Women demonstrating in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment.  Photo: Ray Fairall

There is no question about it — the U.S. Constitution of 1789 did not include women in “We the People.” Efforts to rectify this inequity range from the famed declaration at Seneca Falls in 1848 through the first-, second-, and third-wave feminist movements to the present. According to recent polling data by the ERA Coalition, 80 percent of Americans today mistakenly believe the U.S. Constitution already guarantees men and women equal rights. When they discover it does not, 94 percent support an amendment to guarantee it. The numbers indicate overwhelming support by both men and women from across the political spectrum. Why then does no such amendment exist?

An Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution passed easily through both houses of Congress in 1972 and made its way to the states for ratification. The wording of the ERA was a simple statement guaranteeing equality under the law:

Within a year, 30 of the 38 necessary states had ratified, and passage seemed all but assured. But the ERA’s progress through the states unraveled over the course of the 1970s and 1980s because of a growing backlash, which led to the amendment’s eventual failure in 1982. How did this clash come to pass? Why did Americans, especially women, disagree so profoundly about the idea of constitutional equality of the sexes? Could the ERA still pass in our current era, and if so, what changes could it bring to our society?

The Early ERA Movement

In the wake of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which guaranteed women the right to vote, many suffragists — now organized and politically mobilized — did not simply return to the domestic sphere. The National Women’s Party, led by famous suffragist Alice Paul, pursued a new phase of activism: lobbying for an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. An ERA was first introduced to Congress in 1923, stating simply: “Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction.” Paul believed that the 19th Amendment alone would not be enough to assure equal protection of the laws for women (nor would the 14th Amendment, as some argued), necessitating passage of the ERA to “remove every artificial handicap placed upon women by law and by custom.”

Paul’s ideas were popular among white, middle-class women in the 1920s and 1930s but did not resonate widely. Working-class women, in particular, feared the ERA would overturn protective legislation for women in the workplace. For example, Mary Van Kleeck, the first head of the Women’s Bureau in the U.S. Department of Labor, argued against the ERA, stating: “some of our laws which do not apply alike to men and therefore appear to perpetuate legal discriminations against women — such as mother’s pensions and certain provisions for the support of children — do so only superficially. Actually, these laws are intent to protect the home or to safeguard children.” In addition, African American women argued the focus on the ERA did nothing to address the more pressing issue of disfranchisement of their voting rights in the South.

Bipartisan Support

The ERA gained some momentum in 1940 when the Republican Party endorsed it in its platform and the Democratic Party followed suit in 1944. Still, the amendment remained in the shadows of mainstream politics in the middle part of the century, in part because of continued opposition by the labor movement. A turning point came with the 1964 passage of the Civil Rights Act, which included Title VII, prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, essentially nullifying many protective labor laws. The addition of sex was proposed by a segregationist Congressman hoping to use it to tank the bill (to no avail). Unfortunately, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) created to enforce the Civil Rights Act rarely intervened in sexual discrimination grievances. The director Herman Edelsberg viewed the sex clause as a joke, stating “there are people on this commission…who think that no man should be required to have a male secretary and I am one of them.” Nevertheless, by the end of the decade, major labor organizations like the UAW and AFL-CIO had largely reversed their positions on the ERA.

1982 ERA demonstrators in front of the  Florida Supreme Court —Tallahassee, Florida.

Photo: Phil Coale

The growing second-wave feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s returned the ERA to the forefront of American consciousness. The feminist movement led to considerable personal and political gains for women in this era and women’s rights found support on both sides of the aisle; it was neither strictly the realm of Democrats or Republicans. The largest feminist organization of the era, the National Organization of Women (NOW), passed a Bill of Rights in 1967 which included support for the long-sidelined ERA. In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment finally passed through Congress. It had strong bipartisan support, including endorsement by current president Richard Nixon. By all accounts it was nearly a “done deal,” merely awaiting ratification by the necessary three-fourths of the states within seven years to become the 27th Amendment.

Backlash and Failure

So how did a popular, bipartisan amendment fail? The answer lies in the shifts occurring within the Republican Party in this era. The 1960s and 1970s were a period of significant realignment for the GOP, driven in part by debates about feminism and the family. Conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater’s 1964 presidential campaign, along with the rising popularity of Ronald Reagan, represented a challenge to the moderate Rockefeller Republicans. This era also saw the Republican Party pursue disaffected Democratic voters, particularly those in the South and the suburbs who opposed the social changes of the 1960s brought by the civil rights movement, feminism, counterculture, and the anti-war movement. This shift coalesced into the rise of the “New Right”— a diverse coalition of social conservatives motivated by their positions on race, religion, family, or gender roles. Many social conservatives felt called to action in opposition to the gains of the feminist movement, particularly the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, Roe v. Wade. Republican feminists, meanwhile, who were committed both to small-government conservatism and women’s rights, found themselves in a precarious position within their own party. Many prominent Republican feminists, like Jill Ruckelshaus and Mary Dent Crisp, continued to push back against the New Right coalition from within, insisting feminism and Republican values were not antithetical, and the Republican Party, the original home of suffrage and the ERA, ought to continue to support women’s rights legislation.

