News from 51 Brattle Street

Extension School Unveils Two New Graduate Programs

Adding to its growing list of master’s degrees in specialized professional areas, this year the Extension School introduces the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Educational Technologies, which replaces the former graduate certificate program in educational technologies, and the ALM in Journalism, born out of the Certificate in Publishing and Communications' popular journalism concentration.

The ALM in Educational Technologies explores ways technological advances can enhance education, says Catalina Laserna, director of the program: "As the range of educational media grows, teachers and administrators face new opportunities and challenges in designing and implementing effective learning environments. The ALM in Educational Technologies supports educators in that endeavor." The program trains its candidates to emphasize pedagogy over technology, examine the conditions under which digital media affords new ways of learning, design and evaluate effective professional-development environments, assume leadership roles in managing technology-based projects, and apply the latest research in their professional practice.

The ALM in Journalism provides training and experience for students interested in pursuing careers in print journalism. John Lenger, editor in chief and assistant director of Harvard’s Office of News and Public Affairs, sits on the program’s advisory board and teaches Basic Journalism and Feature Writing. "Our new journalism program will shape tomorrow’s journalists by teaching them the profession’s principles and skills and then helping them to apply what they've learned in real-world settings," he says. "It’s a historic moment, since the program will award Harvard’s first journalism degrees." The required core courses give students a solid foundation in news and feature writing, and in the ethics of the profession. Journalism electives help students build specialized skills in various types of journalistic writing, such as travel writing and investigative reporting. General electives in government, health, science, technology, business, and the arts allow students to develop a field of expertise relevant to their career interests.

For more information about these and other programs, as well as a list of information sessions, visit the Extension School website.

Undergraduate Program Offers Tuition Scholarships to Honor Society Members

Since 2001 the Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) Program has collaborated with Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society of two-year colleges, by offering tuition scholarships to its members. The scholarships, available to PTK members across the country, cover the tuition for the prerequisite courses required for admission to the ALB Program. Once admitted, PTK scholars are eligible to apply for the full range of state and federal loans and scholarships as well as several other Extension School scholarships.

The undergraduate program joined forces with PTK to promote the value of a liberal arts education to a student population that typically pursues practical degrees. "The tension between a liberal arts education and practical training is not unfamiliar and often gets highlighted in a wilting economy," says Suzanne Spreadbury, director of the ALB Program. "We feel strongly that the quality of the education at the Harvard Extension School and its liberal arts curriculum can make a difference in students' lives, particularly first-generation, working-class students. We wanted talented community college graduates to have the advantage of obtaining a well-rounded education at Harvard."

To date, nearly 50 scholarships have been awarded. In the beginning, the majority of the recipients were from local community colleges. But due to national recruitment efforts, including attendance at the PTK international convention in Dallas, all six of the fall 2005 winners are from out of state. Most noteworthy is the inspirational Lorena Corona, who traveled from Fontana, California, to Cambridge this fall.

Shinagel Crowned King of Extension

This year Dean Michael Shinagel is celebrating 30 years at the helm of continuing education at Harvard, and the Extension School itself marks its 95th anniversary. At the Annual Alumni Banquet June 7, Dean Shinagel was crowned King of Extension before 200 attendees. See more in Alumni News.

HESA Leaders Mentor High School Students, Hit the Campaign Trail, and Make Their Mark on the University Community

In its fifth year as a community for student leaders and activists, the Harvard Extension Student Association (HESA) has added community outreach and service to its priorities. While its mission, "building community within our student body," has inspired numerous successful programs to benefit members—monthly socials, lifestyle and career forums for nontraditional students, and orientation and commencement programs for degree and certificate candidates—recent initiatives have reached beyond the Extension School to address the needs of Cambridge youth, support urban service projects in greater Boston, and attend to the social and governance issues facing graduate students elsewhere in the University.

Jaclyn Michael discusses her project at the HESA Career Forum

HESA’s first full-scale public service program was initiated and directed by Kendrick Harris, ALM '05, a retired Air Force lieutenant and director of operations for tax incentive programs at New York City Housing Preservation and Development. Joined by Grace Greenwich, associate director of alumni relations at New York University and an ALM candidate in history, Harris founded the Harvard University Tuskegee Airmen Youth Leadership (Red TAYL) program last year. With funding from the Tuskegee Airmen—the community service organization established by African American veterans of World War II, of which Harris is a member—the program identifies a dozen juniors at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School for leadership training. Students meet at Harvard on Saturday mornings to hear distinguished speakers; discuss the challenges of academic, interpersonal, and professional life; develop communication skills; and practice team-building. As reported by the Harvard Gazette (see article), Red TAYL is off to a brisk start, as students are held to high standards of participation. "As our first cohort prepares to take the Kaplan SAT course we will induct another group of future leaders into the program next spring," explains Harris. "We are pleased with the direction of the program and appreciate all the support that HESA and the Extension School have provided."

