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Long-distance Learning

By May 14, 2008January 21st, 2019No Comments

Kirkwood student earns degree all the way from New Jersey

Chris Kelley of Neptune Township, New Jersey has been taking classes online at Kirkwood Community College. He came to campus on May 9 to meet with all of the people he had been conversing with for years as well as receive his diploma at commencement on May 10.

Kelley saw an ad in a magazine about Kirkwood’s Water Environmental Technology program. He placed a call to Kirkwood, received some literature on the program then, “just went full steam ahead” towards his degree. Kelley has been a plant superintendent since 1998, but came back to Kirkwood for personal gratification.

“I’m proud of [my degree],” Kelley said. “It’s a nice little program. I wanted real credit, that’s why I went here.”

According to Steve Mrstik, who conversed closely with Kelley, there are students from Oklahoma, Illinois, Georgia and South Dakota who are currently pursuing a degree in Water Environmental Technology at Kirkwood.

“I have about a half a dozen out-of-state students pursuing certificates by taking our on-line courses only. It is hard to trace sometimes due to our open enrollment course-by-course registration policy,” Mrstik said. “We have been averaging 20 to 30 course registrations per-term for about six years of operation.”

“I had a very close relationship with Chris due to his attitude as a student and I enjoyed meeting him here in Cedar Rapids immensely,” Mrstik said.