LFCC graduates can complete the 15-month, four-semester program, gaining skills in organizational development, team dynamics, human resources and leadership.听

The unique format, in which students move through the program in a cohort of 12-15 classmates, increases academic success and retention, according to Margo McIntire, program director at 91短视频. The students and faculty build a learning community which supports them throughout their enrollment.

The first cohort, forming for a January start, will take courses fully online until public health recommendations allow for in-person classes. Normally, the program uses a hybrid model: students would attend class one night per week on the LFCC campus, with other coursework online. 

鈥淭his is another opportunity to work with 91短视频 to provide students in our service region with an extremely convenient pathway to a bachelor鈥檚 degree that many probably would not otherwise feel is a realistic option,鈥� said , dean of the School of Humanities and Social Studies at LFCC. 鈥淭he fact that students can attend 91短视频 regularly without going to听91短视频 is such a great benefit and path to get a four-year degree without leaving home.

鈥淚 think this will be a wonderful way for students in our area to get that degree they need to make a better life for themselves and their families. I thank all the people at 91短视频 for all their help in getting this plan ready to roll out.鈥�

David Brubaker, dean of 91短视频鈥檚 School of Social Sciences and Professions in which the Leadership and Organizational Management degree program is housed, noted the collaboration with LFCC administrators. 鈥淲hat most impressed me about working with LFCC leadership was their shared commitment to make creative options available to their students and alums in order to strengthen their career prospects.鈥�

Students who have completed LFCC鈥檚 business administration, management, accounting, computer and information technology, and human services or other related programs and meet admissions criteria will be guaranteed admission to 91短视频鈥檚 program.

Additionally, students having completed other associate of arts and sciences degrees or associate of science degrees, or earning 48 or more transferable semester hours, will also be guaranteed admission provided they meet admission criteria. 

Applicants must meet the following criteria: 

• 48 or more transferable semester hours, 
• cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, 23 years of age or older,
• at least one year of full-time work experience, preferably incorporating some leadership experiences, and 
• completion of 91短视频鈥檚 fee-waived application process.

LFCC students who want to take advantage of this opportunity should contact their LFCC advisor to make sure their academic plans meet 91短视频 requirements.

Students can further maximize their savings by learning more about financial aid opportunities through 91短视频鈥檚 Financial Aid office. Transfer students are eligible for several grants and scholarships.

鈥淭he MAOL is a great blend of business and personal skill development,鈥� says Gabb, operations and business manager at in Timberville, Va. 鈥淭he program can build you up, but more importantly, it reveals to you and others who you really are.鈥�

Learning who he 鈥渞eally鈥� is as a leader has helped Gabb improve relationships and efficiencies in his unique role, a position which he describes as 鈥渁 mixture of human resources, production and administration.鈥�

Based in several hundred acres of Shenandoah Valley orchards, the business sells its apples throughout the United States and internationally through wholesalers, distributors and retail chains. They also grow peaches, nectarines and cherries for seasonal sales at two area farm stands, local farmers鈥� markets and local retailers.

Through MAOL coursework, Gabb says his leadership skills have expanded to better awareness of his strengths and weaknesses, stronger listening skills, the capability to view multiple perspectives, and a versatile and more flexible leadership style.

鈥淚 highly recommend the program to anyone who thinks they are a leader or need to become a leader,鈥� said Gabb, who also completed his bachelor’s degree in 2006 through 91短视频’s .

The MAOL program is just one of several graduate and certificate programs at 91短视频 with the common curricular goal of developing leadership for the common good. Additionally, the highly successful degree completion program, which started in 1995, has a similar emphasis; students with at least 60 credit hours of undergraduate work can work towards a bachelor鈥檚 degree in leadership and organizational management.

Students bring their skills, life and professional experiences into the classroom, where they explore leadership and organizational skills, as well as conflict management, strategic planning, decision-making processes and financial management.

