Late in the summer of 1989, I was living in Ohio and between jobs. The economy looked bleak, so I decided to go back to school to get my MBA. A friend had heard good things about Ashland University and suggested I look into what they had to offer.
The next day, I walked onto campus and met a gentleman named Steve Krispinsky. I told Steve I was interested in completing the MBA program, but only had 12 months of time and money. Steve said he could help me achieve my goals. He told me a little about the school and introduced me to several teachers—Dr. Tom Shockney and Doug Anderson. They told me about the school and the MBA program, and I understood right away how high-quality the teachers were at AU. When we got back to Steve’s office, I told him I wanted to join the program. He said my goals were aggressive, but if I wanted to work straight through the three twelve-week trimesters, he would make sure to arrange the classes so I could complete my degree within my schedule. I joined right then. Steve then told me my first class was that night at 7:00 p.m. and that I was already two weeks behind schedule.
Over that next year, it was such a relief to know that whenever I had a question, I could walk into any teacher’s office at any time, and they would stop whatever they were doing and give me their undivided attention. One day, in my second trimester, I was in Mark Nadler’s microeconomics class. I was wondering about how a theory he’d presented related to a theory Dr. Shockney taught in another class, so I stopped in to talk to Dr. Tom. He was sitting in his chair with a pipe in his mouth. He removed the pipe and exhaled the sweet cherry aroma of his tobacco as he looked at me and said, “Last night’s class would be the fourth week of microeconomics, so hmmm, let’s see…” He then went on to recite the entire lecture from memory. Now, that’s more than being a teacher. That’s an educator!
Not only were the teachers supportive, but the secretaries and receptionists like Katherine and Peggy (among others) were always there to help my fellow students and me. To this day, 20 years later, I can still stop by the campus and Katherine will remember me by name. I found that same kind of passion for creating a learning environment from every teacher I met. This is what makes a school a learning institution. It warms my heart to return to the campus occasionally, walk by Dr. Nadler’s office and hear him coaching students with the same tone of compassion that he shared many times with me. With the support of Steve and the other teachers, I was able to complete the MBA program with a higher GPA than any other time in my life. That you to all the teachers and people that worked in the MBA office. I could never have done it without you!
