Four years, two promotions, a manager of more than 30 people.
For Rebecca Caskey, the value of a Cal U degree is evident.
“It was made extremely clear after each job change that my conflict resolution degree is what set me apart and earned me the new position,” she says.
Caskey works for the State College of Florida, a community college in Bradenton, Fla., where she manages the school’s tutoring centers across three campuses. Her previous position was Title IX coordinator for New College of Florida, a public liberal arts honors college in Sarasota.
“I’ve never had tutoring experience, but the center wanted to hire someone they felt could create a welcoming environment for students and increase employee retention and satisfaction,” Caskey says.
“My master’s degree is what attracted them to me, and I really credit it with setting me apart in an industry where everyone else followed a pretty traditional ‘master of higher ed’ route.”
Caskey earned her conflict resolution degree online in 2016 and immediately began work as Title IX coordinator at New College.
“Many in our student body were transgender or non-binary, which precipitated a lot of dialogue around identity,” Caskey says. “I also served as a voluntary mediator for those who didn’t want to go the HR route.”
Caskey says the flexibility of Cal U’s 100% online courses was invaluable for someone working full time. The content also was spot-on.
“It was very applicable. There were research and theoretical parts, but it was very practice-based. It builds on itself. You can use what you’re learning at your job.”
She discovered, for example, that conflict isn’t automatically negative for an organization.
“You learn to recognized that the conclusion you wanted in your mind might not be best for the organization or team,” Caskey says. “There may be things you can give up that won’t hurt you and will benefit another person.
“It’s an opportunity for all of us to come together.”