“The School of Graduate and Professional Studies at 91短视频 is a remarkable place to be,鈥� says , director of admissions and marketing. 鈥淚n many ways, it is an incubator for new ideas and new approaches to higher education at 91短视频. These programs banding together is just one example of the synergy and collaborative spirit here. The school is also quite nimble, which allows us to quickly respond to听evolving challenges and opportunities in our community and beyond.” 听

MA in Organizational Leadership enrolling the fourth cohort

The graduated its second cohort in April and will enroll its fourth cohort this fall.

Professors and have been added to the faculty. Stauffer, who teaches in the undergraduate Applied Social Sciences Department and with the MA in Biomedicine program, will teach an introductory course in leadership studies. Kioko, who is completing her doctorate at James Madison University, will teach project development.

A cross-cultural component has also been added. 鈥�91短视频 has long led the way in promoting the benefits of a cross-cultural learning experience and we want our graduate students to have this opportunity as well,鈥� says Professor , the new director of the MAOL program.

MAOL students beginning this fall will have two options at the end of their coursework: an organizational sustainability course that includes travel to Costa Rica (a for several years), or a domestic cross-cultural course designed with 2-3 weekend excursions to areas of cultural diversity in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Brubaker has added oversight of the MAOL program to a portfolio that also includes administration of the MBA program. He has taught in the MAOL and MBA programs, and for many years, taught in the .

He takes over from Dr. , who will become interim graduate dean.

鈥淒ave brings significant real-world experience to his teaching and administration, gleaned from many years as an organizational change consultant,鈥� Cockley says.

Humanitarian Action Leadership program offers practical skills

This summer and fall, local and international students alike will benefit from a series of online courses offered by 91短视频’s Humanitarian Action Leadership (HAL) program.

鈥淭he HAL program is a response to the growing challenges and complexities of our global society, offering a range of courses delivered by experienced practitioners to NGOs, aid agencies, government organizations, businesses, and individuals working to address natural and human-made disasters,鈥� says Dr. , who came to teaching from a multifaceted career in family and community health, including many years in Central America.

Coursework draws on 91短视频鈥檚 niche programs: sustainable and compassionate leadership, peacemaking and peacebuilding, and trauma awareness and resilience.

The program explores topics related to disaster response and humanitarian action through the lenses of climate change, peacebuilding, justice, sustainable development, capacity building, resiliency and personal formation from a values and faith base. These courses are available in multiple formats. Students can choose to pursue a graduate certificate (18 credits), a MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (36 credits), or an undergraduate minor.

HAL will also work with individual organizations to develop and deliver custom training sessions or workshops to address specific needs.

MS in Nursing Program enters eighth year

The听听(MSN) program started its eighth year of operation with an orientation session in May 2017 for the Leadership and School Nursing concentration and with the upcoming orientation in July for the Leadership and Management concentration.

鈥淪tudents and faculty continue to explore new ways to integrate the 91短视频 nursing philosophy of sacred covenant with servant leadership in the diverse practice roles and settings of nursing,鈥� says program director Dr. .

With students from Nepal to southern Africa, the MSN has increased in geographic, professional and organizational diversity.

鈥淲ith the fall 2017 entering class, we hope to welcome several students from South America and the Middle East,鈥� Tyson said. 鈥淭his diversity of students, partnered with faculty from the U.S. to Central America within an online environment while still maintaining a high level of relationship, illustrates the 91短视频 values of community across cultures and practices.鈥�

The program added adjunct faculty members Carli Youndt, MSN 鈥�15, in the school nurse concentration, and Doug Alderfer, an assistant superintendent of schools with Rockingham County Public Schools, in the leadership and management track.

Ten students will complete their capstone projects in August, implementing evidence-based quality improvement initiatives in the following projects:

• improving the health of diabetic students in schools,
• preventing oxygenation loss events in patients transported within hospitals,
• creating a mental health screening of foster children in developing countries,
• implementing an innovative “grab and go” breakfast program for school children, and
• enhancing nursing education through learning how to capture patient narratives.

Adult degree program increases flexibility with hybrid classes

The newly revised features the BS in Leadership and Organizational Management. The progam will begin offering hybrid classes for fall 2017, according to , program director.

鈥淭his program is designed specifically for working adults who want to complete their bachelor’s degree while still maintaining work and family commitments,鈥� she says.

