Carson Professional Programs Strategize for Future Success

A Message from Associate Dean Cheryl Oliver

From professional athletes to medical executives, community volunteers to government leaders, entrepreneurs to software engineers, emerging business managers to seasoned military leaders and many more, online MBA programs in the Carson College have graduated more than 2,000 alumni through the WSU Global Campus.

Over the 14 years that we have offered the Online MBA and Executive MBA Online, we have seen significant enrollment growth, been recognized consistently by national ranking outlets, and worked to continuously improve the student experience. There are two important ways we ensure students are successful and prepared to lead in their organizations: adding value while also adapting to changing working environments, and doing well while doing good.

Extensive review guides curricula into the next five years

We completed implementation of five years of curricular and programmatic revision in 2022. This fall, we’ll launch a task force to evaluate the efficacy of these changes and recommend market-forward curricular activity for the next five years.

This is no small undertaking. As we adapt to new technologies and streamline processes in a highly regulated environment, it is important to strategically position team members where they can best manage processes and guide our working professional students and executives in their academic pursuits and leadership development.

Matt Beer tapped to lead Carson master’s programs

I am very pleased to introduce you to Matt Beer, who was recently appointed as the director of Carson College master’s programs. You may be familiar with him if you have been following our success serving military and veteran students and their dependents. He has leveled up our ability to empower students in finding civilian career opportunities commensurate with their experience, provided leadership development, and scaled our ability to offer consistent programming and community for this special population.

Beer (’96 Poli. Sci.) served in the United States Air Force for 22 years. He was the department chair of Aerospace Studies at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and continues to teach for the USAF Air Command and Staff College. Importantly, he is a graduate of and now an advisory member for the George W. Bush Veteran Higher Education Task Force and a Presidential Leadership Scholar. I am excited for him to extend the impact he has made on our military and veteran students and their dependents to the rest of our student population. His ability to create community at scale, continuously improve processes and outcomes, and develop leaders around him is critical to our next five-year vision.

As we work to continue to offer high quality, affordable, business education in an ever-changing technological and business environment, Beer’s leadership will be essential. His work will support our team in improving business processes and sustaining programs for a diverse, global body of students who will be equipped to lead in dynamic organizations worldwide.

Continue to watch for student and alumni success stories over the year ahead. These are evidence of the incredible impact of Carson programs on the lives of our students, their families, their communities, and the companies they serve. You’ll see and hear more of Beer’s engagement in these stories as well as his presence in MBA activity over the year ahead.

Go Cougs!

Cheryl Oliver
Associate Dean, Professional Programs