Hiram celebrates National Non-Traditional Student Week

Economic forecasts are more uncertain today than in any time in recent memory. When you talk with your co-workers or your neighbors, chances are that your conversations turn to big banks going out of business, difficulties obtaining loans, high gas prices, or debates surrounding government bailout plans. Finding stability in uncertain times is hard. One way to secure a better future is through a college education. Unfortunately, so they can work more hours or save money, students may drop out of college when times are tough.

“One of my biggest concerns is that fewer Ohioans will complete their degrees because of the current market conditions,” says Hiram College’s Dean of the Weekend College and Office of Graduate Studies Cathy Mansor. “To maintain the long-term economic growth that our region has experienced the past 15 years, we need an educated workforce.”

Since 1977, Hiram College has offered adult students an alternative for completing their college degrees in an innovative, convenient, every-other-weekend format – at a price that is more affordable than even state universities.

Linda Eddington

Rootstown resident Linda Edington is a 2003 graduate of Hiram’s Weekend College. She was a young mother the first time she attended college, but she put her education on hold to work and raise a family. Hiram made it possible for her to finish her degree while working full-time for Parker-Hannifin.

“Going back to school and getting my degree was always a goal for me,” Edington says. “The Weekend College schedule allowed me enough flexibility that it didn’t make a dent in my work or family life.”

It was affordable too, she says. Edington compared Hiram’s tuition with the cost per credit hour at other Northeast Ohio colleges and universities. It turned out that Hiram’s tuition was an excellent value – especially for a part-time student.

Hiram offers eight majors in the weekend format, including accounting, which has become the fastest-growing Weekend College major. Barb Zoller ’06 of Rootstown is one of the first accounting graduates of the program.

Barb Zoller

Zoller was attracted to the Weekend College because the program offered a clear path to graduation, something that she didn’t find with her previous state university experience. After enrolling, she discovered that the real treasure of Hiram’s academic program was its faculty.

“I felt very comfortable talking with the professors and it was very clear that they cared about me,” Zoller says. One of her accounting professors helped her get an interview with Allen Aircraft Products, where she has worked since the week she graduated from Hiram in 2006.

Zoller had accounting experience prior to enrolling in the Weekend College, but looking back, she says her preparation at Hiram was essential for her success at Allen Aircraft. And she’s not finished – she plans to sit for the CPA exam soon.

Expanding your skills is another way to make yourself valuable to potential employers. Joan Seidel is doing that now through Hiram’s Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (M.A.I.S.) program. Seidel is a Kent resident who currently works at Robinson Memorial Hospital.

Joan Seidel

Seidel earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Kent State University, and has over twenty years of experience in the nursing field. However, her career was narrowly focused on clinical nursing. What she sought was, “A program that would broaden my base and ability to acquire knowledge – and that’s what Hiram’s M.A.I.S. program gives me.”

Hiram’ offers its M.A.I.S. program in the every-other-weekend format. This means that professionals can continue to work full-time while they earn their advanced degree.

“My work schedule really wouldn’t accommodate a more traditional schedule for graduate study,” says Seidel.

“I hear this from students every day,” says Mansor. “Our students are feeling pressure to work more hours, either because their employer is demanding additional hours, or because they want to bring home a bigger paycheck.”

This is what makes the Weekend College and M.A.I.S. programs work, Mansor explains. By only attending classes twice per month, on a campus that is a half-hour drive or less from anywhere in Portage County, students can earn a degree while still working full-time.

Plus, Hiram’s commitment to affordability means that students in both the Weekend College and M.A.I.S. program pay less in tuition than students at state universities in the area. In addition, students are eligible to apply for financial aid.

“I have one clear and simple message for current students and prospective students,” Mansor says. “You can do it. I did it when I moved to Ravenna from Oregon, about 300 Hiram students are doing it now, and you can do it, too.”