MOL program moves Cedar Rapids

Dec. 9, 2004
By Heather Venema
News Editor

As St. Ambrose appears to be busting out of its seam on campus, the university is expanding off campus too. This March, the Master of Organizational Leadership program will begin offering classes at a satellite facility near Cedar Rapids, IA.

Several students in the current MOL program are commuters from the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area. According to Bill Parsons, the MOL director, the program has done well in the Quad City area, so the idea of expansion was brought to the forefront.

“We’ve seen tremendous success with the program in the Quad Cities, which makes it possible to look at opportunities elsewhere,” Parsons said. After conversations and interviews with community leaders in the Cedar Rapids area, plans were set into motion and details hammered out.

The MBA program already offers courses in the Cedar Rapids area. The degree program was primarily designed for non-traditional students with full-time careers.

“Our students have an interest in advancement and many want to supplement their professional careers,” Parsons said. Currently, the program uses an accelerated format, and most students are able to complete their degree in two years. Classes are held Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday nights. Each course meets one evening a week for four hours, and the courses last for eight weeks.

Because many MOL students have not taken coursework in a number of years, the foundation course in the program, Leadership Theories, helps students become acclimated to being a student again.

Although all the details of the Cedar Rapids program haven’t been finalized yet, the intent is to offer the entire program in Cedar Rapids so that students won’t have to commute to the main campus anymore. “This is important for Ambrose’s long range planning to be a regional education opportunity,” Parsons said.

“Although it is important to have a main campus atmosphere, this expansion will enhance the university’s image and reputation.”

For more information about the expansion, contact the MOL office at 563-333-6171.

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