James Norton, MCJ ’18, of Menands, NY, was offered a Fellowship with the New York State Senate in Fall 2020. In addition to his masters from Excelsior, he has degrees in criminal justice and psychology, and is a paralegal and EMS technician. He also teaches criminology.
Assessment Enigmas with David Eubanks, Ph.D.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-x9ntg-f85694?utm_campaign=w_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=w_share
Erin and André re-launch the podcast with an interview recorded pre-covid with Dr. David Eubanks, discuss some assignment and data ideas, and go over current upcoming events and announcements.
Cybersecurity Divas
Cybersecurity Divas was formed to promote the accomplishments of women in cybersecurity. The “Divas” in Cybersecurity Divas stands for “Driven women who are Inspirational and Visionary that take Action in Security.”
The criteria for being included in this list includes: mentoring and leading an operational security team for at least five years; contributing to the industry through conference participation, speaking engagements, association participation, publishing articles or papers; and being well-respected in the industry.
The Cybersecurity Divas’ list currently contains 250 of the most accomplished women across the security domain, and many of these women are in leadership positions such as chief information security officers and directors of security positions.
Amelia Estwick is a cybersecurity professional with more than 20 years of combined military and government IT experience within the United States intelligence community. She has held multiple technical leadership positions within the government and spent 10 years directly leading strategic and tactical cyber operations. Estwick’s research in cybersecurity and computer science focuses on global threat intelligence, network security, and information security. She is currently the director of the National Cybersecurity Institute at Excelsior College where she provides thought leadership for the College’s cybersecurity initiatives.
As an educator, Estwick lectures on a variety of cybersecurity and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) topics of interest as they relate to education, national defense, and public policy. She’s quoted frequently in print, online, and cable media. She is passionate about educating the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and currently co-chairs the United States National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Education Diversity Initiative.
The National Cybersecurity Institute at Excelsior College is an academic and workforce development center dedicated to assisting government, industry, military, and academic sectors meet the employment challenges within the cybersecurity workforce.
Collaborating with both public and private industries, NCI is leading a coordinated effort to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive cybersecurity workforce and influence an informed leadership base that implements cutting-edge cybersecurity education and policy. NCI targets the development of effective cybersecurity practice in several sectors, including health care, finance, critical infrastructure, and national defense. Learn about Excelsior’s bachelor’s in technology degrees.
Tun Heang Ong, BS in Business ’04
Since earning his bachelor’s degree with a concentration in finance from Excelsior College, Tun Heang Ong (Clement), BS in Business, ’04, of Penang, Malaysia, has gone on to earn an LLB from the University of London and an LLM in international trade and commercial law from Nottingham Trent University. He has been admitted as an advocate and solicitor in the High Courts of Malaya, Malaysia and has worked in private practice before his current position as senior legal counsel at LONGi Solar.
The Importance of Non-Credit Offerings
As many adult students struggle with the financial and health impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the attractiveness of short courses and alternative credentials as an alternative to continuing with their degree study is growing at a rate significantly higher than in 2019. According to Inside Higher Ed in August, “Several leading massive open online course providers, coding bootcamps and business schools offering non-degree credentials reported manyfold increases in web traffic, inquiries and enrollments…These new online learners are a mixture of recent college graduates looking to boost their résumés, current or prospective college students trying to get ahead, furloughed or laid-off workers looking to pivot to new careers, and people with stable jobs who are now working from home.”
Such classes are often noncredit and address specific professional needs and developmental skills that serve course takers well in an economy that has been strained by the virus outbreak and in which some 22 million jobs have been lost since the pandemic began. As such, employers are seeking specific skills and applicants who possess specific and contemporary job and knowledge skills. Moreover, students are looking for the same flexibility in learning that they are encountering with their work-from-home arrangements.
According to Credential Engine, a nonprofit that studies alternative credentialing tends, rapid changes in the marketplace have created an environment in which many providers are awarding an array of credentials. These alternative credentials provide students with short-term, affordable, and flexible learning experiences that result in specific, practical competencies and knowledge and skills sets that benefit both the student and the labor market.
Students can find a variety of areas of focus in these credentials. Colleges and universities offering alternative credentials (also referred to as “microcredentials”) typically provide significant information on their websites that guide students to make informed decisions about credential options, pathways, and their value in the job market.
In addition, alternative credentials can also advance equity and access to economic advancement. The relative brevity of these credentials delivers faster, more efficient, and focused skills building. In turn, students are rewarded by more rapid marketability and job success. Earning degrees can contribute to advancing one’s quality of life and earnings potential over a lifetime, but also, over the short-term, alternative credentials provide rapid access to economic advancement and skills acquisition that can contribute to a student successfully climbing more remunerative career ladders.
In addition, as a result of alternative credentials, employers have more detailed and externally validated information to hire more successful and competent employees.
Types of Microcredentials
Microcredentials include a) short courses for specific skills building and b) longer, more professionally focused programs that gradually advance the course taker’s skills level in a professional or industry-focused subject area.
In the Cengage noncredit offerings, known as ed2go, skills-based courses include subject matter such as Homeschool Success and Keys to Effective Communication, whereas the certificates in career training classes are industry aligned and cover areas such as Certified Medical Billing and CompTIA Certifications. These career training courses involve study over longer time periods, gradually building skills cumulatively, culminating in a certificate. Each course with ed2go—whether short or long—yields a certificate of completion that may be shown to prospective employers as evidence of acquiring specific skills and competencies that can lead to better job placement and career advancement, in both the short and long term.
Lisa R. Braverman, PhD
Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Support
Excelsior College Celebrates 50th Anniversary in 2021
Albany, N.Y. — This year, Excelsior College, an accredited, not-for-profit online college focused on helping adults complete their degrees and advance their careers, celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Excelsior College was founded in 1971 as the Regents External Degree Program by the Board of Regents of The University of the State of New York with a mission of providing adult learners with a flexible and affordable pathway to earn a college degree. The founders recognized that learning happens outside as well as in the classroom, and developed a means to evaluate that experience for credit toward a college degree. Today, Excelsior celebrates more than 182,000 alumni from all 50 states, U.S. territories, and other countries around the world.
In 2004, Excelsior College began to offer courses online, setting the bar for providing an academically rigorous and engaging education at a distance. In celebrating 50 years, success can be measured by the number of alumni who have elevated their careers and transformed their lives by earning an Excelsior degree. With a proven remote education model, during the COVID-19 pandemic, our more than 23,000 students and 900 faculty meet as they always have and without interruption—online.
“Nearly 50 years ago, Excelsior College changed the landscape of higher education with its innovative approach to helping students earn degrees through credit aggregation, competency-based education, and prior learning assessment. Today, Excelsior is more innovative than ever, helping students from all backgrounds earn degrees and other credentials in ways that work for them,” said David Schejbal, PhD, president of Excelsior College. “We look forward to celebrating the College’s 50 successful years and planning the next 50. Our future is as bright as our students, and together we will continue to change the landscape of higher education.”
Overall, Excelsior College’s success can be attributed to an unyielding resolve to meet students where they are, academically and geographically, and the courage to adapt what it does and how it does it as the marketplace demands. Excelsior offers traditional associate, bachelor’s, and master’s programs, planned degree pathways, and skill-based professional development opportunities created in partnership with employers, along with career and professional skills training.
In honor of this anniversary milestone, Excelsior College launched a 24-month fundraising campaign. After six months, Elevate: The Campaign for Student Scholarships is nearly halfway to its goal to raise $750,000 for scholarship support for students with financial need. Mary O’Connor, a graduate of Excelsior College’s nursing program who served as trustee from 2005 through 2020, shares, “Excelsior College’s nursing program launched me into a journey of lifelong learning and career achievement. In our 50th anniversary year, we are committed to increasing available funds for need-based student scholarships. I am proud to serve on the campaign committee and pledge my support to student scholarships alongside this strong community.”
Excelsior College takes pride in creating equity in access to higher education and in serving those historically underrepresented. From 1971 to 1985, while the College operated as the Regents External Degree Program, 26,420 people earned degrees. From 1986 to 1998, 52,663 graduates earned degrees from Regents College, as the institution was then known. In April 1998, the Board of Regents granted the College a charter to operate as a private, not-for-profit, independent institution, and on January 1, 2001, Regents College changed its name to Excelsior College.
More details about the 50th anniversary campaign are available at excelsior.edu/elevate.
