"SED provided me with the strong academic preparation, organizational management skills, and opportunities for collaboration with colleagues necessary for success in my career. I have worked as a higher education administrator at the University of Rhode Island and Northern Arizona University, where I coordinated student success and transition programs for first-year students. In my current role at the U.S. Department of Education, I conduct analysis and research to develop federal higher education policy and to advance the U.S. Secretary of Education's action plan for higher education. My work directly contributed to the completion of the final report of the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education. I am also currently a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Administration at the George Washington University in Washington, DC."

— Archie P. Cubarrubia, Senior Analyst, Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
Washington, DC
SED'02, Ed.M.

"While studying for my Ed.M., I had the good fortune of fantastic classmates coming from a wide range of higher education backgrounds. The majority of my classmates were already working in the field and wished to learn and grow. Being a recent BU grad, I was thrilled to be able to learn not just from the professors, but from my classmates as well. The first class was a survey class, one in which the professor encouraged us to share our professional experiences and explore areas that we might be interested in. The syllabus was set, but the details were largely driven by the people in the class. In this class there were people who worked in athletics, Greek life, the Dental School, student support, several academic departments, and admissions. In this class, I explored many parts of the university that were unknown to me, including the admissions process and related admissions issues.

"The SED research requirement taught me the technical skills, like how to read reports, understand statistics, and write concisely. Much to my chagrin at the time, group projects were often assigned.  I learned how to time manage and work in a team of adults and developed the confidence to present to a mixed audience. This was not a room of my peers but of professionals in education of mixed ages and experiences. As an Admissions professional, I have to be able to at a moments notice stand up and give a presentation. I learned how to put together a PowerPoint presentation and how to talk off the cuff when technology fails me. I have presented to high school classes on a myriad of topics and even gave my first professional workshop at SACAC (The Southern Association of College Admissions Counselors) in Atlanta, GA in the Spring of 2007.

"Within the Higher Education Administration program, I was taught a great foundation—the issues that higher education has had to overcome, the current issues that I as an education administrator now work on, and the direction in which higher education is moving. I will be part of the future of higher education. It started with great professors: Dr. Sylvia Simmons, Dr. Bruce Fraser, Michael Rosen, and others who were instrumental to my success and my passion to remain in education. I intend to earn my Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and rise through the ranks of higher education."

— Suzyn-Elayne Soler, Assistant Director of Admissions,
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University
Jupiter, FL
SED'02, Ed.M.

"There is a self- and academic-discipline and curiosity that one learns in the SED doctoral program, and I took that into the real world after graduation. What intrigued me at the time was the emergence of distance learning and the prospect for earning a degree online. As a former associate dean of an adult program, I saw this as a significant advantage for the adult and professional student who couldn’t get to class because of work schedules, family crises, and a host of other factors.

"I met the recently retired president of Bentley College, Joe Cronin (part-time faculty at SED), and we discussed a proposal put to us by Harcourt Publishing. They wanted to develop the first totally online college in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and have it approved by the state to grant degrees. We wrote the proposal, and shortly thereafter Harcourt hired a group called the Edvisors. There were four of us led by Joe Cronin, and we began work almost immediately. Then the two of us were hired away from our consulting jobs by Harcourt as full time employees. I became the Dean of the School of Business, responsible for course development and curriculum and faculty hiring and training. The online college was developed and went into beta testing online as a state licensed institution. Alas, the online college was absorbed by Thompson Publishing in a buy-out that closed Harcourt down. Thompson closed the college.

"Literally weeks later I found myself developing a new online MBA program for a consortium of 18 international universities headquartered in Singapore. Over 30 business courses were developed using subject matter experts from across the country. That program is now up and running. I found myself developing online programs for a number of institutions both domestic and international but was presented with a particularly interesting challenge by a local university. That university was facing an accreditation visit and wanted to ensure that its fledgling online program would pass muster. I advised the group that a major concern of NEASC was in outcomes assessment. So began a two and a half year program of faculty training focusing on what are outcomes and what is the effect of using behavioral outcomes on pedagogy and assessment. We are still doing faculty training and sharpening assessment tools, and the school and its online program got rave reviews from NEASC. The administration was genuinely pleased. I continue to work on assessment and outcomes and course development for institutions as far away as Dubai, UAE, aa current project."

— Chris Weir, Online Course Developer
SED'97, Ed.D.