02-06-22 Education - Flipbook - Page 9
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, February 6, 2022
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Student support, from page 1
Graduate programs, from page 1
Ask Margit, from page 1
available to all. “The old way was to make an
appointment to go to an individual faculty’s office
hours. That was a little intimidating,” she admits.
“Now, we have one centralized space to go. It
feels like a more inviting place to come get help.
It’s a nice building, nice room. It’s appealing and
friendly there. I like to go with people; it’s nice that
I don’t have to go alone. It’s a nice place to work
collaboratively.”
The professors appear there on shifts – no
appointment necessary. At the center, besides
academic help, “opportunity exists for students
to develop more rapport with their teachers. In
a lecture class setting, you are not sitting around
talking to your professors,” says Spicer. “At the
center, we don’t just talk about chemistry; we talk
about random stuff, too.”
Adds Alonga, “students are more relaxed,
more comfortable in this environment. It helps
them process, learn and absorb lessons better. The
center is a huge plus. It could be a trend in the
future – for other majors.”
ing within their own discipline,” he notes. “These
students are enhancing their career paths.” He estimates that nearly 80% of students in the program
are planning to advance in their own profession,
and 20% pursue the program to change careers.
Syrmos says MAGE’s valuable network of
alumni offers a basis for referrals to the program.
In addition, the school has a dedicated MAGE
admissions team and content advisors who will
help students build a curriculum to achieve their
personal career goals. MAGE also targets its engineering audience through appropriate conferences
and conventions.
Similarly, Salisbury University draws from
teacher conferences and conventions, as well as its
alumni network. “Many teachers who enroll in the
program are already familiar with the quality of an
SU degree and the school’s nationally recognized
programs,” says Dr. Starlin Weaver, director of the
Master of Arts in teaching (M.A.T) program.
M.A.T. is a collaborative degree program
offered by Salisbury University and the University
of Maryland Eastern Shore, designed to prepare
students for initial teacher certification. Students
must go through the admissions process of both
schools and take coursework on the campuses of
both universities, taught by the faculties of both
institutions. Salisbury University offers approved
programs in biology, chemistry, earth science,
English, French, history, mathematics, music
(vocal and instrumental), physics and Spanish.
2020 Presidential Election or Black Lives
Matter in a classroom setting.
• Students were most reluctant to discuss controversial topics when they were
the majority demographic for the issue
under discussion (e.g., white students
were most reluctant to discuss race).
• Students were reluctant to speak up in
class because they were concerned other
students would criticize their views for
being offensive.
Almost half of non-freshman students
reported that “sharing ideas and asking questions without fear of retaliation, even when
those ideas are offensive to some people” was
more difficult in Fall 2020.
Dr. Alfred H. Guy Jr., associate professor emeritus of the division of legal, ethical and historical studies at the University
of Baltimore and former director of the
Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics,
says, “Higher education should be a place in
which we have open discussions, to be open to
new ideas. But the same trepidation students
have has seeped into the university culture
and caused fear of retaliation aimed at both
students and faculty. Even when we had programs to modify this behavior, they’re afraid
to say the wrong thing. Worse, professors who
encourage students to argue racial, gender,
and political issues from a number of moral
points of view may not receive tenure or have
their contracts renewed.”
Since 2015, Loyola University Maryland
has required a program for freshman. Messina
is “designed to instill the intellectual curiosity
and self-knowledge necessary for a first-year
student’s successful start to his or her Loyola
education.” Outcomes include “habits of reading, writing and intellectual conversation that
support academic excellence and engagement;
healthy, mutually beneficial and respectful
relationships with others including faculty,
administrators, staff and peers; and knowledge and use of campus resources that aid
critical thinking.”
Michael Puma, M.S.Ed. and director of
Messina, says, “We try to encourage habits of
critical thinking, but since only freshman are
enrolled in Messina courses, they have no one
to model that behavior and may struggle to
create a community, how not to offend others,
and how to participate in discussions from a
positive place. There is also a tentativeness;
students know they’re not achieving what they
want to achieve, but they don’t know how to
overcome whatever they’re dealing with.
“All institutions are dealing with what you
can say versus what you can’t say. There is
nuance to what we are asking our students to
grapple with – including an understanding of
their own race, culture, gender and identity.
We need to be willing to walk with them on
their journey. Their hesitancy comes from
being in the ocean without a life preserver.
“They are also facing peer pressure, not
just in the classrooms, where it manifests
itself as silence, but in their living spaces.
They want to belong so they’re afraid to be a
contrarian, to take a chance. Despite all this,
some crave divergent views, but only if they
can get past the initial fear.”
