ANDY ENGELWARD:
Welcome to Harvard.
It's my privilege to be your
host for this evening's events.
And we have a wonderful
evening in store for you.
This is one of the events
that almost everyone
at the Division of Continuing Ed
and at Harvard Extension School
looks forward to with
great anticipation,
because it is you,
future students, who
make us all excited about
coming to work every day.
I've been privileged to
teach at the Extension School
for over 20 years right now.
I've had many opportunities to
do other things than be here,
but I wouldn't
choose any of those,
because I love doing
what I do here so much.
And you will hear that
from everyone who comes up
to the stage this evening.
It's that passion and that
commitment to working with
adult learners--
people like yourselves,
thinking about coming
back to school--
that makes such a
difference to us.
And it makes us feel honored
to be able to serve you
in our classes.
So tonight, let me
tell you a little bit
about what you're going
to be going through.
We have several parts
here in Sanders Theatre
with all the history
that's surrounding us--
you can just imagine speakers
from Winston Churchill
to Truman to other folks who
have gone across the stage.
In some point, perhaps you
will be one of them, as well.
But our journey tonight
takes several forms.
First off, I'll step off
the stage quite soon.
You don't need to
hear too much from me.
But I want to share the
stage with two people who
have made a tremendous
difference to the Extension
School being what it is today--
Dean Huntington Lambert and
Dean Suzanne Spreadbury,
who have been absolutely
exemplary in thinking
about what the mission of the
Extension School really is,
which is to open Harvard's
teaching and learning
resources to the world.
And they've done that with
passion and with devotion that
has radiated out
and made everyone
who works at the Extension
feel the same way that they do.
So tonight, the first part,
after you hear from the two
deans, you will then
be witness to what
I think will be a real
highlight for the evening, which
is what we have three students
who are coming to explain what
their journeys, what their
experiences have been like.
You are sitting here.
And at some point,
you will perhaps
be sitting in their chairs,
talking about your experiences
and how much the Extension
School has meant to you,
either going through a course or
certificate or degree program.
So I'll introduce those
three speakers afterwards.
I'll just give you a
little bit of a teaser.
So we're going to be hearing
from a parent of four,
another parent of many, and
juggling all their family
responsibilities,
working full-time.
One of our speakers--
an alumna--
lost her hearing
as an adult. And I
think you'll be
very inspired by all
that she's done with
all that she gained here
at the Extension School.
And she'll be able to tell
you about the resources
and support that people
at the Extension School
provided to her so that she
could end up earning a 4.0 GPA
as she graduated from
here-- from Harvard.
After the break-- after we
listen to our three speakers--
we'll take a break
right around 7 o'clock,
get up, stretch our legs.
And at that point, our info
fair across the hallway
in Annenberg Hall will be
open with representatives
from essentially all the
offices, all the departments
that you might run
into or want to talk to
during your time at
the Extension School.
So I highly encourage you to
take advantage of this evening
and talk to as many people
here at the Extension School
to learn as much as possible.
I know many of you have traveled
from a considerable distance.
So I want this to
be your evening
to get as much out
of it as you can.
And so I also offer the "come
as you wish, go as you wish"
policy after the
student speakers.
Please, listen to all of them.
But please, feel free to come
and go into Sanders Theatre
or walk across to the info
fair, which starts at 6:30 PM,
and get as many of your
questions answered.
I'll also remind you,
this is a great time
to meet other students
or potential students.
Talk to them about where
they're coming from,
what they're looking for,
and start networking.
I don't want to use
that word too sort
of professionally
networking now.
But forming a community
is one of the things
that we value the most
at the Extension School.
And so this event right
now is the beginning
of that community-building that
we feel very, very strongly
about.
But enough about me.
I'd like to introduce up
to the stage our two deans.
So Dean Huntington Lambert--
Dean of the Harvard
Extension School
and Division of
Continuing Education--
has transformed, in
a very amazing way,
the Extension School
over the past six years.
He's entering his seventh
year as Dean of the Extension
School.
And he came in and
shook things up.
We used to be an
Extension School that
had people from
a local area come
and take classes right here.
And he said, that's
not good enough.
What we do here is so
valuable to so many people
that we need to think of
ways that we can extend this
to a much larger community.
And so he's pushed heavily
and putting resources
into online education, making
courses available to people
around the world so
that now literally we
have a global community
of Extension School
students, which is wonderful.
But it took a lot of work.
And he was the fearless leader
who told us, we can do it,
and showed us the way.
The second person
I'm very honored
to introduce at
the stage right now
is Dean Suzanne
Spreadbury, who will
be speaking after Huntington.
Hunt will talk to you
about the general ideas
and the general focus
of the Extension School.
Dean Suzanne Spreadbury-- Dean
of the Academic Programs here
at the Extension School--
will then share what has been
a lifelong passion of hers,
which is working with
continuing education programs.
After getting a master's
degree at the Graduate School
of Education, she went
on to earn her doctorate
in Educational Studies.
And she's literally put decades
of work into working with you.
She was Director of
Undergraduate Studies
at the Extension School.
She helped direct the Career
for Academic Resources Center--
the CARC that you'll
hear about later on.
And now she is a person
I feel very honored
to say I get to work closely
with on a daily basis.
Her passion, as I said,
radiates through all of us
at the Extension School.
So please, welcome both
Dean Huntington Lambert
and Dean Suzanne Spreadbury.
[APPLAUSE]
HUNTINGTON LAMBERT:
Thank you, Andy.
And thanks to all of
you for being here.
I'm going to talk in a
minute about the three things
that make the Extension
School so amazing.
But I have to tell you
first, in all honesty,
every Harvard classroom
is just like this.
It's really true.
And those of you who are new
to Harvard Square and this,
[HEAVY BOSTON ACCENT] it's
so easy to "pahk" yer "cah"
in "Hah-vahd Yahd."
So welcome to Cambridge.
The only problem
with parking your car
is, there are no parking
places in Cambridge anymore.
So anyways, I want to talk
about the three things that
have, I think, made the
Extension School amazing all
throughout and
even more amazing.
And the first one is students--
folks like you who have
decided to sign up as students,
and the students that
come to us and tell us
what they need and advocate
for what they need and engage
in the 900 fall
and spring classes
and the 400 summer classes,
who constantly tell us
what they need for success.
You tell us that you need
a breadth of courses.
You tell us that you
need time to work
through your curriculum that
fits your job and family needs.
You told us not long
ago that you really
needed a third term of
extension in the summer,
and we added that to
the summer school.
But the fact that you, as
adults, with your demands,
knowing what you need and
communicating them to us,
allows us to be
absolutely amazing.
So that's the first thing I
want to thank all of you for.
The second reason the Extension
School is absolutely amazing
is because of its students,
because the students arrive,
and they join the
classes and our faculty.
And I'm going to
say this in spite
of being in a Harvard building.
So the Harvard College student
is the smartest person on Earth
who knows nothing
about the real world.
And then our faculty deal
with the PhD students,
who know even less.
And then they meet you.
And they are so
pumped by people who
chose to take their course
from them in their subject
and be so engaged, and bring
into that classroom 12, 13, 15,
20--
sometimes 30, 40-- years
of experience in the field.
It creates a richness
for them in their class
that is unbelievable.
And when we have one of
our HELIX classrooms,
where you're teaching
in a classroom
and you've got distance
students on live,
and they look up at the
screen and they have students
from four or five countries and
four or five different cultures
added to the mix, that's why
our faculty come back and teach.
We don't pay them enough
for them to come back
year after year after year.
But they do, because you
all make their teaching
experience so incredibly rich.
The third reason the
Extension School is so amazing
is because of our students.
And it's because
the students are
so bullseye on our mission
of extending Harvard
to adult part-time learners
with the academic ability,
curiosity, and drive to succeed
at Harvard rigor of courses
and programs.
It's because you motivate
our staff so deeply.
The people we hire
have lots of expertise.
But beyond that expertise,
every single one of them
has a passion for
you as students.
And when they can look
out at this room--
and the reason they're all here
and the reason they all show up
next weekend for the
start of summer school
is because they want to see you,
because they care about you.
And because you're
there, they're
the best they can be every day.
And so for me to be
able to help lead
a staff with that
kind of passion,
serving a group of
students like you,
is really quite a pleasure.
It's quite an honor.
And so I hope many of you
decide to become students.
I hope many more of you decide
to become degree candidates.
And I hope you tell
us throughout what
you need to succeed so that we
can do our very best to deliver
it, so you can succeed.
With that, I'd like to turn
it over to Dean Spreadbury.
[APPLAUSE]
SUZANNE SPREADBURY:
Thank you, Hunt.
And thank you, Andy, for
that wonderful introduction.
And thank you-- all of
you-- for coming today.
I've worked at
Harvard for 30 years.
And for me, the heart
of the Extension School
is our outstanding
course offerings,
our committed faculty, and
our outstanding student body.
Talented students--
students like
all of you, adult students,
who, amongst a variety
of commitments, have decided
to carve out time each week
for academic pursuits.
For three decades, it is
still inspiring to me.
We offer over 900 courses.
And the breadth of
subjects is something
that you will simply not find
at other continuing education
programs.
We offer professional classes
in IT, management, finance.
We offer theoretical courses
in biology, psychology,
government.
We offer artistic courses
in video production,
creative writing, and drama.
And you will find
disciplines only
at a Harvard evening
program, such as Classical
Civilizations,
History of Science,
Foreign Literature, and
Advanced Ancient Greek.
Over 60% of our
courses are available
online in a format
that prioritizes
real-time engagement with
instructors and peers.
While you may live
at a distance,
you will feel like you're
in a Harvard Yard classroom.
Our faculty are scholars who
hail from Harvard University,
other nationally-ranked
colleges,
as well as industry
professionals.
And they teach because they love
it, not because they have to.
We have students studying
in over 100 countries,
across multiple time
zones, who bring
that critical global
perspective into the classroom.
Over 600 students are either
active military or veterans--
the largest population
of military students
at Harvard University.
The far majority of
our students have
over 10 years of
experience, work and life.
And they enrich the academic
content of each and every class
meeting.
75% of our students have
a bachelor's degree.
25% have a master's degree.
5% have a doctorate degree.
Our students are CEOs, CFOs,
consultants, IT and finance
professionals.
They're also teachers,
health care providers,
public servants.
They are baristas
and Lyft drivers.
And they are parents and
spouses and caregivers.
We have over 3,000 students
working towards a certificate
and over 4,000 working
towards degrees.
