LAURINBURG — The local Rotary Club got a glimpse into some goings-on at St. Andrews University on Tuesday from a trio of visitors.
On the agenda were discussions about the university’s MBA program, its non-traditional student programs and the health care sciences programs.
Dr. Annette Webster, the health services administration coordinator, told the group about new classes being implemented at St. Andrews and her ascent to the university.
“I love physical therapy and never thought I’d find anything so rewarding,” she said. “But I realized I also needed business classes to advance.
“I was told once that ‘leaders build leaders,’ so I’m very excited to be at St. Andrews to start several new programs,” she added.
Those programs include sports injury, organizational behavior, pre-nursing and occupational therapy assistant, among others.
“One of the things I really like is that our students are allowed to be better, critical thinkers,” Webster said. “We also work to make them better communicators.”
Lauren Lewis, an MBA student who works in the university’s admissions office, told Rotary members the MBA program is an 18-month program that can be fully online or half online and half in the classroom. She added that there are students in the program from numerous states.
Lewis also said the program is 36 credit hours covering a variety of programs.
“It also provides a lot of good leadership opportunities,” She said. “Students get to collaborate and inspire within a group setting.”
Bob Bell spoke to the group about the non-traditional students — those who may have an associates degree and want to earn a bachelors degree, but may not be able to attend classes during the day.
“They may need to take classes in the evening or online,” he said. “We can now offer that, so it’s a very exciting time to be at St. Andrews with all the new opportunities.”
During a Q&A session, Rotary members were told”
— St. Andrews can get face-to-face time with online students through the Zoom program, which is much like Skype.
— There are 25 students enrolled in the university’s MBA program and that 100 students have graduated from the program.
— St. Andrews still maintains a liberal arts foundation, but allow students opportunities to move into specialized areas.
For information about St. Andrews’ classes and degrees, go opnline to www.sa.edu.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or cvincent@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
