Issue 4 | 2011
FO R I NF O R M ATIO N A B O U T T HE S C HO O L O F GRADUAT E AN D CO N TI NUI N G S T U DIE S , V IS IT G R A DU AT E . O L IVET.EDU OR CA L L 8 77 -9-O LIV E T T O S P E A K W IT H A N E N R OLL MEN T COUN SELOR.
The Olivetian 11
I could tell my cohort was going to be like an extended family. i got a very diverse, unique group of friends that i know i never would have created on my own.” — Dale Jerome ’12 Ed.D.
A second family
Olivet’s Ed.D. program uses the cohort model, which means students go through their entire program with the same classmates. Classes meet one Saturday per month, in addition to a nine-day residency during each of the three summers of the program. When Wendy and Dale began the program, they expected to gain a quality education from a Christian perspective; they didn’t expect to gain a second family. But that’s exactly what they got. “Very quickly, I realized this was going to be different than other programs I had done,” Dale says. “I could tell my cohort was going to be like an extended family. I got a very diverse, unique group of friends that I know I never would have created on my own.” From Ohio to Oregon, a police officer to an interior designer, their 16-person cohort is about as diverse as can be. “God orchestrated it,” says Wendy, who originally signed up to be in another cohort, but got into this one instead. “I wasn’t supposed to be in that class. I was supposed to be in this class.”
The beginning of a beautiful friendship
At the outset of the program, Wendy volunteered to be the class
president, which made sense to everyone right away. “She’s one of the ring leaders of our cohort,” Dale explains. “I’m more of the sit-in-the-corner-and-wait-tosee-how-things-shake-out kind of guy. I’m definitely more reserved.” Though Wendy and Dale may be different in many ways, they quickly developed a long-lasting friendship. “I’ve gotten to know Wendy pretty well,” Dale says. “She has a lot of unique talents that I admire. It’s really been a positive experience to become her friend and get to know her.” To Wendy, Dale is like a big brother. “He’s the kind of person I would call to ask for prayer if I was struggling,” she explains. But she is also grateful for the humor he adds to the class. Wendy laughs, “Dale is an absolute clown! I didn’t know this reserved man would be so funny.”
Wendy and Dale have also taught each other about their cultural differences, including the use of words, expressions and language. One day, Wendy told a story to the class and used the word “holler.” Dale interpreted the word to mean “shout” or “yell,” but Wendy actually meant “flirt,” which changed the story entirely. This confusion elicited a big laugh from the group, and is a favorite memory of theirs.
We’re gonna make it
Over the past three years, the group has gotten to know each other on a personal level, sharing prayer requests and helping each other through various struggles — both academic and personal. “Everybody, at one point, was thinking about throwing in the towel,” Dale admits. “It was so important to have someone else saying, ‘We’re gonna make it!’” This spring, each student will be completing his or her dissertation as they all prepare to graduate in May 2012. Her eyes well▲ Students in Olivet’s graduate and continuing studies ing up with programs form close relationships with their classmates as a result of the cohort model where students start and tears, Wendy finish a program together.
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confesses, “I get emotional thinking of what life will be like without them.” Dale adds, “I could have easily driven 20 minutes to a nearby university in Michigan and gotten a doctoral degree. But I wouldn’t have seen the same investment on the part of the professors, or had the close-knit relationships that I formed with this cohort. “No question,” Dale continues emphatically, “this was the right program for me.”
Live it, walk it, talk it
Wendy and David appreciate the transformational practicality of what they’ve learned through the doctoral program. “We’re not just learning superficial theory,” says Wendy. “We are learning how we can change the world with the information we have taken in.” Both Dale and Wendy plan to do just that. They each have a heart for influencing the lives of a younger generation — Dale plans to invest in college students, and Wendy will follow her calling to open a youth agency. “Olivet’s Ed.D. program has prepared us to do what we say we’re going to do,” Wendy says. “It’s not just about what we learned, but how we live it, walk it and talk it!”
A M Y ( D U E RR WA E C H T E R ) S M I T H ’ 1 0
a lifelong Nazarene — he decided to enroll in Olivet’s Ed.D. program.