LIVE From South College - "Welcome Series" on CBE Admissions with Dr. Deanna Slusher & Where is South College Updated!

Keywords South College, Competency-Based Education, CBE, online learning, adult education, admissions, student support, educational programs, financial aid, diverse students

Summary In this episode of the Live From South College podcast, host Kathleen Stockham discusses the growth and impact of Competency-Based Education (CBE) at South College with Executive Director of Admissions, Dr. Deanna Slusher. They explore the unique subscription model of CBE, the diverse student demographics, popular programs, and the support systems in place to ensure student success. Dr. Slusher shares her journey in admissions and the importance of helping students navigate their educational paths.

takeaways

• CBE has become one of the most popular educational approaches at South College.
• Enrollment for CBE programs starts every month, reflecting consistent growth.
• The subscription model allows students to progress at their own pace, making education more accessible.
• Popular programs include EDD, DBA, and new offerings like Doctor of Nurse Practitioner.
• Admissions requirements vary by program, often requiring a minimum GPA and relevant experience.
• Financial aid options are available, including federal loans and grants.
• CBE programs attract a diverse range of students, including working professionals and career changers.
• Support systems are in place to help students succeed, including mentoring and regular check-ins.
• Dr. Deanna Slusher emphasizes the importance of meeting students where they are in their educational journey.
• Personal experiences and insights highlight the commitment to student success at South College.

Sound Bites

• "Our enrollment starts every single month."
• "It's an all-you-can-eat program."
• "We meet the student where they're at."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to South College and CBE Programs

01:25 Explosive Growth of Competency-Based Education

03:16 Understanding the Subscription Model of CBE

05:28 Popular Programs and Their Impact

07:32 Admissions Requirements and Financial Aid

09:22 Flexibility and Accessibility of CBE Programs

11:23 Diverse Student Demographics

13:54 Support Systems for Student Success

16:50 Deanna Slusher's Journey in Admissions

19:20 Personal Insights and Life Outside of Work

24:16 South College Partnership with the Atlanta Braves

25:10 South College sponsoring Tennessee Titans Kick Off Kid

25:53 South College supports the Pittsburgh Steelers

Got a question? Have some feedback? Email us at SouthCollegePodcast@south.edu or come visit us at www.south.edu.  Follow us on social media too.  The Live from South College Podcast is your source for all South College activity including new student information, deeps dive’s into our 100+ programs, and concentrations,  “Tools of the Trade,” and even Live on location from all of our campuses! Great interviews with Faculty, Staff, Deans and hear from South College students and alumni in their own words. From Certificates all the way to Doctoral degrees, catch up with “Live from South College” for the lighter side of helping your dreams find direction. 

Transcript

Kathleen Stockham (00:25)

Welcome to the Live From South College podcast. I'm your host, Kathleen Stockham. The Live From South College podcast is your source for all South College activity, including new student information.

deep dives into our 100 plus programs and concentration, tools of the trade, and even live on location from all of our campuses. Great interviews with faculty, staff, deans, and hear from South College students and alumni in their own words. From certificates all the way to doctoral degrees, catch up with live from South College for the lighter side of helping your dreams find direction.

One of the truly amazing things to watch at South College is how much of a snowball effect CBE has had on our institution. The competency based education modality has become one of the most popular educational approaches we have ever seen. This 22 program behemoth has well over 1200 students right now and is really changing the way we think about education.

My guest today is part of the reason so many masters and doctoral students are gathering to obtain the ambition and the direction they really want. As part of our welcome series on admissions, I am pleased to introduce Executive Director of Admissions for CBE, Dr. Deanna Slusher. Hey Deanna.

Deanna Slusher (01:50)

Hi Kathleen, I'm excited to be here and thanks so much for having me.

Kathleen Stockham (01:55)

I'm excited you're here too. I've been looking forward to this. All right. So let's get into this. How crazy has it been from an admission standpoint for CBE? ⁓

Deanna Slusher (02:05)

I can think of one word, Kathleen, really the word for me would be explosive. You know, our CBE programs started a few years ago in the fall and we had just a couple of programs. We had EDD and DBA. A little later we added some more, but both of those programs came out of the gates really hard and they were great hits with our prospective students. And then by fall,

of 2023, just a couple years later, our CBE campus became a standalone campus with online delivery. So to go from CBE programs that were managed by my undergraduate team at the time, two years later we were on campus, so was very quick moving and

The new student enrollment was quarterly based. Then we moved into monthly based. It just continued to grow and continued to snowball. And by January of 2024, we had monthly starts. So we now have students enrollments every single month. So we have lots of programs. We've grown from those two programs. We now have masters and doctorates and post-doctorates. And it just consistently increases month over month. And it's just been a big boom. I mean, just.

very explosive growth for CBE.

