Posts
I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit weary of news headlines at the moment. Of course, as a former journalist, I understand why they are so doom and gloomy because after all, we must be an informed citizenry and the unpleasantness going on the world is news. Since I like to keep up with current events I continue to scan headlines often.
A recent New York Times headline really caught my eye the other day – “Placing the Blame as Students are Buried in Debt” – and I immediately stopped what I was doing to read. It was shocking. It tells the story of a young woman determined to get a degree from a top college, assuming it would be worth it in the end. Well, she now has a degree from New York University which cost her nearly $100,000 and a job in San Francisco that pays her $22 an hour working for a photographer. She attends night school to defer her loan payments while interest is accruing. How on earth she will ever dig out is beyond her.
Who is responsible for this tragedy, and it is a tragedy because who in life can start out with that kind of debt and terrible credit history. Is it the student for continuously feeding the tuition monster of a private university? Is it her mother who co-signed from some of her daughter’s loans thinking the payoff would be worth it? The banks, perhaps, for still lending a student huge sums of money, or, financial aid advisors? These are all worthy things to consider because I certainly don’t have the answers.
What I do know is that ultimately, while higher education is worth it, bankrupting yourself to achieve it is not.
There are scholarship opportunities out there – it takes some due diligence to find them and apply – as well as Pell Grants and other federal aid that does not have to be repaid.
The cost of a degree from the College of Liberal Studies is broken down by credit hour in the box below. As you can see, these rates fall far below that of a private or for-profit institution and in my mind the result is the same which is a quality degree from a well known university. When it comes to value, the Princeton Review ranks OU in the top 10 in terms of academic excellence and affordability.
Resident Nonresident Military
Undergraduate $225 $550 $250
Graduate $260 $670 $275
I feel an obligation to help students make knowledgeable choices about financial decisions. Help and assistance is out there but you have to ask before you sign.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Walking the walk
I thought I would introduce you to another of our staff members here in the bachelor's advising office this week because she is someone who completed her degree with us while working here. If anyone understands what it is like to be a student in the College of Liberal Studies, it's Jennifer Gatlin. Here she is, in her own words.
My educational journey began like many students in the College of Liberal Studies. When I was in high school I did fairly well, hitting the honor roll enough times to hold my head high and simply assumed that college was in my future. After graduating, I decided to take a semester off and get a job while deciding what I wanted to do with my life.
Well, that one semester quickly turned into four-and-a half-years! I always intended to start on my degree, but life had fallen into a sort of stall pattern and I just never got the shove that I needed to make me take action. That is, until one evening when I was visiting with my mother-in-law and she said, “Jennifer, time will pass whether you do anything with it or not,” and it really hit home.
I think within a month of that conversation I had enrolled in my first courses at Oklahoma City Community College. What she said to me has become a mantra that I have tried to live by ever since.
When I joined the CLS staff in 2004, I boasted six college credits on my resume. I continued to take courses at OCCC in the evenings and on weekends as I became acquainted with, and talked to, other people about the CLS program. Eventually, I actually saw the liberal studies program working for people! I would attend our convocation ceremonies and recognize the names of graduates as they crossed the stage and recall conversations I had with them as prospective students. That was really inspiring.
In 2006 I enrolled in the 100 percent online bachelor’s in liberal studies program and never looked back. During the next three years I steadily worked my way through the program while” life” continued to happen. I maintained a full-time job, kept the home fires burning while my husband was mobilized for a year-long deployment to Afghanistan, relocated upon his return and had a baby all by the time I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree in 2009.
In the criminal justice program I had the opportunity to learn more about our criminal justice systems than I ever had before. I reviewed and critiqued numerous case studies, learned about true crime scene processing techniques, and how to provide analytical analysis to debated issues in the criminal justice system – not so easy to do without letting my personal opinion cloud my judgment! I even had the opportunity to learn about criminal justice systems on a global level and compare our processes to those of other countries and to discuss how those differences impact global law enforcement initiatives. The things I learned in this program allowed me to see the bigger picture and look at individual processes and decisions with a more objective point of view, which is a valuable tool in every facet of life.
