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EDU0738: INTERNSHIP IN EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT
Carrie Jacobs
May 15, 2014
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Working part time as an adjunct professor for Strayer University is like going to an
amusement park because I have an opportunity to utilize my MBA and teach students who were
currently working in the real world. Strayer University is a for profit university that caters to the
adult learners. Many of the students are working parents who completed high school and has
decided to attend college, these are individuals who looking for a job promotion on their job but
they need a master degree, military veterans who want to earn a degree and candidates who want
to further their education without traveling. In particular, blacks are heavily enrolled in for
profits institutions because market prowess and effective streamline application process are used
to ease some of the inconveniences of a traditional admissions process (Iloh & Toldson, 2013).
After being gainful employed with them for five years, Dr. Kung, Campus Dean, has
asked me several times throughout the years to complete the Dean’s training because he believed
that I would be a great fit for their organization. Therefore, instead of completing my internship
at a local school system I was decided to intern at Strayer University.
Prior to asking Mr. Kung to serve as my mentor and before he signed that Hampton’s
University internship contract, it was important to understand the role of a dean and the life
expectancy of these positions. Further research revealed that deans are expected to resolve
conflict, defend their school and act politically and diplomatically on a wide range of issues.
Deans may have a particular mandate on which to act, such as restructuring after strategic drift,
creation of a research culture, dealing with a financial deficit or fundraising for a new building.
They are appointed to harness others’ talents and ensure things get done (Davies, & Thomas,
2010).
Dean positions have generally been appointed with male candidates so it was important
to understand the career path of a women dean. The pool of women in the pipeline to the
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business dean’s office has grown considerably in recent years. Most business school deans have
doctorate degrees and have served as faculty members. The pathway to the dean’s office also
usually includes a stint as an administrator, often as an associate dean and/or academic
department chair. The associate dean and academic chair positions are viewed as good
preparation for women (and men) aspiring to be business deans. In these positions individuals
can demonstrate various abilities, including working with faculty, managing budgets, running
effective meetings, exercising good judgment, delegating, and negotiating—all important
qualities for a dean. (Mctiernan & Flynn, 2011). In addition, associate deans and department
chairs gain exposure to accreditation and other key institutional priorities such as strategic
planning, faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure procedures.
After reading several articles it was easy to come to the conclusion that becoming a dean
was like winning a lottery. Landing this job would be like a comfortable gig with good pay,
prestige plus it was an opportunity to mix with businesses, mingle politically and become
centered in the area of politics and academia. Further readings revealed that dean positions are
now linked to financial performance. For example, undergraduate tuition fees are rising
significantly so students may be attracted mainly to schools that offer high-quality teaching, have
a good reputation and can guaranteed employability. In essence, schools that are created profit
base can mean that business schools will close. Even Strayer University is in the process of
downsizing some of their campuses. They are currently in the process of vamping their teaching
concepts by become more computer savvy to cut cost and increase enrollment.
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Educational Leadership Policy Standards 1 through 6 are listed below. Each section will
include a list of subheadings to indicate areas where training was received during the last nine
weeks:
A. Educational Leadership Policy Standard I
1.
Analyzed data to identify student needs
2.
Participated in the process of developing a school’s vision
3.
Assumed the role of associate dean to experience various roles and
obligations
4.
Identified and addressed barriers to achieving school’s mission
B. Educational Leadership Policy Standard II
C.
D.
E.
1.
Aided in planning and preparation of professional development for school
2.
Conducted informal and/or walk through observations
3.
Analyzed student attendance
4.
Participated in professional conferences
Educational Leadership Policy Standard III
1.
Helped prepare Summer Master Schedule
2.
Completed faculty evaluations
3.
Identified funding sources for student needs
Educational Leadership Policy Standard 4
1.
Worked with Student Advisory Board
2.
Answered phone calls in the main office area
Educational Leadership Policy Standard 5
1.
F.
Collected information for appeal hearings
Educational Leadership Policy Standard 6
1.
