After an unpredictable year, local schools are introducing new programs and degrees
As students return to classes for the new semester, many colleges and universities in the Miami Valley and surrounding areas have all sorts of new developments for students and faculty to enjoy, with everything from new degree programs to new campus buildings.
Bethany Theological Seminary
For Fall 2021, Bethany Theological Seminary, located in Richmond, Indiana, is offering a new master’s degree program. The Master of Arts in Spiritual and Social Transformation (MASST) degree program combines spiritual formation with social change. The program is designed to prepare students for a future in nonprofit leadership, social services or spiritual direction.
In a statement released by the school, Dean Steve Schweitzer said that the university views this new program as a natural development in the college’s program offerings: “It makes sense for us to continue to expand our offerings, and we want to start with what we know we can do well.” This will be only the second program of its type in the U.S., according to the school’s website.
Students in the MASST program can choose from five “paths.” These include Non-Profit Leadership, (in partnership with Eastern Mennonite University), two programs in Spiritual Practices and Direction (in association with Oasis Ministries), History as Argument and Meditation and Public Theology and Witness.
The university will also extend its access to financial aid, including the Pillars and Pathways Residential Scholarship, to those studying in the program.
Cedarville University
With Cedarville University’s 10-year master plan already underway since summer 2019, the school plans on continuing to add to its campus. In 2020, the school added a new dining center, residence hall and civil engineering building.
The Civil Engineering Center is seen as an expansion of the university’s civil engineering degree, which the university added in 2018. The program had been more popular than expected, enrolling three times the expected students in its first year, according to the school’s website.
The university is expected to continue working on its master plan with the construction of new classrooms and faculty offices to accommodate two new degree programs that the university is adding: the Master of Athletic Training program and the Physician Assistant program. Both are slated to begin sometime next year.
In other news, Dr. McKenzie Grinalds, an assistant professor of pharmacy practices, has been chosen to participate in the American College of Clinical Pharmacists Foundation’s Mentored Research Investigator Training (MeRIT) program. The program will allow Grinalds to self-design a pharmaceutical research study.
To be selected, candidates had to fill out a lengthy application in which they had to receive permission from their department chair, have an extensive knowledge of existing literature in pharmaceutical studies, obtain a mentor and develop two ideas for what they will research.
“The program asks that 10% of our time be dedicated to research, so I’ll certainly be busy next year,” Grindalds said in the announcement on the university’s website.
According to an article in the Cedarville News, Grinalds will either be researching a drug used in patients with epilepsy or the proper dosing of drugs used to combat the negative effects of various immunologic and neurologic conditions.
Indiana Tech
Indiana Tech, located in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, is adding a new bachelor’s degree program for the new semester. The Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management degree will allow students to study how to be effective leaders and managers in a field that is growing on every level of the global economy. The degree will be available for students to pursue both online and in-person.
According to the news release announcing the program, this new degree “will provide students with a comprehensive background for the design and management of supply chains, including quantitative and qualitative modeling of supply chain systems.” While also “focusing on core areas such as the development of technical and analytical skills, leadership and communication proficiency.”
Indiana Tech President Dr. Karl Einolf noted in the news release that “We’re preparing students to lead in the innovative, technology-driven careers of today and tomorrow.”
In addition to the new bachelor’s degree, the school will also add a new certificate program in supply chain management. The 18 college credits from the certificate program count towards the full degree program for students that are interested in pursuing both.
Another new edition to the university’s offerings is a new program with Manchester University that allows students of the pharmacy doctoral program to earn a Master of Business Administration in Professional Studies at Indiana Tech at the same time.
This new program means that Manchester pharmacy students are guaranteed that their business-related elective credits will transfer to the 30 required for Indiana Tech’s MBA in Professional Studies. The program also means that students will save time in earning these two degrees, which in turn also means that the students will be able to save money.
“The dual Pharm.D.-MBA program will develop and distinguish students in an increasingly competitive job market,” W. Thomas Smith, dean of the Manchester pharmacy and graduate life sciences, said in a statement released by the university. “Pharmacists possessing both degrees will be better positioned to fill leadership positions as pharmacists.”
Kettering College
This fall, Kettering College will open its newly renovated Learning Commons. Housed in the Boonshoft building, the 5,500-square foot space “is intended to be a continuum of gathering, teaching and learning,” Kettering College President Nate Brandstater said in a statement released by the college. “It’s a very exciting enhancement for our campus community,” he added.
In the new Learning Commons, students can check out Anna May Café, a café and self-service market named after the school’s founding academic dean, Anna May Vaughan. “The renovated Learning Commons and the creation of Anna May’s Café are wonderful examples of the collaboration between Kettering College and our alumni, who inspire us through their memories as well as their vision for the future of the college,” according to Brandstater.
Also available for students to use is a retail area with healthy grab-and-go snacks, and collaborative learning spaces, designated quiet spaces and a collection of books, journals and media in both print and digital form.
Wilmington College
Wilmington College has announced that it will be offering two new master’s degrees for students to pursue beginning this school year. The first, a Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT), will be offered as both a two-year program to earn the traditional master’s degree and an accelerated five-year plan that encompasses both the undergraduate and graduate levels. This new program will make Wilmington College one of only eight institutions in Ohio to have a graduate program in athletic training.
In a news release from the school, Wilmington College president Dr. Trevor Bates said, “Athletic training is a signature program here at Wilmington College and the unique combination of our faculty, clinical field experiences and strong professional network in the field ensures our graduates will be among the very best.”
The program will also offer students exciting opportunities to intern with high-profile sports teams like the Cincinnati Reds, the Bengals or FC Cincinnati.
Another new program that the college is offering in the new school year is a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, which will be launched in January 2022. The program, a 27-month, entry-level graduate program, will make use of the recently finished occupational therapy level in Wilmington College’s Center for Sport Sciences, which features spacious classrooms, conference rooms, a full kitchen lab and a simulated apartment—including bed, washer and dryer and full bathroom—which students will use to simulate what an occupational therapist does in a day.
In the release, Bates said, “With a focus on rural health care, our OT program will ensure future graduates are well-prepared with the in-depth knowledge, hands-on clinical experiences and Quaker-inspired core values to offer high quality health care in the communities they will serve.”
Wright State University
Wright State University plans to resume most campus operations in-person this fall. In addition to the return of already existing developments, the university also has some new developments in store for the new school year. These new developments include an expansion of the existing Business Enterprise Center into the Workforce Development Center, adding 10,000 square feet of space to the building.
The Workforce Development Center will add more lab space, instructional areas and space for mechanical, electrical, pneumatics and hydraulics, robotics, automation systems and 3D printing to the university’s campus, while also offering space to showcase products from sponsoring manufacturers.
“The expansion is going to allow us to offer more not-for-credit training than we currently have capacity to offer and allow us to more efficiently and more effectively help with the training of our degree-seeking engineering students,” says the interim dean of the Lake Campus, Dan Krane, Ph.D.
This will also be the first school year for university’s National Pan-Hellenic Council Memorial plots, which were constructed this past May to honor the nine Historically Black Greek letter organizations and underscore Wright State’s commitment to inclusion and present an educational and cultural opportunity for students, faculty and staff, according to an article from The Wright State Newsroom.
“My goal isn’t to stay at Wright State forever, but my goal is to create something that will and serve its purpose here at Wright State,” said Dai’Shanae Moore, Wright State NPHC president, in a statement to the student newspaper.
The plaza will be a deliberate 510 inches in diameter to honor the date of the founding of the National Pan-Hellenic Council: May 10, 1930.
