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The higher education graduate program as a whole emphasizes a diverse area of inquiry. When I began in the program I could not see a specific pattern. Now that I am in my second year I see a clearer pattern in the core course work. Overall, the program has a good structure. Each core class has a set of foundation theories that a student is supposed to embrace. Then you begin to synthesize and develop a body of knowledge based upon your understanding and application of these theories. While each course in the core teaches a different set of foundation theories, a few overarching themes do emerge. One of the first ideas that was introduced early in my higher education experience was that of finding a career in a college or university that was a good “fit” for me. The idea is that each college has a specific personality, and that there are different types of university personality types. For example, a university where the sports program has a high emotional commitment from the administration and students would not be a good fit for me, as I am not interested in sports. There are colleges that are more or less conservative, or liberal, and I need to understand the level of liberality or conservativeness that I am comfortable in. Ultimately, there is a type of college that I will feel the most comfortable in. It has really helped me focus on evaluating myself and choosing an environment that I was comfortable in. A second theme that has emerged is the apprehension involving the increasing level of governmental influence in higher education. This influence starts in the K-12 sphere, so it shapes the educational understanding of my fellow incoming students, and ultimately how they are then trained to go out and serve and instruct other students. The governmental influence spreads to all arenas of a college or university. Accreditation also is influenced by the state and federal governments’ agenda. However, as I worked in the university I found that very few academics understand the accreditation process, much less the AQIP method of achieving and sustaining accreditation that Kent State utilizes to maintain its accreditation. The influence of government and maintaining accreditation has also motivated universities to think of themselves as a business, and not just as a center of learning. The idea of “value added education” has become an influential characteristic in the way that a university markets itself to students and their families. It forces universities to think of themselves as a business, in a competitive way. It also changes the way that universities evaluate themselves. This idea seems to be a double edged sword, since learning has value in and of itself. Nevertheless the idea of “value added” emerges more and more in higher education. Modern life has increased administrative awareness of two other factors that emerged as themes in higher education. The first is the importance of staying current with delivery methods. Due to advances in technology, colleges can offer courses that are traditional brick and mortar, supplemental, hybrids or distance learning. This variety increases availability and opportunity for students. It also positively impacts the environment with a reduced reliance on fossil fuels and resultant decrease in pollution. Ultimately, I foresee many campuses becoming four day week campuses. This would reduce the impact in the environment and resources, also. The increased interest in sustainability is also one that frequently emerges in higher education. Professors provide less paper copies of syllabi, or handouts. These materials are now available as links on Blackboard, Vista, and Springboard etc. Sustainability is a new and emerging area of higher education whose influence will only increase. An important theme at Kent State in Higher Education is the growing emphasis on service learning. This idea is being implemented in more and more classrooms. While service learning is being utilized with increasing success in the higher education program, the rest of the campus has not kept up. The importance of service learning has not spread as rapidly to other departments. However, administration is putting a significant emphasis on the idea of commitment to community in the core curriculum, so more and more departments will be addressing the opportunities in their arena. However, it is increasing outside Kent, at other colleges, more rapidly and systematically. A theme at Kent that I think they are very successful at is the idea of inclusion and diversity. The importance of equal opportunity arises in every classroom. That diversify enriches a campus environment is reinforced throughout the program. Overall, some of the themes that the higher education program reinforces are: “fit” that is, finding the right college environment for you; increasing governmental influence; increased utilization of technology; and commitment to environmental sustainability, sustained commitment to diversity and increasing commitment to service learning. These themes help sustain the department as a forward looking modern department.