Q & A with Dr. Lauren J. Way

Dr. Lauren J. Way is the director of the Master of Science in Higher Education Administration program. She oversees the department’s curriculum, faculty, student advising, and assessment, in addition to teaching graduate courses. Dr. Way's teaching includes courses in applied research, curriculum design, women in higher education, and foundational courses in higher education administration. She has also designed and taught entrepreneurship, business, management, and leadership courses in Bay Path’s management programs.

Dr. Way has founded and run several national advisory boards for educational programs; directed annual conference events in assistive technology design, business, and education; and designed and taught summer programs for high school girls to learn entrepreneurship. 

She has also presented and guest lectured both nationally and internationally. She was awarded a grant from the Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation to travel to Southeast Asia to research the transformation of the Malaysian higher education system as part of the country's move toward a knowledge-based economy. And she has won a national teaching award in experiential education and collaborated with multidisciplinary college educators from Cambridge, England, to win the best USASBE conference workshop award on the use of innovative academic collaboration practices.

Blog Post: What Kind of Professional Development Does an Enrollment Manager Need?
A Ruffalo Noel Levitz blog post by the program director, Lauren Way, on the increasingly complex world of enrollment management requires ongoing professional development to stay ahead of trends and meet today’s challenges. Read the blog. 

What do you love about Higher Education Administration?

The “bottom line” in higher education is human potential—not profits. I love helping others expand themselves and build their lives—as many build new careers and broaden their opportunities! I love seeing my students’ progress week by week. Everyone has different strengths and areas of interest, but seeing students advance their understanding of higher education and increase their skills and abilities is so rewarding. I especially love to hear about the promotions, raises, and new jobs my students get as they finish the program!

What’s the value of a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration?

Never before has the pace of change in higher education been so rapid! A good M.S. program prepares students to become nimble higher education leaders, able to innovate and keep pace with evolving student demographics and demands.

• Opportunity: The Bureau of Labor Statistics project jobs will grow 10% (faster than average) 2016-2026
• Compensation: The 2017 median salary for post-secondary education administrators was $92,360

Why choose Bay Path for graduate work in Higher Education Administration?

• For our curriculum: Students not only learn the theories behind higher education practice but also about current and emerging marketplace trends and cutting-edge tools and techniques. .Students are encouraged to draw upon their own professional experiences to discuss class material; most students say they can apply their weekly course readings and assignments to help them on the job immediately.
• For our diverse students: Adults entering the program come with so many unique career backgrounds. I'm always impressed by the range of specialized knowledge that new students bring with them into the program; everyone adds so much to the online class discussions! We learn from the course material and interesting assignments, but also from one another's experience and expertise.
• For our thriving online learning community: Many say they never expected to get to know their classmates and professors so well, so quickly. But they do, and it’s a perk of the program! Students get to build a community that supports them through the program and beyond.
• For our support team: Aside from their classmates and professors, students have academic coaches, online tutors, helpful financial aid staff, terrific registrars and career services professionals—all provided through the program and Bay Path University. There is someone ready to help you every step of the way!
• For our national recognition: I am not one to boast—but I can here. I am proud to say we have built one of the best online master’s in Higher Education Administration programs in the country—and that’s according onlinecolleges.net and onlinemasters.com! We tend to agree.