Aaron Apel has been a fixture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus for nearly a decade. As an employee in the Office of the Registrar, he has a deep understanding of the process of helping college students enroll, select courses, and complete their college careers. Now Apel says it’s time for him to do the same, and he’s looking to the new UW Flexible Option degree programs as his path to success.
Apel began his career in the late 1990s. After receiving his associate degree in computer science, he went to work for the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development. Now, after nearly ten years at UW-Madison, Apel says he needs a bachelor’s degree to advance. He’s preparing to earn that degree in Information Science and Technology.
“I figured it was time to go back and get my bachelor’s degree in information systems and technology, offered through the Flex program,” Apel says. “It seems like a perfect fit.”
As a working father of three, Apel says the traditional model of higher education was not for him. Returning to the classroom wasn’t realistic, so he began to consider online models. Then he heard about the UW Flexible Option. Now, Apel says, his options for returning to school are literally more flexible.
“I just don’t have the time to sit in the class and take traditional type offerings, so the Flex Option is a really good fit,” Apel says. “It not only enables me to work at my own pace, but to apply the knowledge that I’ve already attained.”
The UW Flexible Option interests Apel not only because he understands what goes into establishing programs and courses in higher education, or the fact that the program is designed with working adults in mind. It’s also because he recognizes the tradition of high-quality educational programs on which the UW Flexible Option is built.
“What really impressed me about the Flexible Option was the ability and work everyone put into the competencies, the collaboration between the faculty and the administration to establish an accredited competency-based degree program in higher education,” Apel says.
As he sets off on this adventure, Apel says he looks forward to earning his degree and leveraging his new credential in pursuit of leadership-based roles within the Office of the Registrar.
Apel says now that going back to school is an option, he sees endless possibilities for his future.
To find out more about the UW Flexible Option and whether this competency-based education option is a good fit for you, call a friendly enrollment adviser today at 1-877-895-3276.
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