Higher Education in CSHPE: Master's Ambassadors
Ambassadors are current students and alumni who have agreed to answer your questions about CSHPE. Please contact any of the students or alumni listed below if you are interested in exploring the program from a student’s point of view.
If you have general Higher Education questions, please contact the CSHPE
program directly. Remember: To help us alert you to recruitment
events and the latest admissions updates, be sure to also fill out a graduate
program inquiry form
.
Current Students:
Natalie Bartolacci - nplosky@umich.edu
I am a part-time Master’s student at CSHPE. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from the University of Michigan. Though the setting of U-M was not new to me as a student, graduate school is a whole new world from my undergraduate experience. It is
exciting and invigorating to be around students and faculty who are passionate about higher education.
I entered the program thinking that I knew exactly which classes I wanted to take and which direction I wanted to go. After my first year, I realized that my interests had broadened and that there was so much more to learn than I originally had thought. I feel like I am in a good program to explore these interests with amazing faculty members.I have worked at the University of Michigan for the past five years, first at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching and now at Rackham Graduate School. I knew that I wanted to continue a career in higher education, but I felt that I was lacking some of the fundamental theories and a broader understanding of the field of higher education. I decided to continue working full-time while pursuing my education part-time and my current position serves as my “internship” requirement for the program.
Please contact me if you have any questions about what it is like to be a part-time student in the program.
Inger Bergom – inbe@umich.edu
I am a master’s student in the CSHPE program. I received my BA in music from Grinnell College. After beginning a graduate program in music composition, I realized that path wasn’t for me. I was more interested in how the program was structured and run than I was in actually writing music. Since my primary interest is college student development and learning outcomes, I looked at graduate programs for student affairs/college student personnel and programs for higher education administration in general, like Michigan’s. I decided on Michigan because here I can study college student development within a broader institutional and social context. I’ve developed an understanding of how student learning and development is affected by forces outside of student affairs, like public policy, state and federal law, and the governance and organization of an institution.
I hope to work as a student affairs administrator at a small or mid-sized institution. Because I have gained an understanding of some of the major issues facing higher education as a whole, I feel equipped to become a leader in student affairs who can work to promote diversity, commitment to public good, and global and intercultural awareness. In addition to gaining professional preparation and a knowledge base in higher education, I have received wonderful support from faculty and staff and have been impressed by the diversity of backgrounds and ideas represented in my cohort. I would be happy to talk with anyone who might be interested in the program!
Alumni Ambassadors:
Leah Beasley (beasleyl@umich.edu)