They come to Harvard
Extension School
because they want the best
that continuing education has
to offer, because they
believe they deserve the best.
They want to be
academically challenged.
They want their course
work, not just a diploma,
to have meaning.
They come to do good work.
This semester, we had a
sustainability student
who developed a plan
to address the lead
in public elementary
schools' drinking water
in the greater Boston area.
We had a bio-tech
student who analyzed
the role of genetics
in autoimmune disease
with a focus on gender bias.
We have an IT student who
created a software engineering
program which will improve the
traffic flow for automated road
systems; a psychology
student who
studied the relationship between
sleep and digital altruism
to ask the question, are
good sleepers, good doers?
We had management students
tackling issues of diversity
when companies operate
across national borders.
Finally, we had an
undergraduate student
who wrote a policy paper
in a government course
that she shared with
Massachusetts Congressman Jim
McGovern.
And he is now the lead sponsor
of the Medical Nutrition Equity
Act.
Now, these examples
are noteworthy.
They are.
But they're not extraordinary.
In fact, they are
ordinary results
of a quality education
at a top university
with outstanding courses,
committed faculty,
and talented students--
plus, a truly caring staff.
Our students are diverse, but
they have one thing in common--
the academic ability,
curiosity, and drive
to succeed in Harvard
rigor courses.
I invite you to
join them and let
your academic
aspirations reach heights
that you didn't think possible.
Thank you very much.
[APPLAUSE]
ANDY ENGELWARD: Thank
you so much, both.
Harvard Extension School
couldn't exist without you
as students.
But it goes without saying--
and I'll go ahead and say it--
it also couldn't exist
without the type of leadership
that you've just witnessed
from both Dean Lambert and Dean
Spreadbury.
They are truly amazing
people to work for.
Well, we have reached
that time when
it is enough about talking
about the Extension School
and having somebody
talk about what it's
like to be in Extension
School-- somebody who sat in one
of your seats not too long ago.
So we have three
student speakers
we're very excited to bring
up to the stage to share
their stories with you.
And our first speaker will
be Brendan-Michael Galloway.
Brendan-Michael Galloway
used to be in DC,
but then moved up
to Boston, clearly
to be closer to the
Extension School,
but also because he missed
having all those duck boat
parades that they don't
seem to have in other places
as they have here.
[CLEARS THROAT] I won't make
too many remarks about Bruins
Stanley Cup tonight.
But I'll try to keep that down.
So Brendan-Michael Galloway
is a regulatory specialist.
He is an avid aquarist.
And I had to look
up what that was.
But it turns out that he works
with building reef aquariums,
as well as coral aquaculture.
He is a self-described--
besides his love of nature--
a self-described dog whisperer
and a Chipotle connoisseur.
Currently, Brendan-Michael
is pursuing his certificate
in corporate sustainability
and innovation.
Welcome to the stage,
Brendan-Michael.
[APPLAUSE]
BRENDAN-MICHAEL GALLOWAY:
It's always hard going first,
but we'll give it a shot.
Take a moment.
Scan the room.
We're all different-- heights,
shapes, sizes, hair, eye color,
the shoes we wear.
But there's one thing that
we all have in common.
And that's time.
Both the billionaire
and the beggar
have the same 24 hours in a day.
We may not be able
to stop time, but we
can control how we use it.
It's been said that what we
choose to do with our time
helps determine who we become.
And I'm here as
a current student
to tell you just how the time
at the Harvard Extension School
has re-framed not
only my perspective,
but has allowed me
to invest in myself,
create a sense of
value, and really help
redefine my life's vision.
That's deep.
That's a lot.
I know we're just here
for an open house.
But allow me to give you just
a little bit of perspective.
I received my
bachelor's of science
from the State University of New
York College of Environmental
Science and Forestry
and in Environmental
Policy, Planning, and Law.
I received my master's degree
from the Australian National
University in Climate
Change Science and Policy.
Needless to say, I'm a
little bit of a science nerd.
Bill Nye and Steve Irwin
were my idols growing up.
I've been fortunate
to work for a number
of non-government organizations,
including the Ocean Conservancy
and the World Wildlife
Fund, multiple branches
of the federal government,
including the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration
and the US Environmental
Protection Agency.
I had the unique
pleasure of developing
environmental legislation
that has passed in the Senate,
alongside members of Congress.
And I even ended up
relocating to Boston
to serve as a
regulatory compliance
specialist within the Research
and Development Department
of a Fortune 50 company.
I thought I had the
game figured out.
I went to school, got good
grades, secured scholarships,
was gainfully employed.
I really felt as though I had
found my niche, breaking down
scientific principles
and theories
and communicating them to law
and policy-makers in an attempt
that they could
implement policies
that benefit the environment.
But despite many of
these unique experiences
and what I would consider my
own personal accomplishments,
I found myself laid off from
my most recent, and arguably
rewarding, position
right here in Boston.
I took it personally.
And even though
the layoff wasn't
due to my poor
performance, I was
disappointed, angry, upset,
discouraged, frustrated.
I've always taken
immense pride in my work.
And despite the layoff not being
due to any fault of my own,
I felt wronged.
I wasn't quite on the
couch eating frosting,
but ya boy was hurt.
And I really, really
needed things to change.
I think that we're fortunate
in that time really
separates our past from our
president and our future.
It actually protects
us from living
in a permanent condition.
And I had to recognize
how to separate
my sense of self-worth and
value from my circumstances.
So you all have heard the
slogan, "Time is money."
And I needed to re-evaluate
how I was utilizing my time.
And in doing so, perhaps I
could change my situation.
So outside the repetitive
job applications,
the calls of recruiters,
networking lunches and coffees,
making reference
requests, all I had
to show for myself was a bunch
of unsuccessful job interviews.
Sure, I was passing the
informational phone screens
and the first set of
in-person meetings.
But nothing seemed to stick.
I really began to doubt myself.
My confidence really took a hit.
Was I not presenting
myself well enough?
Were the other candidates
that much better of a fit?
I really felt like
I was failing.
And I questioned if I
was just wasting my time.
What I needed were
opportunities to motivate
myself to re-engage with what
I was most passionate about.
That was working
for the environment.
And with that, I made
a decision to stop
becoming a victim of
time and reclaim just
how I was using it.
The late Peter Drucker calls the
time that we're living in now
the era of three C's--
accelerated Change,
overwhelming Complexity,
and tremendous Competition.
I asked myself, how
could I continue
to become a future environmental
leader capable of creating
lasting change without
gainful employment?
The state of my chosen
profession is always changing,
really adapting and reacting
to many of the demands society
is placing on the environment.
We are just now beginning
to understand and come
to terms with some of the
negative feedback loops
as a result of our actions.
As I considered the
environmental discourse
amongst our political
climate, the concerns citizens
were having amongst increased
instances of droughts,
wildfires, flooding,
storm severity,
even the climate refugees
at our southern border--
it's no secret, change is
happening faster than ever.
And with increased
access to information,
the digital age has changed the
face of global communication.
Now, more than ever, you either
keep up or you get left behind.
I knew that I needed
to redeem my time
and convert it into
something of value.
So let's rewind a bit,
put a few pieces together,
and share how I came to ramble
at this open house tonight.
I relocated to Boston
from Washington DC
to pursue not only
career advancement,
but a relationship with a
wonderful young lady who
is here tonight.
And I'm sure she's
sitting there worried--
don't say anything stupid.
I got you, girl.
I'mma stick to the script.
Essentially, I moved,
I got laid off,
and needed something to do
with my time other than review
the flavors of
Betty Crocker icing.
I began redrawing my
blueprint and forgetting
what happened in the
past and making a choice
to pursue and
recreate my future.
I just so happened
to live 15 minutes
from Harvard University.
How could I not check it out?
It's not like I had
anything better to do.
And sure, it wasn't a
successful job interview that
landed me my dream position.
But if I was complaining about
Harvard becoming my plan B,
I needed to check myself.
A quick Google search
later, I stumbled
across the Harvard Extension
School Certificate Program.
It was appealing.
It offered both in-class and
distance learning options, just
in case I happened to find
a job while being enrolled.
I completed my bachelor's
and master's degree.
I knew how to study,
write research papers,
get good grades.
I was familiar with the type of
commitment required to complete
graduate-level work.
This was something I needed
to seriously consider.
But I saw this as an opportunity
to not only reclaim my time,
but as a way to rediscover and
create value within myself.
So I decided to undertake
the graduate certificate
in corporate sustainability
and innovation.
The way I saw it, the
effects of the consumer
is already all around us,
shaping society's relationship
with sustainability
and the environment.
We vote for plastic bag taxes,
prefer hormone-free chicken
at Chipotle, and feel bad
when sea turtles have straws
lodged in their noses.
I figured that this
track would keep
me updated on current trends
and increase my marketability
amongst an increasingly
frustrating job search.
Plus, having Harvard on
a resume couldn't hurt.
So I enrolled in classes.
I found that the teachers and
TAs were readily accessible.
Not only was class recorded in
real-time for future viewing,
but students could check
into class remotely
and essentially use FaceTime
to sit in on the lesson plan.
Course discussions with
my peers were possible
through online engagement
forums and blogs,
allowing one to not only feel
comfortable, but competent
with the course material.
With the completion of
my very first class,
I knew that this was
the right fit for me.
I wasn't just being
efficient with my time.
I was using my time to
become more effective.
I believe that by choosing
to invest in my education,
I could open the door
to new opportunities
by expanding my job search,
including environment, social,
and governance studies,
product chain management,
and sustainability marketing.
The certificate program
began to provide me
with a sense of empowerment.
I felt as though I was adding
value, increasing my skill set,
enhancing areas of expertise.
It only came about when I
had accepted where I was
and taking responsibility
for where I wanted to go.
It allowed me to redeem
my time by converting it
into an opportunity
to fulfill my purpose.
So protect your time,
identify your value,
and make decisions based on
your desired destination.
By recognizing that the
vision I had for my own life
would be the manifestation
of my decisions,
I began to set aside the
past and redesign my future.
The Harvard Extension
School strengthened not only
my passion, but the
commitment I have
towards the environment,
as well as myself.
My name is
Brendan-Michael Galloway.
Thank you for having me.
[APPLAUSE]
ANDY ENGELWARD: Well, the
world needs more people
like Brendan-Michael.
And so I'm very impressed
by all you're doing
and how you're working
with the environment
and thinking about
things like that.