Kathleen Stockham (03:24)

Wow, every 30 days. So it's like Groundhog Day for you pretty much. that's amazing. All right. So what do you think is the most commonly asked question? And I assume it's about the subscription pricing, right?

Deanna Slusher (03:28)

It surely is. love it. It's it's going on 10 all the time.

Yes, it really is. That probably is our number one question from students when we're speaking to our students and our prospective students. For CBE competency based education, we have what we call a subscription based six month period and enrollment in the six month subscription term is continuous for the students until they graduate out of the program. So the tuition is structured in a model that is a subscription model that's

flat rate for tuition each six months. So a student can enroll into a course and then they can complete that course and as they can complete that course then they can be enrolled in the next course. So during that six month subscription model there's no limit to what a student can complete as far as how many courses or competencies. You know students have questions about the minimum number of credit hours and you know they have to have eight credits for financial aid purposes for those that qualify.

And so students who follow this accelerated learning path ⁓ can potentially complete their academic programs much faster.

Kathleen Stockham (04:49)

man. let get this straight. I want to make sure I understand this. I've had Dr. Patrick on multiple times, so I know he's explained this too, but it's really this kind of program is really geared toward the self-motivated student that within six months is basically an all-you-can-eat program so that you can go as fast as you can want to go and can achieve to mastery, but you can also go as slow as you want to go and it's all the same price, right?

Deanna Slusher (04:50)

That is correct. That's absolutely correct. So it's all in the amount of time that the student is either willing or able to dedicate ⁓ to their coursework. You know, we have busy individuals. Sometimes someone may be retired. They may be doing a career change. So it's just a model that fits within what the student is wanting and capable of doing. Yes.

Kathleen Stockham (05:37)

or they want to go on vacation. I'm saying that. All right. So as I mentioned, we've had Dr. Patrick on several times to describe some of the programs that are in CBE, but what seems to be the most popular right now?

Deanna Slusher (05:39)

Yes! Don't we all?

Well, to be honest with you, Kathleen, I love all of our programs because each of them have been introduced, you know, a little, we've had a couple introduced at a time and they've both, all of them have really come out of the gates very, very strong. But right now, when I think about our most popular programs, it would be the two initial programs. It would be our EDD and our DBA. They're still our most popular, you know.

We continue to get triple digit enrollments. we are really delivering what our market is looking for and what our students are looking for in those two programs. I will say the next three most popular that are really gaining some quick traction are my doctorate in ministry, my doctorate in those practice and my educational specialist. So those programs for South College are up and coming. So stay tuned for those.

Kathleen Stockham (06:40)

And we're also, I know we've done a big rollout for the Doctor of Nurse Practitioner and also the Doctor of Medical Science, which is the pathway for PA. had Dr. Patrick on recently to do an extra credit episode to talk about that particular program. And again, it's that next step up. And the same thing with the Doctor of Nurse Practitioner, where it's for, I believe, professional nurses that are

now that they've achieved the master's degree or the FNP, now they're looking for maybe that next step into more executive level responsibility or research. So I mean, it's also a springboard to go in that direction and those are relatively new, right?

Deanna Slusher (07:19)

That's it. And they are very exciting. That is absolutely correct. Our DMP program and our medical science program are two of our newest ones that are catching that traction. And it's just an added level. They're already in that professional career. Many times they already have leadership, so they're looking for executive positions or, you know, they may be looking for the research positions and both of those programs actually fit into what those students are looking for.

Kathleen Stockham (07:40)

Yeah, that makes sense. So let's get into some of the specifics. What kind of qualifications do students need to apply for a program in CBE?