But increasingly, Republican feminists lost ground to anti-feminist leaders in the party. Foremost among these was Phyllis Schlafly, who rose to fame with her book “A Choice Not an Echo,” written in support of Goldwater in 1964. Contrary to popular misconception, Schlafly was not always opposed to the ERA; she even thought it might be “mildly helpful.” However, in 1972, after a friend encouraged her to take a deeper look, she came out in strong opposition and formed the organization STOP ERA (an acronym for “Stop Taking Our Privileges”). Part of her opposition stemmed from her belief in limited government, fearing that the amendment would grant too much power to the federal government to interfere in the traditional family. Her STOP ERA movement resonated across the country with socially conservative religious women who opposed challenges to traditional gender roles. Schlafly stoked fears of change by highlighting the potentially wide-ranging ramifications of the amendment. She argued: the ERA would force men and women to share public restrooms, lead to women being drafted into combat, hurt women’s custody rights in divorce cases, and lead to same-sex marriage and unlimited abortion rights. She attacked not just Democrats, but members of her own party for their failure to recognize the threat of the ERA. Schlafly especially pulled no punches in critiquing so-called “women’s libbers” who supported the ERA because, she argued, they “hate men, marriage, and children.”

By the late 1970s the amendment had lost considerable momentum due to STOP ERA’s pressure on state legislators. Thirty-five states had ratified, three shy of the goal. In the meantime, five additional states rescinded their ratification, an outcome of questionable legality. Proponents of the ERA continued to campaign in favor of the amendment that would, as they argued during the International Women’s Year Conference of 1977, “enshrine in the Constitution the value judgment that sex discrimination is wrong.” They countered Schlafly’s assertions by arguing the ERA “will NOT change or weaken family structure” and would not affect same-sex marriage laws, abortion laws, or require unisex bathrooms. They noted the broad support for the ERA among both Republicans and Democrats, including by the last six presidents of the United States.

Approaching the 1979 deadline, with pressure from feminists and a NOW-sponsored boycott of unratified states, Congress extended the ratification deadline until 1982. But the three remaining states never came. The realignment of the Republican Party toward the New Right was a certainty by the 1980 presidential election. Indeed, the 1980 GOP platform was the first to not include support for the ERA in 40 years. In 1982, still three states short, the amendment failed. At the time of the amendment’s failure, most Americans still supported it. Even in unratified states like North Carolina, Florida, and Illinois, a solid majority favored its passage.

The ERA Today and Tomorrow

ERA proponents believe a path toward ratification still exists today. The most promising is the “three state strategy” wherein legal scholars believe three additional states could ratify to reach the required 38 total and then Congress could repeal the original ratification deadline. While this would certainly ignite debate around the issues of the rescission and ratification deadlines, it’s a possibility that has come much closer to fruition recently as Nevada and Illinois became the 36th and 37th states to ratify in 2017 and 2018. ERA bills have also been introduced in other unratified states, including Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Georgia.

A scene from a rally on marzo 22, 2012, at the U.S. Capitol marking the 40th anniversary of Congress’ passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Many of Phyllis Schlafly’s talking points against the amendment, regardless of their validity, are no longer contemporary concerns — women are no longer excluded from combat and politicians on both sides of the aisle support women registering for the Selective Service, gender-neutral bathrooms are common, Obergfell v. Hodges (2015) legalized same-sex marriage, and women no longer receive custody preference in divorce cases. No longer able to fall back on Schlafly’s old arguments against it, some critics now charge the ERA is simply no longer necessary. Indeed, without the ERA, other laws have closed gaps in sex discrimination, including Title IX of the Education Amendments (1972), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (1974), the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1978), the Violence Against Women Act (1994), and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (2009). In addition, 24 state constitutions now have provisions guaranteeing equal rights on the basis of sex.

Yet there are still no guarantees of equal rights at a constitutional level and legislation can be overturned much more easily than a constitutional amendment. While some people have argued that the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment already guarantees equality in the Constitution, an argument made continuously since the days of Alice Paul, the problem is that it is subject to differing interpretations by the courts and not a clear guarantee. As the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia argued in 2011, “certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn’t.”

Discrimination against women occurs daily in our current society, and legal and judicial remedies have proved incomplete in addressing it. Legal solutions to sex discrimination have failed in such areas as pregnancy discrimination, domestic violence, and pay inequality. For example, courts have upheld the constitutionality of paying a woman less than a man doing the same work because the woman’s salary in her previous job was less than the man’s. As a result, “women can expect to earn much less than men over the course of their careers — anywhere from $700,000 to $2 million less,” says Jessica Neuwirth, president of the ERA Coalition, in her book “Equal Means Equal: Why the Time for an Equal Rights Amendment Is Now.”

Would passage of the ERA lead automatically to a sex-blind and equal society? That’s not likely, at least at first. However, as Neuwirth, articulates, “the way our Constitution works, we cannot say with certainty what exactly the ERA will or won’t do… It is for Congress and state legislators to pass laws, and for courts to interpret them. What we can say with certainty is that the ERA will give the courts a new standard, a clear and strong statement of sex equality.”

