Dave Stamm ’11 recently finished his bachelor’s degree with a concentration in adult education and training. Stamm, of Selinsgrove, Pa., finished his online program last December and celebrated by coming to Commencement in May. In his spare time he is a musician in a band called Lucky Afternoon. Congratulations to Dave and all the other recent graduates.
David shares how the online degree worked for him.
For many years during a successful clinical and IT health care career, I often wished I had pursued my bachelor’s degree right after high school. Not pursuing a four-year degree early in life left me with a feeling of unfinished business. And the degree could have enhanced my career.
I always enjoyed teaching classes and training employees, so in 2006 while managing a hospital’s IT department, I committed to further my education from an associate’s degree in medical imaging to a bachelor’s degree in adult education and training. I decided an education degree would be helpful teaching part-time into retirement.
In selecting a good online college, the most important aspects for me were nationally recognized accreditations and memberships; convenience; well-qualified and experienced instructors; helpful advising staff and faith-based core values.
Saint Joseph’s College’s Online provided all these essentials with excellence. In addition, its technical platform fosters valuable student-instructor engagement with an easy-to-use online interface. One of the college’s biggest assets is its academic advising team. My academic advisor is everything a student would want in an advisor – a guide, coach, mentor, motivator and friend.
The Saint Joseph’s online learning environment is flexible and allows students to study, research and interact with instructors at their own pace.
Faculty members incorporate more than just a “read and test procedure;” rather, they initiate learning assignments that allow students to “think out of the box” while obtaining knowledge and learning skills through self-motivation and critical thinking. As a student, I was engaged with intuitive and exciting projects such as producing a training video for an education class, conducting public surveys for a social psychology research paper, and reporting on classical music techniques while attending a live music concert for a course final.
Has my degree provided a “return on investment?” My B.S. degree in Adult Education and Training continues to open doors and opportunities for me. I was promoted within my current IT position and hired to teach technical computer classes on a part-time basis at a local business college. Earning a Bachelor of Science degree was always a dream of mine, and thanks to Saint Joseph’s College faculty and staff, I’m now living that dream with pride. Thank you for helping me complete my unfinished business.