Deanna Slusher (07:56)

Well, each program has different requirements. can tell you that some programs will require like a 2.75 GPA from a master's degree. Some may require a 3.0. you know, when our admissions officers speak with the students, they go over those requirements, but some may require some experience in field. We have doctorate programs that may require, you know, three years in field experience. Some of them have to have certain licensures, like as you mentioned a while ago,

you know, our Doctorate of Nursing Practice program, actually they have to be an active nurse. So some of those actually require those licensures, So there's a lot of different things that depending on the program that you're going into as far as requirements. Of course, we're always happy to talk to students about that. Kathleen, we're ready and on.

the phones with them each day, but you can also find those on our website at www.south.edu and then check out our CBE programs there as well.

Kathleen Stockham (08:55)

whole shame was plugged for the website. Love that. South.edu is definitely where you can find that. So what kind of financial aid is available, if at all, for CBE?

Deanna Slusher (08:57)

For our CBE programs, South College does offer a number of financing tools to the students. We do participate in federal student loans. We have grant programs for some students. Students sometimes use private loans. They'll do cash payments. So there is a plethora of funding options for the students. And we actually have those students virtually sit with our financial aid department,

and go over what those options are so that the students are able to make an informed decision that best fits their needs.

Kathleen Stockham (09:33)

Yeah, that sounds good. All right, so considering students come from, well, all over the country and it's all asynchronous, how would you describe the program?

Deanna Slusher (09:42)

⁓ I think that to begin with to describe the program would be to say that we meet the student where they're at. So, ideally, because we are online, we do offer the CBE programs online.

speak with students all across the country. So ideally we're able to speak with a potential student on the phone at a time that is convenient for them because many of these individuals are working professionals. So we do try to accommodate certain hours and certain days with the students. And we set time aside to talk with them and that allows us to thoroughly get to know the student and go through that program information and allow the student to stop and ask us

questions. So I think CBE from the admissions portion, the financial aid portions, know, the mentoring all the way through the program. I think it's something if I had to describe it would be accommodation for our students, student success. So we just want to meet these busy professionals where they're at and just make sure that we meet their needs. an added layer to that Kathleen,

We do have an online virtual tour too, because these students are busy, right? They may not have an hour, they may not have two hours to dedicate to meet with us. So there is a very convenient online tour that's packed with all information about the campus, know, student services, financial aid options, and it's just an added layer of, something provided to the student that gives them an overview of the program and the things that we offer for PetsCBE.

Kathleen Stockham (11:14)

Yeah, virtual

tour is super cool. I know it's a tool that our online admissions team uses. Well, since you don't have a physical campus to come tour, so to be able to kind of have the school sort of brought to you and brought to your screen is actually, pretty cool. I love that.

Deanna Slusher (11:20)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, yeah students

love that convenience.

Kathleen Stockham (11:34)

Yeah, that makes sense. All right, so we've talked a little bit about it, but tell me a little bit more about these students. They seem to come from all walks of life and I assume they're kind of all ages and in different places in their life, true?

Deanna Slusher (11:48)

Yes, they really are. For the students that we get to meet with, lots of times they come to us and many of them may know exactly what they want and they're working professionals. know, many of these students come from all different backgrounds and like you said, all walks of life. So the beauty of our CBU program is that we attract all different kinds of individuals because we have such a variety of programs. So we have businessmen.

in women, we have teachers, have CEOs, nurses, entrepreneurs, sometimes we just have retirees or career changers. There's just, there's so many types of students that we work with and the flexibility of our program really allows these individuals to pursue those goals all while they're being mom or dad or working full time, being a spouse, a parent. the flexibility in the real world.

relevance of our CPU programs does attract a diverse group of students. That's what I love about it.

Kathleen Stockham (12:46)

Yeah, I love that because that's one of the hallmarks. I think that makes South College so unique is that as a working adult and a working professional, you know, you're not sandwiched in a classroom with a bunch of 19 and 20 year olds. the great thing about what we do at South College is that we really do come from all walks of life, all ages to your point. There are parents that are caring for elderly parents. They themselves are either thinking about that next career or they're looking for that ladder.

up from where they are currently and I love the fact that the asynchronous modality means that you know and if you're not sure what the word asynchronous means for my listeners it's basically you know you and the instructor are not in the same place at the same time

You know, you're able to do everything from home on your time, on your schedule, working with your mentor. You don't have a scheduled class. You don't have a particular time and you don't have a particular turn in date. You work to mastery and you get the feedback for what you turned in for your summatives and your formatives, which I think again, works so well for that adult learner. And most importantly, for that person that is trying to, you know,

hold down the full-time family life, the full-time work life. Love that. It's so amazing. a question for you, your team is really, well, growing fast. How fun has it been to be part of such a rapidly growing endeavor where it seems to be getting, well, larger by the day, to your point earlier?

