He’s part of this campus though. He is just one of the more than 1,200 students at JSU who take all of their courses solely online, and when he graduated, Ben Mills made history as the first-ever student to receive an MBA completely online from Jacksonville State University.
“Distance education is first and foremost designed for people who cannot come to the JSU campus, for whatever reason, to have the traditional college experience,” says Misty Cobb, director of distance education. “Our students may be working full-time jobs or they may have family responsibilities that make the traditional methods of attending college impossible. The reasons why students may need to take advantage of distance education classes are really endless.”
For Ben, his desire to take online classes stemmed from several different reasons. He first found out about JSU’s online MBA program through an online forum on degreeinfo.com.
“It’s a kind of online message board where people talk about different degree options and programs, and especially about lesser known programs,” Ben says.
After reviewing the MBA program at JSU, Ben discovered that it was affordable, accredited and could be completed online. This made JSU the perfect fit for him, and allowed him to continue his career in North Carolina and still have lots of time for his family.
Ben has been married for ten years to his wife, Sasha. Together they have four children: Adam, 7; Luke, 5; Lily, 3; and are expecting their fourth child to arrive in November. Adam has cerebral palsy and is autistic, so the opportunity for Ben to attain his MBA online allowed him to still spend time with all of his family, especially Adam.
Ben found the MBA program to be flexible, but says it was still challenging and interactive.
“A lot of people are negative about 100 percent online MBA programs, because some people perceive that you don’t have the team aspect,” Ben says. “But I think the teachers did a really good job at finding ways to do collaboration within the classes and provide interactive group projects.”
When it came time for Ben to complete his oral examination, the professors at JSU got creative. Instead of doing the examination in person, Ben went to a local community college in North Carolina that offered up a classroom so that he could meet with JSU professors via videoconference.
“My advisor, Dr. Louise Clark, was so helpful in finding things that work,” Ben says. “The teachers were very flexible with finding ways to accommodate people who have different schedules. They really seem comfortable with adapting and changing some of their ways in order to make it work for students who are far away. I was really, really impressed with the faculty.”
The first time Ben stepped foot on the physical campus of JSU was on April 30, just hours before walking across the stage at graduation. For the first time, he was able to look around and see the other faces that make up JSU. He was able to see JSU, the institution that provided him with the opportunity to achieve the degree he so desired without giving up what was precious to him.
While Ben’s story is a heartfelt one, many students choose to take online classes, and they all have a story.
“Online students may be out of sight, but they are never out of mind,” Cobb says. “We continue to engage students in what could be an isolating experience, and in return they really appreciate the rewarding opportunity to pursue their degrees online.”
Now that faces are being put to distance education, JSU can remember the extended family they serve each day through the distance education class offerings. To learn more about JSU’s on-line MBA contact Dr. Louise J. Clark at lclark@jsu.edu or 256-782-5780. To learn more about other JSU on-line degree opportunities contact Misty Cobb at mcobb@jsu.edu or 256-782-8430.
Julie Skinner, a student worker in the Office of Public Relations, contributed to this article.
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