Button images are from the collection of Jo Freeman, except ones marked with an asterisk.

Photo: Marked images are courtesy of sherwoodstreasures.com.

It would likewise help to put the U.S. back on equal footing internationally with the 187 nations (nearly every nation on Earth) that ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the 139 with sex equality provisions in their constitutions. As Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued at a Duke University Law School talk in 2005, “Every constitution written since the end of World War II includes a provision that men and women are citizens of equal stature. Ours does not.”

Perhaps the most compelling reason to seek ratification likewise comes from Justice Ginsburg’s 2005 remarks at Duke, articulating its importance for the next generation, “I have three granddaughters. I’d like them to be able to take out their Constitution and say, ‘Here is a basic premise of our system, that men and women are persons of equal stature.’ But it’s not in there.”

Joanna Lew left a traditional college to enlist in the Navy, and her naval career led her to a job at Exelon. Ken Buske wanted to strengthen his performance at Exelon’s Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station. Michael Johnson retired from the Navy in 2000 and was eager to translate his experience into a civilian career.

While each took a different path, they all benefited from Excelsior College’s partnership with the Energy Providers Coalition for Education (EPCE), earning a nuclear engineering technology degree from Excelsior College.

Excelsior College began its partnership with EPCE over a decade ago. EPCE, a nonprofit founded in 2000, connects energy companies with academic programs that they can offer to their employees. A vital resource for the energy industry, EPCE works with more than 2,500 companies to share industry-inspired academic programs, such as Excelsior College’s bachelor’s in nuclear engineering technology program.

“Our partnership allows companies that are EPCE members to enroll employees in our diverse energy programs, no matter the number of employees, whether it’s one from one plant or 10 from several plants,” said EPCE Director Christine Carpenter. “Because we are providing this opportunity nationally to all of our different utility companies, it’s very much a shared resource … that addresses national, regional, and local employer workforce education and training needs whenever they come up.”

EPCE’s energy industry members recommend programs based on their workforce needs to EPCE’s governance committee. EPCE then works with its partner colleges and universities to ensure programs are available to train workers to fill those needs. In 2007, the nuclear technology field became a focal point for Excelsior College as it began offering a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering Technology through an EPCE partnership.

“In the 1970s and 1980s there was a large demand for nuclear workers, but the demand started to slow down. There was no longer a need to hire personnel, so the hiring process stagnated over the years to the point where that influx of people that we were hiring then are now ready to retire,” said Willie Plaza, a senior operations instructor at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant in Maryland. “We forecasted that this population will be retiring, and we needed to supplement that workforce.”

In 2015, the Nuclear Energy Institute issued a report that estimated nearly 40 percent of the nuclear workforce would be eligible for retirement by 2018. This means the need for nuclear workers continues to be significant. The wave of opportunities available in the field is good news for students pursuing degrees in nuclear engineering technology.

Introducing Exelon Employees to Excelsior

Exelon employees gain on-the-job experience in the nuclear field. While some don’t have college degrees, their professional training — and any previous military experience — can translate into college credit. EPCE works with Excelsior College and other colleges and universities to convert previous experience into credit. This helps accelerate the academic journey for energy industry workers who want to earn their bachelor’s degree.

“Being able to apply someone’s previous learning toward college credit is an absolute must for adults. It is something that every one of our education providers are experts at, and I believe this is one of the areas where Excelsior College really shines,” said Carpenter. “They have assessed the type of employee training provided in the nuclear industry, and because that training is accredited, they can provide actual college credit.

“In some cases, over half of the credits required for a bachelor are already obtained,” she added. “When you think about that, it’s saving time, saving money, and it is validating the training that’s already being provided within the industry.”

On average, employees from EPCE-member companies earn 67 college credits based on their previous learning and training experiences — which moves these employees more than halfway toward achieving a degree at Excelsior.

Earning higher academic credentials allows workers to move up the ranks. At Exelon, officials have seen how education through the EPCE partnership has been a catalyst for their employees’ careers.

“We’ve literally had individuals start as contract administrators and become Exelon Corporation employees who are now managers in our company because of this program,” said Janna Jackson, senior site communications specialist at Calvert Cliffs, an Exelon facility commissioned in the 1970s.

Excelsior College has sent representatives to Calvert Cliffs for its Educational Conference Days, which many energy plants hold for their employees and run similar to job fairs. During these events, Exelon highlights individuals who have gone back to school to earn college degrees.

“Their stories can be so impactful to those who may be in similar shoes and may not realize this program can really be leveraged to springboard their career into something bigger and better,” said Tiffany Curry, senior HR generalist at Calvert Cliffs. “You don’t have to come in with a degree to somehow land on the leadership team. You can start at the bottom, gain your experience, work through Excelsior College, and ultimately land where you want to be.”

Academic advisors at Excelsior College review Exelon employees’ transcripts, which are submitted prior to any site visit. This preliminary evaluation gives power plant employees a better idea of how many credits they may already have earned based on their previous experience and training. It allows them to have a more meaningful conversation with Excelsior College representatives during Educational Conference Days.

