Wade's World

Dr. Wade Mauland's career at Ottawa University has been kicked into high gear in recent months. In March of 2007, after more than a decade as a full-time faculty member, he was named associate dean of business and management for OU's adult professional studies locations. Then, three months later, he took over as director of the MBA program at OU-Wisconsin. At the time of his appointment as MBA director, OU-Wisconsin Campus Executive Officer Elaine George said Mauland would have "a tremendous opportunity to implement first-hand key strategies for program growth and development." That's exactly what's been happening as evidenced by a few changes and additions to established programs.

First, starting in June 2008, all graduate programs in business (MBA, MA in HR), education and professional counseling will move to an 11-week term from a 12-week term. "Based on a ton of feedback from faculty and staff, (this) is the way to go," said Mauland. "It will be nice to step back for a week, catch our breath, get prepared for the next (course), and then move forward."

Second, a University-wide concentration in health care management has been added to the MBA program, bringing the total number of concentrations to four, including finance and leadership, management, and human resources. Mauland believes the health care management concentration will be huge because of changing demographics and baby-boomers getting older. "In about 10 years or so, one-in-five people will be working in the health care-related field," said Mauland. "There certainly is a need."

Changes like these are necessary to keep pace with the very competitive world of graduate education, where the standard will go up as more and more people get bachelor's degrees. "I would say in five, certainly 10 years, it's going to be the master's level expectation for people to move forward," said Mauland. "It's going to be a growing market."

One of the components that Ottawa University will address in graduate education is an increased online presence, much more so than just offering online courses. In January 2008, an online learning unit was formed in order to offer the best of the University's current online degree programs, as well as explore new offerings to students beyond current locations. This new division will allow OU to accelerate its participation in the online market. Mauland says the extensive online program will enable administrators to look at a more narrowed, specialized curriculum, something that OU graduate education is known for. "Ottawa University is famous for being on the frontier of learning, for being innovative and pushing the boundaries of quality education," said Mauland.

Despite the changes OU must undergo to make its graduate education more compelling, Mauland says there are some things that will never change. "The critical thinking skills, the communications skills, the decision-making abilities, the problem-solving abilities, are skills that are going to be crucial as we become a ‘flatter' world and as global influences impact us in our daily lives," said Mauland.

Mauland is quick to point out that the changes being addressed are not a one-person effort. Rather, he says they are a University-wide effort that began by simply listening to the wants of the faculty and students, and using the strengths already in place. "We're trying to leverage some of the expertise across the University; we're tapping into Arizona online (courses) and using their expertise," said Mauland. "It's easier when you've got the faculty and staff like we do, which are all very passionate about what they do. They believe in Ottawa University and they want to take it to the next level."