I promised each of
our student speakers
that I'd throw a few curveballs
and ask a question or two.
And I will live up
to that promise.
Brendan-- Brendan-Michael,
what surprised
you the most about
your experience
here at Harvard in the courses?
What got your
attention first off?
BRENDAN-MICHAEL
GALLOWAY: I would
have to say that what
really surprised me
the most was the engagement
that the students were
willing to provide
to the teachers.
We had very in-depth
class discussions.
And even when there were
moments of differing opinions,
it turned into a very
valuable learning experience,
both on behalf of the
professor and the student.
And I think that
the mutual respect
for varying levels of expertise
is a fantastic takeaway,
especially when you have
people in your classes
who may have 10, 20, 30 years
experience in the field.
I think that's very unique
to the Extension School.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah.
Great.
Thank you again,
Brendan-Michael.
[APPLAUSE]
And Brendan-Michael is
touching on one of the things
that I think you'll all find
whenever you're in a class.
I was teaching a
class last fall.
And it turned out, one of
the people who was taking
the class lived in Hong Kong.
He would wake up at 4:30
every Tuesday morning,
just to be a part of the class.
And he felt very much a
part of the community,
working with our
online course support.
Our next speaker--
oh, and I might also
add, all our
speakers will also be
across the hall in
Annenberg, if you'd
like to catch up
with any of them
after you hear them speak here.
Our next speaker, Anne McDonald,
has lived in many places
across the world--
Canada, Chicago, Paris,
Florida, Palo Alto.
I'm not going to ask her
which one was her favorite.
But I'm thinking it was Paris.
In any case, she is
the proud mom of four--
Dane, Liam, Finn,
and daughter Hazel--
as well as being the
loving wife of Rory,
who is a professor at the
Business School right here
at Harvard, as well, and is a
self-described avid gardener,
an indulgent foodie, and she
holds a pilot's license--
which is unfortunately
not something
we offer through the
Extension School,
but highly encourage
you to do that--
and has an undergraduate
degree in Business Management
from the University
of South Florida.
And she has come
up here to Boston--
well, she has actually
combined living in Florida
with being up here in
Boston at various times--
to pursue a master's degree
in Business Management.
So without further ado, Anne,
please, come share your story.
[APPLAUSE]
ANNE MCDONALD: All right.
I am going to tell you
how this type A tiger mom
reinvented herself and prepared
for the future with the help
of Harvard Extension School.
My husband and I got
married very young.
I was 22, and he was 23.
And nothing could keep us apart.
We knew that we wanted to
build a life together and have
a family.
But I also knew that I wanted to
finish my undergraduate degree
before we started
having children.
And I timed this very closely.
And I walked-- or waddled--
across the stage at
nine months pregnant,
just a few weeks before I
delivered our first son.
You see, I always knew that
I wanted to be a mother.
And the chance to stay
at home with my children
was my greatest wish.
So after our son was
born, I quit my job
working as a consultant.
Thankfully, my husband made a
good living, and still does.
And so I was able to do this.
So I dived right in.
I became the type A tiger mom
that you've all heard about--
the one who creates magical
holidays and birthdays, who
packs organic lunches, and
never misses a game or school
play or recital.
I spent much of my time
shuttling kids around
to various sports, arts, Boy
Scouts, and musical endeavors.
I volunteered with the
parent-teacher organizations
at my children's school
and became the room parent
for not one, but
multiple classes.
I was also helping run
the women's organization
at my church and was a faculty
liaison for the Crimson Parents
Club at Harvard Business School.
And I love my life.
I still do.
But about five years ago, I had
several friends facing divorces
and one who had just lost
her spouse to cancer.
And these friends
found themselves
in varying levels of
preparedness to go it alone,
to be single parents
and sole providers.
Watching their struggles
really opened my eyes
to my own vulnerability.
I hadn't worked full-time
in over 10 years.
And I didn't have
a graduate degree.
So even though I knew it would
be a great sacrifice of time
and energy and resources, I also
knew that going back to school
would be the best thing I could
do to ensure my future success
and to put myself and my
family in a stronger position.
I was also working part-time
as an event planner.
And I wanted to go out on my
own and start my own business
as an independent event
director for start-ups
and small businesses.
But I lacked the know-how, the
confidence, and the business
skills to do so.
So I knew that a
degree in business
would help me reach these goals.
At the same time, how was I
going to juggle all of this?
At this point, we
had four children.
I know, the "Aww,
they're so cute."
How could I find the time to
go back to school while still
meeting all of my
responsibilities
as a mom, a PTO chair,
a wife, a Sunday school
teacher, a friend,
and not to mention
actually taking care of myself?
Around that time, I ran across a
quote by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
And it had a huge impact on me.
It says, "If your
dreams don't scare you,
you aren't dreaming big enough."
So with this in
mind, I went forward.
And I started doing research
into studying for and taking
the GRE and what was required
of full-time graduate programs.
But the more research I did,
the more discouraged I became.
It felt like there wasn't an
avenue for someone like me.
I felt like I had
missed the boat--
like I had chosen one
path and the other one
had closed up to me.
But at that time, I heard an
advertisement on the radio
for Harvard Extension School.
And that advertisement
led me to their website
and, consequently, to this
very night five years ago.
Like you, I sat in one of
those chairs-- actually,
right over there.
And I heard about
all the opportunities
that the Harvard Extension
School could open up to me.
I wouldn't have to spend
months studying for the GRE.
I could go at my own pace and
take one class a semester.
And I wouldn't have to
sacrifice the kind of mother
I wanted to be.
I could take those classes
in person, in online,
or a combination.
There were classes
in the evening,
so I could take them after my
husband got home from work.
And I could do all
of this at Harvard.
It was shocking to me.
Initially, I thought, this
is too good to be true.
This is Harvard.
But then the more I talked to
current and former students
from the Extension School,
I got more and more excited
and realized, it's not
too good to be true.
I had actually discovered
Harvard's best-kept secret.
Now, my children
initially had to adjust
to me being gone more.
But over time, they have
come to enjoy that we all
sit around the kitchen table
and we do our homework together,
me included.
And when we talk about
our grades and our papers
and our tests, it has
much more meaning,
because they know that I'm
in the trenches with them.
They have come to show great
admiration for this endeavor.
Recently, I even overheard
my 15-year-old bragging
to one of his friends
that his mom was getting
her master's at Harvard.
So now, just two classes
away from graduation,
I can tell you that
it was all true.
I went on to discover
that I had it
in me to not only
survive graduate school,
but to thrive in it.
Now, it hasn't always been
easy, but it has been worth it.
You see, in life,
there are hard things.
But I think there's
good hard and bad hard.
And to explain "bad
hard," I'm going
to tell you about an economics
professor I had in undergrad.
Now, this professor, for
his two-hour lectures,
would stand there and read
the entire PowerPoint slide.
And each slide had about
2,000 to 3,000 words on it.
And he would just drone
and say, (MONOTONOUSLY)
the economic structure
of the Chinese market.
And it was painful.
But if you could
survive his lectures
and actually learn
the material, it only
got worse with the
exams, because they
would have double and triple
negatives in the questions--
things like, if
this is true, then
this is false, as
long as this is true.
And it was awful.
It felt like he
wanted us to fail.
That is the bad kind of hard.
But then there's the
good kind of hard--
the kind of hard that forces
you to learn and expand
your horizons, that
challenges you in a good way.
Harvard Extension School has
been the good kind of hard--
one that has stretched
me to be better.
I have found that whenever I've
been confused or overwhelmed,
there is always someone
to help me here,
whether it's an academic
guidance counselor, the writing
lab, or the wonderful
TAs and professors.
I haven't ever felt
alone in this process.
The resources that are available
to us make all the difference.
The classes I have
taken here have not only
helped me prepare
professionally,
but also in my personal life.
I took Paul Tumolo's Operations
Management 5060 class,
and I learned skills about
streamlining my life,
working more efficiently, and
eliminating wasted efforts.
Not only did this help
me professionally,
but I was also able to create
a much more efficient nighttime
routine with my kids.
One of the greatest
resources I have found
are my fellow students.
On the very first day of
class, I was so nervous.
I sat there and
thought, am I too old?
Am I too inexperienced?
Has my brain just
dribbled out of my ear
after years of playing "Itsy
Bitsy Spider" and changing
diapers and driving carpool?
But when I looked
around the room,
I noticed two different things.
The first thing was that there
isn't one mold to fit into.
All of us are very different
and come from very different
experiences.
And the second thing
that I realized,
I really have to explain
to you with a story.
It's a story about the
first group project
I had at the Extension School.
Now, don't worry, I know
the words "group project"
create fear and pain in
the hearts of everyone
in this room, probably.
But let me continue.
We were in a class together.
And the teacher assigned
a group project.
So I formed up with a group
with five other women--
well, five of us total.
And we divided the project
into five equal parts.
And we said, let's
meet in a week,
and we'll go over everything.
So all week long, I had
this feeling of dread.
Like, is anyone even
going to do anything?
I'll probably just have
to do the whole project,
because I really
care about my grade.
But I showed up at the meeting.
And we went around
the room, and we all
reported what we had done.
And to my utter
amazement, everyone
had completely finished
their part of the project.
So a month-long
project was essentially
finished in the first week.
We were all amazed,
because we were
used to being that person
that just did it by ourselves.
But you see, this
is what happens
when everyone wants to be here.
So that is the second
thing that I realized.
Everyone at the Extension
School wants to be here.
We all want to better
ourselves, learn something new,
and improve.
And I have come to call many of
my fellow students, my friends.
I've been to their weddings.
We've thrown baby
showers together.
A few weeks ago, a few
of us went salsa dancing.
These unexpected connections
have been a tremendous benefit
to me at the Extension School.
And who knows, maybe one of you,
sitting in one of these chairs,
will be in my class this
fall and be my next friend.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
ANDY ENGELWARD:
Thank you so much.
So I was going to ask you-- but
you did such a wonderful job
already explaining
it-- how do you
juggle having all
your responsibilities,
in terms of raising kids
and doing things outside
of the class?
But you did a wonderful
job of explaining that.
And I just want to echo Anne's
point about how what she did
was an inspiration
to her own children
as they saw her working
through classes.
I help work with a
math teachers program.
And one of the
benefits that they say
is that they love how their
students see their own teachers
going to Harvard and becoming
a student, just as themselves.
And it's inspirational to them.
So I don't have
that as a question.
So I'll throw you
the other curve
question, which is, what--
[CLEARS THROAT] excuse me.
