Strayer University Caters to Working Students

Al Día

Dennis McGeehan, the Dean of Strayer University, offers a profile of this school’s students, their challenges as working adults completing their education, and the benefits of diversity in higher education.

McGeehan has been part of Strayer’s staff since 2001, after teaching at night for several years in various universities while he was also working in the private sector.

The academic refers to his research in diversity as “an eye-opener,” and encourages young adults to follow this country’s tradition “of dedication, diligence and persistence to make things better […] by furthering their studies.”

How does higher education help minority students?

Mostly, the university introduces you to critical thinking, and when you think critically, you can do something else, you can take a dream and make it reality. In college, you acquire an ability to conceptualize, see and understand what is out there.

Does Strayer have special programs to recruit minority students?

Advertising is the same for everyone, but our offering is attractive to many minority students because we are dealing with working adults who are trying to get an education. A lot of our faculty has stories similar to our students. They are people who had a whole career and also taught outside of their everyday activities.

How is minority enrollment in your school?

Extremely strong, and the faculty loves it. This is why we get into teaching, because our field is not about making people agree with you and think the way you do, but to take a mind, a very talented mind, and develop it to its full potential.

Your research focus is diversity in education. Can you tell us how that started?

As a second generation American, I got to observe my family’s struggles on my mother’s side; they all came from Russia. So, as a child, I witnessed a lot of what goes on when people come to the United States from a different culture.

Which specific challenges did they have?

Well, trying to get a job, trying to be accepted, because their ways were different from the society they came into. And also in staying true to themselves – it is very hard to do that.

How did the education part come into the picture?

We are looking at a society, American society, that accepts people, but a process is required. With education, my primary interest is to acquire the knowledge and fresh ideas that other cultures can introduce to settings in the U.S., and also show how our education system in the U.S. applies to their culture and can enrich their lives. It actually works two ways.

Have you found that educational approaches vary significantly in different cultures?

I don’t know that I would use the word different. There are various approaches here in the U.S.; there is no one way to do things. Still, the way knowledge is conveyed and delivered to students can be different in other cultures.

Because the U.S. is such a diverse country, there must be special challenges in the educational system.

The U.S. has always been diverse. I also do historical study, so if I look at the other side of my family, the Irish and the Italians, it wasn't that long ago that they also were trying to adapt to this culture that was significantly different from what they had experienced before.

For a teacher, this is exciting, because you are looking at your own past when you are working with younger students. And, you think, this is what life was like for my own family.

Can you talk about specific challenges you have with a diverse student body?

One of the things that comes out at you is with learning English. The English that you see in the textbook is different from the way people converse. There are idiomatic expressions, use of nouns as verbs, shifting syntax, all things that confuse some students.

This could be a metaphor...

Absolutely. From that, you can build how there are always going to be nuances, features in one culture that do not replicate into another. In terms of how we learn what we learn, humans learn the same way so it is the environment what changes, just like culture does.

How does your school help students who may be struggling in this sense?

We have additional training courses and do testing to identify those needs.

What are other sources of stress for working students?

Many others. There are the jobs themselves. They have to accommodate work responsibilities with their needs to study, the demands of their family, and that could be some extended family as well, parental care for their children or elder parents. That’s a tough combination; you are balancing career, your family, your education.

There are many young students who get burned out with the demands of college. How do adult students manage?

I have found something that is really amazing; the more you do, the more you are capable of doing. Certainly, students must learn to manage their time, and make adjustments as needed. And they do.

How do the programs in Strayer work? Do students have to take a set amount of credits per semester?

It is adjustable, and this is part of the balance. You can take two courses, three. If you want to pick up a full load, that’s four courses. You can even take one.

On average, how long does it take for adult students to complete a degree?

Four to five years.

What are the specific programs you would recommend for someone looking to stay in this region?

If you have abilities and skills, you can essentially find a way to do what interests you and what suits you. In general, though, recruiters who come to school seem to be looking for accountants, business people, managers, and students in the health services areas. Finance and IT are also in demand. But, really, if you are good and you love what you do, and you love what you learned, you will find a way.

The global economy and fast communications have dramatically changed the job marketplace. How are students in this country being prepared to respond to their new environment?

Students are acquiring an ability to think and understand other cultures, and the way businesses are conducted in various cultures. Students are learning about international business and cultures, but also about the sociology, philosophies and political systems of people throughout the world. The aim is that students understand a global world, and do well on it.

So, all people who are learning, and want to prove themselves, would be foolish not to learn about diversity, not to learn about various ways of thought because this is going to help them tremendously in their careers.

How do you convey a more comprehensive understanding of the world to your students?

They are not only learning from the textbook and the faculty, but most importantly each other. They are the ones who come and tell us about their cultures and what the differences with American culture are, and how we can make things work.

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