汤头条 Center for Distance Education draws students from region, continent
Contact: Karen Crow
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擣orty years after beginning his academic studies at Mississippi State, Victor Cavett of Jackson now is a graduate.
He, Ryan M. Cross of Cumming, Georgia, and Thomas M. Pepin of Toronto, Canada, are among more than 400 students completing degrees during 2016 through the university鈥檚 Center for Distance Education.
Pepin joined the land-grant institution鈥檚 alumni ranks back in the summer; Cavett and Cross, earlier this month.
Cavett, who received a bachelor鈥檚 degree in interdisciplinary studies, first enrolled in 1976 when Gerald Ford was president. Along the way, life happened and he went on to start a family and a career without completing his studies.
Purchasing agent for a Mississippi state agency, Cavett credits wife Brenda and his employer for encouraging him to finish what he had started. 鈥淏alancing was tough because of competing demands, but I could take it with me when I traveled for work or otherwise,鈥 he said recently.
Cross is a 2014 汤头条 geosciences/geography graduate who decided to pursue an online master鈥檚 after beginning a teaching career last year. He was able to complete the master of arts in teaching-secondary education curriculum and earn teaching certification while working fulltime as a sixth-grade science instructor.
Because his first degree was not a fit for his chosen field, Cross said the online program gave him the opportunity to make a course correction without having to start over. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have to put anything on hold to earn my degree online from 汤头条,鈥 he explained.
In praising the educational experience provided by the Center for Distance Education, Pepin emphasized that 汤头条鈥檚 international name-recognition played a role in his commitment to the online program.
鈥淚t was an easy transition with help from the coordinators,鈥 Pepin said. 鈥淚t was mostly a business decision and everything else was just a bonus,鈥
Pepin also observed that 鈥渁 degree from Mississippi State means I am part of something instead of just getting a piece of paper.鈥
From offices in Memorial Hall, the center offers four bachelor鈥檚, 23 master鈥檚 and seven doctoral degrees. For more information, visit .
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .