For Eaton, graduate school was
invigorating. She discovered that the
years between her undergraduate
education and graduate school gave
her an advantage.
“It was nice being a little older,”
she said. “Coming in as a mature
student was beneficial. I was able
to build relationships with my profes-
sors that I couldn’t do as an under-
grad. Getting to know them on a
personal and professional basis
helped, because they knew about
my circumstances and provided me
with a lot of support throughout
the program.”
As the graduate assistant for the
Department of Art Education, Eaton
helped plan the annual art education
conference, coordinated events and
produced publications. This experi-
ence would later prove invaluable, as
she found it necessary to complete
similar tasks, especially related to
event planning, as chair of the arts
department and director of the Silva
Gallery of Art at The Pennington
School, located in New Jersey. Eaton’s
degree also proved significant when it
came time for promotion – it was a
requirement to apply for the job of
chair of the arts department – a posi-
tion which she ultimately obtained.
It all began in 2007, when Eaton
attended a conference session led by
Dr. Marilyn Stewart, KU professor
of art education and crafts, and
Stewart handed her a pamphlet for
KU’s summer study institute. The
rest is history.
COLLEGE OF
VISUAL AND
PERFORMING ARTS
DOLORES EATON ’92, M ’12 isn’t
afraid of a challenge. After teaching
for 10 years, she was ready for graduate
school – and a new pedagogical perspec-
tive. Her search led her to consider KU’s
master’s degree program in art education.
With two young children, she knew it
would be difficult, but she wasn’t deterred.
“I had to travel almost two hours each
way, once or twice a week, while juggling
my childcare responsibilities,” she
recalled. “Just completing the assign-
ments was hard, because I had to inte-
grate it into an already busy life. That
was the biggest impediment. But the
coursework was motivating and inspiring.
And after having taught for 10 years,
it wasn’t challenging in the sense it
was hard. It was challenging in that
it kept me thinking and it kept me
asking questions.”
Eaton had considered other graduate
programs, but the tuition was more
expensive, and the emphasis was on
producing art, not art education and
curriculum. In the end, the decision
wasn’t tough. She chose Kutztown.
“The program rejuvenated how I
viewed teaching,” she declared. “I was
able to take some time off and look at
education with new eyes. When I went
back to teaching I was motivated to do
things differently, and the approaches
I used were learned from professors in
the program.”
LOOKING
FORWARD
At KU, the future of graduate studies
is bright, much like the students
themselves. In 2014, the university
added the unique Master of Fine Arts
(MFA) in communication design to
its repertoire – a first by a PASSHE
institution. In the field of communica-
tion design, the MFA is a terminal
degree and an essential credential for
professional designers.
Soon, KU plans to add a doctoral
program to its offerings. A Doctor
of Social Work in Leadership Education
degree, which will be a joint program
with Millersville University is under
review by the State System. In addition,
the Department of Music has received
approval to move forward with an
online master’s degree program.
Although the delivery of graduate
courses is traditionally face-to-face,
numerous courses at KU are available
online, and programs are currently
increasing their online offerings to
accommodate the diverse schedules
of their graduate students. This
endeavor enhances the university’s
mission to make graduate education
more accessible and, most importantly,
offers flexibility for students who
might already be working full-time.
Online education, in particular, allows
students to study and complete assign-
ments as their schedules permit,
allowing professionals to continue in
their careers while working toward
an advanced degree. With professors
who have their fingers on the pulse
of technology, the possibilities for
continued advancement in online
education are limitless.
“We’re all very excited about
our graduate programs,” Wells said.
“And we are particularly proud of
the many KU staff and administra-
tors who have graduated from
our programs and are dedicated
to the success of students and
the university.”
To learn more about the graduate
programs available at KU,
visit
GraduateAdmissions.
“The program rejuvenated
how I viewed teaching.
I was able to take some
time off and look at
education with new eyes.”
—
DOLORES EATON ’92, M ’12
Winter 2015
|
TOWER
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