GREENVILLE, Pa.—Professor of English and Department Chair Jared Johnson, Ph.D. MBA’27 is taking an unconventional path to broaden his leadership expertise by pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Thiel College, a journey recently highlighted by the Youngstown Business Journal.
Johnson was featured in an article examining how professionals from diverse academic and career backgrounds are pursuing MBA degrees to strengthen their leadership and management skills. While many MBA students come from business-related fields, Johnson brings a background in English and the humanities, holding degrees from Flagler College, the University of Tennessee and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Johnson is participating in a Thiel College program that allows one faculty or staff member each year to pursue an MBA through the College. He is the first faculty member to take advantage of the opportunity.
“I knew of a few people who had done it, and they were from the staff line, but nobody’s ever taken the opportunity from the faculty line yet before me,” Johnson told the Youngstown Business Journal.
Johnson said he enrolled in the MBA program to strengthen his leadership and administrative skills after recognizing the importance of business knowledge in higher education leadership. He noted that coursework in leadership and organizational management has provided valuable insight into how organizations operate and how effective leaders guide them.
“I’ve been able to evaluate my own leadership experience so far and also [that of] the people that I’ve served under,” Johnson said.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.