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Ken Wells, center, talks with SCE staff members Fetneh Ghavami (left) and Jenny Capper (right) |
In most cases, the 27 students graduating from Wittenberg's School of Community Education (SCE) have juggled families, jobs, school and various other life challenges.
"At each adult orientation session, I relate to the students that they are about to embark on a journey – a journey that will be different for each of them," said Elma Lee Moore, dean of SCE. "I encourage them to consider the commitment that their families make for them to succeed in their educational aspirations.
"Adult students sacrifice time with their families and forgo earnings while enrolled at Wittenberg. It is important for the adult to include their family in the journey and make them a part of it."
Examples of the extraordinary journeys many of these students took to reach this point are plentiful. The stories of their achievements are just as astounding.
Ken Wells started at Wittenberg in September 1953, but he left the university after one semester to join the military. He spent 20 years in the Air Force before retiring in 1974 and starting his own company, Wells & Sons, Inc. In 2002, Wells was re-admitted to Wittenberg, but the road to a degree was disrupted multiple times by health problems. He has persevered to earn a degree in East Asian Studies with a minor in political science, even making the Dean's List last fall. The 72-year-old intends to continue his education at The Ohio State University, where he hopes to earn a master's degree.
Many of the SCE students in this year's graduating class transferred to Wittenberg from one or more schools, and many have had to endure lengthy commutes from all around the area. Despite the obstacles, five of this year's graduates received scholarships from Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the national two-year academic honorary. Those receiving this membership at two-year schools automatically receive a half-tuition scholarship at Wittenberg. Eight others have gained membership in Wittenberg's Eta chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda (ASL), the national adult honorary.
Joshua Wisebaker is a member of PTK and ASL. He arrived at Wittenberg in 2006, less than a year after being a part of history during Hurricane Katrina as a student at Tulane University in New Orleans. Wisebaker, a native of nearby Huber Heights, Ohio, earned college credits at three other institutions before transferring to Wittenberg and earning a class-best 3.943 grade point average in English.
Lynn Rambo is also a member of Alpha Sigma Lambda, four years after entering the SCE program with just four transfer credits and a great deal of uncertainty about her employment situation. Not only is Rambo excelling in the classroom, she is making a difference in the Springfield community by leading a ministry that reaches out to prostitutes in Clark County. Rambo's senior assessment project was titled Breaking the Cycle of Prostitution in Clark County, which she hopes to develop into a program to help these women after she graduates from Wittenberg.
The SCE Class of 2008 holds a 3.24 cumulative grade point average. Nine of the students – an astonishing one-third of this year's graduating class – have earned Latin honors cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude, which signify students with grade point averages of 3.5 or higher.
One of the Latin honors recipients is Angela Reagan from Jamestown, Ohio, who will attain her degree in liberal studies with a concentration in organizational leadership two years after arriving at Wittenberg. Even while working full-time and going to school, she and her husband are in the process of adopting a child to join their two biological children.
"These are just a few examples of our outstanding adult students," Moore said. "I know they will continue on their journey making contributions to the well-being of their families and communities."
This year's graduating class will accept degrees in at least 13 different majors, including liberal studies, sociology, music, education, English and religion. The students majoring in liberal studies have concentrations, including organizational leadership and health care leadership.
Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Robert Gantt
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