Earning my degree has meant so much to me. Not only has it opened a window of opportunity for me to explore new passions, but just as importantly, it has shown me that when I commit to a goal, I truly can see it through. That is a life lesson not easily forgotten. - Jennifer Gatlin, College of Liberal Studies Student Services Assistant,Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, 2009
My educational journey began like many students in the College of Liberal Studies. When I was in high school I did fairly well, hitting the honor roll enough times to hold my head high and simply assumed that college was in my future. After graduating, I decided to take a semester off and get a job while deciding what I wanted to do with my life.
Well, that one semester quickly turned into four-and-a half-years! I always intended to start on my degree, but life had fallen into a sort of stall pattern and I just never got the shove that I needed to make me take action. That is, until one evening when I was visiting with my mother-in-law and she said, “Jennifer, time will pass whether you do anything with it or not,” and it really hit home.
I think within a month of that conversation I had enrolled in my first courses at Oklahoma City Community College. What she said to me has become a mantra that I have tried to live by ever since.
When I joined the CLS staff in 2004, I boasted six college credits on my resume. I continued to take courses at OCCC in the evenings and on weekends as I became acquainted with, and talked to, other people about the CLS program. Eventually, I actually saw the liberal studies program working for people! I would attend our convocation ceremonies and recognize the names of graduates as they crossed the stage and recall conversations I had with them as prospective students. That was really inspiring.
In 2006 I enrolled in the 100 percent online bachelor’s in liberal studies program and never looked back. During the next three years I steadily worked my way through the program while” life” continued to happen. I maintained a full-time job, kept the home fires burning while my husband was mobilized for a year-long deployment to Afghanistan, relocated upon his return and had a baby all by the time I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree in 2009.
In the criminal justice program I had the opportunity to learn more about our criminal justice systems than I ever had before. I reviewed and critiqued numerous case studies, learned about true crime scene processing techniques, and how to provide analytical analysis to debated issues in the criminal justice system – not so easy to do without letting my personal opinion cloud my judgment! I even had the opportunity to learn about criminal justice systems on a global level and compare our processes to those of other countries and to discuss how those differences impact global law enforcement initiatives. The things I learned in this program allowed me to see the bigger picture and look at individual processes and decisions with a more objective point of view, which is a valuable tool in every facet of life.
Earning my degree has meant so much to me. Not only has it opened a window of opportunity for me to explore new passions, but just as importantly, it has shown me that when I commit to a goal, I truly can see it through. That is a life lesson not easily forgotten. - Jennifer Gatlin, College of Liberal Studies Student Services Assistant,Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, 2009
Friday, June 11, 2010
Meet your advisor
From time-to-time, I thought it would be nice to include profiles of our academic advisors in the College. They work tirelessly to ensure that you have every opportunity for success as you work toward earning your degree.
Here is Kacee Robertson.
Kacee would love for life to be like a musical. A student needs something extra? Time or credits perhaps? In Kacee’s world, people randomly break out into song to express their point of view, plead their case or just simply for the fun of it.
In reality, Kacee helps College of Liberal Studies students the more predictable way in achieving their goal of earning a bachelor’s degree. Online and on the phone, she has been guiding CLS students from her third floor McCarter Hall office for more than a year-and-half. She provides the graduation plans, instructions and information they need to be successful.
A 2004 graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Kacee herself did not take the traditional same-school, four-year route to earn her bachelor’s degree. Kacee first attended Carl Albert State College (CASC) in her far east Oklahoma hometown of Poteau where she earned an associate’s degree in English. Then, she headed to Northeastern State College in Tahlequah before coming to OU to study journalism and public relations.
Kacee has experience working with Upward Bound, the federally funded program for first generation high school students who plan to go to college. She also worked as an ACT residual supervisor, general education academic advisor and was an adjunct instructor of Composition I and Business Communications at her alma mater, CASC.