In addition to reviewing military and employment training records, Excelsior College reviews any college credits employees may have earned. Excelsior College has partnerships with academic institutions and community colleges throughout the country — and at power plants, like Calvert Cliffs, those partnerships open up new pathways for Exelon employees.

“Students can follow the curriculum at the College of Southern Maryland (a community college near Calvert Cliffs), follow that associate degree and rest assured that all of those credits will transfer, in addition to other credits, to really help employees save money and maximize their time at the community college,” said Lisa Romano, Excelsior College’s regional director of government and workforce partnerships. “It’s a great opportunity to save money.”

Michael Johnson first met Willie Plaza when they both worked at Exelon from 2011 through 2014, partnering with Plaza on a training audit at an Exelon facility. They both shared an interest in helping workers gain the skills they needed to advance their careers.

Later, Johnson left Exelon to become a faculty program director at Excelsior College and, after other roles, became the associate dean for technology for the School of Undergraduate Studies.

When Johnson eventually reconnected with Plaza at a Calvert Cliffs education day, it helped strengthen Excelsior’s collaborative relationship with Exelon. In this role, Johnson helped design and implement Excelsior’s strategic effort to introduce Exelon workers to the value of ongoing higher education.

Centered around targeted outreach to Exelon employees, the plan bolsters the impact of Excelsior’s site visits. Ahead of the visit, college staff members complete transcript evaluations and encourage interested employees to take advantage of this on-the-job opportunity to learn about their programs. Once on site, Excelsior’s representatives communicate directly with Exelon employees about how an Excelsior degree can accelerate their nuclear careers. Excelsior College also gives employees the option to enroll on the spot.

180 Nuclear Engineering Tech Grads Each Year

The carefully executed visits have worked well for Excelsior College, EPCE, and Exelon. At least five Exelon employees enroll in the nuclear engineering technology program with each visit.

Exelon values the high-quality education Excelsior is providing its nuclear engineering technology students, and Excelsior has found Exelon employees to be ready and eager to work hard to quickly earn their degree. The trust and partnership between Exelon and Excelsior has grown so strong that Exelon interviews nearly every nuclear engineering technology graduate, who is not already committed to another company, for job opportunities at their facilities.

“Exelon, as a company, offers a very generous tuition reimbursement program, and coupling that with the relationship with Excelsior College, we’ve had a lot of success stories come out of our own specific station at Calvert Cliffs to where we’re able to develop and grow our employees from the ground up,” says Curry. “It’s been really fun to watch, and I feel as though we are better prepared to take on the future of nuclear. We have the right leaders, or people waiting in the wings to take on those leadership roles.”

The capstone course, the final requirement for the nuclear engineering technology degree, usually has 12 students over five sections, which means each year 180 students earn their degree. Since the program’s inception, more than 1,772 students have earned a degree in nuclear engineering technology.

The BS in nuclear engineering technology program at Excelsior College has a unique strength in its ABET accreditation. Only 19 schools have online programs that are ABET-accredited. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, a national non-governmental organization, reviews and accredits programs that meet certain standards and successfully prepare graduates for jobs in engineering and technology fields.

However, it’s not only the nuclear engineering technology program that Excelsior College promotes with its Exelon visits. Excelsior also has two other ABET-accredited programs, the BS in Electrical Engineering Technology and the BS in Information Technology, that employees often pursue. Several have enrolled in Excelsior’s MBA program, too.

One example is Bill Klee, who connected with Johnson on an Excelsior College visit in 2016. Klee was drawn to the BS in Information Technology program. Johnson kept in contact with Klee after their visit. Klee decided to enroll, partially because Excelsior College provided 72 credits toward Klee’s degree. He’s expected to graduate in mid-mayo 2020, which will help him advance in his career.

A Real Difference in Students’ Lives

Joanna Lew wanted to advance her career. Employed within Exelon’s Philadelphia-area Limerick Station, Lew had joined the U.S. Navy after her first year of college. She then served in the Nuclear Power Program for two years. Lew felt it was essential that she earn a technical degree to supplement her professional experience, which is why she chose Excelsior College’s nuclear engineering technology program. She earned her bachelor’s in Enero 2017.

Joanna Lew had 10 years of industry experience before earning a bachelor’s in nuclear engineering technology from Excelsior College in 2017. Since then, she has been promoted twice. In Enero, she became the supervisor in instrumentation and controls maintenance at an Exelon nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. 

Photo courtesy of Joanna Lew

“Online education provided me the ability to continue to work full-time and go to school, while still being able to spend time with my husband and my two little twins,” said Lew.

After graduation, she earned a promotion to lead instructor. Additionally, Exelon placed her in its Emerging Leader Program, and at the recommendation of her supervisors, she was invited to participate in Leadership Tri-County, an exclusive leadership development program offered by her local chamber of commerce.

By securing her degree in nuclear engineering technology, she has accelerated her career and gained new responsibilities in the workplace. “In addition to supervising the group’s instructors, I am responsible for their training and professional development; ensuring compliance with corporate procedures and federal regulatory requirements,” said Lew. She has since been promoted in fall 2018 to a supervisor position.

