reflection

As I reflect on my experiences as a HALE MA student, I'm moved by how much I needed to pursue this program. When I began this program it was clear I needed to continue my education as my career had changed course into an exciting new direction. Sometimes it isn't clear how much you need to do something until you venture the courage to try. Now that I'm hitting my stride as an administrator, leader, and change agent for my institution I can fully recognize and appreciate the interplay between my work and my studies.

I've noticed that my earlier work was more difficult to research, despite the fact that I entered with strong index searching skills. I feel that I've developed a much better sense of the body of literature available to me. I also notice in writing my assignments that although I'm still unsure if my writing is linear and easy to follow, I'm certain that it is more concise. My writing assignments used to be two pages too long and needed significant editing down.

I chose EAD876 - Budgets and Finance in Higher Education because I was getting involved heavily with our unit's budget and had for years managed capital infrastructure projects and revenue generating work-for-hire contracts. When I enrolled in the course I was working regularly with a unit budget that totaled over $1M and frequently dealt with projects with budgets ranging from $25K-$75K. I wanted to better equip myself to understand the larger picture of budgeting and gain familiarity with university wide finance issues.