Analyzed appeals and communicate results
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The next couple of pages will include brief summaries of responsibilities and experiences
learned during each weekly assignment.
March 25, 2014
When I reported to duty, I had to be professionally dressed and report directly to the
Dean’s office. Dr. Kung had already set up an office and was ready for me to get started. Dr.
Kung greeted me with a big smile and provided me with two large manuals to read which was on
their Academic Programs offered in North Carolina and their Course Guide Catalog. He wanted
me to study the course sequence because we would be working on scheduling next week.
Therefore, I spent a total of two hours reviewing the materials and learning about their three
major programs on this campus. In essence, their main focus included offering programs that
were centered on School of Business, School of Information Systems and Technology and
School of Professional Studies.
From my readings I was also able to learn that Strayer University was founded in 1892
and has consistently worked to achieve the highest standards when it comes to the quality of its
instructors and curriculum. Strayer University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on
Higher Education, which is one of the six regional accrediting bodies in the United States. Also,
Strayer University is appropriately accredited and licensed according to the standards of each
state in which it has campus locations. Finally, most Strayer University campuses are approved
for Veterans’ Benefits by the State Approving Agency for the education of veterans, members of
the Selected Reserve and their dependents, and for the rehabilitation of veterans with serviceconnected disabilities.
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Next, we had a closed door conversation to discuss confidentiality and expectations. He
spent quality time discussing cases that dealt with students who had disabilities and making sure
that the university followed the ADA policy and accommodations listed in their files. We
discussed legal ramifications, case studies, main campus responsibilities, etc. Finally, we spent
quality time reviewing staff positions, their roles and responsibilities, flexible work hours, etc.
April 2, 2014
Since educators from the school system were on Spring Break this week, I decided to
work on Tuesday morning to see how the university ran throughout the day. After checking in at
9:00 a.m., I immediately logged into my email messages to see if Dr. Kung had left me any
messages. Today, he wanted me to work with Ms. Gerald, his assistant and ACD (Associate
Campus Dean) until he returned to the office because he had an emergency.
Beginning at 9:15 a.m. every morning, the staff meets to discuss enrollment to determine
how many students had enrolled and how many had dropped because classes started on April 7,
2014. At this meeting each division reported out and shared their updates. Based on the end
results, they had met their enrollment numbers in order to maintain a full staff so everyone was
happy. Next, admissions called all currently enrolled students who had a birthday on April 1st to
wish them a Happy Birthday. Students seemed shocked, surprised and appreciated!
The remaining time was spent working on the Student Academic Progress (SAP) reports.
Based on last semester a few students failed so I worked closely with the ASD to determine if
students had to repeat a course, be suspended for academics or terminate their agreement. This
process gave me an opportunity to review student schedules and to determine the appropriate
program of study for their chosen field.
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Finally, students who dropped out of school had to submit an appeal letter whereby they
had to answer the following questions:
1)
Describe why they did not do well during the quarters when you failed your
classes
2)
Describe why they believed that if they are approved to retake their courses or to
continue your study, they will succeed this time
3)
Share with the dean which quarter they would like to register for classes
Overall, it was interesting to read the student responses and review the rubric for making the
determination to invite a student back to our campus.
April 8, 2014
Each week I report to campus with the understanding that some days I might be late
because of a parent conference, IEP meeting or presenting at a school base hearing. As normal,
it was a regular day so I reported to the site location and the Dean had just received a call from
one of the professors saying that he would not reporting to work today. With the short notice,
the Dean had to step in immediately, prep for the course and begin teaching at 6:00 p.m. In the
meantime, I took advantage of the time and work alongside the Associate Campus Dean and
underwrote student applications and made decisions to add, swap, and transfer students from on
ground to online. Overall, we had ten cases to process. ACD, Professor Patil, was new at the
assignment and was forthcoming with the information. She walked me step by step because this
had allowed her an opportunity to repeat what she had learned during her training. Next, I
transitioned and completed a classroom observation to determine if the instructors were giving a
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powerful opening on their first teaching session. If teachers provide an interesting introductory
session students will return the following week. All classes had to provide a benefit to the
students and if they were bored these students will not return and they will give the university a
bad name.
Finally, tonight I learned that the Dean was required to teach at least one course online.
Therefore, this particular semester I was assigned to teach three courses online which will be
great because I would have an opportunity to see how both worlds collaborated together. During
the last hour on site, I spent this time teaching online in my office and answering student
requests. Upon arriving at home I worked another two hours on my personal time providing
feedback to the students via the Blackboard shell.
April 15, 2014
Spring semester closed on April 11, 2014 and students could no longer register for classes
this semester. However, the staff will use this time to recruit new students for the summer
semester and began registering current students for the fall. While staff was currently processing
the paperwork, the School Dean and I were working on Appeal cases. Appeal cases were based
on two categories, Academic or Financial.
Dr. Kung and I worked closely on the Appeal cases so I would have a clear understanding
of this process. Since this information is sensitive I am not able to share in writing their
procedures. Although I can honestly say that if the Dean made a mistake it could cause the
school a serious financial hardship. Also, registering a student for a course that he or she did not
need could cause the school to lose money because students would and can sue.
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After we worked together for two hours, I spent time with the data entry manager to
ensure our approvals were entered into the system correctly. Finally, I completed another
teacher observation on Dr. Bankston who was teaching BUS 302 Management Concepts.
Observation time included one hour from 7p.m.- 8 p.m., and I used my personal time to write up
the evaluation which was shared with Dr. Kung the following Tuesday. The evaluation form
consisted of three pages. Teachers are required to have a lesson plan and supplemental materials
ready at the start of class. Also, we had to include in the written observation Best Practices
Observed, Areas that Need Improvement and Areas for Development. We were allowed to
review the professor’s gradebooks online, attendance and any comments he or she had shared
with the students through Blackboard. The process sounds simply but it was very detailed
because these schools were audited three times each year.
April 22, 2014
Immediately upon reporting to work, I spent an hour with Julio Fajardo, who is our
Student Support Representative. His responsibilities included working diligently within the next
four weeks to recruit students for the summer semester. Currently, there are 1200 financially
paying students enrolled and he had to make sure they were registered for the appropriate classes
next semester and he had to spend time over the phone calling students who did not perform last
quarter and encourage them to repeat the course. On average he places 60 calls a day. In
addition, he was responsible for scheduling all events on campus such as research workshops,
virtual town hall meetings, DRP seminars, excel/mathematics workshops, etc., and ensuring that
he has full participation and commitment from the faculty.
The following two hours were spent with Sharon Pomeroy and her four staff members
learning how the admissions center operated. After Julio Fajardo and Kim Davis receive
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commitment from new and existing students, there files are forward to admissions. This section
would schedule appointments over the phone and in person. They send out welcome packages,
discuss financial aid, review transcripts to transfer over and enroll the students in class.
Graduate fees are $2365 per semester, undergraduate fees are $1420 per semester and continuing
student fees are $1775 per semester. Majority of the students pay out pocket, companies will pay
or they will receive financial aid and scholarships. Finally, several students can take the CLEP
and DSST test which will give them an exemption from certain courses provided that they make
an acceptable score.
From 8:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. I observed Dr. Polk lecture English to an adult audience of
20 students. When I walked into the class she was teaching them the basic sentence structure
and how to identify run on sentences, fragments, conjunctions, etc. Next, she transitioned and
provided several hands on activity as well a group projects. At the closure of this review,
students summarized and shared what they had learned. Her final transition included discussing
APA format and acceptable writing procedures.
Prior to leaving the building I had a closed door conversation with Dr. Kung who began
to explain the upcoming changes with Strayer University. In essence, they will need more online
Campus Deans and he was very interested in recommending me for one of those positions.
April 29, 2014
In this particular week I started with a close door conversation with Dr. Kung. He spent
quality time training me on how to underwrite and approve graduate applications. We reviewed
approximately 30 cases that night. During this process we had to review transcripts, current
grade point averages, and read write letters on why students wanted to enroll in the program.
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Finally, we reviewed their financial aid status. Once we accepted the candidates, a
standard letter was generated, printed, signed, and mailed. In addition, during this session there
several phone calls forward to his office whereby students were requesting to attend Strayer
University and they wanted to make appointments to speak directly with him.
Approximately at 8:00 p.m. I transitioned and worked with Ms. Jones, office manager, on
assigning appropriate professors to teach next semester. It was important that certain classes had
to be taught by professors who held PhD degrees; otherwise, these students would not receive
credit for the courses. By making one mistake could place the University in a lawsuit. On
Saturday, I participated and attended a celebration for students who had made the Honor Roll
this semester. There were approximate 20 students. For this celebration, James M. Murphy was
the motivational speaker. He was the owner and developer of Evolution for Success. He had
conducted over 24,000 coaching sessions with people all over the world and is a Master
Practitioner of Hypnosis, Time Line Therapy, and Neuro Linguistic Programming. Mr. Murphy
had a diverse background after serving in the Army, working in the US Marshall Service and
was personally trained by Anthony Robbins for over 10 years. His presentation was centered on
“The Power of Purpose: Creating a Life Worth Living.
May 6, 2014
This week I spent three hours working with the Business Office to learn more on how
Strayer University processed their student loans. Once students have been approved to attend
Strayer they are strongly encouraged to complete their FAFSA loan. Students pay for tuition
three ways such as (1) they pay cash (2) they apply for student loans and (3) they pay by using
their military benefits (DD214) whereby they had to complete a VON application.
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Many students at this campus apply for student aid through FAFSA which they complete
online and submit for an immediate response. Strayer University business manager can review
all reports online through COD (Common Organization and Disbursement Website from
Department of Education). It was explained that students often become excited and forget to
sign their promissory notes which prevented them from starting classes right away; therefore,
this office will notify the students by phone as a friendly reminder so their loan paperwork can
be processed right away.
Prior to reporting to class, all students had to complete a financial worksheet and receive
counseling so they could be fully aware of the funds they were borrowing and the monthly
payments which they were obligated to pay at the end. It appears that once the process was
clearly explained students would be reluctant to borrow over the amount of money that was
needed to pay for tuition. Also, students understood that if they were not enrolled in any school
after they borrowed the funds they must start paying back the student loan after six months.
Next, I met with the Campus Dean since she oversaw this office. She manages the
financial office, recruitment center, and works closely with the dean’s office.
However, her
role is strictly to recruit students. This person travels to different businesses within the area to
discuss what Strayer University has to offer and invites their employees to come by and speak
with a representative. This manager supervises two branch offices and was definitely a people
person.
On Thursday, May 8, 2014 I was asked by the Dean to attend the North Raleigh Student
Advisory Board Meeting. Based on my observation the purpose of this meeting was to prepare
an agenda for the fall session. Two major objectives for the today’s meeting pertained to
creating a plan to recruit more members, plan an agenda to bring in guest speakers each month,
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plan quarterly fun activities for the students, etc. In summary, this board was very organized and
they advocated for the current student body by serving as an active voice.
May 13, 2014
This particular nine weeks transitioned quickly; therefore, I plan to continue working at
Strayer University and enroll in the Dean training program in the fall with the recommendation
and support from Dr. Craig Kung. In summary, my supervisor was very knowledgeable and
respected in his field. Every year he has won an award for his leadership and for running a
successful campus operation. He was forthcoming with information and shared the positive and
negative of working as a campus dean. I could not have asked for a better mentor and I look
forward to becoming a dean in the near future.
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References
Davies, J., & Thomas, H. (2010). What do deans do? Leadership: Magazine For
Managers, 7(23), 12-13.
Iloh, C., & Toldson, I. (2013). Black Students in 21st Century Higher Education: A Closer Look
at For- Profit and Community Colleges (Editor's Commentary). Journal Of Negro
Education, 82(3), 205-212.
Mctiernan, S., & Flynn, P.M. (2011). "Perfect Storm" on the Horizon for Women Business
School Deans?Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 10(2), 323-339