Feature Stories Campus Events All Stories

Two Employees Collect Degrees Through W&L’s Staff Continuing Education Program Brittany Carr earned a Master of Education degree from Liberty University, and Jana Turpin earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from Virginia Western Community College.

carrturpin-1 Two Employees Collect Degrees Through W&L’s Staff Continuing Education ProgramJana Turpin (left) and Brittany Carr (right)

Two members of the Washington and Lee University staff utilized the Staff Continuing Education Program to earn degrees this spring and summer.

Brittany Carr, assistant director of pre-health professions in Career and Professional Development, earned a Master of Education degree in higher education online through Liberty University, graduating on July 4. Jana Turpin, non-book assistant at the W&L University Store, also utilized the program to earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in administrative management technologies online from Virginia Western Community College. She graduated on May 9.

Carr began her 30-credit program in August 2024, taking an accelerated path that enabled her to complete her degree in just one year. She noted how easy W&L makes the process of applying for the program benefit.

“After identifying a program of interest and discussing my goals with my supervisor, I reached out to Kristy Crickenberger in Human Resources – and wow, she is so amazing,” said Carr. “She provided a clear explanation of the support I was eligible for, outlined next steps in detail and even sent me instructions for how to submit a request of this kind in Workday. Every step of the way, Kristy was extremely supportive and encouraging, and that same level of support was present through course registration, planning and Liberty’s financial check-in process.”

Carr plans to use her new degree to design and implement innovative, evidence-based programs that improve student preparation for careers in the health professions. This includes developing new mentorship initiatives, leading application workshops and strengthening interdisciplinary partnerships. She noted that the degree program helped to expand her understanding of higher education and student development, reinforcing her commitment to more personalized, student-centered advising and programming.

“When I stepped into the role of lead pre-health professions advisor, I was quickly inspired by my students’ pursuit of an advanced level of education and expertise following their time at W&L,” Carr said. “Their dedication and grit led me to reflect on what going back to school at this point in my life may look like for me. I wanted to grow in a way that would allow me to better support students, and having a more realistic perspective of graduate-level coursework through lived experience seemed like a great start. When I discovered that W&L would invest in my education — that they would invest in me — that support became the motivation I needed to turn this dream into a reality.”

Turpin started working on her degree in 2020 and began benefitting from the continuing education program in 2022.

“To get the benefit, all I had to do was get my tuition information together and submit it to Workday,” Turpin said. “It was a pretty easy process — I just needed to send a few emails at the start of the process and then submit my information to Workday every semester.”

Turpin said she’s already seeing the benefits of her degree in her current role, noting how her computing skills have improved, especially with the spreadsheets she maintains at the University Store. She said juggling the responsibilities of her job and her degree requirements wasn’t always easy, but she’s grateful to have the opportunity to obtain her degree.

“At times, I was stressed out because I set a goal to graduate magna cum laude, which I made a reality,” said Turpin. “I proved to myself that age doesn’t matter when pursuing a degree, and I’m thankful to W&L for helping make this a possibility.”

The Staff Continuing Education Program provides funding of up to $5,250 per calendar year to help cover the cost of tuition, fees and course materials for employees taking courses that lead to certification or degrees that will benefit the employee in their current position, improve their job-related skills or position the employee for advancement opportunities at the university.

Many employees have utilized this benefit to advance their education over the years, and 16 employees are currently enrolled in the program. Eligibility for the Staff Continuing Education Program is available to active full-time employees in staff and administrator roles who have attained satisfactory job performance and who have discussed their educational plans with their supervisor. New employees are immediately eligible to participate in the program, though preference will be provided to employees with at least one year of continuous service to the university.

The program cannot be used to obtain parallel degrees but will cover first-time certificate programs, associate degree programs, baccalaureate degree programs, master’s degree programs and Ph.D. programs. Any courses for which this program will be applied require pre-approval by the employee’s supervisor. Requests for participation are submitted to the Office of Human Resources for review and consideration.

Employees interested in participating in the Staff Continuing Education Program must complete and submit the pre-approval form and must request that their supervisor complete a form supporting the request.

If you know a W&L faculty member who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.