After three years in Poteau, Kacee moved back to Norman in September 2008. In December of that year, she completed a Master of Arts in Leadership Education.
She loves live music, no matter what kind and attends nearly 30 concerts a year to hear it. Among her favorites – Miranda Lambert, Bonnie Raitt, Ben Folds, and old school country guys like Roger Miller.
Kacee played percussion in her high school marching band and more recently decided to take up a string instrument. She chose to learn to play the banjo because really, what’s cooler than a banjo?
Along with music and musicals, she enjoys independent films, comedies and foreign movies. The best part of her day is when she is greeted by Bark Robertson, her Corgi.
Here is Kacee Robertson.
Kacee would love for life to be like a musical. A student needs something extra? Time or credits perhaps? In Kacee’s world, people randomly break out into song to express their point of view, plead their case or just simply for the fun of it.
In reality, Kacee helps College of Liberal Studies students the more predictable way in achieving their goal of earning a bachelor’s degree. Online and on the phone, she has been guiding CLS students from her third floor McCarter Hall office for more than a year-and-half. She provides the graduation plans, instructions and information they need to be successful.
A 2004 graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Kacee herself did not take the traditional same-school, four-year route to earn her bachelor’s degree. Kacee first attended Carl Albert State College (CASC) in her far east Oklahoma hometown of Poteau where she earned an associate’s degree in English. Then, she headed to Northeastern State College in Tahlequah before coming to OU to study journalism and public relations.
Kacee has experience working with Upward Bound, the federally funded program for first generation high school students who plan to go to college. She also worked as an ACT residual supervisor, general education academic advisor and was an adjunct instructor of Composition I and Business Communications at her alma mater, CASC.
After three years in Poteau, Kacee moved back to Norman in September 2008. In December of that year, she completed a Master of Arts in Leadership Education.
She loves live music, no matter what kind and attends nearly 30 concerts a year to hear it. Among her favorites – Miranda Lambert, Bonnie Raitt, Ben Folds, and old school country guys like Roger Miller.
Kacee played percussion in her high school marching band and more recently decided to take up a string instrument. She chose to learn to play the banjo because really, what’s cooler than a banjo?
Along with music and musicals, she enjoys independent films, comedies and foreign movies. The best part of her day is when she is greeted by Bark Robertson, her Corgi.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
What is your Motivation for Learning?
About 50 years ago, roughly the same time the College of Liberal Studies was being created, a guy named Cyril Houle conducted a famous adult learning research project. The results of the project were published in a book, The Inquiring Mind, by the University of Oklahoma Press in the early 60s. The book had a big impact on adult learning theory, as well as my own thinking when I read it several years ago.
Houle wanted to know what it is that motivates adult students to seek learning opportunities. What makes an adult learner decide to actively seek out a class, a book, or a teacher? Why do they do it, and what is the payoff?
To answer these questions, Houle conducted in-depth interviews with 22 adults who were “conspicuously engaged in various forms of continuing learning” (p. 13). His interviews led him to identify three basic motivations for adult learners:
• Goal-oriented learners – who use education as a means of achieving some other goal(s);
• Activity-oriented learners – who participate in education for the sake of the activity itself and social interaction;
• Learning-oriented learners – who seek knowledge for its own sake.
Houle’s findings have been debated, challenged, disputed, affirmed and expanded upon for years. Some say the typology of learners he creates is too simplistic. Others say the number of students it is based upon was too small to have any validity. My personal experience after working with adult learners for 18 years is that Houle’s broad categories are very accurate.
By far, the majority of the students I deal with in CLS seem to be goal-oriented learners. They want, even need, a degree to help them advance in their professions and careers. These students are focused on moving through their degree program with the greatest efficiency and speed possible. We have designed our programs and student services to help them do just that.
Our hope, however, is that while we are helping goal-oriented learners to achieve their goal(s), we are at the same time serving – and even creating – students who are learning-oriented. We try to offer courses and curriculum that will entice, engage, interest and bait our students into a life-long, passionate pursuit of knowledge just for the sake of learning. It is my observation that most of us administrators and faculty members are learning-oriented ourselves. We enjoy learning and thinking about new things, whether or not they have a practical or pragmatic value to our lives or careers. We enjoy being engaged in what has been called “the life of mind.”
