GROWTH INDUSTRY
Tailoring college studies for career advancement
By Betsy Piland | Photography by Vance Jacobs | June 6, 2024
FOR SOME WORKING PROFESSIONALS, academic degrees are just part of the puzzle in gaining technical proficiency and the ability to tackle high-level responsibilities – they additionally seek industry-specific certificates and licenses to vouch for their abilities.
These credentials are in high demand among students at CSU Global, a fully online university with programs designed for modern, nontraditional learners who wish to advance in their professions and careers. Not only does CSU Global offer 14 undergraduate and graduate certificate programs, but its academic offerings prepare students for more than two dozen third-party industry certification exams and licenses in their fields of study. Think certified public accountant, certified financial planner, or certified ethical hacker in the field of cybersecurity.
During a recent monthly meeting, the Board of Governors of the CSU System expanded the number of CSU Global offerings by approving nine new industry-aligned certificate programs for students in fields including computer science, business, finance, and health care.
Helping students earn industry-specific credentials is part of CSU Global’s mission: Certifications and licensure are ways learners can tailor their studies to meet their immediate career needs while also working on degree completion, said Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, university president.
“We look at the needs of industry today, based on real-time, aggregated job postings and the skills, knowledge, and abilities students need to qualify for the positions,” she said. “We are working to meet both industry employment needs and upskilling needs for employees.”
Through CSU Global, Cara LaMark completed the only fully online principal licensure program authorized by the state of Colorado.
Take Cara LaMark. She recently completed the Educational Leadership-Principal Licensure program through CSU Global. She quickly saw the value of her credential: The principal licensure program – the only fully online program of its kind authorized by the state of Colorado – provided LaMark with specialized training in strategic, instructional, and managerial leadership, among other key skills. With her training, LaMark was prepared for a Colorado licensure exam validating her readiness to lead in educational administration. She was immediately promoted from a grade-level administrator to assistant principal at North Middle School in Aurora, Colorado.
“Whenever I tell people I work at a middle school, they say, ‘Ugh, I’m sorry,’” LaMark said, with a laugh. She added, “No! What I love about middle schoolers is that they very much want to be seen as grown but also sometimes want to be seen as little kids. We just need to allow them to make mistakes and then have those conversations to help them figure things out.”
Working in this developmental landscape is a big part of her new job as an assistant principal. But rather than being concerned chiefly with a single group of students, she now has responsibilities related to all 630 students at North Middle School, dozens of staff members, the school budget, instructional plans, and the school’s physical plant, among other issues.
For instance, North Middle School, like a number of Aurora Public Schools, teaches many students from refugee and other immigrant families. “We are meeting students who have never been in a classroom before. We are meeting students who don’t speak English. That’s nothing new for me, but now I’m equipped to support teachers to look at this experience through the lens of, ‘How can I support them?’” she said.
Cara LaMark completed the Educational Leadership- Principal Licensure program through CSU Global and was quickly promoted to assistant principal at North Middle School in Aurora, Colorado.
On an afternoon late last winter, LaMark discussed her educational and career journey at the end of the school day, as hallways filled with laughing and shouting sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, and hundreds of sneakers squeaked on the freshly mopped floors.
At first convinced that she would be a Spanish teacher, LaMark earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Nazareth University in her hometown of Rochester, New York. Then, she switched course and earned a master’s degree that prepared her to teach English as a second language for pupils ranging from preschool to adult. She and her family then moved to Denver, and LaMark discovered that middle school is her sweet spot.
She joined the staff at North Middle School as a lead teacher for multilingual learners, then worked as an administrative leader for the eighth-grade section of the school. LaMark realized her interest in the entire student body positioned her to become a principal.
“I advocate for kids. They’re important to me. I was always pushing for students to have the most opportunities,” she explained. “Also, I really like people. I enjoy teaching teachers how to be better at their jobs.”
To take that next step, LaMark knew she would need focused education to prepare for the principal licensure exam. Eighteen months after enrolling, LaMark completed the program through CSU Global.
“I took my exam a couple months after I finished the program, and, absolutely, I felt like I knew everything that I needed to successfully pass it,” she said. “The piece that all of my education has supported is looking at students as individuals, and that comes across in a lot of different ways – looking at data, looking at ways to support students, looking at different strategies to use in the classroom.”
Cara LaMark’s industry-specific training prepared her to lead an entire school, a role that includes guiding teachers as they support a diverse student body.
CSU Global is the nation’s first fully online public university with fully accredited degree programs. It offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degrees, chiefly in business and technology fields. The CSU System Board of Governors launched the university in 2007 to meet a growing need for rigorous education delivered in a flexible format for modern learners, most of whom are working adults seeking career advancement; its programs likewise benefit employers concerned with workforce development.
In the 17 years since the university opened, it has conferred more than 32,000 degrees and certificates, according to records. Recent research shows that median income increases for students earning undergraduate degrees through CSU Global is $40,000; for those with graduate degrees, it is $32,500.
“We work to be agile in developing course work that confers knowledge and skills students may apply immediately,” said Dr. Audra Spicer, provost for CSU Global. “We’re focused on learners being able to take that next step as they develop their career trajectories.”
Jacob Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree and several credentials through CSU Global, which together prepared him to work as a help desk technician at the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.
To advance in his career, Jacob Anderson of Denver earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology from CSU Global, then earned several credentials validating his readiness for exams administered by the Computing Technology Industry Association, the chief certifying body for professionals in information technology. With his degree and certifications, Anderson works as a help desk technician at Novo Nordisk, providing the pharmaceutical company’s employees with technology support.
Anderson said his credentials are complementary and, together, have helped him move up. “You hear a lot of conflicting advice around this in the tech field. Yes, certificates are a great way to add skills and expand your opportunities, but I highly encourage those who want tech jobs to get a degree too,” Anderson said.
CSU Global alumnus Rob Hill said his bachelor’s degree in human resources allowed him to switch careers at the Denver Foundation, a nonprofit that works to strengthen Metro Denver communities. Hill earlier worked in operations for the Denver Foundation; participation in an employee engagement and empowerment initiative motivated him to instead pursue human relations. Shortly after earning his degree, Hill was promoted to director of human resources for the foundation.
His degree program – with courses including Principles of Management, Business Policy and Strategy, and Organizational Innovation and Change – prepared Hill to seek industry certification through the Society of Human Resource Management, he said.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see the alignment, primarily with the role of human resources in organizational strategic planning,” Hill said. “Having that background is certainly helpful as I get ready for the HR management exam.”
Photo at top: Cara LaMark completed the Educational Leadership-Principal Licensure program through CSU Global and was quickly promoted to assistant principal at North Middle School in Aurora, Colorado.
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