University College educates soldiers

With about 50,000 active duty military students or their dependents taking classes and satellite offices in Kuwait and Afghanistan, UMUC is one of the largest providers of education for the U.S. Department of Defense, President Susan Aldridge said.

A longtime military contractor, UMUC has built a presence on military bases around the country and the world. The university is represented on every military base in Maryland.

“When the soldiers are not doing a mission and there is downtime — what better to fill it with than education?” asked Marky Campbell, the executive director of Maryland operations at UMUC.

When the college first started providing distance learning in the 1960s, classes were videotaped and sent out to students. As the Internet evolved, classes became more high tech, and the satellite locations continued to grow.

The majority of UMUC’s military students are undergraduates, and the most popular majors are business, management studies, criminal justice and information systems management.

Aldridge said working with the military gives UMUC a special responsibility to provide high-caliber education.

“In order to meet their standards, we must have rigorous [classes],” Aldridge said. “These student must receive a quality education because their promotions are really dependent on it.”

Soldier Mark McKaig, 39, received his bachelor’s degree in business management from UMUC in 2003 and is working toward his master’s degree in telecommunications.

When he first started his undergraduate classes, he was stationed at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington.

“I did my research, and UMUC was by far the most flexible and accessible with traditional classes and online classes,” he said.

Even though he was constantly traveling because of his job, he finished in three years.

“Civilian education is looked on highly when it comes to promotions,” he said. “If you want to get promoted, one of the quickest ways is to get a degree.”

mmcilroy@baltimoreexaminer.com