Melissa Stiksma, M.A., a doctoral candidate at George Mason University, created this
and other surveys for Heterodox Academy.
“Our goal in presenting the survey is to draw
attention to the problem of students’ sense of
vulnerability, frightened of the consequences
that may be directed at them by speaking out.
We make templates for syllabi available to
professors on how to set up a potentially controversial discussion so those involved don’t
walk away feeling hurt.”
Stiksma explains that this is a general
college survey, not limiting participants to
only one area, and they still got alarming
numbers. “We need to encourage professors
– actually, anyone working with students – to
make space for disagreement. If it’s not a skill
set being nurtured in college, what kinds of
leaders will we end up with? They won’t be
equipped for the future, comfortable with
conflict, disagreement, countering and listening and learning.”
One other question Stiksma posed for
us to ponder. “Put yourself in their shoes.
If another student addressed these subjects,
what would your reaction be? I might not
say anything. And would you criticize that
student? We need to assess our own reactions
and our own contributions to sustaining this
negative behavior and enabling it to continue.”
As I write this, today’s Baltimore Sun
was filled with articles that remind us of
how polarized our country has become and
how living in this city and county and state
has additional problems that never seem to
go away, topics like vaccinations, wearing
masks, students using guns, people just being
mean and nasty instead of respecting others’
choices.
Guy summed up what he observed. “By
ignoring or deleting anything that may offend
someone, we erase the heart and soul of
people. Issues are not either/or, or ‘for us or
against us;’ that’s overly simplistic and lazy.
They are far more complex, replete with
subtleties. The change we need to encourage
is to help create human beings who are willing
to have open, honest discussions, to listen and
absorb without judgment. That’s how we gain
knowledge.”
For more information and tools, visit
Heterodox Academy at https://heterodoxacademy.org/. There you’ll find tools and
resources including the above-mentioned
template for syllabi along with classroom
activities and curricula. You – students and
educators – can join Heterodox and become
part of the conversation. See you in class.
Hidden Gem in Harford County
Partnerships are nothing new in education, but Towson University (TU) and Harford
Community College (HCC) create a hidden gem
that not only helps students, but their families
who pay the tuition. It’s called Towson University
in Northeastern Maryland (TUNE). “It’s a model
for college affordability,” says John D. Desmone,
TUNE executive director.
At a designated, state-of-the art building, TUNE offers an off-site TU campus on the
grounds of Harford Community College. “TUNE
students stay local, live at home and save money,”
says Desmone.
“Even though they go to school on a community college campus, TUNE students are still
Towson students,” he says. They start school at
community college, and transfer after sophomore
year to TU through TUNE. Doing so they can
opt to finish their education right on the HCC
campus. “They could transfer to the main campus
if they choose to. But at TUNE, we are smaller
here than the main campus. Our TUNE students
like the size and community feel here in Harford
County,” where TU faculty come to teach classes.
Now in its eighth year, TUNE began in 2014
with 240 students. In 2021, it served 633 students.
“That’s an increase of 165% in student growth,”
he says.
The majority of TUNE students live in
Harford County, although some hail from other
places, too. Many attend HCC for two years, then
make the seamless transfer with TUNE, although
some students complete their first two years elsewhere and choose to finish up with TUNE.
TUNE offers 10 majors – among them nursing, education, business, psychology, I.T., criminal
justice and more. New for 2022, a health care
management major debuts at TUNE.
TUNE offers more than just academics. These
students “do not just come to classes and go
home,” says Desmone. “We offer the same kind of
services they get on main campus” – bookstore,
café, community service opportunities, clubs,
internships, Spirit week, academic support, student advisory board and more. “We’ve tried to
make it as ‘college-y’ as possible,” he says.
Some students enter HCC right out of high
school with full knowledge they will shuttle into
TUNE. Others don’t decide until the last minute.
According to Desmone, TUNE students tend to
skew older than on the main campus, averaging
23 to 25 years old. Many students work part-time,
or own a business, or decide to return to school
after having children. Consequently, they may
take longer than two years to finish the TUNE
program, although it’s designed as a two-year
completion.
Students and families recognize TUNE as a
way to save money and get the same quality of
education as on TU main campus. “TUNE is tremendously inexpensive for the quality provided.
Students get a degree from Towson for approximately $24,000. That’s low end at a lot of places
for only one year of tuition,” says Desmone. “Our
students leave us with little college debt.”
Learn by doing, from page 4
and the application of classroom experience to
the community, as well as creating relationships
within the community at large,” says Koulish. “It’s
a life-affirming experience, and that’s important
to say these days.
