By John Robert Morton, Pupil and Alumni Affairs Liaison, and Rob Hassinger, AMU Graduate
For navy servicemembers, getting a diploma from a better schooling establishment has its challenges. Servicemembers and their households transfer steadily from state to state or to international international locations. Additionally, servicemembers might discover that they’re deployed in the course of the center of their programs.
Our College was based with the mission of constructing it simpler for servicemembers and different grownup learners to acquire a level. Retired Marine and graduate Rob Hassinger, the College’s Director of East Coast Army Outreach, aids that mission day-after-day. He focuses on serving to servicemembers who’re at present on their very own instructional journeys.
Transferring from Pupil Providers to Army Outreach
Rob began working on the College in 2009, a couple of years after he separated from the Marine Corps. He began in Pupil Providers to realize foundational data of the scholar expertise. Later, Rob joined the Educational Advising Workforce.
Rob has earned a formidable 4 levels from the College. He at present holds a bachelor’s diploma in authorized research, a bachelor’s diploma in info expertise administration, a bachelor’s diploma in house research and a grasp of enterprise administration diploma.
Finally, Rob grew to become a coordinator for the Army Outreach Workforce and has been serving to particular person navy college students ever since. Now, because the Director of East Coast Army Outreach, Rob aids 1000’s of navy college students.
Rob says that he enjoys this line of labor as a result of it permits him to assist the servicemembers in a manner that he wished had been obtainable throughout his time within the Marines. “For my first faculty class, I acquired principally no advising and solely took the programs I took due to steering from my NCOs. My function now permits me to offer the steering that was not obtainable 20 years in the past,” he says.
“It’s crucial to me to offer schooling steering to servicemembers as a result of there are such a lot of choices and it may be very overwhelming, particularly when deciding on a extra terminal diploma. It was actually no query in my thoughts that I wished to affix this crew.”
Recommendation to Graduates Who Wish to Enter the Army Outreach Subject
Within the navy outreach area, you may meet lots of people. Communication and constructing robust networks are key to sustaining good relationships.
Rob advises, “Be real. It’s simply simpler to be your self and community with these individuals who gravitate towards you, moderately than attempt to current your self in a different way simply to broaden your private {and professional} community. This job is about relationship constructing and to achieve success, it requires a excessive diploma of authenticity.”
It’s additionally necessary to know that instructional experiences usually are not the identical for everybody.
“Empathize with the scholar. This half is simpler for me as I was the particular person on the opposite facet of the desk.
“Even when you don’t have that have, it is very important perceive the constraints and expertise of every scholar. It’s important to get that info so college students can deal with the goal that furthers their targets. Your mission needs to be to assist college students do what’s greatest for them first,” Rob says.
Rob observes that it’s necessary to take care of a correct work-life stability. However in any outreach place, maintaining that work-life stability is a problem.
“In my function, I’ve lots of shopper/account-style relationships. The folks I serve don’t know my schedule.
When everybody wants motion on the identical time, it’s tempting to go all out and handle every part with out regard to taking any private time. Should you can’t discover the time to disengage and pursue personal pursuits, then you’ll expertise burnout and that isn’t productive for anybody,” Rob provides.
The Satisfaction of Army Outreach
Through the Graduation ceremony annually, a whole bunch of graduates stroll throughout the stage. of Rob derives skilled satisfaction from seeing these graduates and realizing that a lot of them earned their diploma together with his help or with the assistance of his crew.
Rob says, “Since I’ve been right here, I’ve realized a lot greater than I ever knew in regards to the battle our servicemembers face when attempting to finish coursework. It’s critically rewarding to assist them see it by means of.”
In regards to the Creator
John Robert Morton is a Pupil & Alumni Affairs Liaison and has been with the College for 15 years. His bachelor’s diploma in European historical past is from Troy College in Troy, Alabama. He additionally accomplished grasp’s levels in political science and sports activities administration from American Army College. As a liaison, John Robert enjoys serving to college students and alumni obtain their private {and professional} targets.
About Our Division
The AMU and APU Alumni Affairs Workplace is devoted to sustaining lifelong relationships with college alumni by offering participating alternatives to remain concerned and linked. We work carefully with numerous stakeholders to strengthen the alumni expertise and supply quite a few advantages, providers, actions, and occasions all year long.
As a crew, the Alumni Affairs crew works to construct and maintain relationships with alumni alongside their private {and professional} journeys. We actively search for methods to acknowledge and showcase alumni, telling their tales to encourage and encourage college students to pursue their targets.
In case you are an alumni group member and searching for methods to stay actively concerned, please get in contact with alumni@apus.edu and converse with a crew member.
