Gloria Vavricka:为他人提供机会的职业激励

Effectively navigating a university into the world of online education is no small feat. 捍卫如此重大的事业需要勇气, 持久性, 鼓舞人心的精神, 以及合作的能力. 在内布拉斯加大学科尔尼分校的整个职业生涯中, Director of eCampus Gloria Vavricka exhibited these skills while engaging others to join in the pursuit of making higher education more accessible to students.     

Vavricka served as a lecturer in bet36365体育’s College of 商业及科技 and as an instructional coordinator before becoming the academic program director of bet36365体育’s Office of Continuing 教育 (now eCampus). 她现在的职位是董事, she provides leadership in all aspects of online education including program development, 市场营销, 预算管理, 教师发展, 技术, 以及校园的日常运作.

因为她准备退休后34年的专门服务bet36365体育, Vavricka reminisces on her successful career and those who inspired and encouraged her along the way.

是什么激励你选择你的职业道路?

I knew I was in the right career path many years ago when I first started working for Dr. Doyle Howitt继续教育, and bet36365体育 was offering off-campus classes at various locations throughout Central Nebraska. Most of the students attending were non-traditional students who were working full time, had a family and did not have the time or resources to drive to bet36365体育 to take classes. Giving these non-traditional students the opportunity to earn their college degree is what inspired me to choose my career path. 因为在线教育, bet36365体育 has been able to reach out to many more students to achieve their college goals, 我想不出还有什么比我选择的职业道路更令人满意的了.

告诉我们，自从你加入校园以来，你看到的最大变化是什么.

eccampus最大的变化可能是在线课程的增加, 以及这些项目的在线学生数量. 2000年开设了第一个在线课程，当时只有少数学生. 目前, 有40个bet36365体育投注学位, 11个本科学位, 17个代言, 12个未成年人, 5张证书，2张,000名学生参加完全在线的课程. 这种增长不仅仅是因为校园资源的增加, 还有教授这些课程的教师, the staff who provide support services and the administration who have made it part of bet36365体育’s mission. 

在你担任校长期间，校园有哪些发展?

The services and resources that eCampus provides has grown tremendously in the past 20 years. At first, there was no instructional designer support and minimal 市场营销 support. 多年来, we gradually progressed to four instructional designers to assist faculty in creating their courses, 提供电子学习空间，教师可以在协作课堂中进行教学, 制作专业视频, 或者在我们的光板工作室录音. The 市场营销 team provides individualized 市场营销 plans for every online program, and the two full-time professional advisers provide immediate service to students in our online programs. All of these resources have made a difference in the quality and growth of online education at bet36365体育.

描述你在bet36365体育大学期间遇到的一个挑战.

Probably the biggest challenge I faced was in the early years when online education began, 因为它是新的, 教师们对此表示怀疑. It was believed that the quality could not be near as good as face-to-face classes, 许多教师对在线教学犹豫不决. 然而, 一旦他们接受了适当的培训并开始在线教学, they started to see the value and quality of online programs and the impact they had on people’s lives. Without online education, these students may never have earned their college degrees. Not only did faculty embrace online education but they developed lifelong relationships with many of their students. My favorite time of the year is during graduation when online students will travel to bet36365体育 from all over the U.S. 参加毕业典礼. 在此期间, 老师们会为他们的学生准备特别的早餐, 带他们参观校园, 或者出去吃晚饭. It always makes me appreciate the faculty and all they have done to advance online education.

你在校园工作最美好的记忆是什么?

I don’t have one fondest memory of bet36365体育 but many fond memories and most of those would involve working with the best staff anyone could ask for. They became my “work” family and I appreciate everything they have done throughout the years. 他们是校园成长和成功的功臣, 我对他们所做的一切感激不尽. The most difficult part about retiring is not being able to spend time with them every day. 噢，我会多么想念他们!!

你最喜欢bet36365体育的什么?

我不得不说我最喜欢bet36365体育的是这里的人. 正如我提到的, I have been so fortunate to work with such an amazing staff all these years and will miss them very much. I have also enjoyed the many relationships I have built with faculty and other staff members on this campus who all work so hard to provide a quality education to our students. What makes bet36365体育 unique are the people, and I consider myself lucky to have been a part of this team.   

As you prepare to leave bet36365体育, what is the most interesting thing you’ve found in your office?

当人们走进我的办公室, they may find that the most interesting things in my office are the hand-carved wooden pieces made by Dr. 道尔·霍伊特，我以前的导师. 他是一位优秀的木雕师. 他会在世界各地寻找彩色的异国木材, 花无数个小时使用车床来创造一个零件, 然后再涂上几层糊蜡来完成. 这些作品非常漂亮，对我来说非常珍贵.

你退休后最期待的是什么?

工作了50年, the thing I look forward to most is the freedom and flexibility to do what I want and when I want to do it – no longer do I have to adhere to an 8:00-5:00 schedule from Monday through Friday. My husband and I love to travel so I look forward to taking off whenever we want and staying as long as we like. I look forward to tackling many projects around the house that have been put off. 我期待着读一本好书，放松一下. 最后, I look forward to reconnecting with friends and family who I have not had the time to visit and keep in touch with.

你还有什么要补充的吗?

I just want to say that I have had the best time working at bet36365体育 for these past 34 years. 这是追求在线教育的最佳时机, and I was lucky enough to be around during those early years to take advantage of it. I appreciate everyone on this campus who actively participated in making online education a success at bet36365体育 – not only the faculty, 行政部门和我的员工, 但那些在幕后做了很多工作的办公室往往没有得到认可, 比如bet36365体育投注入学, 本科招生, 登记员, 金融援助, 财务办公室, 建议 & 就业服务、图书馆等. It took all of us to work together to be one of the best schools in Nebraska in providing a quality online education, 我从心底里感谢你!!!

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