UMW Goes The Distance

A graduate education program is tailored to students’ lifestyles

By Christine Neuberger

Nicole Etienne can spend
more time with her
family since her classes
come to her.

Nicole Etienne’s job as an English teacher in a Prince William County high school is demanding enough, but she also has three young children and is married to a teacher.

Yet somehow she finds time for one more pursuit: graduate school.

  Etienne has time for classes through an innovative program offered by the University of Mary Washington that delivers courses to Prince William County educators. The Prince William initiative marks the first time that UMW has ever delivered a degree program entirely off campus.

Etienne is one of 20 county public school teachers who become students themselves each Tuesday evening as they gather for master’s of education (M.Ed.) courses at the county’s Forest Park High School, about 30 miles north of Fredericksburg.

members of the UMW class in Prince
William discuss a topic raised by their
commuter instructor, Harold S. Wright, Jr.
(Below Left)

“It’s very convenient, given the demands of our jobs,” said Etienne, who lives and teaches just minutes from where the UMW classes began meeting in January 2006.

Much of the driving is left to Harold S. Wright, Jr., coordinator of the Prince William program, which concentrates on educational leadership. It made sense for one professor to travel to Prince William in lieu of 20 students driving south to Fredericksburg, said Wright, a retired UMW associate professor who helped develop the educational leadership program several years ago at the College of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Commuter INstructor
Harold S. Wright, Jr.

Nicole Etienne and her classmates are members of a cohort, the term for a group formed upon admission where members stay together through course work and graduation. The students have never had to fight Interstate 95 traffic to take classes or submit paperwork. Wright and University admissions officials traveled to Prince William school offices to conduct interviews and writing exercises.

“It fits perfectly into my family’s schedule,” said Etienne, whose children are active in soccer and cheerleading. “The professors are willing to work with you and your schedule.”

The 35-year-old draws on what she has learned in her career to help her navigate graduate school course work.  “It’s all about time management, and that’s learned from experience,” Etienne said. “Given the nature of our jobs, you just do it.  If I had to stop and think, I wouldn’t get it done.”           

While some of the cohort members aspire to become principals and directors, others hope to serve as instructional leaders or coordinators. Etienne, who has taught for eight years, realized that a master’s degree would prepare her for a leadership position — a way to have a greater say in how a school is run. So in 2005, when she received an e-mail about Mary Washington’s M.Ed. program, the timing was perfect.

Prince William County’s school population — poised to become Virginia’s second largest — has grown rapidly, fueling a critical shortage of qualified administrators, said Amy White, director of human resources for the school division. With many leadership opportunities awaiting teachers, the school system must prepare educators to step into these managerial roles. White said the UMW program will help fill the void.

“We believe in giving people options to meet their personal and career needs,” White said. “Mary Washington has a strong reputation in the education field and that made it a natural choice.” The biggest benefit of a cohort, White said, is the esprit de corps that develops, with members supporting each other during course work and beyond. “You’ve had time to learn and work together toward a common goal,” she said. 

 “We are very proud of this leadership program in Prince William,” said Brenda E. Vogel, professor of education and UMW’s director of teacher education programs. “Dr. Wright’s willingness to personally coordinate the program ensures that our academic rigor is maintained. We are serving Prince William by giving its teachers opportunities for reflection, inquiry, and research, while they gain valuable knowledge in a collaborative venue.”

Sue Flores, another member of the cohort, heartily agrees that the group forms a bond. “It’s a good mix. Everyone contributes something. In person and online, we all share with each other,” Flores said. “It’s an inclusive group, and it’s everybody working together.”

Another benefit for the teachers and the school system is that course material, discussion, and assignments can draw from local practices. Wright, for example, relates the required course on managing school finances and facilities directly to Prince William’s use of site-based management — a system that gives school principals considerable responsibility for financial decisions.

Flores said she’s learned how county schools besides her own handle financial matters. “That’s been very helpful. I’m researching a computer program for our school as a direct result of class research I did with another school administrator.”

Roughly half of the students already have master’s degrees, including Flores, and are pursuing post-master’s certificates. One student holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. Taking classes year-round, the group expects to finish course work by December 2007. They must complete an internship under Wright’s direction, too, before they are awarded degrees and certificates in May 2008. In addition, members of the cohort must pass a national exam to receive state certification in supervision and administration.

Flores, a mother of three and an ex-Marine Corps officer who has lived on every continent except Antarctica, retired from a 20-year military career before she began substitute teaching at her children’s school a decade ago. Now a full-time teacher, Flores has spent two years as a school administrator at an alternative middle school for at-risk Prince William students.           

Though Flores already holds a master’s degree in human resources management, she still needs credentials in administration and supervision to remain in a leadership role. She appreciates a program that does not duplicate areas that she has already studied. 

“I’m so lucky to be able to participate in Mary Washington’s program,” Flores said. “I feel what I’m taking has absolute relevance to what I’m doing now.”

Inside and outside the classroom, Flores maintains a hectic pace.  She has a son finishing college and two daughters in high school.  A lifelong horsewoman, she runs a summer riding camp, and she recently bought a thoroughbred that she takes to horse shows.

Fortunately, she said, classes are only 10 minutes from her house.  “It has been a very user-friendly program tailored for the busy working professional,” she said. “Mary Washington has been very responsive.”

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