k) savings rate by one percent each year.

So what's stopping people from saving more? Frankly, it's a head-scratcher. For example, although 78 percent of the respondents said they know it's important to determine how much they must save to ensure a secure retirement, only 33 percent claim to have the knowledge to calculate that amount.

The Retirement Savings Menu: a visual take on how much you should save How to pick a target date fund Top tips for using retirement calculators

I realize that it takes some time and effort to estimate how much you need to save for retirement, and I've written previously about how to figure that out. But let me give you some additional advice: If you have the room to reduce your household budget by five to 10 percent so you can save for retirement, go ahead and save more.

Unsure how of much you need to save to have a secure retirement? Don't use that as an excuse to put off saving more -- chances are high that you're not saving enough and that you're short by a large margin, so any additional savings is much better than doing nothing.

Today, go online to your 401(k) plan administrator or pick up the phone and increase your retirement contributions by five to 10 percent of your pay. Then take the time in the weeks and months ahead to calculate how much you should save for retirement and adjust your contributions accordingly.

Don't know how to invest? Don't let that hold you back. Pick the target date fund in your plan if one is available, or select a mutual fund that's balanced evenly between stocks and bonds. You can always take the time later to learn more about investing. Today, though, go ahead and save more.

If you don't have a 401(k) plan, explore purchasing an IRA, or simply open an investment account with an established mutual fund company. Vanguard, Fidelity, and T. Rowe Price are all good places to start for any type of retirement savings; they have low-cost mutual funds and non-commissioned telephone representatives who will guide you through the process. So go ahead and save more.

If you're like many people who are motivated by emotions rather than logic, check out my Retirement Savings Menu post. It motivates you to save more by showing you what your life could be like in retirement.

See more here:
How to beat the retirement savings "action gap"

BOSTON, July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --John Hancock Funds has launched a new program designed to help retirement plan advisers demonstrate their value and build stronger client relationships. Available on the John Hancock Funds' adviser web site, http://www.jhfunds.com, the program, "Focus on Value: What Matters Most to Your Clients and How to Build on It," includes a Guidebook, Wholesaler PowerPoint, and Plan Sponsor Toolkit.

In addition, John Hancock participated as a co-sponsor for a survey and study of plan sponsors released in the spring and called: "Can a Professional Retirement Plan Adviser Really Make That Much of a Difference?" The survey findings provide first-person insight into ways that plan sponsors believe retirement plan advisers may bring the greatest value to their plans and participants.

"New Department of Labor regulations this year require retirement plan service providers to reveal investment expenses and fees to plan sponsors. The right adviser can help monitor and review fees to ensure compliance," noted Gene Huxhold, Senior Managing Director, Investment Only Retirement Plans. "Our materials illuminate insights and provide steps to boost the specific values that plan sponsors recognize and appreciate most about service the retirement plan advisers provide. John Hancock is committed to the Investment Only space and to helping retirement plan advisers express their value to plans and participants."

The new Guidebook from John Hancock Funds includes five key findings from the research study whereby plan sponsors offered observations about what retirement plan advisers bring to their plans:

The guidebook also offers corresponding practice management tips for advisers.

Also available are the Wholesaler PowerPoint, a client-facing presentation that mirrors the Guidebook and is formatted for iPad delivery, and the Plan Sponsor Toolkit, which offers a comprehensive approach to evaluating a new or existing financial adviser for a company's retirement plan.

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds manages more than $74.5 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, college savings and retirement plans, and related party assets for individual and institutional investors as at March 31, 2012.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation

John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. In 2012, John Hancock celebrates 150 years of serving clients across the United States, while Manulife celebrates its 125th anniversary. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, Manulife Financial Corporation offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$512 billion (US$512 billion) as at March 31, 2012. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

See the article here:
John Hancock Funds Launches Program To Help Retirement Plan Advisers Demonstrate Their Value