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Media Contact Excelsior College:
Alicia Jacobs, ajacobs@excelsior.edu, 518-410-4624
ABOUT EXCELSIOR COLLEGE
Excelsior College (excelsior.edu) is an accredited, not-for-profit online college focused on helping adults complete their degrees and advance their careers. The college contributes to the development of a diverse, educated, and career-ready society by valuing lifelong learning with an emphasis on serving individuals historically underrepresented in higher education. Founded in 1971, Excelsior meets students where they are — academically and geographically — removing obstacles to the educational goals of adults pursuing continuing education and degree completion. Our pillars include innovation, flexibility, academic excellence, and integrity. Learn more at excelsior.edu.
Tips on How to Be Successful at an Online College
Students with experience in online learning know it provides advantages over learning in traditional classrooms. However, they also know success in online college requires a blend of discipline, focus, planning, and perseverance.
Excelsior College offers decades of experience in online learning. The school has developed successful online degree programs for many years. The faculty and staff understand challenges related to teaching and learning online and how to overcome them. With so many schools shifting to online learning, Excelsior recently compiled a list of tips and resources to help students approach online learning in a way that gives them the best chance to succeed.
While different from face-to-face instruction, attending college online college offers advantages. They can attend class from anywhere if they have access to the internet. They don’t need to live on campus or make a daily drive to a traditional classroom.
Excelsior College offers guidance on how to overcome the challenges that also come with online learning.
How to Solve Typical Online Learning Challenges
If you’ve made the decision to take online college classes, you can expect to run into certain common issues. The following tips, compiled from suggestions by Excelsior College faculty and staff, can help you overcome obstacles and enjoy the benefits of online learning.
Create a Study Plan
A study plan can keep you grounded as you move forward with your courses. It involves making a chart or schedule where you can block out time needed each day to accomplish tasks. With this visual representation of your day, it’s easier to find a balance between work, school, and your personal life.
A study plan also helps you:
- Take routine study breaks
• Create mini-deadlines for each project
• Manage your time
• Identify and complete the most important work first
Improve Time Management
Online learning requires discipline because no one is there to tell you to complete your work. Students must find the most efficient way to finish schoolwork while having time for breaks and other daily activities. This requires good time management skills.
In addition to a study plan, students can also improve their time management skills by putting the following ideas into play:
Create a time log. It’s a real eye-opener for most people to learn how they really spend their time. To find out for yourself, keep detailed track of how you spend your time for a few days. You will quickly see where time is wasted.
Identify time eaters. A time log shows how you waste time. It also reveals time eaters, those tasks and events that take longer to do than others. Some are disruptive, such as phone calls, reading and responding to email, and texting. But you may also find that you need more time than you thought to complete papers, study for exams, or write essays.
Perfectionism. Trying to make everything perfect is also a time eater. Some students miss deadlines by sacrificing the very good to attain the perfect. Don’t let perfectionism lead to falling behind.
Adjust. If you routinely do not complete your assignments each week, then adjust and start another time log to see how it is working.
Avoid Procrastination
Most people read the word procrastination and may inwardly cringe, because they know they do it. While attending college online, students must make themselves complete work on time. That means reducing any tendency to procrastinate.
Excelsior College MBA student and social media manager Emily Miller created a list of ways to avoid procrastination. Some highlights include:
- Track excuses. Pay attention to your excuses and then hold yourself accountable for them.
• Breakdown projects. By breaking down a large project into chunks with mini-deadlines, it makes it easier to get through.
• Police your environment. If things in your study area often distract you, then remove them (or turn them off).
• Set reasonable goals. Don’t try to do everything in three days. Set goals that consider the time needed to do them well.
These tips apply to some of the most common online learning challenges. Excelsior College has also created a page with resources for peer institutions moving into an online learning model in response to COVID-19. While designed for colleges, many of the tips apply to high school teachers. The College also offers student resources to help promote educational success during the COVID-19 crisis. Resources include links to the school’s online reading lab and writing lab, as well as tips on overcoming challenges related to online learning. Learn about how to use these online learning tricks with our Excelsor’s Master of Science in Healthcare Administration.
What is a Nurse Educator?
There are many career paths for a nurse. Some may choose to follow a predominantly clinical path while others may choose more of a mentoring role. A nurse educator combines teaching and clinical skills to help shape the future of nursing by educating and training new and current nurses. Nurse educators play a pivotal role in providing patients the best care possible by helping to create a skilled and diverse nursing workforce.