Ken Buske, as a reactor operator, knew a nuclear engineering technology degree would help assist in the safe, everyday operation of Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station. Buske ultimately chose Excelsior after one of the college’s site visits.

“Excelsior College has positioned themselves very favorably in the online academic community, not only in terms of administrative excellence, but through their selection of faculty,” said Buske. “I had the opportunity to work with incredible minds; individuals who pushed my limits, and those who provoked the essential critical thinking that creates graduates worthy of success in competitive career fields.”

Johnson’s New Role in the Nuclear Field

Earlier this year, Johnson returned to the nuclear industry after accepting a job as site manager for an alliance partner with Exelon at the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in central New York state.

He still works as an instructional faculty member at Excelsior College. He’ll remain an essential part of Excelsior College’s nuclear workforce development efforts as he expands and advances his own professional career at Exelon’s FitzPatrick plant.

As a site manager, Johnson takes on an especially vital role for Exelon during routine outages, which are scheduled periods of time when electricity demand is low and workers are deployed for equipment inspection, maintenance, or refueling.

“I develop all of their estimates. I’m responsible for the workforce. We bring in the local union guys whenever we have work on the schedule, so I have to manage them and supervise,” said Johnson. “During an outage, you can get up to close to a thousand people who are working directly under my leadership.”

With his high level of expertise in nuclear energy and higher education, Johnson understands how to access programs and resources to prepare the workforce he directs with the necessary skills to excel in their jobs.

“This is another opportunity for me to engage with the industry … and help the industry become more efficient and be more competitive,” Johnson said.

The workforce needs of the nuclear energy industry remain significant. However, through its relationship with Excelsior College, Exelon has created a vital workforce pipeline that has helped the company find the people they need: well-trained, highly skilled nuclear energy workers like Lew, Buske, Klee, and Johnson.

La ceremonia de graduación es un día lleno de emoción. Cientos de graduados de Excelsior acuden desde todos los rincones de Estados Unidos y otros países para celebrar la consecución de uno de los mayores objetivos de sus vidas: obtener su título universitario. Sus familias suelen aplaudir y animarlos desde el público, lo que convierte el momento en una experiencia conmovedora. A veces, sin embargo, el evento resulta aún más especial cuando los miembros de una misma familia han cursado sus estudios juntos y comparten la experiencia de cruzar el escenario. En la pasada ceremonia de graduación, al igual que en otros años, varios miembros de una misma familia lucían sus togas y estaban listos para la celebración.

Raven Short y Willie Short

Raven Short tenía muchos consejos que compartir con su padre, Willie Short, mientras ambos estudiaban en el Excelsior College. En aquella época, Raven trabajaba en la YMCA de Schenectady, Nueva York, colaborando con el Programa de Éxito para Afroamericanos y Latinos, donde ayudaba a los jóvenes a planificar sus próximos pasos tras terminar el instituto. También era asesora académica en Excelsior, y ambos trabajos la situaban en una posición ideal para ayudar a su padre a sortear las complejidades de volver a estudiar como estudiante adulto.

Raven Short y su padre, Willie Short, se apoyaron mutuamente mientras cursaban sus estudios —Raven, un máster en Ciencias de la Gestión, y Willie, una licenciatura en Ciencias del Liderazgo Militar— y solían recordarse el uno al otro cuándo vencían los plazos de entrega de trabajos y de publicación de comentarios. Sin embargo, lo más gratificante de todo este proceso fue poder compartir juntos la ceremonia de graduación. Foto: Mike Hemberger

«Mi faceta de asesora académica «sin duda influyó», afirma Raven, quien se mantenía al tanto de los hábitos de estudio de su padre. usted preguntaba: usted todo? usted su Centro de mensajes?”»

Willie, que nació y se crió en Brooklyn, Nueva York, asistió al Hudson Valley Community College en Troy, Nueva York, pero debido a diversos obstáculos y experiencias vitales, no llegó a graduarse. Se alistó en el ejército y recuerda haber animado a muchos soldados a volver a estudiar. Fue entonces cuando se dio cuenta de que también había llegado el momento de que él mismo cursara estudios superiores. Al principio le resultó difícil, pero con la ayuda de su hija, logró organizarse con el trabajo. Recuerda que estudiaba a cualquier hora del día, siempre que tenía un momento libre. «Había veces en las que viajaba al extranjero o a otros estados, y cuando terminábamos el entrenamiento, ni siquiera iba a mi habitación, sino que me dirigía directamente al vestíbulo, me sentaba y sacaba mi ordenador portátil… A veces llamaba a mi hija y le decía: “Raven, ayúdame con esto”, y ella me respondía: “Papá, averígualo tú mismo”. Y entonces tengo que resolverlo yo mismo», dice Willie, que actualmente es sargento mayor y opta al grado de sargento mayor en la Guardia Nacional de Washington, D.C.

