Cindy Parker is the vice president of the Johnson & Wales University College of Professional Studies. JWU was recently named among U.S. News & World Report’s top colleges for its online programming.
Parker spoke with Providence Business News about the university’s online programming, how it will be expanded and if the local economy is becoming more reliant on online degrees.
PBN: Have online programs become more attractive for students at JWU because of the ongoing pandemic? If so, how?
PARKER: Johnson & Wales University launched our first online bachelor’s degree program with just 40 students in 2010. Since then, the popularity of online courses and programs at JWU’s College of Professional Studies has continued to increase, as reflected by enrollment growth to its current level of 2,400 fully online students enrolled across over 100 academic programs.
While JWU’s Providence and Charlotte, N.C., campuses are geared towards academic and campus life programming for traditional students, CPS targets working adult learners. Currently, the majority of CPS students are employed [and] have family duties to balance, with many representing single-parent households. Online programming offers significant flexibility for all students to work on their academic studies at times that are most convenient for them – a benefit which became even more evident throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even as we inch closer towards pre-pandemic life, the flexibility of online learning is vital for working adult professionals. The online delivery also offers benefits to traditional students, for whom CPS provides online course sections and from whom we have recently seen increased interest in the flexibility of these offerings.
PBN: Do you feel the local economy is becoming more reliant on individuals who received an online degree or certificate to boost the overall workforce?
PARKER: More and more students throughout the United States are choosing online programs for both undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as for shorter-term digital badges and certificate programs.
The last decade has seen a rise of so-called “mega-institutions” – higher education institutions who enroll hundreds of thousands of students annually – such as Southern New Hampshire University, Liberty University and Purdue Global. The expansion of online offerings is not unique to these institutions. A similar trend has occurred locally, and it has increased access to a skilled workforce.
While CPS students represent 49 states (New Mexico is the outlier), 25% of our current enrollment hails from Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Upon completion of academic programs, many of these students remain in their states of residence, which positively impacts the local economy of our graduates. Given this trend, it is inevitable that local economies will be more influenced by and responsive to engaging with individuals who earned their academic credentials online.
PBN: How will you help JWU expand online programming in your new role with the university?
PARKER: Since the 2013-14 academic year, in my role as dean and then vice president of the College of Online Education, I have overseen the successful and consistent growth of online enrollment. In my enhanced role as vice president of CPS, I maintain responsibility for ensuring that our online enrollment continues to grow each year in accordance with the objectives of the university’s Strategic Plan: Purpose 2024.
Over the years, CPS has forged a number of partnerships with employers, most notably through Guild Education – the nation’s leading education and upskilling company. Through this collaboration, employees from leading brands such as Target, Walmart and JPMorgan Chase can pursue debt-free online degrees across a broad range of fields, including business, health, engineering and hospitality.
We first enrolled Guild-funded students in summer 2021, and to date nearly 500 Guild-related employees have enrolled in JWU’s educational programs. We anticipate that Guild will continue to be a major catalyst for our enrollment growth going forward. CPS is proud to also have 19 individual employer partners not affiliated with Guild, including our current role as the official education partner of the Boston Bruins/TD Garden/Delaware North.
PBN: What, if any, new online programming is JWU currently developing?
PARKER: When the College of Online Education was originally launched, JWU started with a single fully online bachelor’s degree program. In the time since, CPS has driven the development of a portfolio consisting of more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates and micro-certificates.
CPS works collaboratively with Johnson & Wales’ six academic colleges in the development and delivery of its online offerings. We are currently piloting a newly developed fully Associate of Applied Science in professional culinary studies with Guild employer partner Chipotle and have plans to expand through Guild with additional corporate partners this summer and beyond.
In addition, CPS has developed 18 undergraduate and graduate micro-certificates to support upskilling and short-term career preparation both regionally and nationally. CPS is currently working with the university’s academic colleges on several new undergraduate and graduate programs in health care administration, athletic training, business analytics and environmental studies.
PBN: Describe what kind of online programs JWU offers veterans and what assistance, if any, JWU provides to help veterans seek future employment.
PARKER: In addition to participating in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, Johnson & Wales has a rich legacy of supporting veterans. It’s in our roots. Founded by Gertrude Johnson and Mary Wales in 1914 on the cusp of World War I, the two founders provided returning veterans with job training to help acclimate back to civilian life. When the pair retired in 1947, they handed the reins over to two [U.S.] Navy veterans – Edward Triangolo and Morris J.W. Gaebe – who met while deployed. Since then, JWU remains committed to providing high-quality, career-relevant education to support the unique needs of active service members and veterans perusing postsecondary degrees, both on ground and online.
As a university system, JWU offers a variety of services – ranging from academic counseling to personal financial planners – to support veterans transitioning from active duty to student life. These offerings helped earn the university the highest ranking in Rhode Island for Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans by U.S. News & World Report in 2021. CPS’ small classes, supportive environment and access to digital career counseling through the university’s Experiential Education & Career Services are among the leading reasons for the recognition.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