Nurse educators work in classrooms, on college campuses, and in health care services, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, hospice, and public health agencies.
Excelsior College offers an online MS in Nursing Education program that prepares graduates to excel in a nurse educator career. No GRE is required for nurses to apply to the 38-credit program. Nurses can enroll on a full-time or part-time basis.
The program also allows nurses to apply 16 credits of graduate-level coursework earned at an accredited college or university toward completion of the program. They must have earned a grade of “B” or higher and earned the credit within the past five years.
What a Nurse Educator Does
Depending on the setting, nurse educators focus on teaching new nurses or providing continuing education to working nurses. They may create and oversee academic programs in schools of nursing. They also work in medical facilities, creating continuing education programs for working nurses that focus on a particular area of nursing.
Their academic work often includes doing scholarly research and providing peer review of others’ work. Nurse educators may work in vocational, associate, and bachelor’s degree programs. Nonacademic work settings include staff development at large health care operations, school nursing, community organizations, and public health agencies, and as nurse recruiters.
Salary for Nurse Educators
The salary for nurse educators reached an average of $81,350 nationwide in May 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The top 25 percent of those in the profession earned more than $97,390 a year.
New York State employs more nurse educators than any other state in the country, according to the BLS. The state offers a higher average salary than the national average at $91,900. Also, the New York City metropolitan area employs more nurse educators than any other metro area in the country.
How Excelsior College Prepares Nurse Educators
Excelsior College created the MS in Nursing Education for skilled registered nurses who have a love of teaching. The program’s courses enhance critical skills and nursing judgment, as well as institute a commitment to academic rigor. They include:
- Transformational Nursing: Innovation, Inquiry, and Scholarship
- Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice
- Research and Evidence-Based Practice
- Policy, Ethics, and Population Health
- Designing a Learning Environment
- Program and Curriculum Development in Nursing Education
- Assessment and Evaluation in Nursing Education
Nurse educators also take courses in advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment. The program culminates in a 6-credit Capstone course that gives nurses the chance to apply skills learned in the program in a 247.5-hour practice experience as well as a discussion, reflective journal, scholarly paper, and project presentation.
Becoming a nurse educator allows registered nurses to work in a field that combines a passion for teaching with clinical nursing skills. Excelsior College’s online MS in Nursing Education program allows nurses entry into this important career with the skills they need to succeed.
How Does Online Learning Work at Excelsior College?
For potential college students trying to find high quality online degree programs, Excelsior College offers the advantage that comes from an academic institution with decades of experience in online learning.
Excelsior College officials recognized long ago that the flexibility of online programs is especially important for working adults who return to school to earn an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree. They can schedule coursework around their busy personal and professional schedules. They also can access courses from anywhere they have an internet connection.
Excelsior College students can take courses in either an 8or15-week format. Typically, an 8-week course requires a minimum of about 10 to 15 hours of work per week, according to Jeanne M. Mannarino, director of student engagement and staff training with the Office of Student Experience and Success Services at Excelsior College.
“Therefore, it is generally recommended that students who are juggling full-time work and other commitments focus on one course per 8-week term, or be in a position where they can set aside 30 hours per week if they take two courses,” Mannarino said.
Details on Taking an Excelsior College Online Course
Mannarino recently talked about different aspects of Excelsior College’s online programs, walking through the process of how a student starts with online courses. Her insight offers valuable information to those considering enrollment in one of the school’s many 100 percent online degree programs.
MyExcelsior
All courses are offered through the school’s Canvas Learning Management System and accessed through the student’s MyExcelsior log-in page. Students create a MyExcelsior account when they inquire about or apply to the school. Course access becomes available the day the class starts.
Students also can access their MyExcelsior account through a Canvas app This is useful to check messages or discussion threads, but not to complete assignments or do other coursework.
Through their MyExcelsior account, students can manage all aspects of their academic experience. This includes access to applications, transcripts, courses, chat rooms, discussion boards, a book exchange, a study buddy finder, and more.
“We sometimes refer to MyExcelsior as the virtual campus center for students,” Mannarino said. “It’s a great hub of information or starting point to link out to other services or information.”
