NEW PROGRAM
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO SUCCEED New degree program is aimed at working adults By Chuck Wasserstrom
I
n the fall of 2021, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga launched a new degree program aimed at working adults. The Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Leadership (BAS-AL), housed in the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, is a fully online program serving students with previous
college, military or work experience— also known as adult learners—who want to complete their undergraduate degrees. “We are a pretty diverse group as far as our backgrounds, what’s got us there, where we plan to go,” says Larry Guess, one of the fledgling program’s students. “OWLS is what I call us: Older, wiser learners that have life experience.
HER THREE SONS
We’re not the kids we were the first time we went to school; we’re looking at our goals and dreams a lot differently. I mean, there are several grandparents in this program. Hearing their stories and seeing how they align with mine, it blows me away.”
Christina Culbreath and her three sons relocated to Chattanooga in 2016 after accepting a job opportunity at Erlanger Health System, where she started as a revenue cycle team lead and now manages multiple application teams. She received an associate’s degree from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2010. “I have twin boys who are currently seniors and we’ve been looking at different colleges,” she says. “In doing so, I saw that UTC had this leadership program that—as a single, working parent—gives me the flexibility I need to participate. “As long as I’m encouraging my older two that college would be a great opportunity, this also is a great opportunity for me to accomplish a personal goal. It is giving me the chance to finish school as well.” For more on Christina Culbreath, go to utc.edu/christina-culbreath.
10 | The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Magazine
