Growing up in 纽约’s Putnam County, 黛德Hourican never thought she would attend college.  According to Hourican, “I expected to graduate from high school and go to work, which is what I did.”  Her first job out of high school was as a bookkeeper at a high-fashion photography studio in 纽约 City.  后来，她在20世纪90年代和21世纪初在IBM工作.  现在, 三十多年后, Hourican has completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Marist and was recently appointed Assistant Dean for the College’s School of 计算机科学与数学, 证明坚持不懈是有回报的, 接受大学教育永远不会太晚.

Hourican’s experience as an adult undergraduate student is not unusual, and Marist’s School of 专业项目 (SPP) offers multiple programs catering to working adults’ unique needs.  这类人群通常要平衡工作和家庭, 管理家庭, 花时间履行公民义务, 同时经常!  Adult students benefit from the flexibility provided by online and hybrid classes, as well as personalized advising that helps them maximize academic credit from previous institutions and/or life work credit.  SPP offers degree completion programs in the areas of 管理 Studies, 组织沟通, 组织的领导, 资讯科技管理, 和行为研究.

Pursuing a college degree as an adult requires both resolve and commitment, 但Hourican知道她必须从某个地方开始, so she took classes one at a time at a community college to build up her confidence.  完成她的副学士学位后, she got a position at a local four-year college and began taking classes there in subjects such as digital media.  While Hourican appreciated the small class size and hands-on learning activities, it was sometimes difficult being the only adult undergraduate in the room.  She recalls, “The other students were great, but it’s just not the same sense of camaraderie.  我从来没能在晚上10点参加学习.m. 因为我第二天还要起床上班!” 

最终, Hourican got a job at Marist as the Academic Technology Support Specialist and was impressed with how many of her co-workers were pursuing their degrees, 本科生和研究生.  受到同龄人的鼓励, she started taking classes for the hybrid BS in Integrative Studies at night after work.  说Hourican, “It was helpful being in class with others who were in my situation of working and going to school.  我们可以互相同情，因为我们在同一条船上.”  She received support, advice, and encouragement along the way from Marist faculty and staff.  Assistant Director of Student Services Jennifer Becker kept Hourican on track course after course by constantly reminding her “You can do this!  我们相信你.”  Hourican recalls an insightful piece of advice from faculty member Ismay Czarniecki: “She told me that, 作为一名成年学生, 你不能拖延，因为如果你这样做，你将永远无法完成你的学位.  I took that advice to heart and pushed through even when it was hard.贝克尔补充道, “Dede persisted and excelled because Marist had the scheduling flexibility to keep things balanced with work and life.  我们鼓励她，但她还是靠自己的努力拿到了学位.  It took her five years to finish 17 classes, but that is just a testament to Dede’s perseverance.”

Hourican finished her BS in Integrative Studies in 2013, but she didn’t stop to rest on her laurels.  这是真实的故事——在我走过讲台接受毕业证书之后, the first words I heard were from [Director of Adult 本科 入学] Patti Burns, 谁问我, “那么我们下一步要攻读什么学位呢??’”在短暂的休息之后, Hourican continued on to pursue her master’s degree because of the encouragement of people like Becker and Burns.  “They’re the reason I started the MA in Integrated Marketing 沟通 (IMC).  They told me how much they believed in me and that doors of opportunity would continue to open.“确实, 为Hourican敞开了大门, 在完成本科学位后不久, she received a promotion to Senior Academic Technology Support Specialist. 

Working in the Office of Academic Technology (now Digital Education), Hourican was interested in the idea of ensuring that technology is useful for people and improving the user experience.  她补充说, “对我来说, 学习管理系统的重要组成部分, 例如, 不是它能做什么吗, 而是它如何帮助人们学习.  它增加了什么价值?“作为IMC硕士项目的一名学生, Hourican had the opportunity to delve into questions related to her professional interest: How can we get technology into the hands of people who could benefit from it?  这项技术真的做到了它说的那样吗?  如果失败了，为什么?  她也很享受做研究生的经历, particularly the group work that is a key component of the IMC program: “I had the opportunity to be in class with students just as motivated as I was, 我发现年龄并不是学习或友情的障碍.”  Hourican notes that the textbook and materials she used for her IMC degree are currently sitting on her office bookshelf, 她会定期提到他们.

In 2018, Hourican walked across the graduation stage once again to accept her master’s degree.  辛苦工作了这么久, 她现在正在享受自己的劳动成果, 她所希望的那些“机会之门”将会打开.  担任计算机科学与数学学院副院长, Hourican is the school’s external connection to the business community, 建立伙伴关系以推进学校内部的项目.  She also serves as the Director of the Institute for Data Center Professionals (IDCP), an online certificate program for workforce professionals across the globe, and coordinator of the Mid-Hudson Regional Business Plan Competition.  It’s a role with significant responsibility, and she looks forward to mastering it.  目前, Hourican is planning a marketing campaign to drive enrollment in IDCP, 她将利用她的IMC课堂作业来做到这一点. 

Burns describes Hourican’s academic trajectory in this way: “Through sheer determination and dedication, 蒂德得以提升自己的事业，磨练自己的技能.  她的故事鼓舞了未来的成人学生, 证明努力工作和坚持不懈会带来新的机会.”  Hourican has advice for other adult students thinking about going back to school to complete their degrees, 无论是本科生还是研究生.  “永远不要害怕尝试.  在线形式为您提供所需的灵活性, so schedule time for classwork in the early morning or on your lunch break.  生活将会发生在两者之间，但你可以尽你所能完成它.她补充说，“人们知道圣母教育有价值。.  有了圣母学位，人们就会知道你高人一等.在Hourican的案例中，这是毫无疑问的.