Online Orientation
Students are not left on their own to figure things out. All newly enrolled students take a course called Orientation to the Online Classroom. The class allows students to become familiar with the online classroom where they will interact with faculty and other students. They learn to navigate the online system, explore course features, and find out some of the online learning expectations for students.
Online Classroom Features
Excelsior College organizes courses into one module per week. The courses are asynchronous, meaning students do not have to be online at any specific time. The college designs all courses with the same navigation features, allowing students to interact with faculty and other students via discussion boards. All content is within the course, including links to any labs or integrated textbooks at outside sites.
When Students Need Help
Mannarino said students should reach out to their instructor if they need help and added that “no question is a stupid question. Students are not on their own and should feel comfortable reaching out with any question or issue, big or small.”
The Canvas app also includes access to resources, including the Online Writing Lab, Library, tech support, and a tutoring service. Both Excelsior instructors and academic advisors work with students if they face difficulties with a course.
Students also have access to a private messaging feature that they can use to contact instructors if personal information is involved (such as illness, difficulties, or concerns with the class). There are also special discussion board threads designed so everyone in the course can participate.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following four questions are among the most asked questions from incoming students.
Are there online textbooks? Most courses use traditional textbooks, often available in electronic format. Advisors also keep a list of courses with low-cost textbooks that they share with students. There are also rental options for course materials. In addition, there are courses that do not require students to buy textbooks.
Are there video lectures? Some courses use videos and other multimedia content, but not for instruction in most cases.
Are there group projects? Some courses do use group work, but not all. As students work through a degree program, they should anticipate that they will, at some point, work with other students on projects. “Part of the goal of courses is to prepare students for the workplace, where they will likely find the need to work collaboratively with others on projects,” Mannarino said.
How often are discussion boards used? Each course has a discussion board, with at least one discussion per week that includes instructors. Students typically must submit a post in the discussion and reply to at least a few classmates.
How Students Get Grades
The online system has a grade book that students can access. Course instructors grade assignments within a week of the due date and provide feedback. If students do not receive helpful feedback, they should contact the instructor or an academic advisor.
Online college degree programs have made education accessible to millions of people who otherwise could not earn a degree. With the experienced faculty and staff at Excelsior College, students can find it more convenient than ever to realize their academic and career goals.
Risk or Resilience: A Look at Fraud, Forensics, and Cybersecurity Challenges and Career Opportunities
Cybersecurity challenges impact both individuals and businesses. We all spend time on computers, mobile phones, and mobile apps, as these are part of today’s technology and conveniences. However, without cybersecurity awareness, it is easy to click a link and later find out you have been a victim of a cyber-attack or data breach.
As our digital footprint increases, so does the risk. Some business are now requiring multi-factor authentication when you log into work. This is just one means of protection, like what banks use when you access your own account.
Cybersecurity is essential for businesses. From January through June 2020, various Fortune 500 companies experienced massive data breaches and hackers sold account credentials and other sensitive data, leading to the exposure of 8.4 billion records in the first three months of the year alone, according to Security Boulevard, a cybersecurity news site. RiskIQ predicts that by 2021, cybercrime will cost the world $11.4 million each minute.
Threats to cybersecurity are one reason why Excelsior College and Siena College co-hosted a recent webinar on fraud, forensics, and cybersecurity. Experts working in these fields shared their perspectives on current challenges and career opportunities.
One challenge is keeping everyone up to date on the ever-changing information to bridge learning in the classroom to what is happening in the real world. Companies need experts to reduce risk of cyber-attacks.
To increase the cyber workforce to guard against cyber risk, education is a necessary tool. Cyber education is important for those considering a cybersecurity career pathway to identify and defend against cyber-attacks, says Amelia Estwick, PhD, director of the National Cybersecurity Institute at Excelsior College. “Excelsior College is recognized as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education [by the National Security Agency and U.S. Department of Homeland Security]. We align to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Framework and equip students with knowledge to defend against the cyber threat landscape.”
Using industry experts in curriculum development and delivery helps keep the educational experience relevant. Estwick noted, “At Excelsior College, we bring industry experts and practitioners to teach in the classroom and bridge the cyber knowledge gap.”