For our students reading this blog entry, I would ask you to pause for a moment and think about your own motivation for learning. Why are you pursuing your degree? Have you noticed yourself becoming more confident, more passionate, more interested in your studies and the world around you? If so, you may be discovering that you are, or have become, a learning-oriented adult learner.
Houle wanted to know what it is that motivates adult students to seek learning opportunities. What makes an adult learner decide to actively seek out a class, a book, or a teacher? Why do they do it, and what is the payoff?
To answer these questions, Houle conducted in-depth interviews with 22 adults who were “conspicuously engaged in various forms of continuing learning” (p. 13). His interviews led him to identify three basic motivations for adult learners:
• Goal-oriented learners – who use education as a means of achieving some other goal(s);
• Activity-oriented learners – who participate in education for the sake of the activity itself and social interaction;
• Learning-oriented learners – who seek knowledge for its own sake.
Houle’s findings have been debated, challenged, disputed, affirmed and expanded upon for years. Some say the typology of learners he creates is too simplistic. Others say the number of students it is based upon was too small to have any validity. My personal experience after working with adult learners for 18 years is that Houle’s broad categories are very accurate.
By far, the majority of the students I deal with in CLS seem to be goal-oriented learners. They want, even need, a degree to help them advance in their professions and careers. These students are focused on moving through their degree program with the greatest efficiency and speed possible. We have designed our programs and student services to help them do just that.
Our hope, however, is that while we are helping goal-oriented learners to achieve their goal(s), we are at the same time serving – and even creating – students who are learning-oriented. We try to offer courses and curriculum that will entice, engage, interest and bait our students into a life-long, passionate pursuit of knowledge just for the sake of learning. It is my observation that most of us administrators and faculty members are learning-oriented ourselves. We enjoy learning and thinking about new things, whether or not they have a practical or pragmatic value to our lives or careers. We enjoy being engaged in what has been called “the life of mind.”
For our students reading this blog entry, I would ask you to pause for a moment and think about your own motivation for learning. Why are you pursuing your degree? Have you noticed yourself becoming more confident, more passionate, more interested in your studies and the world around you? If so, you may be discovering that you are, or have become, a learning-oriented adult learner.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Scholarships 2010
I believe I can safely say that one of the first things students think about is how to pay for their education, no matter what their age. Students in the College of Liberal Studies are certainly no exception. Finances might be even more of a question for you with your many responsibilities as an adult student.
Good news! Here are some scholarship opportunities for you to consider.
1. The Undergraduate or Graduate Start-up Scholarship.
As the name implies, this scholarship is for students who are beginning their first semester in our bachelor’s or master’s program. The amount available is $500.
2. The Osher Reentry Scholarship.
The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, provides scholarship funds to colleges and universities across the country intended especially for students who are returning to school. Specifically, these funds are available by application for:
a. Students who have been out of school and are returning to complete their first undergraduate degree, or;
b. Students who are enrolled or were previously enrolled in on-site/hybrid classes at any University of Oklahoma site such as Oklahoma City Community College, Rose State College, OU-Tulsa, OU-Norman, Ponca City, and Lawton/Ft. Sill.
Up to $1400 is available via tuition waiver.
The deadline for summer is soon – June 4 –and for the fall the deadline is Aug. 3.
In the fall two other scholarship opportunities are available:
The Undergraduate or Graduate Alumni Scholarship and the Ruth Coble Scholarship.
I encourage you to apply. You can contact our scholarship coordinator Christine Yeo at christineyeo@ou.edu.
Good news! Here are some scholarship opportunities for you to consider.
1. The Undergraduate or Graduate Start-up Scholarship.
As the name implies, this scholarship is for students who are beginning their first semester in our bachelor’s or master’s program. The amount available is $500.