In another first for community service last year, Harvard Extension School student volunteers joined members of Harvard’s Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) to serve needy clients in the Boston area. Helping staff the University Lutheran Homeless Shelter during school breaks, HESA volunteers were counted among some 1,800 Harvard College students who participate on PBHA’s 77 service committees to aid more than 10,000 homeless and other underserved individuals and families. "More volunteer opportunities will be available in the coming academic year," predicts Amit Samuel, HESA’s public relations and community service officer. "We are delighted to be a part of Phillips Brooks House and the great tradition of student service that it represents."

Several HESA-related clubs have included community service and volunteering as aspects of their mission. The Harvard Extension Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Society (HEPPS) reminds its members that, in addition to exceptional grades and test scores, medical schools "seek individuals who have been exposed to clinical environments and have worked hands-on with patients and medical professionals." HEPPS members volunteer in local hospitals and public service and volunteer agencies with a medical or paramedical focus.

The Harvard Extension School Democrats (HESD) sponsored a series of forums with delegates and organizers of the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, and with the Democratic mayors of Cambridge and Newton, to explore the importance of public service at the grass roots and professional levels. During the final months of the presidential campaign, HESD students helped organize rallies, voter registration, and turnout events in Massachusetts and neighboring states. This fall the Extension School Democrats have participated in hurricane relief efforts for the victims of Katrina.

The HESA mission to build community within the student body was further expanded when its members were welcomed as official representatives to the Harvard Graduate Council (HGC) last year. Comprising the ten graduate and professional schools at Harvard, the HGC now recognizes the Extension School, by virtue of its 12 graduate programs and hundreds of matriculated candidates, as an equal partner. Following a year of active participation by HESA representatives on HGC committees, the president-elect of HESA, Patrick Rivera, was elected HGC vice president for finance—the number-two position in the council.

Guy Macpherson, ALB '05

Finally, HESA’s commitment to community-building was expressed by the awarding of the first Dean’s Community Service Award to Guy Macpherson, ALB '05, at the Bachelor of Liberal Arts Reception on June 6. Recognizing Macpherson’s visionary role in creating the Courage Project—a series of symposia and a documentary film—to address the personal and social experience of nontraditional students at the Harvard Extension School, Christopher Queen, dean of students and alumni relations, praised his achievements.

"By exploring all aspects of a university student’s life, from the loneliness of pursuing an academic goal over many months or many years without the camaraderie of residential classmates, to the stress and self-doubt of intellectual performance in a competitive environment, to the daunting approach of next steps (admission to further studies, the prospect of career change or advancement, or the loss of loved ones) Guy Macpherson has helped us to recognize the courage that continuing studies requires. In the process, he has also reminded us of the joys of learning, of making new friends, of discovering truly devoted teachers and mentors, and of finding fulfilling avenues for community outreach and service. For these insights, and for the community that the Courage Project promoted, we are grateful to Guy and to his HESA colleagues for a job well done."

Justice for All: Harvard College Courses Go Global

This year the Extension School is offering 75 distance education courses, including 11 daytime Harvard College courses. One of them, Justice, taught by Michael Sandel, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government, enrolled 1,200 Harvard College students in Sanders Theatre and more than 140 Extension School students online. Dean Henry Leitner notes that online offerings such as Justice enhance the reputation of Harvard as a place where illustrious teaching complements world-class scholarship and research, and resonate with President Summers’ Commencement speech, in which he called on the Harvard schools to “think creatively and boldly about how they can extend the reach of their excellence through technology.” Although computer science courses dominated the distance education program in its early years, they are now outnumbered by liberal arts courses in which campus students join “cyber-colleagues” to study a range of topics. Other fall distance education courses that attracted large audiences included Neurobiology, The History and Structure of the English Language, Principles of Finance, The Cognitive Dog: Savant or Slacker, and Comparative Religious Ethics.

In the courses online this spring, students can study global climate change, the history of Boston, electronic music, the Dead Sea scrolls, Japanese tradition, and website development. Registration begins December 1.

Lowell Lecture Cancelled

James Freedman’s lecture, “Prospects for Higher Education,” originally scheduled for October 11, was cancelled due to the ill health and hospitalization of Mr. Freedman. We hope to reschedule the lecture in the spring.

Katrina Victims Take Advantage of Extension School Scholarships

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Extension School offered tuition waivers to New Orleans students displaced by the storm. To date, some 21 students have enrolled in 58 courses on campus or via distance education. Schools throughout the University, including the Business and Law Schools, Harvard College, and the Graduate School of Design, have also welcomed students.

In a Harvard Gazette article, several students described their path to Cambridge, including Eric Scott, of the University of New Orleans, who is now enrolled in the Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies Program at the Extension School. “Everybody’s been so awesome,” Scott told the Gazette. “There’s a sense of normalcy now. When I first got here, it was like an out-of-body experience.” Read the complete story online.