wInter 2009 - Lee University

camPus news
L
Lee Graduate ProGrams:
redefininG the academic LandscaPe
(editor’s note: this article is the first in a new series highlighting the graduate programs at Lee university)
ee’s graduate programs experienced a record-breaking enrollment for fall 2009. Enrollment
specialists all over the country found it difficult to predict how the economy would affect fall enrollment
numbers, but Lee celebrated at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
“We found that many folks who were unemployed decided to return to school. This, along
with a renewed emphasis on branding, target marketing, and personal attention helped to solidify
our numbers for fall,” said Vicki Glasscock, director of graduate enrollment. “The deans
and directors of our graduate programs worked with students to determine their specific needs
as well as the needs of the marketplace. They revised programs to fit those needs. Lee’s graduate
counseling programs doubled their enrollment by expanding their Mental Health Counseling
program to include a service/non-profit track.”
Dr. Trevor Milliron, director of graduate studies in counseling observed that, “In addition to
offering clinical training that leads to licensure, we expanded the program to include training in
the area of non-profit work. This approach is particularly appealing to graduate students who
dream of serving in nontraditional settings, serving the underserved in international settings –
taking counseling out of the therapy room and into the lives of those who need it most through
advocacy, outreach, and prevention programs. Lee is one of the premiere universities in the
world which offers this type of service-minded focus on counseling.”
The Helen DeVos College of Education continues to serve as the flagship program for graduate
studies at Lee with almost 200 students. The new Ed.S. degree and new course offerings
that lead to National Board Certification for teachers have expanded Lee’s market and hold great
potential for continued growth. The first Ed.S. degrees were awarded earlier this year.
The School of Religion continues to attract graduate students in Biblical and Theological
Studies as well as in Youth and Family Ministries. Dr. Bob Bayles, director of the graduate program
in youth and family ministries noted that, “One of the recent trends we’ve noticed among
our graduates is the growing number who are finding ways to do ministry outside of a “church”
setting. Several have gone to work for government agencies working with at-risk families, others
are ministering in halfway houses to both adolescent girls and boys who have encountered
problems with the law and school systems. Others are working in para-church settings. We
are very glad ministry among our students represents a broad-based approach (church, parachurch,
“secular” settings”).
The School of Music experienced a 10% increase in enrollment with its graduate programs
in church music, music education and music performance.
For additional information regarding Lee’s graduate programs, call 1-800-LEE-9930 ext.
8059, or email the Office of Graduate Enrollment at gradstudies@leeuniversity.edu .
The western wing of the science math complex takes shape
with its primary feature, a lecture hall on the far left.
Math and Science
coMplex neaRinG
coMpletion
Construction and learning have
taken place side by side this semester as
construction enters its last months on a
massive classroom and laboratory building.
Students arrived on campus at the
beginning of this semester to find a
completed three-story section of the
complex. Classes have been held in the
eastern wing, while the two story western
side has been showing daily progress,
from just a foundation in August to
completely under roof in November. The
second half will contain classrooms,
faculty offices (including a suite for the
Dean of Arts and Sciences), conference
room and a 100-seat lecture hall. It
will join with the completed east wing
at the signature commons and tower
which has already become a landmark
in downtown Cleveland.
Cole Strong, construction liaison
with President Conn’s office said “They
(contractor) are making great progress
and we should be able to move into the
completed complex sometime over the
course of the spring semester.”
StephenSon
coMpleteS ph.d.
Two-year theology department member
Lisa Stephenson recently received
her Ph.D. in religious studies from Marquette
University in Milwaukee. An assistant
professor of theology, Stephenson
teaches both
introductory and
upper-level theology
classes
in the School
of Religion. Before
attending
Marquette, she
earned both her
bachelor’s and
master’s degrees
at Lee.
GilbeRt
ReceiveS ph.d.
Ron Gilbert, director of
Media Productions Services,
recently received his Ph.D.
from Regent University. Gilbert
also serves as an assistant
professor in the communication
department at Lee.
After obtaining a bachelor’s
degree from Lee, Gilbert went on to earn
a master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins
University. He also completed extensive postgraduate
work in counseling and broadcasting
at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. His
Ph.D. is in communication and the arts with a
specialty in the effects of media. For his doctoral
program, Gilbert surveyed churches that
use visual electronic media.
“The study specifically focused on the effects
of those media and the ways in which they
enhanced or detracted from worship,” Gilbert
said. Gilbert indicated that this research will
help in new emphases in the future at Lee for
the development, training and networking of
media ministers and church leaders using new
technologies for worship.
Gilbert has worked in several capacities at
Lee. He joined the faculty in 1980 as a one-year
history replacement teacher and has served as
the Director of Counseling and Testing as well as
the Director of Alumni.
faculty factS
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