Goucher Gives Writers Entre to the
Publishing World
Offered through Goucher College’s Welch
Center for Graduate and Professional studies,
the Master of Fine Arts in nonfiction is a lowresidency program that helps writers develop
not only their writing skills but their grasp of the
publishing world. To that end, the program hosts
an annual week-long residency in New York (last
year’s was, of course, strictly virtual) with students
attending workshops as well as meeting with
agents, editors, and publishers. “We’re elated to be
able to go back this year,” says Program Director
Leslie Rubinkowski, adding that COVID safety
measures have been established.
The objective of the residency, which began
in 2020, is for publishing professionals to give
students the skills and confidence to realize that
their dream of becoming a published author is not
an insurmountable goal.
“An M.F.A. is an investment,” says
Rubinkowski, noting that the expertise offered by
those in the publishing business will increase the
students’ chance of building the career and the life
they want. “Becoming an author is not just about
A global world, from page 5
Colombat. “Every person you meet and every
conversation you take part it opens your eyes to
something new. These experiences push you out
of your comfort zone and get you thinking about
things in new ways while also giving you a new
level of self-awareness.”
Loyola also offers a number of shorter international travel options for students looking to gain
global experience and exposure – from a history
and politics-centered tour of Vietnam to a summer study program in the Balkans, and a spring
break retreat to Panama, where health, wellness,
and relaxation are the top priorities for a group of
Sold on TUNE Program
There are tigers in Hartford County –
Towson University tigers that is. Aberdeen
resident Kait Wieler, 21, a college senior,
knows all about it. She’s earning her degree
from Towson University (TU) in May 2022
without ever setting foot on its Baltimore
campus.
And she’s not doing it online.
Wieler counts among the students enrolled at Towson University in
Northeastern Maryland (TUNE). It’s a
brick-and-mortar TU facility located in
Harford County. TUNE bestows transfer
students a TU degree in a state-of-the
art building on the grounds of Harford
Community College.
Ultimately, says Wieler, the financial
appeal attracted her there. “Mostly, it’s
expensive to go to another college. I know
I am going to get an [TU] education for a
lower price [at TUNE]. I went for price.”
Yet that’s not all. Yes, Wieler values
paying less tuition for the same degree she
would get if she transferred to TU’s main
campus. But she sees many advantages to
TUNE. “It’s smaller than the main campus,
so it’s a good learning environment. It’s a
friendly and exciting place to go to school.
I have really good relationships with my
peers and teachers. All my teachers are TU
teachers; they’re amazing.”
After she graduated from Aberdeen
High School, Wieler went to Harford
Community College. She considered other
places but decided to start at her local community college with a plan to transfer to a
four-year college after earning her associate
degree. Freshman year, she had no idea
where she might transfer. First, she declared
a major in astrophysics, but after switching
her major to psychology, her HCC advisor informed her “we have this transfer
program to Towson University – and it’s
located right across the street.”
“Sold,” says Wieler. “I had already heard
great things about TUNE. The teachers
were really good. It’s very student oriented.
It’s an amazing learning environment.
Everything has lived up to my expectations.”
Proudly, Wieler is the first in her family
to go to college. Her father drives a truck.
Her mother works in administration for
the Command group at Aberdeen Proving
Ground. (APG). Wieler is not yet sure of
her plans post-graduation, although some
of her options include graduate school or
working in human resources, possibly at
APG.
Meanwhile, she’s finishing up her senior
year. When not hitting the books, she participates in TUNE clubs. She’s a member
of PSI CHI [psychology] club. She started
a Croc Club for students who love wearing those comfortable, plastic boat shoes.
Also, she serves as chairperson for TUNE’s
student advisory board. Additionally, she
works part time at TUNE’s bookstore and
front desk.
In free time, she enjoys crocheting,
painting, writing and drawing. In fact, she
and a friend painted the Towson University
tiger mascot on the TUNE building window.
Wieler doesn’t feel she missed out not
being on the TU main campus. Originally,
she even looked at going there. “I don’t like
driving highways much. I saw the price
there – and just decided to go here. TUNE
challenges me. It’s not watered down. The
small class size helps us get closer to the
teachers here. It’s so nice to know there are
people to fall back on if I need extra help
or need to get letters of recommendation.
It’s been so good. I’m excited to graduate
because my teachers have prepared me.”
Unique and Updated Programming
Knowing the reasons for a student’s pursuit
of graduate education has helped the schools
to design both degree and certificate programs.
Dalziel says students can earn specialist M.B.A.’s in
accounting and business, helping them toward a
C.P.A. certification. “The advantage of certificates
is that the credits are transferrable, so the students
can change disciplines,” he explains. Certificates for
business valuation and cybersecurity management
can be great assets for workers like former military
officers or project engineers, giving them quick
flexibility in the workplace.
