How One Student is Shaping Her Future with Iowa State
Megan Hills is a dedicated professional advancing her leadership skills and reshaping her path in higher education through one of Iowa State’s hybrid doctoral programs. With Iowa State, she found a program that allowed her to balance a demanding career with continued education, an ideal fit that offered both the flexibility she needed and the practical, real-world knowledge to impact her role immediately.
Hills will graduate in December 2024 with a focus on Community College Leadership. She’s currently the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Assessment at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. Hills began her career in private higher education, holding roles like registrar and associate dean. However, her passion for leadership drove her to seek further education, and Iowa State’s online community college leadership education doctorate was the perfect fit.
To advance her education while maintaining her professional responsibilities, Hills sought a program with the flexibility to fit her needs and Iowa State’s cohort-based online format delivered. The blend of online courses and occasional on-campus sessions allowed her to balance work while forming meaningful connections with her peers.
“When people think about online programs, they don’t think about teamwork and working with people because you’re working from a distance,” said Hill. “But through the cohort model, I had the same classmates in all of my courses, and we really got to know each other. We were able to share stories and best practices, create trust, and hear a lot of examples from others throughout the state and the region.
Beyond building connections with her cohort, Iowa State’s program also offered Hills practical, real-world experience that she could immediately apply in her career. The coursework, focused on leadership scenarios, gave her tools she could use immediately in her workplace. One standout project was a collaborative effort where students tackled hypothetical campus challenges. It sharpened her problem-solving and leadership abilities, preparing her to make an instant impact at her job.
Hills’ decision to return to Iowa State for her doctorate was easy, given her positive experience during her master’s degree program, from which she graduated in 2017.
“I started out in the K-12 space and was working full-time then,” Hills explained. “I was looking for a different path to get my master’s degree in curriculum and technology. And I just loved the atmosphere of it. It was the same with the teamwork and camaraderie and having that group of people push you through the program. I really wanted that again. So that’s why I came back to get my doctorate degree.”
In addition to the collaborative environment and coursework, Iowa State’s extensive support resources for online students played a crucial role in Hills’ success. From the Center for Communication Excellence to the guidance of her professors, the support was invaluable.
Hills advises prospective students to ask as many questions as possible. “I would suggest that prospective students reach out to the Graduate College and to the program and talk with instructors, professors, or advisors in the fields you are considering to see where your interests lie and what program fits your needs.”
For Hills, the cohort model with this program at Iowa State made the difference. “I think people think of the online format where you’re sitting by yourself doing all the work, and you have to find intrinsic motivation to get the work done. I’ve been really happy with both programs, my master’s and my doctorate, because of their use of the cohort model. It’s really what helped me further my education.”
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