You are a pilot.
What was the hairiest experience
that either you or a loved one
had while you were
learning to fly?
ANNE MCDONALD: Well, my husband
in the audience-- on one
of our very first dates,
I decided to take him--
it was a training lesson.
And we are doing
what's called stalls,
where you fly the plane up
and you kill the engine.
And as it free-falls, you
try to recover the plane.
And I didn't give
him a headset, so he
had no idea what was going on.
He was just gripping
the walls of the plane
back there, thinking
he was going to die.
But I thought, if he could
survive this experience,
then I'd keep dating him.
And it worked out.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Still
happily married.
ANNE MCDONALD: Yes.
Thank you.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Great.
Thank you so much.
ANNE MCDONALD: Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
ANDY ENGELWARD: Our last
speaker this evening--
an alumna, who, as I said, had
lost her hearing as an adult--
has an amazing
story to tell you.
She is the CEO and founder of
Data Innovations Lab, which
is a business
consulting firm, where
she uses her background in
mathematical economics and data
science, combined with
artificial intelligence
and vertical
technologies, to create
business models involving
international foreign markets.
Sol is also a parent.
She has done a tremendous
number of things in her life.
And we are extremely privileged
to have her speaking,
because she is, in
fact, multilingual
and is often asked to speak
at international conferences
around the world.
She's published
scientific papers.
And her motto-- "never
give up, never surrender"--
really sums up how
far she's come.
So without further ado, I
welcome to the stage, Sol,
please.
[APPLAUSE]
SOL GIROUARD: Well,
thank you so much,
Dr. Engelward, for
those amazing words.
And wow, it's such
a moment to be here.
Good evening, Sanders Theatre.
Now I know how David
Malan feels when
he teaches CS50 every time.
I actually-- I'm
here to tell you
a little bit about my journey at
Harvard University and Harvard
Extension.
And that journey is
grounded in veritas.
It's actually grounded in
three truths that, for me, have
carried me through the
very first class I took up
to this moment.
One is evolution.
The other one is
disabilities and inclusion.
And the other one is
humility in giving back.
See, I came to Harvard
University and Harvard
Extension to build new
skills, because it's a very
Darwinian world out there.
Actually, new technologies
are changing not just the pace
of things, but how those
things are being interpreted.
I come from the
hedge fund world.
And before, it was just
variables that were ordinal
or variables that
were qualitative
or variables that
were quantitative.
And with new
technologies, new data
was needed to start
being analyzed.
Now I actually analyze vision.
I analyze images.
I can analyze sound, which,
before, it was just an idea.
And everything
started to change.
And I didn't want to
be the person that
actually couldn't dictate her
own future in her own terms.
So I had to evolve again,
like I had done it before.
Before, I had studied physics.
And I had to become really
proficient in thermodynamics
and figure out plant
transformations
and figure out a way of
taking price behavior
and translating that
into trading strategies.
But then this new technology
started to evolve.
Machine learning
was making sound.
Artificial intelligence--
and I decided
I needed to study
computer science
and be proficient
in data science.
And I really wanted to
find a place of excellence,
because my time
was very limited.
Like all of us
here, I am married.
I have children.
And I have three pets
that I'm very proud of.
But they need water.
They need food.
There are certain things
that need to happen.
So I really was able to find a
home where my intellect was not
only challenged, but also, I
could find a little bit of Sol.
I found a little bit of my soul
back here in this institution.
And now I go around
and, as you heard,
I am CEO and founder of an
international data science
consulting firm with methods
and with technologies
that I learned right here.
I am able to help the
C-suite to breach that gap
and really develop
data literacy,
develop technologies to
actually understand their data
and create intelligent
dataverses so they can improve
their corporate valuations.
I'm also part of ventures
with friends and peers
that I've met right here
at Harvard University,
in Harvard Extension, in classes
that were not necessarily
part of my main focus.
But I still took them,
because at the time,
I was actually
developing an algorithm
to find financial
bubbles-- of course, me,
always thinking about trading.
But these are
international ventures.
I am part of
[INAUDIBLE] Project,
which is an Asia-Pacific, Hong
Kong-based supply verification
chain--
food to table, fork to table,
farm to table verification.
And that is actually
expanding internationally.
And I still--
I am part of my Harvard life.
I am Head Teaching Fellow
for the data science year--
CS109A and CS109B.
I have the privilege of being
part of the teaching team
with Professor Protopapas,
Professor Rader, Professor
Glickman, doing an amazing
job teaching introductory data
science to advanced
methods in data science
and really raise the next
generation of data scientists
that are going out in the world
and changing, little by little,
the way we do things.
But as much as I wanted to tell
you that I wish I would have
been in your shoes, I couldn't.
Six months before I started
here at Harvard Extension,
I lost the majority
of my hearing.
I also developed two other
disabilities overnight.
It was not just something
that petrified me.
It was unsurmountable.
I couldn't hear the voices of my
children changing as they grew.
How could I possibly
contemplate the idea
of being a distance student
at Harvard University?
That was really not
part of my cards.
I was not set up for success.
How could I make this happen?
This is what I want
you to understand
about Harvard Extension School.
It is an institution
that, from its leadership
and the leadership
team with Dean Lambert,
it is designed as a framework
to make you be successful.
It is in the DNA of
this school that you
will be able to find that
extra piece of the puzzle
that you need, either
professionally or as a person.
It was here that I learned
to reclaim my humanity--
a part of my soul that was taken
away when I, all of a sudden,
became disabled.
And because of this
tremendous work,
I had an internal
family that expanded.
It went from my family, my
husband, and my children
right here, who supported
me and carried me
through this time at
Harvard, to be extended
to people like Jill Felicio,
Director of Advancement,
who actually helped me recover
myself and rehab myself.
Linda Sullivan and the
amazing disabilities team
here in our school helped me
not just get accommodated and be
able to have captions
in my distance learning
or be able to have amazing
technology so I could
come do my residency weekends.
It was that work
that her office did
for me that helped me rehab
myself into the person
that I am right now.
See, I couldn't be here
talking to all of you
today if it wasn't because
of her amazing work
and the leadership team
here at our school,
because I was able
to rehab myself
as a professional
with a disability
and become a really good,
functioning member of society.
And now I go all
around the world,
talking at different
engagements and as an authority
in my field.
But also, because of this, I am
able to exchange, for example,
with heads of state
and governments,
but also with really relevant
people in not just my field,
but in humanity.
Lord Christopher Holmes--
Lord Holmes, just like myself,
became disabled overnight.
Overnight, he became
visually impaired.
But now Lord Holmes
is a founding member
of the All-Party Parliamentary
Group on Blockchain.
He is also the co-chair of
the All-Party Parliamentary
Group on Fin Tech.
And that's why we met, because
we're in the same field.
But we're both working
towards having more inclusion
in the world for
disabled professionals.
And I look forward to working
in overarching efforts
with Lord Holmes
in the near future.
And it is part of
what I learned here
that I take out into
the world and that I
am very humble in giving back.
See, when I graduated last year,
and one of my very first awards
I earned--
Dean Spreadbury,
she actually said--
it was the Alpha
Sigma Lambda award.
And it was a great,
intimate ceremony.
And she said, the
only thing we want--
the only thing we
ask from you is
that you actually tell
us what you do with what
you have gained here--
that you actually let
us know a little bit
of how you are giving
back and how you're maybe
changing the world.
And hopefully, I am flying
our flag high and proud.
Hopefully, I am helping as
much as I was given here
at Harvard University
and at Harvard Extension,
because it's this DNA
that trickles down
all the way from leadership
to the very first person
you will encounter here--
your admissions advisor.
My admissions advisor
was Jarumi Crooks.
And Jarumi was an
instrumental person.
And he said to me, Sol, I
know you're a force of nature,
and you are used to fighting
for everything you want.
But you need to
realize that you are
at a place where we can
actually take some of that load.
We can actually help
you fight this fight.
You do not need to do it alone.
And Jarumi put me in contact
with the disabilities office.
And from there, I was
able to reduce the shame,
to have more strength to go
forward and learn and become
a little bit of the Sol that
you see here with you today.
What I want you to realize
is that I shouldn't
be an inspiration for you.
I should not be a person
that is standing here
that accomplished a 4.0 GPA and
graduated from computer science
and data science at Harvard
University with the Extension
School.
What I really want you
to get from my presence
here before you
is the following--
that if I could do it--
a person with all the
cards stacked against her--
if I could do this,
then anybody--
all of you-- absolutely can.
Thank you very
much for your time.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you.
ANDY ENGELWARD: That
was tremendously moving.
And there's absolutely nothing
I could possibly say after this,
except I will make
one remark, which
is, I think everyone would
notice that if Sol and I had
not said that she
has had hearing loss,
you wouldn't have
even noticed that.
But it has been a
tremendous amount of work
for her to do this.
And I couldn't
help notice but one
of the people you gave the
biggest hug to downstairs
in the green room
was Linda Sullivan.
Can you explain why?
SOL GIROUARD: Yes.
Linda actually leads the
disabilities team here.
And she helped me-- because
see, my disabilities, I don't
have any help with medicine.
They're neurosensorial
hearing disabilities.
So I can't have a
cochlear implant.
I can't have a hearing aid,
either, because they're
contradictory disabilities.
And Linda helped me and
took me step by step.
In a way, she helped
me hear again.
Granted, I hear with my brain.
But it was her work and the
amazing work and support
that the disabilities
office does
that helped me regain a part
of myself and a part of--
it's a new normal.
But she helped me be OK
and regain that new normal.
My Harvard-- I know
everybody says, well,
computer science
and data science--
4.0.
But for me, the journey--
it is a complete holistic
human journey here
at Harvard Extension.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Well, thank
you so much for sharing
your time with us.
SOL GIROUARD: Thank you.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
ANDY ENGELWARD: So I'm
very privileged to be
able to introduce-- well, I'll
have them introduce themselves.
But we have literally
representatives from almost
all the departments
and offices that you,
as a student in the
Extension School,
will most likely be
interacting with at some point
during your student journey.
Maybe not everybody
represented up here,
but there's a good
chance you will
run into some of the people
who will help get you started,
some of the other people
who help provide resources
and support during your stay.
And all the way from the
beginning, we have Rhea,
who is representing the
enrollment services to get you
started, to Jill at the far end.
So this is almost like you
work your way all the way down.
So Rhea, enrollment
services, all
the way down to Jill, who
is working with the Alumni
Association.
