Adult Degree Completion Program
Alumni Spotlight
Jason Brennan
Degree/Major: Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, 2005
Employment: Brennan’s Party Center/General Manager
As a key manager in your family's business, why did you return to college to finish your bachelor's degree?
Initially my wife inspired me to complete my college education. She knew it was something important to me that I'd started right after college, and that I was at a different point in my life now ... ready to be a serious college student. When I first headed back to college, I was a new dad. I knew it was important for me to finish my degree. I want my son to know the value of a great education. I take a lot of pride in being the third generation of my family involved with the business, and I know the education I have received at B-W will help me to be an even better business person.
Why did you choose to attend Baldwin-Wallace College in the adult degree completion program?
After researching several different colleges for strong adult degree completion programs, I chose B-W because of its excellent reputation and the flexible schedules offered in the Evening & Weekend program. I thought it would be a hassle to go back to school as an adult student, but B-W's adult degree completion program made it easy to get started -- and most of my credits transferred. I really liked being an adult degree student. Working on a business degree has given me a sense of self-confidence and a better understanding of the business concepts that I deal with on a daily basis.
How did your courses transfer to B-W from other institutions?
I attended Wheeling Jesuit College, Cuyahoga Community College and John Carroll University, and I was able to transfer a total of 69 credits.
What did you like best about Baldwin-Wallace College?
The aspect of Baldwin-Wallace's adult degree completion program that I liked best would have to be the professors. Many of my professors brought “real life” experience to the classes they were teaching, which I feel gave them a realistic perspective on the course material. They shared experiences that they'd had in the field as managers and leaders, which put the course material into a context that's more interesting and easier to comprehend.
I also like the accelerated courses. I have taken accelerated courses in both the minimester and immersion formats. Minimesters run 8 weeks (half a semester) and immersion courses are completed in a week. I found both of these course formats to be a convenient way to learn the material -- the classes are accelerated but still offer the benefit of having interaction with a professor and other students.
Please share an experience at B-W that strongly influenced you and/or benefited you:
My interaction with Winnie Gerhardt had an enormous impact on my decision to attend B-W. As my advisor, she helped me numerous times with her insight and advice. Winnie’s friendly and courteous manner made me feel like I had a friend in the administration, which is something I can’t say about any of the other academic institutions I attended. I have a great amount of respect for her, and I think it’s people like her who make B-W such a great institution to attend.
Other information you would like to share:
Now that I am older and more mature, I find education to be very fulfilling. I try to share this newfound appreciation of learning by encouraging friends and family to return to school. I always mention that B-W's great adult degree completion program with evening and Saturday classes is a perfect way to fit an education into their busy schedules.