Resilient & Reducing Risk
Beyond the classroom, applying cybersecurity skills to real-world scenarios is crucial. “Cybersecurity is important since with ransomware, a virus can spread within minutes and impact an organization. Now with the holiday season, hackers are taking advantage of phishing emails,” according to John Roman, CIO, The Bonadio Group; president and COO, Bonadio’s Information Risk Management and Cybersecurity Division, FoxPointe Solutions. “The pandemic has taught us how to be resilient for businesses that moved from office to home within 24 hours.”
With cybersecurity, the landscape is constantly shifting with technology consultants using cyber tools to solve client’s problems. The forensic side has picked up in the last six months as people have learned about breaches from the media. There is a tremendous amount of cloud work now too. There are also changes in cyber with the workforce now more mobile. It can be challenging to collect information when employees work from their own devices, instead of company-supplied computers.
For those considering a career as a cybersecurity consultant or advisor, Richard Peters, senior information security advisor, UHY LLP, stated that a “tenacious curiosity” and personality are important. “From an advisor’s perspective, we focus on risk,” he said. “We start there and preach to be proactive like insurance. We don’t really want it, but we need it. The challenge is convincing clients to be proactive and evaluate (cyber) risk ahead of time.”
Matt Miller, principal in the New York Office of KPMG LLP’s U.S. Cyber Security Services Financial Services, commented on working in this field during a pandemic. “Many employees are remote working and you feel like you are always available,” he continued, “The workday has been moving to 15-minute blocks of meetings. One thing missing is the collaborative nature you would get from water cooler conversations when in an office.”
For those considering cybersecurity careers, here are some recommendations for next steps:
- Kali Linux, an advanced penetration testing distribution and security audit, is recommended so you can scan your own networks at home and learn about cyber tools. Just be careful when scanning across the internet.
- Consider self-studies on virtual servers. Microsoft and IBM have skills academies.
- Find a cybersecurity mentor.
- When selecting an educational institution, make sure it has information security certification. For those interested in ramping up skills in cybersecurity, feel free to visit Siena College and Excelsior College.
- Stay hungry, stay inquiring, stay inquisitive.
- The experts who participated in the panel invite you to contact them on LinkedIn.
Excelsior College Announces Dean of Undergraduate School
Albany, N.Y. –
Excelsior College has appointed Catherine Seaver as dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies. Seaver joined the College in 2019 as associate dean of business, science, and technology and has been serving as interim dean since mid-April 2020.
Seaver has extensive experience in higher education. Prior to Excelsior College, she was vice president of academic and student affairs at Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts. For 14 years, Seaver worked at Manchester Community College as director of the business, engineering, and technology division; interim associate dean of student affairs; and department chair of engineering and technology.
Seaver began teaching online as an engineering faculty member in 2002 and while in administrative roles, she taught as an adjunct professor. Prior to moving to higher education, she worked as an engineer and project manager in several industries for more than 20 years.
Seaver received her PhD in leadership with specialization in education from University of the Cumberlands. She also has an MS in educational technology from Eastern Connecticut State University and an MS in computer and information systems from University of Phoenix.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to lead Excelsior’s School of Undergraduate Studies,” said Seaver. “I believe that Excelsior College is uniquely positioned to provide education to students who might not otherwise be able to complete their degree. The faculty and staff at Excelsior are dedicated to the success of the students, and as the interim dean, I enjoyed working with people across the College. I am looking forward to creating new programs and exploring initiatives that will help Excelsior grow and provide even more opportunities for our students.”
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Media Contact: Alicia Jacobs
Email: ajacobs@excelsior.edu
Phone: (518) 410-4624
About Excelsior College
Excelsior College (excelsior.edu) is an accredited, not-for-profit online college focused on helping adults complete their degrees and advance their careers. The College contributes to the development of a diverse, educated, and career-ready society by valuing lifelong learning with an emphasis on serving individuals historically underrepresented in higher education. Founded in 1971, Excelsior meets students where they are — academically and geographically — removing obstacles to the educational goals of adults pursuing continuing education and degree completion. Our pillars include innovation, flexibility, academic excellence, and integrity. Learn more at excelsior.edu.