So your goal here is to make it
all the way across this table.
But without further
ado, I'd love everyone
to go ahead and just
introduce themselves and say
just a word or two
about which office
they're working with right now.
RHEA RANNO: Sure.
Awesome.
So my name is Rhea Ranno.
I'm an enrollment
services specialist here
at Harvard Extension School.
We're basically the
first stop for you guys.
We may have even spoken at some
point during your journey here.
Our department
focuses specifically
on assisting prospective and
current students in course
registration, as well as general
information about the programs
that we offer.
Additional to that, just from
a logistical point of view,
we also assist with
log-in issues related
to online services accounts.
You'll become more
familiar with that.
Those accounts are primarily
used for course registration
and account management.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Great.
Welcome.
MICHAEL HUDDY: Thank you.
RHEA RANNO: Thank you.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yay.
And Michael.
MICHAEL HUDDY:
I'm Michael Huddy.
I'm representing Student
Financial Services.
And a lot of people
say what is that?
If you're familiar
with higher education,
you might know it
as the business
office or the bursar's office
and the financial aid office.
We perform those functions.
If those aren't familiar terms
to you, we're the money people.
We take the money.
And sometimes we give it out.
But you'll hear more
about that later.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Didn't Alexander
Hamilton hit the bursar, sir?
Julie.
JULIE LONERGAN: Hi, everyone.
Thanks for joining us.
My name is Julie Lonergan.
I'm in the admissions office.
So admissions
works with students
pursuing our undergraduate
or graduate degrees.
We've got a whole
team of advisors
who's here to help you
confirm your eligibility,
figure out exactly
what steps you
need to take to get admitted.
We're also the
office that will be
reading your application, once
you actually get to that point.
We talk to students over email.
You can have a one-on-one
scheduled advising appointment
with us-- so if you've got a lot
of really specific questions.
It can be phone.
Or if you happen to be local,
we'd love to see you in person.
And I also want to put
out a plug for-- we have
regular virtual office hours.
So these are online, typically
monthly, sometimes-- more often
than not-- where you can
just kind of drop in,
ask us a quick question.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Great.
Thank you, Julie.
Linda, we know one of your
friends who is here today.
LINDA SULLIVAN: Hi, everyone.
My name is Linda Sullivan.
I am the Director of the
Accessibility Services Office.
For those of you
who've never heard
of accessibility
services, we are also
known often as the
Disability Services Office.
In our student speakers earlier
tonight, we had a lovely alum.
Her name is Sol Girouard,
who we've done a lot of work
with over her time here.
And it was really a pleasure
to see her bloom as a student.
We work with students
with disabilities
and with health conditions
across their journey.
So we may work with you as you
are coming into the programs.
We may work with you around
accommodations in your classes.
We may work with you
on accommodations
if you're spending a
summer here in residence.
Really, we focus our work on
each student as an individual.
And without a
doubt, students who
work with us from an early
part on in their journey
here at the Extension
School have said in the end
that they found that
their experience was more
successful and more enjoyable.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Great.
Wonderful.
Thank you, Linda.
Tom-- online course development.
TOM LANE: Yes.
My name is Tom Lane.
I'm Director of
Technical Support
here at the Extension School.
My team supports students
with any kind of technology
need that you might have
to complete your course.
So this could be the
course website or streaming
video or even software
related to your course.
I also work closely with our
course development group,
which assists instructors
in delivering that content
in the course to the students.
And then finally, I
have a long connection
with our campus computer
lab at 53 Church Street.
And that's important to
note, because there's
facilities on campus, as
well as online help desks.
So if you're a student who's
learning at a distance or here
in Cambridge, we're
here to help you
with any kind of technology
questions that you might have.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Great.
Terrific.
Thank you, Tom.
Anne.
ANNE DWOJESKI-SANTOS: Hi.
I'm Anne Dwojeski-Santos.
And I work with our Graduate
Certificate Programs
here at Harvard Extension.
We offer about 40 graduate
certificates here.
And while we don't have
an admissions process
for our graduate certificates--
because we don't have
this admissions process,
we design them so that
you can work independently
and help make your way through a
graduate certificate in the way
that works best for you.
However, our team is
also here to support you
if you have questions
about course selection
or which certificate
might be right for you.
And we're accessible by email.
And also, we have virtual
online office hours available,
as well.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Great.
Thank you.
Chuck, good to see you.
CHUCK HOUSTON: Good
evening, everybody.
My name's Chuck Houston.
And I represent the
Graduate Advising Office.
And I hope a number
of you are considering
doing a degree with us.
If you decide to do
a degree program,
you have an advisor
assigned to you.
So you would meet myself
or one of my colleagues.
I focus personally on advising
students in the liberal arts
and sciences.
But I have other
colleagues who focus
on other particular fields--
biotechnology, museum studies,
and so forth.
So we also have an
undergraduate advising
office that advises students
who are pursuing our ALB degree.
So I'm glad we call this the
journeys, because I'm a hiker.
And I think in terms
of trails and paths.
And I think of
myself as a guide.
We try to guide students
through the degree program,
not just to meet
requirements, but to really
embrace the program and really
have a full Harvard experience.
I'm also a graduate
of the program.
I did the ALM
degree in psychology
and completed it in 2010.
So I look forward
to meeting as many
of you as possible,
if you decide
to do a degree program with us.
So welcome.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Meeting them
either here in the office
or on the trail.
So you said you usually
do about-- what?
100 hikes a year or something.
CHUCK HOUSTON: I do.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah.
That's fantastic.
Linda, great.
Wonderful to see you.
LINDA SPENCER: Yeah.
Thank you, everyone, for
attending tonight's session.
I'm sure you have very busy
schedules, and welcome.
My name is Linda Spencer.
And I direct career services for
the Harvard Extension School.
And our goal is to really help
students and alums succeed
by providing excellent career
services and resources to you
during your time here at Harvard
and beyond Harvard, as well.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Terrific.
Thank you.
And Jill, what do you do?
JILL FELICIO: Well, hello, and
it's wonderful to see you all.
I am Jill Felicio.
And as Andy said, I oversee
alumni affairs initiatives here
at Harvard Extension School.
I, myself, am a graduate
of the ALB program
from the class of
2000 and the ALM
program in the class of 2013.
And our advancement office here
at Harvard Extension School
creates global communities
around the world
that serve about 25,000 alumni
and graduate certificate
earners.
And these communities
serve students
at every stage of learning.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Fantastic.
Now, I'll have somebody pick up
on what Linda said, which was,
of course, it's wonderful
that people such as yourself
has made time to come here
and learn about the Extension
School.
I have to say thank
you to everybody
who's been contributing
from the Extension School
to be here tonight.
This is obviously a late
night for everybody else.
And they are seriously
here because they're
passionate about
spreading their message.
I don't think anybody here is--
we're all volunteers.
So we're-- how
about that Bruins?
Who cares?
Seventh game-- whatever.
Happens all the
time here in Boston.
CHUCK HOUSTON: What
time is that on?
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah, right.
Rhea, I'd like to turn to you.
So at this point, I'd
like to sort of go
through a bit of the
journey so that you can
hear a bit from each person.
What we've done is
collect together questions
that students typically ask--
frequently asked questions.
And I'll ask a
number of questions.
But I would like to turn it
over to include some questions,
if they come up, from
any of you, as well.
But I'll start the
game ball rolling.
Rhea, so here's the thing--
I know a lot of people
here probably have
looked at our website
and thought about, oh,
perhaps the Harvard
Extension School.
And they see this thing,
"open enrollment."
"Open enrollment" can be
a little bit mysterious.
Can you tell us about--
since you're
enrollment services,
what does "open
enrollment" mean?
RHEA RANNO: I sure am.
So open enrollment is
a really cool notion.
It actually refers to
course registration access.
Essentially, what it
means is that as long
as you meet our
registration requirements,
you're able to sign up for
any course that interests you.
Some of those
registration requirements
can revolve around things
like English proficiency.
So if your native
language isn't English,
you'll have to show some proof
of English proficiency, which
can be done through
a number of ways.
But the two that
we most focus on
is a passing score by
an HES-certified English
proficiency exam like the
TOEFL, or a transcript
that shows a completed degree
from one of the six countries
that are listed on our website.
You can also chat with our
enrollment services team
a little later about that
process, if you'd like.
Additionally to that, another
registration requirement
that we focus on
is placement tests.
So some classes, particularly
classes such as the graduate
pro-seminars or the
expository writing classes
at the undergraduate level, some
economics and math classes--
require a placement test.
So as long as you meet
those requirements,
you can actually just--
you're on the go already.
And you can always
give us a call.
And we can walk you through
that whole registration process.
ANDY ENGELWARD:
That sounds great.
Do you have any tips for
thinking about how would I
start, in terms of a first
class, or where I would--
RHEA RANNO: Certainly.
Yes.
My first piece of advice
always is to give us a call,
shoot us an email.
If you're seeing a
Facebook ad or you're
hearing about a special program
that you're interested in,
just give us a call.
We'd be more than happy to go
through the general information
for you, just to give
you a better idea of what
your expectations should be.
Beyond that, your
next best bet would
be to take a look at
the course catalog.
Our course catalog
is super awesome.
It actually has several
different filters
that allows for you to filter
the course catalog to show you
things like admissions
courses so that you
can get into the
program of your choice,
or graduate certificate courses.
So utilize those filters.
Take a look at what
courses are being offered
from semester to semester.
Once you get to that
point, you obviously
want to take a look at the
registration requirements
that we were just talking about.
EP-- English
Proficiency, making sure
that you take a look
at the placement
test that might be required.
Most prerequisites
are suggested.
But when you see
a placement test,
make sure you take it
as soon as possible.
It can take a little while for
you to get those results back.
So we really recommend
you taking them
as soon as possible.
Once you've done that,
you literally just
create an Online
Services account.
It takes about 15 minutes.
And then you just add the
course that you're looking for
and pay for it at that
time, and you're good to go.
But if you, at any point,
are conflicted or having
any issues with
that process, again,
please feel free to reach out.
We love talking to
students like you.
And we'd be more than
happy to walk you
through those
initial first steps.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Thanks so much.
Yeah.
And if nothing else you
get from this panel,
you'll find that people
at the Extension School
are some of the most
unfriendly, unhelpful people
you can possibly imagine.
It's absolutely the
case that everyone here
is more than happy to
talk about anything
that might come up regarding
the work that they do.
So I think we'll go
right into Julie.
So Julie, I've taken my class.
