Katherine-Elizabeth Armstrong is a capital campaign manager and member tour manager at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is also the O’Neill Online representative to the O’Neill Graduate Student Association. She brought 15 years of teaching experience with her to the O’Neill Online program.
Students working from the far reaches of the planet bring unique and profoundly relevant experiences to the online classroom environment.
Why did you choose the O’Neill Online MPA program?
I chose the O’Neill Online program for several reasons. First, I am an IU alumna. Being part of IU again is like being home. O’Neill Online was also a good fit because until recently, I have been bound to New Mexico while my girls were in school here. I wanted to participate in a well-respected program and my only choice was to do so remotely. The O’Neill MPA program in Nonprofit Management is second to none!
How has the flexibility of the online program helped you to balance all of your responsibilities?
The online platform of O’Neill Online has allowed me work and finish raising my children in New Mexico. I can study and participate in class from anywhere and at any time: at school where I used to teach, in the car waiting to pick up my girls from after school commitments, early in the morning or at night when residential classes usually do not meet, and even when I travel to visit my daughters who are now in college themselves.
What are your main academic/policy areas of interest and what led you to those interests?
My areas of concentration are in Nonprofit Management and Policy Analysis. I want to pursue a career in university administration, hopefully at IU Bloomington someday soon. I love being of service to others and previously, being a classroom teacher was one way of doing that. As a curious person, problem solver and life-long learner I thrive in academic environments and enjoy participating in academic communities, in ways that are beneficial and personally meaningful.
Describe your role and experience as O’Neill Online’s representative to the O'Neill Graduate Student Association (GSA).
As the O’Neill Online representative, my role is to advocate for my O’Neill Online peers from around the world within O’Neill, and to help facilitate connections between in-residence O’Neill students and their O’Neill Online peers. With the support of my colleagues in O’Neill GSA, I am exploring several areas in which this may be accomplished:
Is there anything else you would like prospective students to know about you or your experience in the program?
There seems to be a great deal of mutual respect between professors teaching in the O'Neill Online program and the O'Neill Online students themselves. Students working from the far reaches of the planet, many of whom are deeply imbedded into their careers, bring unique and profoundly relevant experiences to the online classroom environment. With the expertise and dedication of O'Neill Online professors the learning is rich with meaningful relationships formed with each class experience.
