Meet Mike Clark! Mike is a UofL Online Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning (BSOLL), student with a track focus in Counseling and Human Relations. We asked him some questions about his online BSOLL experience—let’s read his responses below!
Why did you select the OLL program?
I choose the OLL – Counseling and Human Relation track after realizing I could do no more for an unlucky situation I was in. I graduated from St. Catharine College right before it shutdown then found out I had a transcript discrepancy that made it tough to get into grad school. With the school shut down and nobody to talk to fix it (and only able to prove my associate’s not my bachelor’s) I had to bite the bullet and start my undergrad over; I even went out somewhere to wrestle again and became an All-American which gave me more confidence to pick this program up to help me forge a career in coaching student-athletes. OLL was really good for a guy like me, in that the program basically transferred almost all my school and work experience in through PLA and I don’t have much left to do outside of core classes to finish again but with something more tangible. It’s a very friendly and flexible program for adults that need another chance at college.
What are you enjoying most about the program?
I like the content that I am learning and how accessible the online modules are, being that you can do the work from just about any device from anywhere with other options for accommodations. I also am grateful to be in a counseling program so that I could apply it to my coaching in wrestling which makes more sense for me than what I finished in school with the first time being fine arts and early ed—thought I’d be a music teacher!
Do you feel the program is providing the skills you need to be successful in your career?
Each course teaches me more about different kinds of counseling and approaches to working with all kinds of people: emotional intelligence, human resources, management, leadership skills, the coaching process, running a program, ethics, and more. These and other topics involved in OLL are some of the very core skills needed to be a good coach in wrestling where, more and more these days, you need to have all the skills of a CEO to run a proficient program.
Would you recommend the program? Why?
I would recommend the program to adults who need a second chance at a degree or need to just finish. This program is made for them and there a several more tracks then when I first found out about it which makes it to where more people can find their niche in leadership be it counseling, early ed, or tech, etc. I’ve even recommended for my emphasis specifically, the HR Leadership certificate offered by the university that ties into the OLL counseling and HR track as a way for some to do school at an even lighter level while learning about the program. So, if they finish the cert and choose to continue then at least they already got a head start.
Who is your current employer?
I’m self-employed but…
I do run the Cardinal Wrestling Club (CWC) at the University of Louisville (we wrestle collegiately in the NCWA) which takes up a good bit of my time.
What is your current title?
Self-employed outside of being the President of CWC at UofL.
Thanks, Mike, for the great responses!
If you’d like to learn more about UofL’s online BSOLL program, click here and get started today!
New tracks available for UofL’s award-winning online leadership & learning B.S. degree
The University of Louisville’s online B.S. in Organizational Leadership and Learning (B.S. OLL) now offers three new tracks for students—providing even more options for working professionals to complete their bachelor’s degree.
The new tracks are Project Management for the Modern Workforce, Digital Leadership/IT, and Human Resource Development. Offered through the College of Education and Human Development, these tracks support the department’s goal to provide a faster and more affordable option to complete your bachelor’s degree and equip you with the skills to prepare for career advancement or change for your specific career path.
B.S. OLL Program Benefits
The B.S. OLL program not only further develops your skill and knowledge in leadership, project management, and organizational change, but also provides the opportunity for 48 credit hours tuition-free through the Prior Learning Assessment course.
If you started your degree but didn’t finish, the B.S. OLL program also allows for up to 31 credit hours transferred from previous college credit, rather it was UofL or another accredited college. Furthermore, all but one course is offered in 8-week terms. Take as many courses as you would like to finish your degree 100% online, on your schedule to balance education with life and work priorities.
Want to know more about the program and what the experience is really like? Hear from real online B.S. OLL students in the video below.
Now, let’s dive deeper into the new tracks!
Project Management for the Modern Workforce
The Project Management for the Modern Workforce track is designed for business professionals who want well-rounded skills in managing a multitude of projects for any industry as well as those who seek a pathway to a project management role or career. This track goes beyond traditional project management knowledge, providing students the opportunity to expand their expertise and successfully respond to organizational change in areas of technology, logistics and personnel management, effective communication, data analysis and efficiently built structures.
Upon successful completion of the Project Management track of the B.S. OLL program, students will be prepared to pursue the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAMP) or the Project Management Certification (PMP).