I'm getting excited about
maybe a degree program.
I'm kind of interested in
looking into a whole master's
degree or an
undergraduate degree,
because I know we have both.
What can I do about this
getting into a program thing?
Because I know admissions
here is a little bit
different from some of
the other institutions
that you might have looked
at, where typically you
might put in an application,
take certain tests,
and send all that in before
you even sign up for a course.
Here, it's Harvard.
It's a little different.
JULIE LONERGAN:
It's very different.
Yeah, absolutely.
And I'd love to get a sense--
of the people here, who's
interested in a degree,
undergraduate or graduate?
Ooh, OK.
I love that.
Good.
Wonderful.
Welcome.
So it's a really
straightforward process.
There are kind of three steps.
So step number 1, confirm
your basic eligibility.
So what that means is going
to be slightly different based
on who you are, what your
educational background is, what
degree you're interested in.
So if you're pursuing
the undergrad ALB
versus the graduate
ALM in management
or the graduate in
journalism, it's
going to be slightly different.
So those requirements
are on our website.
Take a look at them, see
how they apply to you.
Contact admissions if
you have any questions--
again, email, phone.
We'll help you
work through that.
Step number 2-- and this
is where the process
gets a little bit different.
Step number 2 is to
complete some designated
courses for admission.
So again, those will
be slightly different
based on your field of interest.
It's usually two
or three courses.
And what you're doing
there is, you're
laying a foundation for
the rest of your degree.
So across all of our
programs, the requirements
are to get a grade of B or
higher in those admission
courses.
Again, you're
setting up yourself
for really strong academic
progress later on.
And you're also, I think,
proving to yourself that you're
capable of doing this degree.
You're capable of
succeeding at Harvard.
So you know what
you're getting into.
So that was step number 2,
was to take those courses.
Finally, step number
3 is when you actually
submit the application.
So typically, a student is going
to do that while you're taking
your final admission course.
We accept applications
three times a year--
fall, spring, and
summer-- so each semester.
You'll send it into
the Admissions Office
with some supplemental
materials.
At the end of the semester,
when we get your final grades,
if you've met the
eligibility requirements,
we would be thrilled
to admit you.
ANDY ENGELWARD: So is
there any fine print?
If I've met all the
requirements for admission,
is there an extra
hurdle or anything?
Is there a random factor?
Is there a dartboard
somewhere that people use?
Will I definitely
get into a program
if I've met the requirements?
JULIE LONERGAN: I promise
there's no dartboard.
It's really that easy.
It's very straightforward.
So we refer to our
admission philosophy
as, "Earn your way in."
And what that means for
us is, if you can set up
that strong academic
foundation, if you
can earn those strong grades
in your admission courses,
we want you to be
part of our program.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Sounds great.
Now, I'll skip
around a little bit.
So I've taken my classes.
I've gotten interested
in a program.
I've taken my admission classes
or the classes to get admitted.
And I come talk to
Julie, of course.
Julie has other
people she works with,
so you don't all have
to talk to Julie.
And I'm so happy I
got into a program.
Would you recommend
that I do that early on
or try to admit
myself to a program
after I've taken a
bazillion classes?
JULIE LONERGAN:
Definitely do it early on.
So again, most
programs are going
to have two or three
courses for admission.
It will vary a little bit based
on which one you're doing.
But if you know that you
want to earn a degree,
prioritize those courses.
Work with admissions
to help you figure out
exactly what that timeline is.
But if you get
admitted earlier, you
get access to benefits earlier.
And so maybe Chuck can talk
a little bit about that more.
But it's things like access
to course evaluations,
you get a student ID, you
get more library privileges--
things that can really make a
difference in your experience
as a student.
So the earlier you get
admitted, the earlier you
have access to those.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah,
and that's a great segue
to Chuck, who can talk about
some of the academic advising.
I highly recommend--
having seen it
from the other end,
highly recommend,
if you are interested
in a degree program,
to get admitted as
early as possible
so that you can talk
to somebody like Chuck,
who can help you plan out
the courses you're taking.
Before you're
admitted to a program,
you're a little bit on your
own trying to figure out
what you're going to be taking.
But after you get admitted,
you get this fellow
with a ton of expertise and the
number of people in his office
who also are academic advisors.
Chuck, what sort of things
does the Academic Advising
Office do?
CHUCK HOUSTON: Well,
thank you, Andy.
We have a great team
in the Advising Office.
And at a point where you
become a degree candidate--
is what the term
is at that point--
we want to give you
individualized attention.
There is no more
marketing or no more
laying out general themes and
general rules or requirements.
My job, as I see it, is to
help you maximize your Harvard
experience.
We want you to be a full member
of the Harvard community.
We want you to take advantage
of all of the serendipity,
all of the joy, all of the
education, all of the learning,
all of the peers
that you will meet.
You're all from
different countries
and different states
and different places.
But you share one thing,
which is an aspiration
to see how far you can go.
And what we do in
the Advising Office
is to help you reach that goal.
And they differ a little bit,
so we want to meet with you.
You can come in
for an appointment.
Whether you're in
Nigeria or Antarctica,
we have web conferencing.
We can meet with you
face-to-face and make sure
that we're able to help
you fit the Harvard
experience into your life.
We know most of you
are working adults
and need help with, what I
call, life integration skills.
There has to be a way
for you to build us
into your existing life.
And we're good at that.
And it's a lot of fun.
And my general
recommendation, and that
of most of my colleagues, is
for you to make the best of it.
Embrace it.
Don't just come to
fulfill requirements,
but to see how much you
can get out of this.
And it's a lot.
ANDY ENGELWARD: And I think
one of the really neat things
is, many members of the academic
advising program offices
are people who have, in
fact, completed degrees here.
Every year, we're very excited
when we do our commencement
to see some of the folks who
are working at the Extension
School, getting a degree.
And Chuck certainly
has, I think,
had such a wonderful
time, he decided to stay.
[LAUGHING]
OK.
So I got into a program.
And I listened to Dean
Huntington Lambert say,
we're making affordable
classes for the world,
opening up the bars of
Harvard, opening up gates,
and all that stuff.
But I'm suddenly
finding, as affordable
as it is, two bushels
of wheat-- notice,
it's just two bushels of
wheat for each course.
It turns out, a bushel of
wheat is a little bit more
expensive than it used to be.
Michael, I think it's about
time I come talk to you.
Can you help me out?
I'm not quite sure how I'm
going to afford or work things
out-- loans and
things of that sort.
What does your office--
the Financial
Services Office-- do?
MICHAEL HUDDY: We will do
our very best to help you.
It's hard to speak generally,
because for every student,
there may be a different answer.
But in kind of general terms,
we do process the financial aid
application.
We take care of eligibility.
And just a quick general
comment about eligibility--
there's a whole page on
our website about this--
we follow the
federal guidelines.
So you must be a US citizen
or a permanent resident.
And you must be admitted
to a degree program.
So as my friends Julie
and Chuck have said,
the earlier you
apply, the better.
This is one of those perks
they were talking about--
that you don't become eligible
for financial aid consideration
until you are officially
admitted to the degree program
or the pre-medical program.
We do list some
resources on our website.
As I mentioned, we do
a lot of the things
related to funding and payment.
So for instance, our office also
certifies veteran's benefits
and military tuition assistance.
We certify private loans.
So our website does
give a good indication
of the kind of things that
are available for a student
in different situations.
But as always, if
you have questions,
reach out to our office.
And we'll do our best to
help you in your situation.
ANDY ENGELWARD: And
Michael, I think
a number of people from the
Financial Services Office
are over in Annenberg
at the info fair?
MICHAEL HUDDY: Yes, we have
a full team from our office,
answering questions, available.
They're passing
out business cards
and answer your specific
question as best they can.
So please, feel free to reach
out to them at the table.
Thank you.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Great.
I'm awfully excited about
these degree programs.
But I'm thinking, it's
like, actually, maybe I
don't need a whole
master's degree.
I've heard there's this
amazing thing called
graduate certificates
that are out there
and that there have been
more added recently.
But I can't figure
out how that happened.
Is there anybody here
who could tell me
a little bit about grad--
Anne.
Anne, what is a
graduate certificate?
And what would it
mean to get one?
Why would I-- what is it?
Yeah.
ANNE DWOJESKI-SANTOS: Great.
So we offer a number of
graduate certificates
at Harvard Extension School.
We offer them in a
range of liberal arts
and professional fields.
These are academic credentials.
They are three to five courses.
And when you leave, you
have a graduate certificate
from Harvard.
You take courses at
the graduate level
to earn one of
these certificates.
As you may have heard if
you were at our earlier
session, Brendan-Michael,
who is one of our certificate
students-- he already
had a masters degree.
And what we found
a few years ago
is that we had a
lot of students who
were taking advantage of
our open enrollment policy
and taking a course
with us and then taking
another course with us.
And we found that they
weren't necessarily
interested in getting
a master's degree.
And what we learned was
that often, these people
had master's degrees.
And what they were learning
and what they wanted to do
was retool or stay
relevant in their field.
And so we developed these
graduate certificates
that can meet that need.
So they're shorter
credentials that
enable students to
focus in on something
and take their career
to the next level
or to switch careers.
ANDY ENGELWARD: "Shorter,"
meaning roughly?
ANNE DWOJESKI-SANTOS: So
it's three to five courses.
And students have three
years from the time
of their first
course to complete
a graduate certificate.
ANDY ENGELWARD: And of course,
a master's degree typically
takes 12 courses' worth.
Yeah.
OK.
Great.
Wonderful.
Well, we have a lot of
people who provide resources
all along the way, as well.
And I'm not sure if--
maybe I'll pick on Tom.
Tom, I hear somewhere someone
said that we don't just
offer classes on campus
anymore-- that you can
take a class from a distance.
Is this true?
TOM LANE: Yes, that is true.
In fact, a lot of our
classes are online.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah.
Could you say a little bit
about what the types of classes
are-- different formats?
Is it online?
Does that mean I watch
something later on, or can
I interact with--
TOM LANE: Yeah.
We have two main online classes.
One we call web conference.
Those classes require attendance
on the night of the class.
And you even log in using
a camera and microphone.
So that's an interactive dynamic
class with the instructor
teaching with their own webcam.
These classes tend to be small.
So there's a lot of discussion
going back and forth.
And you can even
have breakout groups,
where you get in
one-on-one or small group
discussions with other
students in the class.
And then the other
type of online class
is on-demand lecture
video classes.
