Nontraditional for 60 Years

04/22/2024

It’s 首页coming and Family Weekend at Saint Louis University. 九月的空气是 温暖和欢迎，黄昏降临，和大学的专业学院 Studies is celebrating its 60th anniversary

On the Grand Hall patio, faculty and staff mingle with students. 毕业生团聚. 孩子们在桌子之间穿梭，在得到第二桌之前向父母问候 雪锥. The crowd is beautifully inconsistent: a variety of ages, a mix of different 背景. It’s a snapshot of real life.

任何熟悉这所学校的人都会告诉你，这就是学校的目的 Professional Studies, or SPS, is all about.

SPS was founded in 1963 by then University President Paul Reinert, S.J.作为大都会 学院——大学的一个分支，为在职的成年人提供非学位课程 and one of the first schools for adult learners in the country. 对于博彩网址大全来说，这是 这是大学课程的自然延伸，也是拥抱世界的新机会 耶稣会教育全人的哲学:看到非传统的需要 learner and understanding that their educational fulfillment matters.

“The model of the Jesuits is to take education to the people,” 说 Dr. 约翰•Buerck who recently served as interim dean of the School for Professional Studies. “在 我们的历史，我们以不同的方式做到了这一点，但我们一直致力于 making a 博彩网址大全 education accessible.”

1972年，大都会学院开始提供本科学位 多年来，学校不断壮大，增加了研究生课程，最终改名 to the School for Professional Studies in 1996.

通过SPS，各行各业的学生都找到了一条编织追求的道路 为了一个学位或证书，他们已经很忙碌的生活，在晚上上课 在照顾孩子一整天之后，或者在繁忙的一周工作结束后的周六.

“Our average student is between 30 and 36 years old,” Buerck 说. “大多数人都有工作. They’re working full time. 他们有一个家庭. They have community activities they’re 参与. They can’t just quit what they’re doing to come back to school.”

伯克(93届毕业生)于1998年加入专业研究学院，担任院长 of the Department of Computer Information Systems. He’s seen the school’s programs 发展以满足非传统学生在当今劳动力市场的独特需求 所有年龄段的男男女女终于得到了实现梦想所需的支持 they’ve held onto for years.

Then, in 1997, he got the sign he needed.

“I’ll never forget, I was driving to work, I heard a radio commercial for the School for Professional Studies,” 威利斯 说.

他打了这个电话，在博彩网址大全导师的帮助下制定了一个计划，然后回去了 to school, taking classes on campus two nights a week. He was buoyed by the support 他的妻子埃里卡和他们的孩子，当他踏上教室时，他 was heartened by the diversity of the participants.

“Everybody comes from different 背景 and different experiences. 从我的 first class, I knew I belonged there. I knew it was for me,” he 说.

让学生知道他们的归属，并在他们所在的地方与他们见面，这并不是什么新鲜事 专业研究学院，但在2008年学校领导选择了另一个专业 step forward in their mission by offering 博彩网址大全’s first online degree program.

“当你考虑教育的演变时，你会发现我们并没有建立很多新的大学 伯克说. “Instead, it’s about finding new ways to bring education to the people, technology can help us do that.”

到2009年，SPS的所有学位都是完全在线提供的，使博彩网址大全领先于其他大学 curve when the pandemic hit in 2020.

“当COVID-19来袭时，世界各地的大学都必须迅速上网，”伯克说 说. “到那时，我们已经在线运营多年了，所以我们能够继续前进 很容易.”

通过在线提供所有学位课程，SPS也为新一代打开了大门 对于那些繁忙的日程安排和距离使面对面学习成为挑战的学生.

“获得学士学位是我很久以来的梦想，但从未实现过 thought was possible,” 说 Tina 柯蒂斯 (PS ’22). “I tried to get back to school numerous 但对于年幼的孩子来说，回到教室是行不通的 me.”

Then, in 2020, an online search led her to the SPS website.

“我开始做研究，看到他们100%在线学习，我就想， ‘Yeah, this is for me,’” she 说. “I took a leap of faith. I applied that very same night and heard back from somebody early the next week.”

柯蒂斯在攻读学士学位的过程中选修了一门全日制课程 在一般研究中. Some nights, she’d sit down at the computer right after work. 其他的晚上，她会等到晚饭后，当每个人都准备好了的时候.

“这是一个挑战，但在顾问们的帮助下，我找到了前进的道路 was an enjoyable path because I was doing something to better myself,” she 说.

对于柯蒂斯和威利斯来说，通过SPS获得的学士学位开启了专业 门. 柯蒂斯’ degree enhanced her skills and marketability as an accounts payable 主管. In August 2023, she made the decision to return to SPS to earn a master’s degree in leadership and organizational development.

威利斯的非营利组织管理学位给了他资格和信心 申请新工作. But for both graduates, some of the greatest satisfaction was exemplified in the smiling faces of their families on graduation day.

“我记得我在座位上抬头看着我的孩子和妻子说，‘我 它是.’ I did that for them,” 威利斯 说.

对伯克来说，看到学生们对自己的成就感到自豪 in their alma mater, never gets old.

“They’re proud to be obtaining a Saint Louis University education. 他们谦卑. 他们感到很兴奋. So are their families,” he 说.

作为临时院长，伯克亲历了学院60周年校庆 以及SPS的未来，带着自己的自豪感看着学校继续发展 to grow and expand its reach.

增长的一个主要来源是博彩网址大全的全球毕业生计划，该计划于2020年启动，旨在 招收国际学生攻读关键的商业、技术和工程专业. There a recurrently more than 1,700 Global Graduate students enrolled in SPS.

许多较新的SPS计划，包括酿造科学和操作证书 和新的大麻科学和操作证书，已经增加，以满足 unique needs of today’s workforce.

“We’re a very workforce-driven school,” Buerck 说. “Oftentimes, these industries 来到博彩网址大全. They can’t find the professionals they need, they ask us if we’ll consider starting a new program.”

这些与地方和国家公司以及日益增长的全球公司的直接联系 学生人数导致了SPS的稳定增长，这反过来又导致了 需要更多的教员. That’s next on Buerck’s list, he’s happy to tackle such 一个好的
问题.

“Sometimes people ask me what I do, what’s my job. I tell them that I have the best job in the world,” he 说. “I get to work with faculty and staff who create curriculums that change people’s lives.”

Taking Education and Training to the People

SPS提供了各种各样的计划，旨在让学生和毕业生获得 the resources they need, including: