A Message from Our Associate Vice President
Dear Fellow Alumni,
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in the previous millennium. Working in higher education for the past 20 years, the opportunity was always there to pursue my master’s degree. I contemplated it a few times, but never had the gusto to embark.
That changed about three years ago. There wasn’t a crystallization moment for me. I noticed some of the alumni staff juggling their full-time jobs while also enrolled in a master’s program at Case Western Reserve University. Additionally, I had numerous colleagues across the university who had completed a master’s degree here.
Upon some deep self-reflection, I decided I owed it to myself to at least try. Take one course and see where it goes, I thought. Fast forward to January of 2021: I am happy to say my Master of Nonprofit Organization from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied and Social Sciences has been conferred.
Going back to school, even in a part-time capacity, required some sacrifices. No more singing with the North Coast Men’s Chorus and no more recreational volleyball leagues for me. Outside of my job, I became singularly focused on obtaining my degree. Through the journey, I was fortunate to have some truly inspiring professors who pushed my fellow classmates and myself to think bigger and broader. Many of the assignments went through several—I mean several—iterations before the final version was submitted. While my professors challenged me, my fellow classmates were a wonderful source of motivation. I learned so much from them and about them as we moved through the program. I hope the bonds we formed stay with us.
As the start of a new semester is just around the corner, it feels somewhat odd not to be ordering textbooks and trying to get a jump on the readings. I know I have completed the academic requirements, yet I am still searching for some kind of closure. Maybe when I start signing my emails and correspondence with those letters and graduation year following my name, it will finally sink in. For now, please know how proud I am to join you as an alumnus of Case Western Reserve University.
Sincerely,
Bradford W. Crews (MNO ’21)
Associate Vice President, The Alumni Association of Case Western Reserve University