For the first time in a public setting, St. Bonaventure officials will be sharing information about its new Strategic Leadership master’s degree, the first program the university is offering exclusively online.
Developed by the Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the program is directed by university Professor Dr. Kimberly Young, an internationally renowned expert on Internet addiction. She heads the Center for Internet Addiction, based in Bradford, Pa., through which she has consulted with organizations such as IBM, Corning Inc., and the CIA.
The program is now accepting students and will begin classes this fall.
The university’s graduate admissions office will be hosting an open house for all of its master’s and certificate programs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the Jones Trustees Room in Doyle Hall.
Other programs to be represented at the open house include English, Counseling (Rehabilitation, Mental Health and School), Education Leadership (including principal and superintendent certification), Literacy, Differentiated Instruction, Adolescence Education, MBA and Integrated Marketing Communications.
“This isn’t just about convenience. Our online program is every bit as robust and engaging as our classroom experience,” said Dr. Pauline Hoffmann, dean of the Jandoli School.
“Our excellent faculty members have been specially trained to teach in the online environment. They will engage students in ways that aren’t possible in a face-to-face environment, and they’re committed to ensuring that students not only learn the content of the curriculum, but that they are able to apply that content to leadership challenges.”
The master of arts in Strategic Leadership (MSL) is an accelerated, one-year, 33-credit online master’s program, or two-year part-time degree, that blends the latest leadership theory and practice with a strong foundation in communication skills required for the global marketplace.
The program provides a highly interactive, team-based learning experience encompassing the following objectives:
• Develop personal awareness and clarity of purpose as a leader;
• Examine ethics and leadership values from a service orientation perspective;
• Foster interpersonal and organizational communication skills;
• Adapt and respond to global changes in the marketplace and diverse populations;
• Develop critical thinking and problem solving skills for leaders;
• Engage in strategic thinking for organizational growth and change.
One of the program’s distinctive features will be a grounding in the university’s Franciscan ethics, from a discipline-specific business perspective as well as from a broader, holistic perspective, Hoffmann said.
Students will have access to technical support any time they need it, she said. All online students will take an online orientation course.
“This course takes the place of a physical orientation,” Hoffmann said. “It is an overview of services at St. Bonaventure University and how to navigate the online courseware, while providing students the opportunity to have any questions answered as they begin to take online classes.”
While the master’s degree in Strategic Leadership is a new program, St. Bonaventure has been educating leaders for decades, Hoffmann said.
Melonya Johnson, president of BSMART Coaching in Buffalo, earned her master’s in Professional Leadership from St. Bonaventure in 2005. (The MPL program is no longer offered, but served as the foundation for the Strategic Leadership program.)
“The MPL program taught me to recognize the strategy behind good leadership,” Johnson said. “Exemplary leadership can be learned. Great leadership is needed to move our world forward in an innovative, conscientious and ethical way.”
The Strategic Leadership program is designed for individuals possessing a bachelor’s degree and three or more years of significant work experience.
For more information about the program, go to www.sbu.edu/MSL.
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About the University: Inspired for more than 150 years by the Catholic Franciscan values of individual dignity, community inclusiveness, and service, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them.