Deanna Slusher (14:05)

Yes, it is.

It is very exciting. You know, I look back on it and I know that we're talking about CBE here, but you know, I look back where I first started enrolling in the EDD program with my undergrad team. So I actually, when we moved to CBE, having, you know, being it's on campus, I had one admissions officer, one.

in the summer of 2023. So just to kind of give you an idea of how exciting, how fun and how quickly growing it is, I mean, it's just impressive. I continue to increase staff significantly just to meet the needs of the students. But to put it into perspective, let's say I started with one admissions officer in the summer of 23 and now I've grown to more than 20 admissions officers, two director of admissions, two associate directors.

And that does not even begin to touch the other departments like financial aid and student services. So that just kind of gives you an idea of what's happened in two years.

Kathleen Stockham (15:19)

You used the word explosive earlier and well there you have it. That's there's the example. You are the poster child for that. I love that. All right. So let's kind of be honest here. know doctoral programs are hard. They are notoriously hard to do otherwise they wouldn't be advanced education. How do you and your team help prepare these students for the rigors of a mastery?

Deanna Slusher (15:22)

Yes, yes ma'am.

You know, we have a great support system. We actually have weekly meetings. We actually meet with our program directors just to make sure that we're very knowledgeable on the programs and assisting the students, you know, through the process. So being able to do that, give them that information on the front end is important. So it's important to me with my directors and my associate's directors that they're well trained. We meet with, like I said, the academic dean, the program directors and things like that, but it's not just an admissions thing either.

Because in the student enrollment process, these students go through admissions, there's a life cycle. Okay, so they start out as a prospective student, and then they go through admissions, and then it's financial aid, and then they go through advising. So when they go through advising, they meet their...

They meet their mentors, right? So, and those mentors really do their introductions, get to know their students, talk to them about the programs, really get in depth and answer those questions about the program. So there's a lot of support mechanisms from that point, even after the student is in class. I mean, those mentors are reaching out to those students regularly. You know, I have my admissions team that I have them continue to reach out for a minimum of the first month. That's just, it's critical for success.

Kathleen Stockham (16:54)

Yeah and that's just I think that's one of the things as we talk about this program and we talk about your role. I mean these are all the things that you've got to sort of manage and stay on top of. So let's talk about you for a minute. What was your journey and admissions and how did you get to South College?

Deanna Slusher (17:11)

Okay, so my journey into admissions, well, just to be honest, I started in higher education ⁓ in 2009 and I started at an institution where I became some management trainee. went through, like I said, the life cycle of a student, which is what we were talking about. So I went through all those departments. I really loved each department and what they did to contribute to student success, but

for some reason, I continued to go back to admissions. And I think it was because my passion in the admissions portion or the initial portion with meeting with students. And at the time I started in undergraduate, just being able to create a vision or a pathway for a student, because oftentimes students that meet with you, they're unsure, they're, you know, they're, non-traditional. Maybe they've tried things four or five times and they were not successful. So for me being able to

meet the student where they were, create a path that they could see visually of success and starting that was the reason that I continued to go back to admissions. It was where my passion ultimately I. In 2018, I came to South College. Also, I've held several positions here and continued again yet to come out. I tried to branch out, but I came back to admissions.

And South College's mission is something that I just, really believe in and I think it's something that we live by. So I told you I love the initial meeting. I'm passionate about helping students understand their path to success and you know, it's

these decisions that these students are making, Kathleen, can have huge impacts on their family's lives, right? So it's not just a decision that they're making for themselves and they have to believe in themselves, but they also have family members and others counting on them. So to be that cheerleader in the beginning is something that's really, really important and I really do thrive and I love it.

Kathleen Stockham (19:10)

I love that. you know, that's something that I think all of us on the staff side, sometimes that gets overlooked is it's really about helping somebody, you know, our tagline is we're dreams find direction. And I think that I know a lot of us, many of us really live by that we really are helping to really change and affect someone's life and to your point to be there in the earliest days, the first stage to kind of be there and say, yep, you can do this.

Yes, we have a program for you. think that's really awesome. So, ⁓ so a trick question. What kind of student were you in school?