Ambos coinciden en que estudiar juntos fue de gran ayuda, a pesar de la diferencia horaria de ocho horas entre sus lugares de residencia y de que cursaran programas diferentes. Aunque Raven obtuvo un Máster en Ciencias de la Gestión en agosto de 2018 y Willie una Licenciatura en Ciencias del Liderazgo Militar en septiembre de 2018, ambos solían apoyarse mutuamente. Raven recuerda que se recordaban mutuamente las fechas límite de los trabajos y cuándo había que hacer los exámenes. Ella dice: «Nos llamábamos y decíamos: “El miércoles vence tu trabajo, ¿verdad?”… “Son las 11:59, tenemos que entregarlo a tiempo, antes de la fecha límite”… él fue un gran apoyo, además de que lo entendía; conocía las fechas límite y todos los pormenores».

Willie añade que le resultó muy útil que su hija le ayudara con los detalles de los deberes, incluido el formato APA para redactar trabajos académicos. Señala que una de las cosas más valiosas que aprendió durante el proceso fue la capacidad de su hija para ayudar a los demás. «… Como padre, usted quiere que su hija tenga más éxito que uno mismo, así que esto me dio la oportunidad de ver sus puntos fuertes y sus puntos débiles», afirma.

Raven es licenciada en Comunicación por el College of Saint Rose, pero sabía que quería seguir formándose. Como orientadora, ayudar a los estudiantes a obtener sus títulos es gratificante, pero siempre supo que quería cursar sus propios estudios. Ahora que tiene su máster, esto le resulta de gran ayuda en su trabajo; afirma: «Poder contar mi experiencia para que [los estudiantes] puedan volver a estudiar y obtener su título también resulta beneficioso».

Raven afirma que obtener su título significa mucho para ella, sobre todo sabiendo que perseveró y nunca se rindió. Añade lo emocionante que es ver las puertas que se le abrirán a partir de ahora. Willie se hace eco de este comentario y señala que tener su título le resultará beneficioso cuando esté listo para dejar el ejército. Por ahora, se siente feliz de que haber obtenido su título demuestre a otros soldados que «no hay excusas» y que usted lograr cualquier cosa. Willie afirma que ahora está considerando cursar un máster en ciberseguridad.

Independientemente de lo que les depare el futuro, Raven [que desde entonces ha aceptado un puesto fuera del Excelsior College] y Willie coinciden en que celebrar juntos la obtención de sus títulos en la ceremonia de graduación fue un acontecimiento único en la vida. «Creo que estoy más emocionada por él que por mí misma», afirma Raven, «… ahora, ver que él ha podido cumplir su sueño y que yo también estoy allí, es algo muy importante… Estoy emocionado por obtener mi título, pero hacerlo con él es la guinda del pastel». Willie añade: «Estoy emocionado por tener mi título y poder tacharlo de la lista, porque siempre ha sido algo que quería hacer, pero estar con mi hija… usted de ello, pero yo pienso: “Vaya, realmente lo estoy haciendo”… ¿qué padre puede decir que se graduó junto a su hija en la universidad?».

Vonda Loats, Greg Loats y Faith Potter

Vonda Loats obtuvo un título de grado asociado en enfermería en el Excelsior College en 2013. Desde entonces, no solo ha obtenido un máster en formación en enfermería, sino que también ha animado a su marido y a su hija a cursar, respectivamente, un grado asociado en Ciencias Aplicadas en Tecnología y una licenciatura en Estudios Profesionales en Negocios y Gestión en el Excelsior.

Al principio, la principal razón por la que Vonda decidió volver a estudiar fue para mostrar a sus hijos la importancia de la educación. «Además, sabía de lo que era capaz y quería sentirme orgullosa de mí misma», añade esta enfermera a tiempo completo. Explica que su marido, Greg, asistió a una universidad presencial hace más de veinte años, pero nunca terminó su título de técnico superior. «Le convencí para que se evaluaran sus créditos en Excelsior y viera si había alguna forma de que pudiera terminar su título de técnico superior. Excelsior se mostró muy abierta a la convalidación de créditos, y él pudo completar su título en uno o dos semestres», afirma.

Para Vonda y Greg Loats y su hija, Faith Potter, asistir a la ceremonia de graduación fue un acontecimiento familiar. Viajaron desde Ohio a Nueva York con toda la familia para celebrar la obtención, respectivamente, de un Máster en Ciencias de la Enfermería, un Título de Técnico Superior en Tecnología y una Licenciatura en Estudios Profesionales en Negocios y Gestión. Foto: Mike Hemberger

«Cuando nos dimos cuenta de que era una oportunidad viable, decidimos simplemente llevarla a cabo», añade Greg.

Faith Potter, hija de Vonda y hijastra de Greg, asistió a un centro de formación profesional tras graduarse en el instituto en 2013, pero el trayecto era demasiado largo y estar sentada en un aula no era el entorno adecuado para ella. «Conocía Excelsior gracias a mis propios cursos en línea y decidió probarlo por sí misma; le encantó la estructura de los cursos», explica Vonda.

Fue entonces cuando Faith decidió reunirse con sus padres y matricularse en Excelsior. Se matriculó en la universidad en julio de 2014.

«En realidad, eso me facilitó un poco las cosas», afirma Faith al referirse a haber asistido a la escuela al mismo tiempo que su madre y su padrastro. «Fue agradable contar con un grupo de apoyo que estaba pasando por las mismas experiencias que yo». Vonda añade: «Pudimos animarnos unas a otras aún más porque ya sabíamos cómo funcionaban los formatos en línea». La familia señala que a menudo se apoyaban mutuamente para hacer los deberes, sobre todo a la hora de revisar los trabajos de los demás y aportar ideas.