Those do not require
live attendance.
And many times you have
the option to attend live.
But these are typically
larger classes
that have a professional
videographer
with multiple cameras, multiple
microphones, like this setup--
maybe not quite this many, but
enough to catch a full class
and deliver a very high-quality
online video class experience.
So you really have those
two different main types
of online classes.
But there's also other
hybrids that are mostly online
but have an on-campus
weekend or that
combine different elements of
interaction in a online class.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah.
Thanks very much.
And as a teacher at
the Extension School,
oftentimes I'm teaching sort
of three different groups.
I'll have people who are
in the class physically.
I'll have people who
are watching through--
the Zoom software that we use is
really top notch at this point.
Five, six years ago, I wouldn't
have been able to say that.
There were a lot
of sort of kinks.
And things would drop.
And there would be
pixelation and all that.
But the software programs
that we have right now are
really top notch.
So I'll have people
in the classroom.
I'll have people on a screen who
can talk and interact just as
if they're in the classroom.
I oftentimes forget who is
actually physically here
and who's talking
from a distance.
And then, of course, the
third option, which I
teach in that same group--
people here, people
watching, and people
potentially who could watch the
video of the class later on.
But one thing I'll
add to what Tom said
was, it's not as if you
have to sign up and say,
I'm only going to do
this way for this class,
or I'm only going
to do this way.
So I've had somebody
who flew in from Ottawa
for the first class,
just because she wanted
to meet everybody else
physically in a class,
but then she participated mostly
through the Zoom software--
the HELIX program.
And then there are
other people who
make religious, as I
said-- starts the day
4:30 AM in Hong Kong so that
they can interact online.
But the main point is that we
try to make as much flexibility
so that you can make the
choices that work best
for your lifestyle
and the juggling
that you're doing,
obviously, with caretaking
and jobs and things
of that sort.
Thank you, Tom.
Yeah.
And so Linda, I think it's
about time to hear more
about what you've done.
Obviously, you had close contact
with Sol-- our earlier speaker.
When I hear
"disabilities," obviously,
I think I've got to
deal with something
that's difficult for me to do.
But there are other things
that the Accessibility--
I love the term,
Accessibility Services Office.
So what sorts of
things do you do
to help support students
who might be looking
for some sort of extra help?
LINDA SULLIVAN: Sure.
So we focus on access.
We are barrier removal people.
What we do with students is, we
work with students one-on-one.
We recognize that
conditions, whether they
be temporary or
permanent, create
some kind of
barrier for students
in the academic environment.
So what we do is, we focus in
on what those limitations are
and how do we remove them.
How do we mitigate that problem?
So if you have low vision
or if you're blind,
we may be getting
materials in Braille.
We may be getting
your course materials
in alternative formats so
that they work with screen
readers and other technologies.
If you have a
hearing impairment,
hearing impairments don't
all manifest the same way.
So some students need American
Sign Language translators.
Others need assistive
technology called
CART, or Captioning Access--
I'm sorry, I'm going
to say this all wrong--
Real-Time Access--
ANDY ENGELWARD: It
does amazing things.
LINDA SULLIVAN: --Captioning
Translation or something
like that.
I don't know.
I'm having, like, a
brain cramp over here.
But what it does is, it
gives the student access
to the spoken words in written
format right in front of them
while a course is
going on or, if they're
in the class, real
live, on their phone
or on their computer.
We may also work with
you around testing.
So you may need a different
testing environment.
You may need the opportunity to
have extended time for a test.
You may have a
learning disability
and need some
assistance with notes.
We may provide you
with a note-taker,
or we may work with you
around developing really
good note-taking strategies.
So our office
works with students
based on where you
are right now and what
you need in that particular
class at that particular time.
We'll work with you
on placement exams.
We'll work with
you on final exams.
We'll work with you
on writing a thesis.
We'll work with you
at any point where
you are along your journey.
And we recognize
that some conditions
happen while you're in school.
Some things are
permanent, like I said.
And some are not.
You may fall down
and break an ankle,
and you're taking a
course here on campus.
We'll work with you about
making sure the building is
accessible.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Great.
Do you have any tips
for how students
might interact with you?
I understand that putting
things off to the last minute
is not particularly helpful.
LINDA SULLIVAN: The
earlier, the better.
As I said in the
beginning, students
who work with us early
in their academic journey
find that their courses
are more accessible.
They feel more successful
in their courses.
But we'll work with
you at any point.
So we have suggested
deadlines on our website
and across our
registration website.
But if you miss that, that's OK.
Get in touch with us as soon as
you can, as soon as you know.
And we'll start
to work with you.
We always need documentation.
And then we go through
some forms and some--
it's called an
interactive process.
But we do that with all
students at any time.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Now,
you mentioned CART.
I think there's also a CARC--
so the Career and
Academic Resources Center.
And I think maybe
Linda or Julie would
like to talk a little
bit about that.
And I'd love to
turn to you, Linda,
as we get towards the
end of our journey
and we're talking
about career services.
But would somebody like to talk
a little bit about the CARC
Center?
Yeah.
JULIE LONERGAN:
Yeah, absolutely.
I can do that.
So CARC, as Andy mentioned--
our Career and Academic Resource
Center.
That's something
that we in admissions
are frequently referring
students to this support.
It's a lot of free programming
available to not just
degree-seekers or admitted
degree candidates,
but anybody enrolled
in a course.
So there is all kinds of
academic programming-- things
like webinars, which can
be really good, especially
for folks who've been out
of school for a while.
So maybe you need to brush
up on your study skills,
get some tips on how to
participate in a class, maybe
especially these
types of classes
that Tom is talking
about where you're like,
what is this online format?
How do I participate?
How do I make the most of this--
just webinars about all
those academic topics.
CARC also has something called
the Faculty Aide Program.
That's available to
admitted students.
And as a faculty aide, you'd
be working with a professor
on an academic project.
So it could be things like
doing research for a book,
maybe analyzing some data
that they've compiled.
It's going to vary based on
what your field of study is.
And then just this last
year, CARC actually
introduced a podcast,
where they're
talking to students,
staff, faculty,
all members of the community
about what the experience is
like-- what it's like
to be here at Harvard.
Later in the summer,
you'll be able to hear
an episode starring me and
someone else from admissions,
so maybe I'm a little biased.
But they just have a lot
of really great resources
for people, as I
said, from enrollment
in your very first course,
the admission process,
all the way up until degree
or certificate completion.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Great.
Thanks so much.
And as you mention these
resources, it reminds me also,
the Extension School
offers a writing center
to help with writing.
And also, there's a
math question center
that meets regularly, both
on campus and with Zoom
appointments as well--
so a lot of resources
you should take a look for.
You can go to the website and
look for "student resources."
And you'll see a whole list
of really helpful things.
So I think I'm in
a degree program.
I think I'm getting towards
the end of the degree program.
And I'm thinking about what I'm
going to do after I graduate.
But I'm not quite an alum yet.
Linda, can I come talk to you?
You're this Office
of Career Services,
and I'm really interested
in changing careers or maybe
working on what I've
done with my degree.
What does your OCS provide?
LINDA SPENCER: Right.
So once you are an admitted
degree student or an alum,
you are eligible to
utilize OCS, also known
as the Office of
Career Services.
We are a full-service
comprehensive career service
office.
Our focus is on working
adults, because we understand
that most of you are
working adults, going
to school part-time.
So we're really trying
to meet your needs.
Also, we know that
you're busy adults.
You might live locally.
You might not.
So we try to make our services
very accessible at a distance,
as well.
And of course, we're
always open to alumni.
Some resources and
services that we offer--
there's individualized
one-on-one career advising
or career coaching with me.
And this is offered year-round,
Monday through Friday.
You have an option to
meet with me in person,
or it could be phone, it could
be Skype, and basically dealing
with any issue in that
career development cycle.
You also have access
to our online platform
called Crimson Careers, which
basically has two functions.
One, we have, at any given time,
about 1,100 job and internship
postings.
And those change
on a regular basis.
Also, it's a way for you to
set up appointments with me.
So you can do that 24/7.
Again, we're trying to
make things easy for you.
There are also a number of
career fairs that we offer.
There's one specifically
that happens in March.
In fact, this March, it will
be our ninth annual Harvard
Extension School job
fair specifically
for degree students, alumni.
And this year, we also
invited certificate students.
But in addition to
that career fair,
if you are an admitted
degree student,
you also have access to about
15 or 16 other career fairs.
And we have close collaboration
with Harvard College
on these career fairs,
with the Graduate School
of Arts and Sciences,
and the Harvard Graduate
School of Education.
A couple of other
services that we offer--
one would be a number of
online career resources.
And again, you have access to
those 24/7 to help you succeed.
And then probably our
hallmark product, so to speak,
would be our webinars.
We offer about 50 career
webinars per academic year.
ANDY ENGELWARD: And
so those webinars--
you mentioned at the start
of that the OCS is mostly
geared towards candidates
in degree programs.
Are there services that
would be available to--
or is this a reason
why I really should
get into a degree program?
LINDA SPENCER: Right.
So that's a great reason to
get into a degree program,
because, as I mentioned, OCS
is a full-service comprehensive
career office.
But we also have something
for you as part of CARC.
And Julie mentioned it.
So CARC stands for the Career
and Academic Resource Center.
And my team represents the C.
We are the Career part of it.
And it's open to any
currently registered student.
So you don't have to
be a degree student.
You don't have to be
a certificate student.
And basically,
there's two offerings.
One, I have monthly call-ins.
And those are offered
during the academic year.
But also, you have
access to those 50
or so webinars that I
mentioned that really, truly
are a hallmark
product that we have.
So any currently
registered student
is invited to those webinars.
Julie mentioned on the academic
side, but also, we do about 50
on the career side.
And they basically
fall into four areas.
One, we have a career
path spotlight series.
These are alumni
success stories,
because students
often ask, well,
what happens with this degree?
Or what happens with
this certificate?
What can I do with it?
So we have a number of
those alumni success stories
that we do live via webinar.
We also have employer
information sessions,
who are interested in
hiring our students.
We have a series called
"Explore Careers In."
So you fill in the blank-- a
variety of different areas--
technology,
sustainability, et cetera.
And then finally, we have over
10 different, what we call,
nuts and bolts
webinars-- everything
from resumes, cover
letter, interviewing,
salary negotiation,
LinkedIn, et cetera.
So we're really here to help
you succeed during your time
at Harvard, but also beyond,
because everything is also
offered to alumni.