Deanna Slusher (19:40)

Yes ma'am.

Well, I can tell you, to begin with, I was very young and I was a great student. I just wasn't very consistent with completing something. So I couldn't decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. So when I finally figured that out, I will be honest, I'm a nerd. I mean, I went through my doctorate degree with a 4.0. I just really loved education.

Kathleen Stockham (20:10)

Yeah, not surprised,

by the way. Not surprised, just for the record. Not surprised you were a 4.0 for your doctoral degree.

Deanna Slusher (20:17)

Well, you know, and I just had a lot of support and I just love learning and I still learn today. I just think it's important that we wake up every day knowing that we can grow from another individual, whether they're in leadership or they're a co-worker, there's somebody that directly reports to you. So I just think, you know, it's important and I think that's where it comes from. I just learned to love and I'm humble and

I think I've went as far as I can, but who knows? You know, there's professional development ideas out there, so.

Kathleen Stockham (20:44)

that so so more to come I love that. All right so what do you do in your spare time? Tell me a little bit about that.

Deanna Slusher (20:47)

Yeah.

Well, what spare time I do have, I love to be a wife, mom and momo. I have some grand babies. So I do have a best friend, my husband of 32 years this coming August. So yes, ma'am, we do, you know, many vacations. think, you know, where I'm at right now, I like to experience more of the outdoors and just kind of unplug because things are so busy in today's.

environment. So just being able to slow down and check out for a moment just so that you know we can enjoy ourselves. I do like spending time with my grown children on the weekends and then you know we get a lot together a lot on those and then just my grandchildren you know life for me I just feel like is very short so I strive to just really capture every precious moment and enjoy it.

Kathleen Stockham (21:40)

I love that and for the record for everyone listening, I know Deanna quite well, does not look like a grandma. So just saying that, just putting that out there. You do not look like your grandma, so yay. I love it. Well, this has been amazing and I think it lends a really good insight to the grit and determination that you need for tackling a CBE master's or doctoral program.

On top of that, for my listeners, you just got a gold mine of info on the application process, cost, and what it takes to apply for our CBE programs. And for the record, I hope you get a chance to meet Deanna in person. She is lovely. Thanks for being my guest today.

Deanna Slusher (22:24)

Yes ma'am, thank you so much for having me.

Kathleen Stockham (22:27)

no, this has been awesome. That's Executive Director of CVE Admissions, Dr. Deanna Slusher. Coming up after the break, where in the world is South College? The updated version. Stick around, we'll be right back.

[South College Radio Ad Spot]

Kathleen Stockham (24:16)

Welcome back. Well, it's that time of year when we like to stretch out a little and showcase who we are in some unexpected places. If you are in Atlanta or visiting Atlanta, look for South College at Truist Park as the proud education sponsor of the Atlanta Braids.

We are also excited to be part of the incredible Braves organization and really excited to meet Braves fans at our events. Yes, that's us handing out the circular South College hand fans on hot games. Well, we call it free air conditioning

and we sure have enjoyed meeting current and former students and even had a few preceptors stop by our South College tent on the third base gate to say hello. But that's not all. If you love Nashville as much as we do, you'll also find South College at Nissan Stadium as a proud partner of the Tennessee Titans.

We are thrilled to be this year's sponsor of the kickoff kid. If you have a child that is between the ages of 6 and 17 before December 31st 2025 and live in the Nashville area, why don't you enter them to win a chance to be the South College kickoff kid at a Tennessee Titans home game during the regular 2025 season?

Winners are chosen at random by the Tennessee Titans and rules and restrictions do apply. See the blue banner on www.south.edu slash Nashville for more information. And yeah, we're also doing giveaways at several games this year, so be on the lookout for your South College crew. And of course, we also support the Golden Black for our Pittsburgh Steelers and you'll see us proudly in partnership.

at Accra Shure Stadium and we go gold and black in Pittsburgh every Sunday. Let's go Steeler Nation. Well, that's going to do it for today.

With 10 campuses across seven states plus online and CBE, there's a pathway for you at South College. Hope you enjoyed this latest episode of Live from South College. The Live from South College podcast is a production from South College Marketing. Thanks for joining me. If you love it, give us some stars and you can always send us feedback by emailing us.

at South College Podcast at south.edu. Have an awesome day and let your dreams find direction. See you next time.