2. The Osher Reentry Scholarship.
The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, provides scholarship funds to colleges and universities across the country intended especially for students who are returning to school. Specifically, these funds are available by application for:
a. Students who have been out of school and are returning to complete their first undergraduate degree, or;
b. Students who are enrolled or were previously enrolled in on-site/hybrid classes at any University of Oklahoma site such as Oklahoma City Community College, Rose State College, OU-Tulsa, OU-Norman, Ponca City, and Lawton/Ft. Sill.
Up to $1400 is available via tuition waiver.
The deadline for summer is soon – June 4 –and for the fall the deadline is Aug. 3.
In the fall two other scholarship opportunities are available:
The Undergraduate or Graduate Alumni Scholarship and the Ruth Coble Scholarship.
I encourage you to apply. You can contact our scholarship coordinator Christine Yeo at christineyeo@ou.edu.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Are you ready for graduate school?
Congratulations. You’ve got your bachelor’s degree in hand along with a sudden bonanza of free time. Perhaps, though, since you are still in the zone, you are considering a graduate degree. You want to keep going along the higher education trail. Great idea and I am all for it. But before you dive in, there are some questions you should probably ask of yourself. This is a bigger decision than you may realize.
Much like your first year of college is not like the 13th grade of high school graduate study is not two more years of undergraduate work. It’s entirely different. As a graduate student, you learn to become a scholar, a deep thinker and a researcher.
Not to be discouraging in any way, I just want you to have clear eyes about what will be required of you if decide to go higher. So, here is a short, completely unscientific quiz to see if you have the right mindset to continue. Ready?
1. Are you prepared to be an independent scholar and figure things out on your own?
2. Do you have a clear sense of the area of concentration you would like to study?
3. If so, do you absolutely love it enough to spend two years dedicated to it?
4. How about: Do you have as much, if not more, time to devote to your studies as you did for undergraduate work?)
5. This implies the undergrad didn’t do this. How about “Are you ready to challenge your personal thought paradigms even further than you did in undergraduate studies?”)
6. Are you prepared to justify your work to your professors?
7. Is your writing sound, free of grammatical errors and flawed arguments?
8. Are you familiar with, and able to use, the standard citation systems of the American Psychological Association and the Multiple Language Association?
9. Are you going to graduate school as a refuge from real life or to elevate yourself to the next level of personal development or in your career?
10. Is there a plan in place to pay for it?
Scoring: I’ll make this easy. If you answered “no” to at least two of these questions, you should give serious thought to whether you are ready. A little time away from higher education is not always a bad thing. If you miss it, that is a good sign. Either way, call me. I am happy to help you decide.
Much like your first year of college is not like the 13th grade of high school graduate study is not two more years of undergraduate work. It’s entirely different. As a graduate student, you learn to become a scholar, a deep thinker and a researcher.
Not to be discouraging in any way, I just want you to have clear eyes about what will be required of you if decide to go higher. So, here is a short, completely unscientific quiz to see if you have the right mindset to continue. Ready?
1. Are you prepared to be an independent scholar and figure things out on your own?
2. Do you have a clear sense of the area of concentration you would like to study?
3. If so, do you absolutely love it enough to spend two years dedicated to it?
4. How about: Do you have as much, if not more, time to devote to your studies as you did for undergraduate work?)
5. This implies the undergrad didn’t do this. How about “Are you ready to challenge your personal thought paradigms even further than you did in undergraduate studies?”)
6. Are you prepared to justify your work to your professors?
7. Is your writing sound, free of grammatical errors and flawed arguments?
8. Are you familiar with, and able to use, the standard citation systems of the American Psychological Association and the Multiple Language Association?
9. Are you going to graduate school as a refuge from real life or to elevate yourself to the next level of personal development or in your career?
10. Is there a plan in place to pay for it?
Scoring: I’ll make this easy. If you answered “no” to at least two of these questions, you should give serious thought to whether you are ready. A little time away from higher education is not always a bad thing. If you miss it, that is a good sign. Either way, call me. I am happy to help you decide.
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