Chris Kelly, BAS

You might wonder, “How is it that Chris Kelly, December 2011 BAS graduate decided on the University of Iowa for his degree even though he lives over 1000 miles away in New Jersey?”

Chris is a the plant superintendent of an 8.5 million gallon per day wastewater treatment facility. Because of his profession, he chose to complete Kirkwood Community College’s Water/Wastewater Environmental Science degree program. From there, it was an easy decision to continue on with his studies at Iowa. Chris credits his academic advisor, Nancy Romine with helping him to choose the right degree program for his academic background.

“Nancy provided me with a step-by-step plan that allowed me to track my progress towards my BAS degree. We discussed each course together and carefully picked my areas of study. I had a goal to complete my coursework and obtain my bachelor’s degree within three years.”

Mission accomplished.

Working full-time and being a father of three children would not have left Chris much time to travel to a traditional classroom. Fortunately the flexibility to study and take exams around his work and family obligations made Chris’ goal achievable.

“Guided Independent courses work very well for me, says Chris. The University of Iowa’s program provided me with two semesters if needed to complete all coursework—sometimes I needed to take advantage of that option. I was able to work at my own pace wherever and whenever I wanted. Even though I was over 1,000 miles away from the University of Iowa while completing my degree program, the course instructors were always available for questions and feedback. I personally did not have one bad experience completing my degree via distance education. It was challenging and, of course, rewarding.”

Being a father, Chris found the course on Parent-Child Relationships the most rewarding and useful. It also reaffirmed for him that he and his wife are doing a pretty good job raising their children based on the lessons taught throughout the course. On the other hand, the class on Human Memory was his most challenging and pushed him out of his comfort zone into an area of study that he wasn’t familiar with before.

When we asked Chris if it was all worth it, he said. “I wish I’d found out about the program years earlier. My entire degree program went extremely smooth—from the first day that I called the University of Iowa to inquire about the degree program, until the day that I picked up my cap and gown at the University Book Store.”

“Achieving my degree from the University of Iowa fulfilled a lifelong dream for me. I mostly completed the BAS program for self-gratification. However, I have always been a big fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes and I could not be prouder to finally be a member of the Alumni.”