A Passionate Career
Mark Haskins uses his degree in criminal justice to continue his prolific career in law enforcement
U.S. Navy veteran Mark Haskins is passionate about his work. For 20 years, he performed tirelessly as a narcotics investigator for New York State, and, starting in 2009, he began working in various capacities — now as a contract manager for external investigations — for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), particularly in its effort to battle fraud with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. His passion extends into other aspects of his life as well, from teaching and consulting, to writing and sharing his dedication to fighting the opioid crisis. Now, he hopes to inspire others through his storied career and endless desire for justice.
Haskins, of Miami Beach, Florida, joined the Navy after high school and was stationed at a nuclear facility in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for 2 years. When he had served his time in the military, he began studying criminal justice with his sights set on law school in Albany, New York, but wasn’t positive that it was what he wanted to do. Instead, he turned to law enforcement and joined the police department in East Greenbush, New York. Four years later, after spending time with the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Haskins moved to narcotics investigation with the New York State Department of Health.
Working in the world of narcotics is an eye-opening experience for many, and, for Haskins, it was just what he was looking for since he was interested in “white-collar crime” police work. During his time as a narcotics investigator, he participated in many big cases, including an international steroids and growth-hormone case centered out of Orlando, Florida. He also came face-to-face with the opioid crisis in America and has since remained impassioned about the subject. He recalls many stories from his time investigating narcotics and the toll that drug use takes on people and families: “A pharmacist In Brooklyn who I investigated ended up taking his own life for no reason … It’s tough whether somebody kills himself, whether somebody dies of an overdose, you know, it was just way too much death.”
Haskins also spent more than a year undercover as a doctor to discover medical professionals who were illegally prescribing medications. “Getting comfortable enough to speak the language and to go to dinner with three bad doctors and pull it off and getting them to write bad prescriptions— to me, that was the hallmark of my undercover experience,” he recalls. Now Haskins plans to publish a book about his time in narcotics. He hopes to share his experiences on the front lines as a narcotics investigator to shed light on America’s opioid problem.
By 2009, Haskins was ready for a career change, a new challenge. He worked in the private sector for several years before taking a job as a supervising investigator with the USDA. Soon, he decided that he was ready for bigger roles and decided to return to school for his master’s degree. He had already earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Excelsior College in 2012, and, since he liked Excelsior’s online format and nontraditional learning style, he decided to earn his master’s degree in criminal justice. “The one thing that I think Excelsior does is it opens that door. People look at Excelsior: They were a pioneer in online learning before most people knew it existed. And I still see it as the future right now,” Haskins says.
In 2013, Haskins was the first student to graduate from Excelsior’s Master of Science in Criminal Justice program. During graduation, he spoke to former president John Ebersole, who told Haskins he wasn’t too old to continue with his education and that learning was a lifelong experience. Haskins followed Ebersole’s advice and earned a PhD in conflict analysis and resolution from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2019.
In his current role as a contract manager for external investigations, Haskins and his division oversee fraud investigations by retailers. “My investigators go out and try to identify retailers who are defrauding the system,” he says, describing that retailers will often offer money in exchange for SNAP debit cards; but the retailer will be the one making more money. Haskins says their main goal is to see that the people in need of SNAP are the ones who get the benefits and that criminals are prosecuted. “We make sure we get the bad people, but our ultimate goal is to feed the poor. And we can’t feed the poor if somebody’s stealing all our money,” he says.
Haskins believes his degree in criminal justice has helped in his career so far, particularly because at the graduate level, students begin to apply the knowledge they have learned and apply critical thinking to their work. “You really start understanding the whole purpose behind critical thinking … I think that will take you to any job, whether it’s law enforcement, science — whether you’re a doctor — you have to be able to think critically,” says Haskins.
Haskins maintains that his students are learning and absorbing as much knowledge as they can from him. He has always enjoyed lecturing and speaking in front of groups of people and so teaching college students has become no different. In his courses he teaches at Johnson and Wales University in Miami, Florida, Haskins spends the first 15 minutes of each class talking about current events. He likes to get his students thinking and talking, he says, adding, “ …If there’s no engagement, there’s no real learning.”
He also wants students to know that there is plenty of time to find the career they are passionate about. He believes there is too much pressure put on children and young adults to figure out what they want to be when they’re older. In reality, there’s more than enough time to learn and grow. Education isn’t something that has a time limit, he says, and though he has had a long, successful career, he jokes with his students, saying, “Look, I’m two-and-a-half-times older than most of you, and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”
