The Details

In my previous post, I covered the philosophical reasons that inspired me to go back to school and earn a second graduate degree.  Here are the details:

What: MA  – Communication and Organizational Leadership

From: Gonzaga University (Bing Crosby attended Gonzaga.  *swoon*)

Will enable me to: Teach communication at the community college level – no, I’m not leaving my job at EOU.  I love what I do, I just really enjoy teaching, and this is an area I believe can make a difference.

Why: Communication often gets watered down to public speaking.  That is important, but communication is ever so much more.  I believe it is important for students to think about communication as more than simply giving prepared presentations.

Did I move?: No.  This is an online program.  There is a residential component.  I can take a weekend class at Gonzaga, or go to Italy for 17 days and earn a certificate in International Media.    Planning on and actively working towards Italy.

Why a Blog?: Three reasons.  (1) I’m taking a Social Dynamics of Communication and Technology course the second half of Spring Semester.  My guess is there will be some requirement for engagement through technology beyond Blackboard; it only makes sense to experience what you study.  Getting a head start designing a blog seemed like a good use of my week off.  (2) It’s a good place to catalog learning, ideas, events, and reflections.  Had I done something like this for the first degree, my portfolio may not have dominated two months of my life. (3) I asked my friends to help keep me accountable to a work-school-life balance.  This will help them track me a little better.

Why I’ve Gone Back to School

Don’t think I haven’t asked myself if I’m not just a little crazy to be headed back to school only four years after earning my M.Ed.  I have.  At least a hundred times.  My decision means fewer nights to myself,  less sleep, limited time with family and friends, and a tough juggling act with work. Though Spencer (my dog) isn’t sure this was a great decision, I’m more and more convinced this was the right program at the right time.

Throughout my twelve year tenure in higher education, my passion has been working with community college students.   I relish the challenge of creating pathways to education for people who believe college is not an option for their future.   After earning my M.Ed. at Oregon State University, I returned to work in an economically depressed region of Eastern Oregon to do just that.   I work in close partnership with a community college; the students with whom I work are largely non-traditional age, minority students transitioning from a two-year to a four-year institution.  Often, I am the only cheerleader these students have; they struggle to believe in themselves and their own potential.  I try to instill a sense of pride in their future, accomplishment in their work, and a sense of responsibility to their local, regional, and global community.

I believe earning a degree is a privilege.  Bestowed upon those to whom this privilege is afforded is a responsibility to put good back into the world – a responsibility to use the education earned to give someone else a hand up, break the cycles of abuse and oppression inherent in our society, and stand up for what is right.  Earning a degree cannot be solely about the individual who earns the degree; it must be about our collective abilities to create a better society.  We all have a responsibility to create a society in which ethics, morals, and values are honored; a society better armed to face the challenges of the future than the one into which we were born.  These are ideals not discussed often enough in many college classrooms.

Curriculum can no longer merely reflect subject mastery; it must challenge students’ belief systems, arouse a desire to broaden the lens through which they view the world, inspire them to develop within themselves a code of ethics and values, and light in them a fire and passion for learning and excellence beyond the classroom.    We focus so strongly on degree completion as the measure of success for institutions of higher education we forget, for our students, the degree is, more often than not, the end of the journey.  It is the journey that equips them with the tools to be successful and create positive change, and it is that precious time in our classrooms that we must use to expand their skill sets.  Because so many educators and institutions fail to place the focus of college on the journey rather than the destination, so do our students.

In today’s economy, I frequently see students who believe “Cs get degrees.” They are also often under the mistaken impression that end goal of education is a degree.  They believe a degree of any kind, a simple piece of paper, will set them apart in the job market.  The key pieces of longevity in today’s workplace and success as a global citizen is the ability to confidently step up to a leadership role and to communicate appropriately and effectively.

I plan to use the education I receive at Gonzaga to teach within the community college system.  I want to equip students with the needed skill set to recognize their education is more than a piece of paper; it must be about the ability to use their talents and passions to create positive change.  My goals are neither lofty nor particularly glamorous, but I believe they are vitally important to the strength and future of our society.