Colorado Tech Online Faculty
Meet Joan Janowich
School of Business
Teaches Accounting and Finance courses
Working With Each Other
Instructor Joan Janowich clearly feels a strong connection to her students that goes well beyond the virtual classroom. She truly understands the difficulties and challenges many of these students—particularly single parents—face in juggling family and work responsibilities while trying to expand their education. "I was a single mom who went back to school while I was working full-time to support my kids. I was already 34 before I graduated from North Central College in Wheaton, IL with a BA in Accounting. Then I took a break from school to raise the money needed to pay for my graduate studies. In 1993 I completed my Master's degree in Accounting at Nova University in Davie, Florida.
Because she has a very real understanding of the stresses adult students often face when returning to school, Janowich encourages them in every way she can. "I understand the challenges they're coping with because I had to deal with them too. So when I see a student struggling, I make it a point to tell them, 'If you work with me, I'll work with you.' It's almost magical. Just letting them know that you care is often all the encouragement they need to succeed."
But Janowich does far more than just offer moral support. Fourteen years as Senior Risk Management Specialist with CUNA Mutual Group taught her that the seemingly staid subject of business accounting can hold the key to solving important criminal investigations. And with several years experience teaching at business colleges on site and online, she has a knack for helping criminal justice students who may not be particularly expert at accounting, make the connection between theoretical learning and real life applications.
"One of my goals as a teacher is to show students just how important knowledge of accounting can be in building a solid case when dealing with white collar crime," explains Janowich. "I know how to look at a financial situation with an investigator's eye. And I often use real life examples from my own forensic accounting background to make the course material more meaningful to my students. I want to inspire them not only to achieve their best in my subject, but to understand how and why the material we cover in accounting applies to their other courses."
Today, Joan Janowich teaches a variety of business courses online and also works for her husband's firm providing accounting services to entrepreneurial businesses and individuals. As with most Colorado Tech Online faculty members, her hands-on application of the skills she teaches gives her classes a strong sense of real life relevance. And her commitment to and respect for Colorado Tech Online students adds a potent dimension to her interaction with them.
"I feel incredibly honored to teach at Colorado Tech Online. The students are some of the brightest, hardest working and most motivated individuals it has ever been my pleasure to work with. And the administration does everything it can to support them in their educational endeavors. I just love being a part of it all and look forward to doing this for many years to come."
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