And I can tell you, not
every university and school
offers Alumni Career Services.
And not every school at
Harvard offers lifetime career
services.
ANDY ENGELWARD:
That's wonderful.
I think one of the
things you're finding out
is, it's clearly
not simply a case
that the Extension School
says, oh, pay for a course,
come take the course,
see you later.
There are so many resources
and so many people
and dedicated departments
that are here to help people.
Our goal is to help you succeed.
We feel terrible if
that doesn't work.
Everyone up here wants to
see that happen for you.
So it's happened.
I'm successful.
I graduated.
Hello, Jill.
JILL FELICIO: Hello.
Yay, you graduated.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Now what?
JILL FELICIO: Yes.
Well, graduates of Harvard
Extension School's degree
programs--
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah,
we might as well just
say "future graduates."
Yay.
JILL FELICIO: Future
graduates in the room,
I salute you in the future.
Graduates of these
programs become
members for life of the Harvard
Alumni Association, which
is a university-wide alumni
association of over 100,000
people around the world.
At the same time, you
also become a member
of the Harvard Extension
Alumni Association,
as each school at Harvard
has its own specific alumni
association, as well.
And with these two
associations come
a lifetime of access and
opportunity and relationships
that are priceless.
Now, with the Harvard
Alumni Association,
you will have the opportunity
to create your own page
in the university directory,
which is something
that you can search to find
alumni in your industry
across schools, to find jobs,
to meet mutual interests.
It's a wonderful tool.
And it's a way that
you really stay
connected to the university.
You are able, through the
Harvard Alumni Association,
to join any of over 175
Harvard clubs around the world,
or to join one of the shared
interest groups initiatives
that are designed around your
passions or political pursuits
or cultural
pursuits-- whatever it
is that you're interested in.
As Linda mentioned,
alumni for life
have this wonderful
career service access--
just spectacular services
that OCS offers our alumni.
In addition to that, you
have library privileges
and athletic
memberships, if you wish.
You are invited to hundreds
of events around the world
and even to Harvard
travel programs.
Now, through the Harvard
Extension Alumni Association,
there are also global
events and communities
in cities around the world.
There are Harvard Extension
School-specific communities
that are there as a resource
for you for your life.
There are also
volunteer opportunities,
should you like to get
involved with our organization
in a different way.
There is a board of directors
that you could run for.
There are committees
that you could
join if you have an interest in
mentoring students or planning
events or planning
alumni awards.
And graduate certificate earners
are actually associate members
of our association and enjoy
many of these same benefits.
Now, there is
truly no way for me
to put into words what it means
and feels like to graduate
on commencement day at Harvard.
I think you feel the breadth and
the weight of your achievement
when you're marching
alongside the other 4,000
graduates of Harvard.
And I think that day is filled
with such memory and sadness
for what you're leaving
behind as a student,
because that chapter of
your life is so priceless.
But it's truly the beginning
of a whole new chapter
of a life-long
relationship to Harvard
and what truly is
a Harvard family.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah,
that's wonderful.
It's a bittersweet moment--
commencement was a couple weeks
ago--
when we say goodbye to people.
But one of the messages
at all our commencements
is we say, please,
do not be a stranger.
We want to hear from you.
We want to keep
in touch with you.
And it's really wonderful when
we hear the stories of success
that people have taken beyond
what they've done here.
So we do hope you keep in--
well, you haven't graduated yet.
But we hope you keep in touch.
Well, and more importantly,
we hope to see you in a course
this fall.
As I said, I wanted
to give you a chance
to ask a few questions.
But mindful of the time, I
think one of the most efficient
things will be is
to ask the panel
to be able to answer questions
back over in the hall.
Annenberg is open till 8:30.
But I wondered if
there were any things
that people had
heard from each other
that they might want to
add-- any last comments
or tips that you might
want to encourage students
to think about?
CHUCK HOUSTON: I'd
like to add something.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Please.
CHUCK HOUSTON: Often
with the degree programs,
one of the common
questions we get
is the on-campus experience.
Why can't we just do an online?
Why doesn't he just put
the whole thing online?
It's a great question.
I love the question,
because it really
gets to the heart of
what we're trying to do.
We want you to get
a Harvard education.
And in order to do that, we want
you to spend some time here--
some real time here.
Certainly, you can do
a significant portion
of this degree online.
But when you come
here to the campus,
whether it be for several
semesters or several summers,
you'll have the chance to
visit our 70 libraries, our 14
museums, join the
Student Association,
maybe get a teaching
assistant job on campus,
meet with your advisor in
person, meet your peers,
go to office hours, attend
sections, meet professors,
join groups on campus.
This is all an essential
element of a Harvard education.
It's becoming a member
of the Harvard community.
So it isn't just a
transaction, where
we're delivering courses
and delivering information
to you online.
It's much more of an
interactive opportunity for you
to take full advantage
of all of the serendipity
and all of the peers
that you'll meet.
You're probably very amazing.
I make that statement
because for you to come here
to Harvard-- and those of
you who are watching the live
stream as well--
to come and think that you can
do a Harvard degree part-time
takes a lot of gumption.
It takes a lot of confidence.
And so I have a suspicion
you're very amazing,
and you're going to meet
loads of other amazing people.
So yes, we have a Harvard
on-campus experience.
Now, early on, the most
common question I get
is, how can I minimize it?
How can I slide it in?
How can I tuck it in?
How can I knock it out?
How can I do two weeks here?
As the candidacy goes on toward
the end, the questions change.
How can I maximize it?
How can I stay longer?
How can I get more involved?
Are there any other
opportunities I'm missing?
So I bring that up just to
say, embrace this degree.
If you come to do a degree,
we want you to be all-in.
And we want you to
come here and be
part of the community with us.
And that's why we have
the on-campus experience.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah.
And I can add,
just because I get
to see the numbers working
with the academic programs,
we have minimum
residence requirements
for each of the degree programs.
It's a small minority who
actually just hit the minimum.
The vast majority of people
at the Extension School
make efforts to come and
enjoy being here on campus,
as you have done right now.
Any last questions?
Otherwise, I'm going to,
as I promised I would--
which one of the reasons
I'm coming down here.
I'd be happy to pick
out a question or two.
And then I'll ask our panel to
go back over to the info fair.
But are there any
dying questions
that somebody might want to ask?
Yes?
AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] I
wanted to ask [INAUDIBLE]..
But I'm finishing my juris
doctorate [INAUDIBLE]..
How many of those credits can
I transfer to [INAUDIBLE]??
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah,
it's a great question.
The transferring question
comes up quite often.
CHUCK HOUSTON: We don't
accept transfer credits at all
from outside the university.
ANDY ENGELWARD: For
the graduate program.
CHUCK HOUSTON: For
the graduate program.
Thank you.
For the undergraduate--
AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]
[LAUGHING]
CHUCK HOUSTON: Within the
Harvard community, though,
a lot of our students do
take courses at the Ed School
or at the Graduate School of
Arts and Sciences or the summer
school or other Harvard schools
where we do share credits.
But outside of Harvard, we
don't transfer credits in,
with the exception of the
ALB bachelor's degree.
There's a certain limited number
of credits you can bring in.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Right.
Not to get too snooty, but we
don't take transfer credits
in for graduate school.
But there are quite a number
of people who've taken a fair
number of courses here,
might finish somewhere else--
might decide to take--
and typically,
almost inevitably,
courses you'd be
taking here at Harvard
would transfer somewhere else.
So it's sort of a
one direction thing.
JULIE LONERGAN: I want to
quickly add something about
if there's anyone considering
our undergraduate program.
So as the folks
have mentioned, we
do accept transfer credit for
the undergraduate program.
And if that's something
you're interested in,
you're welcome to work
with the Admissions Office.
We actually have an
online tool where
you can enter in all the courses
that you've taken elsewhere.
And then it will sort of help
you calculate whether or not
those things will transfer.
So that's specific to our
undergraduate program.
But that option is there.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yeah.
Thanks very much, Julie.
Take one more question, and
I'll let everybody go over
and see if there's any food
left over in Annenberg, which,
uh, probably iffy.
Any last questions that
people might want to ask?
Yes, please.
And you're from Ghana?
AUDIENCE: Yes.
ANDY ENGELWARD: Yes.
Great.
AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]
ANDY ENGELWARD: A
joint graduate program?
AUDIENCE: Yes, exactly.
It could [INAUDIBLE]
law school and also
do the Extension
School, as well.
Simultaneous group.
ANDY ENGELWARD: I know
we've had students who've
done degrees, for instance, in
the math or teaching program
and then gone on to do a
degree over the Graduate
School of Education.
Typically, we don't
have something
that happens at the same time.
I'm not sure if
anybody wants to--
JULIE LONERGAN: I can take that.
Yeah.
So right, I think
exactly as Andy
said, if you wanted
to do something
back to back, absolutely.
But our sort of philosophy is
that we're all part of Harvard.
But each school within
Harvard is going
to have their own policies.
So we would only really be able
to look at the specific degree
program that you
were doing here.
And you wouldn't
necessarily be sort
of taking classes back and
forth between the two schools.
You would just want to focus
on your one degree here
at Extension.
ANDY ENGELWARD: People have
done programs and then taken
the courses to apply
to something else.
But right, each school does have
its own application process.
And so it would be
different that way.
Well, at this point,
I want to say,
thank you so much for
everybody coming out.
I know people have made
a great deal of effort
and, in some senses,
coming from Ghana and all
the different places that people
have come from across Boston.
Sometimes the
commute from Boston
can be longer than commute
from other countries, it seems,
especially if you tried to
take the red line here today.
Sorry about that.
Or yesterday.
But in any case, thank you
so much for coming out.
We really are looking
forward to seeing as many
of you as possible
during a fall course.
It's a wonderful place.
I do the sales pitch.
Wait, I see someone
wearing an MIT shirt.
Yeah, that's OK.
All right.
But it's a treasure
of Harvard that they
put as much time and resources
into making the Extension
School work.
A lot of institutions
don't have anywhere
near the clout
and the experience
and the ability to
do what Harvard does.
It does it really well.
I'm so glad that you came out
just to find out more about it.
Now, find out even more
about it by talking
to some of our panelists,
who will perhaps come down,
maybe talk to a few
people right here.
And then make your
way over to Annenberg,
if you have some more questions.
Thank you so much.
And we look forward to seeing
you in a class this fall.
CHUCK HOUSTON:
Thanks, everybody.
[APPLAUSE]