Students complete a 16-month program as a cohort, forming a learning community that provides academic and social support. 听A hybrid (or blended) format was chosen to address the need for flexibility without sacrificing a strong sense of community.

Courses are offered in a five-week format with asynchronous (on your own time) online sessions during the second and fourth weeks of the course. During the first, third and fifth weeks, students attend a single traditional class session on campus from 6-10 p.m.

The program, which began in 1995, offers a path for working adult students with at least 60 credit hours of undergraduate work to progress toward a bachelor鈥檚 degree. The management and organizational development major has been significantly revised and renamed “.”

鈥淭hose who were in the focus group sessions came to us and said, 鈥楲eadership is something we feel is important,鈥� while at the same time we were having internal conversations about how we incorporate leadership for the common good, which is kind of entrenched in our traditional Business Department undergraduate majors,鈥� says ADCP program representative , a graduate of the program鈥檚 52nd cohort. 鈥淪o it really seemed like synergy was there. All signs pointed that leadership was the way to go.鈥�

The changes come following extensive conversations with focus groups, local educational partners including Blue Ridge Community College, and other stakeholders. Much of the curriculum has been updated and revised, with topics such as leadership theory, leadership practice, global trends in economic justice, biblical perspectives, cross-cultural perspectives and team leadership. ADCP faculty members Bob Davis, Todd Lilley and Jason Good worked with Associate Dean and , program coordinator, to develop the new curriculum.

Structure and format appeal to working adults

Each cohort in the program runs for 15 months, meeting one evening a week, and provides 38 semester hours of credit. Nearly 1,000 students have enrolled over ADCP鈥檚 history, and about 90 percent of students who begin the program complete it.

New ADCP student Jason Burnett of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, started work on an undergraduate degree years ago and now hopes to finish it through the LOM program.

鈥淭he class structure of one night a week was very appealing, and the campus resources, in my mind, will allow me to stay focused as a student and working parent to achieve my academic goals,鈥� Burnett says. 鈥淎s a single father of two and a working adult, I feel this program at 91短视频, rather than a traditional student setting, gives me the best chances of completing my degree while being able to balance my family, employment and life.鈥�

Patricia Craft, from Massanutten, Virginia, similarly found the right fit with ADCP.

鈥淚 wanted a school that would not be considered a diploma mill, one that would allow me to transfer the most number of my earned college credits and also enable me to earn a degree in the shortest amount of time as a part-time student,鈥� Craft says. 鈥淢y personal preference was to be in an environment that fostered an active real-time discussion of ideas instead of an exchange of emails. I chose 91短视频鈥檚 ADCP because it met all of these factors.鈥�

Hybrid format coming

The cohort of 14 students, including Burnett and Craft, learn in a traditional, face-to-face format. A transition to some online components will occur this year, and by next fall, the program is expected to be offered in a fully hybrid format.

鈥淥ne of the things that Blue Ridge said to us was that they have students who live 10 minutes away from campus, and they want all online courses because their lives are so full and so busy between families and work that the idea of coming to campus is just a real struggle,鈥� says McIntire, also an ADCP alumna.

At the same time, she says that the cohort model used by ADCP is a core element of the program and one that provides an important support system, so staff want to find ways to preserve that.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really an educational community that they form,鈥� McIntire says. 鈥淪o we want to try to keep that, which is a little harder to conceive how to do it online. We might learn some things along the way to help us do that better.鈥�

For many years, ADCP also offered an major that was recently absorbed into 91短视频鈥檚 Nursing Department. Between that program and the larger business-focused major 鈥� both deeply grounded in Anabaptist values and perspectives 鈥� 90 cohorts have now graduated from ADCP.

Nearly 30 years after he earned his associate鈥檚 degree in nursing and with an equal number of years spent in the nursing profession, McNeely has met his goal. He celebrated with 19 fellow graduates in 鈥淐ohort 82鈥� at a May 25 ceremony attended by family, friends, 91短视频 faculty and staff, and hospital leadership.