Faith recuerda que participar en los foros de debate en línea supuso todo un reto. «La publicación inicial del debate fue la parte fácil. Lo difícil fue responder a los comentarios de otros tres o cuatro estudiantes. A veces tenía que volver a mirar los sábados y a primera hora de los domingos… Me daba miedo no poder cumplir a tiempo con los requisitos del trabajo… ¡Además, estaba organizando mi boda!». La atareada futura novia le cogió el tranquillo y contó con el apoyo de su madre. Faith afirma: «Siempre que las cosas se ponían estresantes, ella me animaba a seguir adelante e intentaba ayudarme con cualquier duda que tuviera».

Vonda señala que la organización fue la clave para completar el máster en formación en enfermería en menos de cinco años, y afirma: «Siento una enorme sensación de logro al haber completado mi máster, y creo que ahora tengo una mayor seguridad laboral». Su marido y su hija le fueron de gran ayuda para alcanzar ese objetivo. «Mi hija estaba cursando su grado al mismo tiempo, y mi marido completó su título de técnico superior durante ese mismo periodo. Esto nos proporcionó un enorme apoyo mutuo y creó un vínculo familiar que siempre compartiremos», resume.

Asistir juntos a la ceremonia de graduación tuvo un significado aún mayor para la familia Loats, ya que celebraron juntos la obtención de sus títulos. «Estaba emocionada por mi graduación y me alegraba muchísimo por mi madre y mi padrastro. ¡Me sentía como si fuéramos los tres mosqueteros!», afirma Faith. Greg añade: «Estoy muy orgulloso de mí mismo, de mi esposa y de mi hijastra por todo lo que han logrado. Nunca olvidaré haber podido compartir esto con ellos.» Vonda resume la experiencia diciendo: «¡Ni siquiera puedo describir la euforia que todos sentimos durante la ceremonia de graduación!». Habían viajado desde Ohio a Nueva York con el hijo adolescente de Faith y Greg y otros familiares que se unieron a los tres graduados. Y les esperaba una sorpresa adicional, como explica Vonda. «Como todos cursábamos programas diferentes, ¡tuvimos la emoción de vernos unos a otros cruzar el escenario!».

Durga y Ravi Yerra

Ravi Kiran Raju Yerra deseaba volver a estudiar para avanzar en su carrera y poder competir mejor en el ámbito profesional con las generaciones más jóvenes. Su esposa, Durga Bhavani Yerra, trabaja para una empresa que ofrece ayudas para la matrícula universitaria, y decidió aprovechar esos fondos para volver a estudiar. Juntos eligieron el Excelsior College y ambos se graduaron con una Licenciatura en Tecnología en 2017.

Durga Bhavani Yerra y Ravi Kiran Raju Yerra decidieron cursar la Licenciatura en Tecnología en Excelsior debido a la flexibilidad de sus clases, el apoyo a los estudiantes y su sólida reputación. Además, estudiar en esta universidad es una tradición familiar, ya que sus hijos Shashi y Kamal se graduarán en Empresariales en junio de 2019. Foto: Mike Hemberger

La pareja eligió Excelsior por la flexibilidad de sus clases, el apoyo a los estudiantes y su sólida reputación. «Excelsior es una de las mejores escuelas, ya que no solo cuenta con un plan de estudios actual y actualizado, sino que también acepta el máximo de créditos de diferentes fuentes», afirma Ravi. Ambos destacaron que el entorno de aprendizaje en línea era el que mejor se adaptaba a sus necesidades. Durga señala que la configuración le resultaba flexible, y Ravi añade: «El aprendizaje en línea usted brinda usted oportunidad de estudiar las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana; eso es algo increíble para un profesional en activo como yo».

No fue casualidad que ambos cursaran sus estudios al mismo tiempo y en la misma universidad, afirma Durga. Los dos ya habían obtenido una licenciatura en la India y decidieron, como dice Ravi, «mejorar» sus títulos. También señalan que estudiar en Excelsior es una tradición familiar. Su hijo de 15 años, Shashi, y su hijo de 13, Kamal, se graduarán en junio de 2019, ambos con una licenciatura en Administración de Empresas.

Ravi señala que su mayor reto mientras estudiaba fue el tiempo. «El tiempo es el único reto, pero gracias al portal de estudiantes de Excelsior College, que me proporcionó acceso las 24 horas del día», afirma. Para Durga, el reto fue cuidar de sus hijos mientras estudiaba. Ella comenta: «Tengo tres hijos y me resultaba un poco difícil concentrarme; sin embargo, me las arreglé para trasnochar y completar los cursos obligatorios». Ambos se reconocen mutuamente el apoyo y la ayuda prestados para superar los retos; Durga señala que Ravi dedicó tiempo extra a cuidar de los niños. «Debo decir que es divertido. Hubo algunos retos, pero nos hemos apoyado mutuamente para superarlos», afirma Ravi.

