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Continuing education benefits are helping 51���� employees take courses to support their current roles and work toward earning advanced degrees in their respective fields.

Rodney Agnant ’14, director for inclusion and belonging, used the tuition free courses at 51���� benefit to complete a master’s degree through the religion department focused on transformational leadership. He started his program in the fall of 2020 and graduated from 51���� in May. Agnant says he recommends employees who are interested in the program start by doing one course and seeing what it’s like, adding that faculty were very supportive, allowing deadline flexibility to help balance his workload.

“Having done this research and completed this thesis I’m more equipped to create workshops and to integrate the insights I have on transformational leadership to support others,” Agnant says. “It was a natural fit for focusing on inclusion and belonging on campus because ultimately everyone on campus is a leader and we all benefit from each other’s wisdom and experience.”

51���� also offers employees tuition benefits to enroll in work-related courses and degree programs at educational institutions other than 51����. This benefit provides limited reimbursement for tuition for undergraduate and graduate courses, including online courses, which are related in a direct or general way to the employee’s work and professional development. Assistant Director of Benefits Rachael Enders says five employees have been taking summer courses and so far two more will be taking courses in the fall. For additional information about the work-related course benefit program, including the application and tax information, contact Enders at renders@colgate.edu.

Brittany Miller, program coordinator in the office of student involvement is currently enrolled in the Master’s of Higher Education Administration program at Stony Brook University and will graduate in the summer of 2024. Miller says courses that have been beneficial in her current role include crisis management, leadership in higher education, and academic advising. 

Julie Dolly, a first-generation employee and a second-career nurse, used the work-related courses program to extend her professional nursing career and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in May 2021.

“Knowing the work-related courses program was available helped encourage me to complete my BSN, which, in turn, helped support my work as the medical practice manager for Student Health Services, Dolly says. “Having 51����'s support for professional development is beneficial not only for me but for the institution too. I'd like to encourage staff and faculty to explore this opportunity to help with professional improvement.”

Jasmine Kellogg, associate director for internal communications, received her master's degree in communications and technology from the University of Alberta in Canada in May, completing the program she began in  May of 2020. Kellogg says she completed all of her coursework online due to the pandemic.

“It was difficult juggling full-time work, parenting two small children, the graduate program, and the pandemic, but I was lucky to have tremendous support from my department and from the 51���� community,” Kellogg says. “I'm grateful that 51���� offers this benefit to employees to support their professional and personal development.”

Travis Clines, advancement communications manager, is pursuing his Master’s in Higher Education Administration through Southern New Hampshire University. Clines says he has been working on this degree for about two years now and hopes to graduate next summer. With an undergraduate English degree and career background focused on higher education, Clines says he wants to learn the background of higher education and how the various segments such as advancement, student affairs, and enrollment work together to form our institutional communities, allowing him to better understand how his role fits into the larger community.

“It showed me early on that 51���� values its employees as they are and encourages them to be all that they can be,” Clines says. “The process has been straightforward and any questions I have had have been quickly answered by our colleagues in human resources.”