MAGE recently introduced a program in cloud
engineering. “This cutting-edge field of engineering represents practical and theoretical applications of this new technology,” Syrmos says. “High
profile tech companies are looking to hire engineers in this emerging field.”
In addition, software engineering and systems engineering courses were recently added
to the school’s seven existing programs that are
100% online. MAGE’s online graduate engineering program was ranked 15th by US News &
World Report “Best Online Engineering Graduate
Programs” in 2021.
Working professionals are the core of these
programs in every way. These schools rely on them
to help keep curricula fresh and updated – a challenge to every contemporary program. University
of Baltimore created an advisory council to help
develop new classes. Members are drawn from
industry boards, real estate, insurance and small
business sectors. “We use them to connect to the
professional progress,” Dalziel notes.
The MAGE staff at University of Maryland
has an academic affairs team and two full-time
instructional designers working on relevant and
current curricula. In addition, Syrmos says, “Many
of our faculty are working engineers at Booz
Allen Hamilton, IBM, 3M, U.S. Naval Research
Laboratory, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
and U.S. Department of Energy, giving our students first-hand access to experienced professionals in their fields.”
“I believe that UMD, with its good, reputable
faculties delivering innovative projects, will provide me with vital acquaintances and skills. The
skills gained from this professional master’s program in Chemical Engineering will be invaluable
in my career development,” says MAGE student,
Chika Nkem Okoro. “In my years of studies, I
found that chemical engineering has so much
to offer. Being a field that touches almost every
aspect of life, it has kept me enthused.” Okoro is
a graduate engineering intern working with the
the writing itself. It’s about being an entrepreneur, environmental sustainability team at a local biomeeting deadlines, building a system of support. pharmaceutical company.
Flexibility, customization and updated courses
Writing is a business.
–
the
secret of success for working professionals
“The students are learning first-hand what
seeking
new academic heights.
being a professional writer entails,” Rubinkowski
continues. “For many, it’s an awakening.”
The average age of the students in the M.F.A. STEM, from page 2
program is between 36-38 but the students range
from recent college graduates to retirees in their time Morgan State has offered transportation as a
major. Students in grades 7-12 apply and provide
70s looking to begin another chapter (literally).
The first residency was held in person in New their school transcript and a letter of recommenYork, last year’s was held virtually, and this year’s dation to be accepted into the program. Funding
was a hybrid, with some face-to-face workshops from the Federal Highway Administration and the
and others virtual. “Students appreciate the vir- Maryland Department Transportation State Highway
tual option because it gives them more flexibility, Administration covers the cost of materials. Following
especially for those balancing work and/or family completion of the four-week program, students
receive a $1,000 scholarship for use at the university
life,” says Rubinkowski.
Approximately 300 students have gone if they enroll as a transportation major, and they parthrough the two-year M.F.A. in nonfiction pro- ticipate in raffles for prizes like bicycles and laptop
gram since it was established 25 years ago, and of computers which are awarded during a celebratory
them, more than 150 have had books published, banquet. The 2021 program reached students virtuwith many becoming Pulitzer finalists and win- ally after 2020’s cancellation due to the pandemic.
ners of numerous prestigious awards and fellow- Harley-Burkeen says the plan is for in-person attenships.
dance this summer, but that could change.
“While the program has always focused on
The program provides what Harley-Burkeen
nonfiction, including literary journalism, essays refers to as wraparound services for students. Not
and memoirs, it continues to shift and change only is there a deep focus on transportation and transthrough the years, but with one objective…to portation engineering, including studies, research and
prepare our students for writing careers,” says group work, there also are mental health, financial
Rubinkowski.
literacy, SAT and PSAT prep work and wellness components including healthy eating and living. Parents
are required to attend a parent workshop where they
learn about resources to elevate the child’s educational
journey.
Students participate in hands-on activities. In past
up to 16 travelers.
“I believe strongly in the value of experiential years, they have mapped and ridden a horse through
learning,” says Colombat. “It’s about being adven- a trail and built individually designed NASCAR cars
turous and daring and trying something you may with Legos. They’ve also visited with pilots and certinot have the opportunity to do at another time fied engineers on-site at air yards, the port and on a
in your life. It also makes for a great addition to farm to learn about possible career paths.
“The program was created ultimately as comyour resume. These experiences build character
and demonstrate you are able to work with people munity outreach as a way to recruit students to
who are different from you. Students have a great Morgan State but also to encourage them to take
opportunity to shine when they are interviewing up a career in the transportation industry,” Harleyfor jobs and can explain these unique experiences Burkeen notes. “We want to encourage students to
and what they learned from them.”
come to this HBCU to get their quality education
after high school.”