Ouachita Stories

When I was a student at Ouachita in the 1990s, we often heard the phrase “lifelong learning.” In my undergraduate mind, this made sense in the context of ongoing spiritual growth and, vaguely, in connection to my chosen field of study, Latin American history. Beyond that, the amount of lifelong learning my professional path would require wasn’t anything I could imagine. What I didn’t realize is that it became ingrained within an overall set of values that eventually became habits, both professional and personal.

I think a vague understanding of such a concept is probably something that hasn’t changed a great deal among traditional undergraduate students. They are mostly focused on their majors, with graduation as the immediate goal. What happens after that is somewhat of a mystery.

If we’re honest, most of us can admit that throughout adulthood, we regularly re-evaluate our professional situations to determine if what we are doing is still what we need to be doing. We are regularly engaged in lifelong learning as we learn new software, raise children, adjust to new colleagues or a new boss or even move to a new city.

Since I returned to work at Ouachita in 2018, I was glad to see that we still talk about lifelong learning. We’ve rephrased it, though. Now we talk about “ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth.” The wording has changed, but the concept remains consistent.

In the 20 years that I’ve been away from Ouachita, the world has changed dramatically. In my academic field, some scholars are arguing that the technological revolution of the last 50 years can effectively be compared to the Industrial Revolution in terms of its impact on the global economy. And the rate of change continues to accelerate. This, in turn, affects how higher education institutions must adapt to meet those changes.

A clear illustration of this is the number of career changes that most people have. Recent estimates are that most people will change jobs or entire careers at least seven times in their lifetimes. This is no longer the anomaly, but the norm. That puts a traditional residential undergraduate campus in an interesting position. We must reinvent ourselves while holding firm to the values that make us who we are.

We are firm in our belief that an undergraduate, faith-based, liberal arts education is the foundation on which we base our academic mission. That foundation invigorates and guides our graduates to lives in which ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth is simply how they live. Yet, the reality of the professional world is constant evolution. Our graduates must be prepared to face the ongoing change that will inevitably be part of their lives.

At Ouachita, we have focused on providing the undergraduate foundation that will allow our alumni to have the skills to adapt. We have done it exceedingly well. Now, we are expanding the reach of our mission as we launch new graduate and professional studies programs, becoming a source of ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth for both our alumni and other students who value what Ouachita has to offer.

Ouachita’s opportunity in this area is distinctive: we will offer exemplary academic programs at reasonable prices from a place where community is fostered through relationships with classmates and professors. We desire for others beyond the traditional undergraduate population to have the Ouachita experience, becoming part of our family. We have an opportunity through post-graduate programs to explore new and different modalities, fields and approaches, combining the very best of who we are with meeting the ongoing and changing needs of the work force. We all know that many of the careers and callings our children and grandchildren will follow are in areas that do not exist today.

“We desire for others beyond the traditional undergraduate population to have the Ouachita experience, becoming part of our family.”

Dr. Monica Hardin

In the past year and a half, we have seen consistent affirmation of our efforts to reach into the area of graduate and professional studies. We have carefully developed processes for determining best fit programs for Ouachita. We have been approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics for pre-candidacy for a post-baccalaureate dietetic internship, which we expect to launch in Fall 2020. Additionally, we have been approved by Applied Behavior Analysis International to launch a Master of Science degree in applied behavior analysis starting in May 2020. Pending final accreditation from our regional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, we anticipate launching these two new programs in the coming months.

We will also offer our first non-credit course option later this spring. Courses such as this one will showcase Ouachita’s commitment to our alumni and friends as a place of ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth for non-degree-seeking learners.

Our first course will be Financial Foundations, designed by Dr. Chris Brune, associate professor of finance and holder of the George Young Chair of Business. Designed particularly for the needs of young adults and families, this course will offer a practical, biblically-based perspective on key money management topics such as budgeting, insurance and planning for retirement.

As we move into this time of growth and change at Ouachita, we remain grateful for the support of alumni and former students. You are part of the fabric of Ouachita, and we seek to honor that legacy as we move forward.

COMING SOON TO OUACHITA

 

 *pending Higher Learning Commission approval

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 Dr. Monica Hardin, associate vice president for graduate and professional studies, has served at Ouachita since 2018. A 1998 Ouachita graduate, she also earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University.

 

 

• Tags:
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Finance
• Graduate and Professional Studies
• Nutrition and Dietetics