A pesar de cursar la misma carrera y asistir a clases similares, Ravi y Durga no recurrían el uno al otro para que les ayudara con los deberes; en cambio, optaron por esforzarse por su cuenta. «Los dos trabajamos en el sector tecnológico y contamos con al menos diez años de experiencia profesional; habíamos decidido aprovechar nuestros conocimientos, lo aprendido y nuestra experiencia para completar las sesiones. Creo firmemente que el conocimiento es un proceso que cada persona debe adquirir para tener éxito en la vida, así que hay que esforzarse por aprender más», explica Ravi. Durga añade que, aunque no le pedía ayuda a su marido con los deberes, a veces acudía a él cuando un concepto le resultaba difícil de entender.

Gracias a su arduo trabajo, ambos obtuvieron sus títulos y asistieron juntos a la ceremonia de graduación, lo cual fue una experiencia muy gratificante. Ravi afirma que fue «divertido, emocionante y un honor» asistir a la graduación con su esposa, y Durga está de acuerdo, ya que, según ella, obtener el título es como ganarse una corona.

Katrina y Lee Andrews

Antes de casarse, Lee y Katrina Andrews ya estaban matriculados en el mismo programa en Excelsior. Cuando se enteraron, supieron que estaban «destinados a estar juntos», afirma Katrina. «Fue el destino lo que nos unió y eso puso de manifiesto todo lo que tenemos en común», añade. Unos años más tarde, ambos obtuvieron un Máster en Ciencias de la Gestión: Katrina en junio de 2017 y Lee en diciembre de 2017.

Ambos eligieron Excelsior para cursar sus estudios superiores debido a su reconocida reputación y a que ofrecía programas de grado que se ajustaban a sus intereses. Lee, sargento primero del Ejército de los Estados Unidos, ya conocía la universidad, ya que había obtenido una Licenciatura en Estudios Profesionales en Negocios y Gestión en 2016.

El hecho de haber asistido a la Universidad Excelsior al mismo tiempo para cursar un Máster en Ciencias de la Gestión fue solo el principio de la lista de cosas que tienen en común Katrina y Lee Andrews, ahora casados. Se dieron cuenta de que estudiar juntos mientras se preparaban para obtener sus títulos fue una experiencia divertida y estimulante. Foto: Mike Hemberger

Katrina, sargento primero del Ejército de los Estados Unidos, afirma que formar parte del ejército implica buscar constantemente formas de destacar entre los compañeros. Al terminar la licenciatura, supo que debía continuar su formación. Lee afirma: «En cuanto terminé la licenciatura, empecé a pensar inmediatamente en el siguiente reto». Añade, además, que para ellos era importante ser un ejemplo a seguir para su hijo, su sobrina y su sobrino.

Tanto Katrina como Lee coinciden en que, aunque el hecho de estudiar en línea les resultó beneficioso —dado que se mudaban con frecuencia por motivos militares y ya tenían experiencia con los ordenadores—, lo más complicado del entorno de aprendizaje fue intentar ponerse en contacto con otros miembros del grupo para realizar los proyectos. «Mis compañeros querían usar Skype y FaceTime; sin embargo, la diferencia horaria lo hacía difícil, porque ese horario coincidía con el momento en que necesitaba hablar con mi familia», dice Katrina. Lee añade: «Era difícil encontrar un horario que se adaptara a todos los miembros del grupo, especialmente mientras estaba destinado en Afganistán».

Cuando las cosas se ponían difíciles, la pareja siempre podía contar la una con la otra. Katrina afirma que Lee siempre la animaba a esforzarse al máximo a la hora de realizar sus trabajos, y Lee señala que Katrina «me presionaba, en sentido figurado, para asegurarse de que me mantuviera al día con mis estudios». Ambos tienen espíritu competitivo, por lo que fue divertido cursar sus estudios juntos, afirma Katrina. «Lo mejor de todo era restregárselo cuando yo sacaba mejores notas que él o viceversa. Podíamos comparar nuestras notas una vez que él terminaba las clases, lo que nos empujaba a ambos a esforzarnos más», afirma.

Katrina y Lee afirman que asistir juntos a la ceremonia de graduación fue una experiencia maravillosa. «Tuve la oportunidad de compartirlo con mi mejor amigo… Compararía esa sensación con ganar un campeonato», afirma Lee, mientras que Katrina añade: «Cruzamos juntos el escenario y fue uno de los momentos más emocionantes de mi vida. Lo pasamos de maravilla en la ceremonia de entrega de togas y me encantó poder compartir ese momento con mi marido».

Katrina afirma que obtener su máster fue un hito importante, ya que es la única de su familia que cuenta con un título de máster. Según ella, es una forma de demostrar a su hijo que la educación es beneficiosa e importante, y también sirve como preparación para la vida tras el servicio militar. Lee está de acuerdo y afirma que ambos creen firmemente en predicar con el ejemplo. Katrina comenta sobre sus planes de futuro: «Mi marido incluso ha mencionado en alguna ocasión la posibilidad de volver a estudiar para obtener otro título, y yo le apoyaría en esa aventura y quizá incluso me uniría a él».