Q&A

with Ashley Chapa

Ashley

What prompted your decision to make the change?

After COVID forced everyone home, we reconsidered our living situation and decided to move to Texas to be closer to family. We have two young children and wanted them to be able to spend more time with their grandparents.

What led you to apply to your current company?

I knew that my institution did not prefer that individuals work fully remote, so it made it impossible for me to stay. I chose to apply to my current company because I wanted a role that would still be close to higher ed but offered a better salary now that I lived in a more expensive city.

What about your experience working in a university setting has helped you most in your role with your current company?

Having almost 10 years of experience in higher ed has greatly benefited me in my current role at an OPM [online program manager]. I am able to better understand our partner’s point of view as they begin a partnership with us and offer insights internally into issues around the politics and process issues common in the university setting.

What do you wish your colleagues in higher ed knew about the vendor/corporate side of GEM?

Even though we are an outside vendor/OPM, we truly have your best interests at heart. We want to see your university be successful and try to offer our partners the ability to overcome financial challenges and reach their full potential in the market. Our company culture is very pro-education and is very focused on making education accessible to a larger population.

What do you wish your current colleagues in the vendor/corporate side knew about higher ed?

I wish that more of my colleagues understood some of the nuances often found in a university setting. It’s not always as easy as “this makes the most business sense” when it comes to decision making. Our job is to be a supportive partner in those instances and offer advice and guidance based on our bank of knowledge.

What are the pros & cons of your change and what do you like or miss about changing from an institutional role to a vendor role?

While I am very happy in my current role, I do miss the on-campus atmosphere – the excitement at the beginning of term, the side chats with faculty members about their research – those things are hard to replicate in the tech world. n