04-14-2024 Education - Flipbook - Page 1
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, April 14, 2024 1
EDUCATION
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF BALTIMORE SUN MEDIA • SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2024
Students enrolled in Stevenson University's real estate professional minor network with members of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Baltimore, Inc.
(BOMA Baltimore) at an on-campus networking event.
Preparing students for their future careers
Hands-on work provides a competitive edge
By Carol Sorgen, Contributing Writer
A
t Stevenson University, students can
pair their majors with one of seven
career-focused professional minors:
entrepreneurship and small business
development; event planning; human
resources; management and organizational
leadership; real estate; software design and coding; and web design.
“Professional minors consist of four courses tied to a specific industry or profession,”
explains Amanda Gingery Hostalka, dean of the
school of design, arts, and communication and
vice provost for outreach. “They’re intended to
give students additional career options, a competitive edge in the job market, and an opportunity to shape their Stevenson experience to
meet specific career goals.
“Professional minors can enhance any
major and are especially valuable for students
who don't have a pre-determined career path,”
Hostalka adds. “In addition, the career connection center coordinates panels, internships and
site visits with strategic partners in each professional minor sector to help students further
explore career options.”
Stevenson launched the professional minors
program in 2018 to develop pathways that
would complement students’ majors and pro-
vide additional skills and focused coursework
to strengthen students’ career prospects (e.g., an
English major may pursue a professional minor
in software design and coding or web design).
Nearly 200 students have enrolled in professional minors – sometimes even more than
one – to build their resumes and expand their
skill sets. According to Hostalka, a communication studies major, for example, may pursue
professional minors in both web design and
event planning, while a theatre & media performance major might choose to minor in film
& moving image and then add a professional
minor in entrepreneurship and small business
development.
The professional minors are beneficial to
both students and their prospective employers,
as students gain experience and confidence in
areas outside of their major and expand their
skills to differentiate themselves among their
peers with similar degrees.
“Disciplines that may not have been as easily accessible to them are now readily available
and the pathways to achievement are clear,”
Hostalka says. “Students also bring their own
interests to this model and often have very specific career outcomes in mind when choosing a
professional minor. And employers often want
graduates who can do it all. When employers
see that a student has gone above and beyond
to expand their skills or tailor their learning to
a particular industry or niche, they’re excited.”
Hostalka notes that the interest among students in stacking credentials and earning badges
and certificates to differentiate themselves is a
growing educational trend, but Stevenson’s professional minors option is “uniquely Stevenson”
because it grew out of the university’s wellestablish career focus.
“Our emphasis on what students will do
after they leave Stevenson is part of who we are
as an institution,” says Hostalka. “Career development is woven throughout our curriculum,
and professional minors are a natural evolution
of that ongoing work.”
UMBC Students Offered Opportunity to
Assist Faculty
At University of Maryland, Baltimore
County (UMBC), students in the online Master
of Science program in information systems
have opportunities to assist faculty members
who are conducting interdisciplinary research
that investigate solutions to real-world problems such as climate change, cybersecurity,
accessibility and the future of work.
“The department offers the option for stuJob search,
continued on page 8
Inaugural cohort of the technology management graduate program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Education at the cutting-edge
How two Maryland graduate programs are preparing
next-generation technology leaders
By Kate Lawless, Contributing Writer
W
ith so many emerging technologies
launching in rapid succession following the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not
surprising that technology-focused
jobs are among the fastest growing in
the world. In fact, roles such as AI and machine learning specialists, robotics engineers, and digital transformation specialists are in the top 10 list, according to a
2023 report by the World Economic Forum.
But what are universities doing to educate the
next generation of technology leaders in preparation
for this era of sustained high-speed growth? And how
are they ensuring their curriculums will match the
expectations of employers who are ready to hire their
graduates … yesterday?
As it turns out, two Maryland universities are on
track to meet the growing demand to equip leaders
with the knowledge and skills necessary to iden-
tify, implement and manage ever-evolving technology
innovations and transformations.
Stevenson University and the University of
Maryland Robert H. School of Business both offer
graduate programs focused on exactly this – digital
transformation, or the integration of digital technology in all areas of business, fundamentally changing how organizations operate and deliver value to
customers. At the intersection of technology and
business, digital transformation involves rethinking
strategies and practices so that businesses can remain
competitive, innovative and responsive to their customer’s needs.
Both programs share some similarities, but
their design and curricula are different. Stevenson
University’s online master’s program focuses wholeheartedly on all aspects surrounding digital transformation and innovation. In contrast, University of
Maryland’s graduate certificate meets in-person and
centers on technology transformation and innovation
as a whole, including digital but not limited to it.
As you’ll read in more detail below, both programs
show great promise for those looking to advance or
accelerate their career in technology innovation and
transformation.
Stevenson University
Brown School of Business and Leadership
Master of Science in Digital
Transformation and Innovation
Stevenson University’s digital transformation and
innovation 36-credit online master’s program emphasizes technical aspects as well as the strategic planning,
implementation and organizational change management that are necessary for successful technology
transitions.
Zamira Simpkins, Ph.D., who chairs Stevenson’s
business administration department, serves as its
Advancement,
continued on page 8
INSIDE:
2 Business
experience
Hands-on work
2 A healthier world
Impacting
community health
3 Real estate
University of
Maryland
4 Global demand
Valuable global
programs
4 Strong job outlook
Nursing schools ramp up
5 A brand-new start
Pathways for
teachers
6 Doors to Future
Salisbury University
7 Workforce needs
New graduate
programs
10 Encouragement
opens the door
Papa Pene shares
his journey to TU
Education publishes four times a year
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© 2024 Baltimore Sun Media
Ask Margit
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
mbweisgal@gmail.com
Democracy Summer
Education for citizenship and passionate
grassroots politics
What if you could involve young people
in the process of democracy, to learn firsthand
how it works, what it takes to make it happen,
to actively participate in advocating for something they believe in? This is what Democracy
Summer is about.
If there is one subject lacking in education
curricula today, surely, it’s civics, a topic usually
included under the heading of social studies
in K-12 classes. “Civics is defined as: the study
or science of the privileges and obligations of
citizens,” according to the League of Women
Voters.
The League of Women Voters bemoans this
situation, stating, “In recent decades, we as a
nation have failed to prepare young Americans
for self-government, leaving the world’s oldest constitutional democracy in grave danger,
afflicted by both cynicism and nostalgia, as it
approaches its 250th anniversary.”
One person trying to change this is
Congressman Jamie Raskin, (D-Md.), with
Democracy Summer, his program to involve
high school and college age students, in school
or not, in the democratic political process. And
he agrees with the above observation, saying,
“The level of constitutional illiteracy in this
country is abysmal because we no longer provide meaningful civics education. Given this
lack, how can we raise functional, involved,
knowledgeable adults when they don’t have a
clue about their job as an American citizen?”
In 2006, when Raskin first ran for State
Senator in Maryland, as a newcomer he didn’t
have a “war chest,” money raised to fund his
election. His opponent had been in office for
32 years, so she was well entrenched. He had to
find a creative, affordable solution.
With help from his son Tommy, Raskin
gathered his three children, a dozen nieces and
nephews and their friends, to kick-start his
campaign. This set the blueprint he has used
for every election since: establishing a grassroots campaign rooted in youthful idealism and
energy that educates all the participants.
Yes, there was a lot of hard work, but there
was a lot of fun, too, and it was well worth it.
Raskin’s platform, the reason he was running
for office, was, as he put it, a moral imperative
that included issues like abolition of the death
Ask Margit, continued on page 8