Shepherd University's Martinsburg Center moving forward

MARTINSBURG - More than 300 people have been invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony later this month that will officially open Shepherd University's Martinsburg Center for Graduate and Professional Studies, but there's already a lot of activity at - and interest in - the new local facility.

While director Jim Klein is also excited about an Aug. 6 open house for the public, many prospective students have already stopped by to talk and learn more about how their educational needs can be met here, he said.

Although the new school will officially open Aug. 26 when the first full semester gets underway, some summer classes are already being held, Klein said.

"We're fully launched and ready to go. Even the classrooms already have state-of-the-art technology in them," he said.

It's also exciting to think about how many local people - as well as from surrounding communities, including Washington County, Md. and Frederick County, Va. - will benefit from the availability of programs aimed at students who are working but also want to complete a college degree, Klein said.

"Current survey data collected by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission indicates that over 800 students in the Eastern Panhandle alone have stopped attending college before completing their bachelor's degree," he said.

Despite Berkeley County's continuing growth, local data shows that only 10 percent of the county's workforce has a bachelor's degree, Klein said.

"However, the Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce's 2011 Workforce Needs Report shows that 56 percent of the area's employers require a bachelor's degree as a condition of employment, so that helps tell the story. There is a clear need here," he said.

Shepherd officials believe the new center's Regents of Bachelor of Arts program will help "improve these local statistics," Klein said.

Educational coordinator Beth Thomas has been hired to work with Martinsburg Center students completing their bachelor's degree through the RBA program, a flexible option that can assess credit for work experience through a portfolio review process.

"This program is designed for adult learners because you must have been out of high school for at least four years. But is a very flexible degree and students can mold it to what they need it to be. It is multi-faceted and depends on the student," Thomas said.

For example, it is possible to get credit towards a degree based on time spent in the military, she said.

The new center is housed in a three-story building off Edwin Miller Boulevard at 261 Aikens Center. Course offerings include undergraduate education and regents bachelor of arts degrees. Master's degree programs include courses in business, health care and public administration.

- Staff writer Jenni Vincent can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 131.

Source: http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/596345.html

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