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For Immediate Release:  February 18, 2005

UMW BOARD OF VISITORS EXPANDS GRADUATE PROGRAMS AT COLLEGE OF GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Fredericksburg, Va. — The Board of Visitors of the University of Mary Washington approved new graduate business and education programs Friday, February 18 to address needs cited by the region’s public schools and one of the area’s leading employers.

Beginning this fall, students can enroll in the new Master of Business Administration program in risk management and insurance and in the new Master of Education and certificate programs in instructional technology leadership. The new programs will be offered at the university’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies located in Stafford County.

“It’s tremendously exciting and rewarding to see our faculty work with local business and school leaders to develop programs that truly meet the educational needs of students in our region,” said Meta R. Braymer, the university’s vice president for graduate and professional studies. “These two new programs help us accomplish the mission of the University of Mary Washington by providing accessible, quality education tailored to the needs of adult learners.”

The College of Graduate and Professional Studies had 823 students seeking graduate and undergraduate degrees and certificates or enrolled in classes for credit in the fall. Several hundred more individuals take non-credit courses each year. Growth at the nearly six-year-old campus has fueled plans for a second $8.2 million academic building at the Route 17 campus, with groundbreaking expected this year.

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program’s new risk management and insurance concentration allows individuals with the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) professional credential to apply to have CPCU courses counted toward the MBA. Only CPCU courses recommended for graduate credit by the American Council on Education will be accepted to count toward the new 12-credit concentration in risk management and insurance.

The risk management program was long sought by GEICO’s mid-Atlantic regional office, which is one of the Fredericksburg region’s top private employers with 3,200 associates at its Stafford location. A January 2005 survey by the university found that GEICO employees in Stafford who are eligible for the new program see a significant local need for an MBA concentration in risk management and insurance.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the College of Graduate and Professional Studies to fulfill its mission and help meet the needs of the area business community,” said Alan G. Heffner, professor of leadership and management and director of the MBA program. The risk management program also “will appeal to other local insurance companies and a variety of individual professionals in insurance-related fields, such as adjusters, risk managers, regulators and attorneys.”

The Master of Education’s (M.Ed.) new instructional technology leadership program provides a fifth core, or area of study, for licensed, practicing teachers pursuing an M.Ed. A Graduate Certificate in Instructional Technology Leadership also will be offered.

The new programs will prepare teachers to take leadership roles in instructional technology and in the integration of technology tools in classroom instruction and throughout the curriculum. A December 2004 survey by the university found that instructional technology leaders in the five local school divisions and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) see a substantial local need for the graduate program. The university involved technology specialists from the local school divisions and VDOE in designing the program and its areas of emphasis.

“The focus of the instructional technology leadership program is on the integration of technology into the teaching, learning, and organizational aspects of schools,” said Teresa L. Coffman, assistant professor of education. “This program is designed for students who are interested in becoming technology leaders within their school or technology leaders within their classrooms. Individuals with varying degrees of technology experience will find this program useful in increasing their overall effectiveness in the K-12 technology arena.”

The College of Graduate and Professional Studies offers classes in the evenings and weekends to allow working adults to pursue degrees and certificates on a part-time basis. The growth of the graduate business and education programs at the Stafford campus served as the major catalyst for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s 2003 decision to reclassify the institution, then known as Mary Washington College, as a “Master’s Colleges and Universities II” institution.

For more information about programs at the College of Graduate and Professional Studies, visit the web site at http://cgps.umw.edu.

Prospective students may contact the Office of Admissions at (540) 286-8088, toll-free (866) 261-4458 or graduate@umw.edu.

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News release prepared by: Christine Neuberger     

Program Highlights:

• Students accepted into the MBA program who hold the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) professional designation can apply to have CPCU courses counted toward the MBA.

• Up to 12 graduate credits can be awarded from CPCU courses to fulfill the new 12-credit MBA concentration in risk management and insurance.

• Only CPCU courses recommended for graduate credit by the American Council on Education (ACE) can count toward the MBA concentration.

• The risk management and insurance program provides an eighth MBA concentration. The others are accounting, contracts and procurement management, general management, information security, management technology, organization and human resource development, and project management.

About the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) credential:

• The Personal CPCU and the Commercial CPCU credentials are professional designations recognized throughout the insurance industry and conferred by the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (AICPCU).

• CPCUs must successfully complete a minimum of eight courses through the AICPCU and pass national exams on topics ranging from insurance law and accounting to risk management and ethics.

Local Need:

• A January 2005 university survey conducted at GEICO’s mid-Atlantic regional office in Stafford County found that nearly all of the respondents eligible for the new program see a significant local need for an MBA program with a concentration in risk management and insurance.

• Of the 40 survey respondents who are eligible for the new program because they hold bachelor’s degrees, 56 percent said they’re likely to enroll in the MBA program with a concentration in risk management and insurance if it’s offered starting fall 2005.

• Long sought by the GEICO office in Stafford, the program is expected to appeal to other local insurers and to professionals in insurance-related fields, including adjusters, underwriters, risk managers, brokers, regulators and attorneys.

Program Highlights:

• The new M.Ed. program in instructional technology leadership provides a fifth core – or area of study – in the M.Ed. Track II Program for licensed, practicing teachers pursuing a master of education.

• A new Graduate Certificate in Instructional Technology Leadership also will be offered.

• The new programs in instructional technology leadership address the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers and administrators and the Virginia Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel (TSIPs).

• The programs will prepare teachers to take leadership roles in the use of technology as an instructional tool and its integration in both classroom instruction and throughout the curriculum.

Local Need:

• A December 2004 university survey of instructional technology specialists in Caroline, Fredericksburg, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford schools and at the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) found a significant local need for a graduate program in instructional technology leadership.

• Representatives of local school divisions and VDOE were consulted in developing the program and its emphasis on leadership and on the ISTE/NETS standards.

About the two-track M.Ed. program:

• The Track II M.Ed. Program is designed for licensed, practicing teachers seeking professional development, license renewal or added teaching endorsement. Track II core programs are diverse student populations, educational leadership, English as a second language, instructional technology leadership and special education.

• The Track I Post-Baccalaureate Initial Teacher Licensure Program with an M.Ed. Option is intended for individuals with a bachelor’s degree and some professional work experience who want to obtain teaching credentials. Track I areas of endorsement are elementary education, middle education, secondary education, PreK-12 education and K-12 special education.