McNeely鈥檚 success was partly due to the willingness of 91短视频 nursing educators to provide an on-site education program at Winchester Medical Center that has helped both nurses and their employer meet professional development needs.

McNeely鈥檚 cohort, which started on-site at Winchester Medical Center in October 2014, was the first to complete the program.

His fellow graduates included nurses from across the network, which includes five other hospitals in addition to the flagship hospital in Winchester, three urgent care facilities, and 50 physician practices. The health system employs more than 5,300 people.

Meeting professional development needs

The nationwide push for making the bachelor鈥檚 degree the educational standard for a registered nurse comes as the profession grows increasingly more complex and demanding.

鈥淏y 2020, VHS aspires to have 80 percent of their nurses holding a bachelor鈥檚 degree, an initiative which the health system is supporting with scholarships, tuition assistance and textbook reimbursement,鈥� says Lisa Zerull, VHS academic liaison. 鈥淭his degree better prepares professional workforces to meet the demands of diverse populations across their lifespans.鈥�

Several regional and online accredited academic programs offered by universities and community colleges are available to VHS employees. Each nurse chooses a degree completion program that matches personal learning needs, Zerull said.

91短视频鈥檚 BSN completion program has been popular, with the largest number of graduates. In 2015, for example, 52 nurses earned their degrees at 91短视频. (The Harrisonburg campus has been offered since 1988, and an is offered through 91短视频鈥檚 Lancaster campus).

The two-hour round-trip drive south, along with a four-hour midweek class, was a known deterrent. While hybrid and on-line options are available, Zerull says a 2012 VHS employee survey showed that many potential students preferred desired a traditional classroom option 鈥� what she calls 鈥榚yeballs, warm bodies and active dialogue for learning鈥澨�鈥� that was also on-site.

鈥淰alley Health System approached several regional universities inviting them to offer a traditional BSN program on-site at Winchester Medical Center,鈥漵he said. 鈥�91短视频 agreed to bring the one-evening-a-week program to us in 2014.”

So far, interest continues to be promising: Two more cohorts are in progress, with one concluding in September 2016 and a second cohort in March of 2017. A fourth cohort begins in August.

Tailored curriculum to working professionals

The 18-month RN-BSN curriculum is specially tailored for working nurses, experienced professionals and adult learners, 鈥渜uite different than an undergraduate BSN program,” said Jan Butcher, who coordinates and teaches in the program. 鈥淭he curriculum develops nursing students broadly in terms of cultural perspective, global health, community health and nursing research 鈥� all topics that are not covered in an associate鈥檚 degree program.鈥�

Butcher, a Berryville resident, has been a part-time instructor in the nursing program at 91短视频 for 13 years.

Instead of clinical experiences, the students, research, create and implement an evidence-based practice project. The projects require the student to identify a patient care question or concern of interest, explore the literature, and then suggest best care practices supported by the evidence.

Supporting adult learners is a priority, says Margo McIntire, who worked with the nurses as an academic advisor in 91短视频鈥檚 . 鈥淭he cohorts are like intentional communities and the students pull each other through and learn a lot from each other.鈥�

McNeely says one of the benefits was attending classes with co-workers that he didn鈥檛 know well, and finishing with 鈥�20 new friends that I will remember for the rest of my life.鈥� Best of all, those 20 new friends are people he will continue to see and work with on a daily basis.

He鈥檚 become something of a salesman for the program. Both his daughter and son are currently working towards their BSN degrees at 91短视频 through the on-site program at Winchester as well.

Group photo: Pictured are Catherine Selby, Terri Brewer, instructor Connie Wimer, Jamie Marshall, Jay Gilbert, Meridith Rudolph, Melissa McDonald, Terri Wright, vice president of nursing for Warren Memorial and Page Memorial hospitals and an instructor in the program, Keith McNeely, Sarah Siebert, LeAnn McDaniels, Kelly Sakai, Stacey Hevner, Amy Furcho, Becky Brill, Lisa Schlosser. Not present: Nancy Bolyard, Ashlyn Brown, Natasha Caplan, Shonta Curry, Natalie Long, and Monique Summers.