Joshua
Navarro
The
Florida State University Higher Education program recently received national
recognition in the U.S. News and World Report 2007 edition of "
The
program was ranked 13th among all higher education administration programs in
the nation. The program will be 50 years old in 2007 and still reportedly has a
strong reputation in the professional community. Beverly L. Bower, an associate
professor of education in the program, said that this recognition is good
exposure for the program.
"We're
pleased about it; it's a good thing for the program and publicity," said
Bower. "It came as a surprise because it wasn't what we were working
for."
Bower
explained that the program achieved national status because they have been
working toward their goals. She also said that the higher education program is
one of the oldest programs in the country and has graduated numerous successful
people who have gone on to spread the word about the higher education program,
which also keeps the program well known.
Students
from all over the country that want to pursue a master's degree in higher
education have come to FSU because of its well known reputation. Anna Hobby
from
"This
program has a lot of people in the field of higher education, and (I) think
very highly of this program," said Anna Hobby. "I hear so many
positive things about the program that I kind of know what I was getting
into."
Jennifer
Duke, a Master's student that came from the
"We
are very excited," said Duke. "That's one of the reasons that we are
drawn to the program. We're (students) from different states and
universities."
Bret
Cowley, who received his undergraduate degree from
"It's
one of the reasons why I came here and knew that FSU had one of the top
programs in the nation and especially one of the higher programs in the
Southeast," said Cowley. "I wanted to stay in the Southeast. When I
was an undergrad, I always joined the organizations that held themselves in
higher esteem and that wanted to portray ourselves in that light. One of the
reasons why I came to FSU (was that) I wanted to continue to associate myself
with organizations and places that are top for what they are recognized for."
Joseph
C. Beckham, the Allan Tucker Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy
studies, also came to FSU's higher education program
because of its esteem and quality. Beckham explained that these national
rankings are a result of the program's quality.
"These
are reputation rankings, and they are significant because they reflect how
professionals in the field of higher education see the university and the
program," said Beckham. "I've been here since 1987, 26 years. I was
at the
Beckham
explained that the program's basic goal is to compliment the university's
effort to achieve excellence both in terms of scholarly productivity and
producing outstanding graduates that are going to contribute leadership to the
field of higher education.
"It
feels good to know that this faculty is sustaining the quality of the program
over time," Beckham said. "Everyone wants to have a legacy of having
contributed. This is more of a competitive environment now; a lot of
institutions are investing in programs like this. One of our principle
competitors is the
Duke
explained having such a legacy and her experiences with student interaction is
striking.
"The
most beneficial and impressive thing to me is the caliber of students that the
program draws," said Duke. "The students are amazing professionals. I
can only imagine most of them would be dean of students and vice presidents in
the future, so it's an amazing opportunity to have this experience now and to
learn with future leaders of higher education."
High
standards are what the program requires from its students while in the program.
Bower explained that having these standards is a good theory to practice. For
example, when students get good experiences at FSU, the results make the
students more employable when they complete the master's program.
"Most
of our Master's students have a graduate assistantship that is 20 hours a week
that helps them defer the cost of going to college but also provides them with
pre-graduation experiences in the field," said Bower. "A number of
them will work in different areas of the Dean of Students office, the Vice
President of Student Affairs office, and a number of places across campus.
Through those assistantships, they get experience working in offices they would
go into after graduation."
According
to Bower, the Master's students also have three small term internship services
where they would work 10 hours a week for a few weeks in different offices.
This allows them not only to have an extended experience through their graduate
assistantship, but they also have shorter experiences in a variety of offices
relevant to their fields.
According
to Hobby, it is helpful gaining experience through assistantships and
internships.
"The
Student Affairs (Offices) are extremely professional," said Hobby.
"They are very good in mentoring us and helping us get out of our program.
Our program is very focused on what we learn in the classroom and applying (it)
at the University. Many of us have had the opportunity to work in several
capacities, such as interning at offices, so we can get a wide range of
experiences."
©
2006 fsunews.com