Digital Leadership/IT
The Digital Leadership/IT track is for business professionals seeking to develop their leadership skills as well as their knowledge in Information Technologies (IT). The curriculum focuses on organizational and employee effectiveness, work morale and more, while also providing broad-based technology knowledge. This program will give you the opportunity to gain the expertise to effectively lead employees in the rapidly-changing technology field and in industries that technology impacts.
UofL has partnered with several technology industry vendors including IBM, Google, Microsoft, and Adobe to provide the opportunity to earn recognized technology micro-credentials in certain Digital Leadership/IT courses, at no additional cost. Faculty and staff work with individual students to determine which micro-credentials are the best fit for their experience and career path.
Human Relation Development
The Human Relation Development track is specifically designed for business professionals who would like to start or advance their career in the HR field. This track will develop your fundamental knowledge of Human Resources as well as the analytical and strategical skills necessary for the modern HR role. This track focuses on coaching and talent management, mediating conflict and data analytics needed to understand human dynamics in areas of organizational environment, employee satisfaction and more.
Upon successful completion of the HR Development track, graduates will be prepared to take the Certified Professional Human Resources (PHR) test.
Other Tracks Available
There are also other established tracks within the B.S. OLL program—designed with the same goal of degree completion and advancing your career—that may fit your profession and education goals:
Leadership, Training and Organizational Development
One our most popular programs for students who have some college credit but no degree, the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning (BS OLL), has recently launched a new track in early childhood education (ECE). This track was specifically created to address an important population of professionals who need to earn or complete their bachelor’s degree to go further in their fields.
The BS OLL program is often sought by experienced, working professionals who have a lot of knowledge about their industry but lack the educational credentials needed for promotions and higher paying positions. Students in this program can be awarded up to 48 college credit hours (a savings of up to $24k in tuition) through the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) course. Transfer credits from prior intuitions are also accepted.
Ideal students for this program are childcare professionals, preschool teachers, infant-toddler teachers, teaching assistants, Head Start teachers, center directors, or those in other interdisciplinary early childhood education areas. Specifically, this program is very well suited for those individuals who would like to work with at-risk learners in low-income or impoverished communities.
Excel as a leader in early childhood education.
This new program track can help students achieve their career and educational goals by developing their core early childhood education knowledge and communication skills—allowing them to work with children as well as children’s families or caretakers.
“This program creates an important pathway for professionals in early childcare education to complete their bachelor’s degree and receive college credit for their work experience and knowledge.”
Lori Norton-Meier, Ph.D. Program Director
Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning Early Childhood Education track will have the ECE credentials needed to reach the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s level 3 status, for exceptional teaching practices and leadership.
Earning your
bachelor’s degree can also prepare you as a leader in your organization and
provide you with access to higher pay, greater job security and a path to
teacher certification. Graduates of this program can earn teaching
certification by completing their Master
of Arts in Teaching at UofL.
This degree
program is comprised of 120 credit hours, which includes 12 ECE credits.
If you’re interested in taking on leadership roles in a higher ed organization, or know someone who might be, learn more at the BS OLL ECE program page.
Offered
through UofL’s College of Education and Human Development.
Unfinished Business: A UofL professor’s dedication to helping adult students cross the finish line
Matt Bergman, Ph.D. is an assistant professor at the University of Louisville (UofL) teaching both undergraduate and graduate students. Anyone that has the opportunity to work with Dr. Bergman can tell you, he has found a calling working with students who have not been able to follow the traditional college path. He works with adults who have an unfinished bachelor’s degree but have completed some college, maybe even decades ago.
Interested in finishing your bachelor’s degree? Find out more about the B.S. OLL program at UofL.
The reasons for
leaving college before completing their degree may vary, but all of these
students’ stories share a common thread—they all found the courage and the
drive to come back and finish what they started.
Dr. Bergman and Dr. Joann Olson, a senior scholar from Texas, recently published a book chronicling the experiences of these students. A full description of Unfinished Business is available from the publisher.
We sat down with Dr. Bergman for a quick Q&A, to learn more about Unfinished Business. Here is what he shared:
I love that you titled your book Unfinished Business—it is very fitting. How did you land on that? Were there any other contenders for the title? MB: The title has been in place for over four years. It came to me in a conversation with a student and right then I knew it captured the essence of what these adult learners are thinking as they consider a return to college.
