CMU Off-Campus Success Stories
CMU Off-Campus Grad Leads her Students by Example
Mary Jones, who graduated in May 2000 with a Master
of Arts degree in Education with an Adult Education concentration, is the
Wayne County Community College District dean of students. As part of her job
Mary encourages students – and staff – to continue their education as a
means to further their careers.
Mary is a non-traditional student in every sense of the word. She was 55
when she started CMU’s MA degree program through a cohort in Troy. She said
it was her goal to finish her degree by the age of 57. But, she notes, she
did not always have the drive to further her education.
After dropping out of high school, Mary later returned to school to earn her
GED and then earned her associate’s degree from the school where she is now
employed. She earned her undergraduate degree from Marygrove College in
Detroit.
“Going back to school was for my own personal growth as much as it was for
anything else,” Jones said. “Education has always been one of my goals,
however along the way I made some bad decisions or choices. I wanted to set
an example for my six children. I was determined to finish my degree with my
cohort. And I did. When I walked across the stage at graduation, I had
completed everything. Many students still had their final project to
complete, but I had everything finished.”
While returning to school for her master’s degree was a personal as well as
an educational goal, she added that most of what she learned in school can
be applied to her daily work.
“My school experience enhanced my job. It helped me more thoroughly
understand things such as pedagogy and how it applies to adult students,”
Mary said. “The things I learned in class are very much applicable to the
work I do.”
Through her job as dean of students Mary said she had visited CMU’s main
campus with several of her inner city students and was very impressed with
CMU’s commitment to students.
“I visited the campus before I became a student there,” she said. I was very
impressed with everything Central does. The class buildings . . . the dorms
. . . everything was very up-to-date. I encourage my students who want to
transfer after earning their associate’s degrees to go to CMU.”
She adds that CMU’s commitment to quality helped in her decision to start
the master’s degree program.
“My education at Central was the very best,” Mary said. “The instructors
were tough but very fair. Nothing about my degree from CMU was ‘watered
down.’ We worked for our grades.”
She added that the Troy Center staff was also very helpful and patient,
noting that she did not have a lot of computer experience when she started
at CMU.
“I always had staff at work to do the computer related things,” Mary
admitted. “I knew little about computers, but the Troy Center staff sat down
with me and helped me through much of what I didn’t know. They were truly
patient and helpful.”
Mary explained that she was determined to continue her full-time work
schedule while going to school and because of the services offered by CMU
she was able to do just that.
“If I needed to work a 12 hour day, I worked a 12 hour day. I didn’t take
time from work to do my school work,” she said. That’s why finding out about
services such as CMU’s Off-Campus Library Services was wonderful. I didn’t
have to spend travel time going to the library. Everything I needed from the
library could be ordered online and delivered to my house.”
Mary encourages anyone who is undecided about returning to school to do so,
noting that it’s never too late to return.
“CMU provided me with the opportunity and all the tools I needed to be
successful in the adult learning process,” she said.
