Reflections Magazine Issue #60 - Fall 2003 | Page 7

!mpact!

Alumna Is Among First
Recipients Of Specialist
Of Arts Degree

From the
Heights

5

By Debbie Myers

leaders,” she added, noting the program
is not just for those who want to become
principals or superintendents.
The Siena alumna recommends the specialist degree program, noting that now “there is
something higher than a master’s” to earn
at Siena.

For Deborah Carrington Keller ’74, ‘75/MA,
earning a specialist degree at Siena Heights
was a natural way to gain more knowledge
on the road of lifelong learning.
Deb was among the first group of working professionals to earn the Specialist of
Arts degree in educational leadership. At
commencement May 4, she represented
The Graduate College by giving a speech
and later joined her seven fellow students
in receiving Siena’s first-ever Specialist of
Arts diplomas.
Deb, principal at St. Joseph Academy and
an Adrian resident, has a long history with
Siena Heights. She earned her Bachelor of
Arts here in 1974. During the second semester of her senior year, she began taking
classes for graduate credit. She completed
the master’s in 1975.
Returning to the classroom as a student
after more than 25 years was a bit daunting,
she said, even though she had continued
her professional development through conferences and seminars. “The first day I wondered if I could do it,” she recalls. Some folks
told her it should come naturally to her as an
educator, but Deb said earning the degree
was challenging and rewarding.
“The instructors challenged us. They had
expectations, but were also very supportive,”
she said. “It was an awesome experience.”
The program “really broadens you, pushes
you and gives you new network opportunities,” Deb said. “There is a desperate
need in education today to have educational

Graduate College Adds
Degree In Liberal Studies
A Master of Arts in Adult Liberal Studies is the newest addition to the graduate
degree offerings at Siena Heights.

“I knew all along of Siena’s wonderful
tradition of excellence in education at the
master’s and undergraduate levels. Siena
put together a great program for the specialist degree,” Deb said. “The program was
well organized and none of us ever doubted
the quality.”
For Deb, Commencement 2003 had even
more meaning because she was graduating
with her oldest son, Matthew, who earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree from Siena—making
SHU a family tradition. Deb’s husband,
Dave, is also a ’75 graduate.
For more information about the Specialist
of Arts in Educational Leadership, contact
The Graduate College at Siena Heights
University, 517-264-7666.

According to Bob Gordon, dean of the
Graduate College, the liberal studies
program “is designed for the intellectually curious adult student who wants
to advance his or her life-long learning
interests in a community of scholars.”
The degree is intended to be a personally stimulating and broadening academic journey, rather than a stepping
stone to professional advancement,
he explained.
The required 30 hours of credit include
independent research and a travel-study
experience as well as seminars in five
areas: humanities; social, behavioral
and manage