I think anyone who gets to work with you knows how passionate you are about reaching and connecting with this group – adults with some college but no degree – and helping them cross the finish line. What inspires you to dedicate yourself to supporting this demographic? MB: This group has so many life experiences and a ton of professional expertise to draw from when they re-engage with the academic setting. It is so amazing to learn alongside them as you introduce a complex theory and watch them make direct connections to their real-life work. It is truly research-to-practice the whole time they are working through our degree. The commitment to getting an “A” in every class is palpable. They don’t like to settle for anything less. They are trying to serve as an inspiration to their children and they want to model the kind of grades they expect from their kids.
Unfinished Business is a collection of student stories and I know each student’s journey is unique, but is there one story that really stands out to you? MB: There are too many to really identify one particular story. However, if I had to pick one or two, I would start with Phillip Alier. He is one of the “Lost Boys from Sudan” who had to walk 1,000 miles to their freedom, many years ago. As he said at a book launch event, he came to America with nothing. He only had a bag full of a couple of documents and an X-ray to prove he wasn’t bringing any diseases to this country. His journey is worthy of a whole book itself. He is actually searching for a partner to write a biography. I encourage those reading this and wanting to connect with him to please reach out and we can get that project rolling.
I also love the story of Joe Jacoby. A three-time Super Bowl Champion and four-time Pro-Bowler, Joe came back to finish his Unfinished Business in his 50s. He had a nagging feeling that he needed to finish the degree for no other reason other than to prove to himself that he could get it done. He had all of the accomplishments in the world but he left UofL to pursue his dreams in the NFL and didn’t finalize his last bit of course work. He enrolled in the Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) program at UofL and was able to make direct connections from the course content to his businesses and his coaching efforts. It was a perfect match and we are grateful that he and Phillip are graduates of our program.
You have been leading the UofL initiative to get these students to come back and finish their degree. Is this a national trend? Are more universities making similar outreach efforts? MB: We recently started a university-wide Comeback Cards initiative facilitated under the leadership of Dr. Gale Rhodes and Dr. Beth Willey. Through our Institutional Research Office, we identified students that were a couple classes away from the finish line and reached out to recruit them back to complete their remaining requirements. With the support of the Provost’s office, we have been able to recruit, enroll, and graduate 50 students that have graduated in 2019. These people had been separated from the university for a wide array of reasons, but we were able to offer small scholarships to re-engage and get them to graduation. It has been a labor-intensive process that involves a large number of offices across campus, but it has been worth all of the effort to get 50 people to the finish line within six to eight months of rolling out the Comeback Cards initiative.
This is definitely a national trend. Colleges and Universities across the country are going into their student databases to find these individuals that haven’t finished and are facilitating innovative programs to get these people to and through their final requirements. Places like University of Memphis, Wayne State University, and the University of South Carolina have been models that we have used to put our initiative together. This is not a “give-away” type of program. These students are hungry to finish their degrees so their level of commitment is high when they re-enroll. We just have to find them, help them get started, and then get out of the way.
What would you say to someone who is reading this interview and is on the fence about coming back to finish their degree? MB: There is no perfect time to come back. So, that means the time is now. There will always be competing responsibilities pulling you away from the goal of finishing your degree. However, UofL now has services and programs that are tailored to the needs of working adults. Whether you want online, evening, or a mix of the two, you can find a way to carve out enough space in life to get your degree completed. We are done saying “we will give you another chance” and instead, we are saying, “please give us another chance” as an institution. We have changed policy and practice to create a flexible and convenient path to your degree. Give us another shot and we will help you fulfill your long-held dream of completing your degree.
What unique benefits do you feel like online learning offers adult students who want to complete their degrees? Do many of your students choose this option? MB: There is no doubt that the flexibility of online learning is the key to many students’ success. The “life load” that people are carrying is an important consideration as people return. Online makes it possible to balance that “life load” with a sprinkling of relevant, rigorous, and research-based content that will make your life better if you engage with it. I hear every day how the content in OLL is changing people’s lives for the better. They feel more empowered, more confident, and more prepared to move forward in their careers because of the exposure to our curriculum. It is a wonderful situation that drives me every day to find and connect people to UofL.
If you’re ready to take the leap and finish what YOU started, find out more about the B.S. OLL program at UofL or all of UofL’s online programs. Our faculty and staff are ready to provide the guidance and support that adult professionals returning to school need, from start to finish.
