Spelman College was already a thriving institution and celebrated as an HBCU committed to the academic excellence and empowerment of women scholars. School leaders had an innovative idea to offset student debt with an online certificate program. eSpelman quickly took off, exceeded expectations, and is brought in more than $2 million in its first year. The program continues to grow and delivers the model that makes the college so special to a broader pool of students.
Watch the full interview with Tiffany Watson.
Financial Empowerment through eSpelman
Dr. Tiffany Watson explains the financial motivations behind eSpelman, “We learned a long time ago with our board of regents and our senior leadership and giving thought to the current debt load of our undergraduate students when they graduate that we needed to give them more assistance financially.” The inception of eSpelman was rooted in the success of early online summer programs, which prompted the board of trustees and senior leadership to ponder, “How can we leverage this great work to generate more alternative revenue and scholarship dollars for undergraduate students, also serving a new population of learners in the way Spelman has done so well in teaching and learning excellence for so many years?”
The Spelman Secret Sauce
But what makes eSpelman truly special? Watson calls it the Spelman secret sauce—a blend of academic rigor, empowerment, and confidence-building that has been the hallmark of the college’s success. Dr. Watson shares, “How can Spelman leverage the brand of excellence? What our faculty do in the design of their courses and the empowerment and confidence building that we do for our women scholars and take all of that and harness all of that, what we call the secret sauce or the Spelman secret sauce.” This secret sauce is now infused into certificate programs that address workforce needs, upskilling, and reskilling, enabling learners to apply their new skills swiftly and effectively in their workplaces.
Empowering Students to Change the World
At the core of eSpelman is the belief that students are not just learners but changemakers. “You’re going to go out here, and you’re going to change the world. You may be the only person that looks like you at that table, but you’re going to be empowered to know you have a voice, the experience, and the tools to make change,” asserts Dr. Watson. This ethos of empowerment and confidence is woven into every aspect of eSpelman, from the faculty’s teaching methods to the co-curricular programs designed by the staff. The result is a robust and valued experience for professional learners, akin to the transformative undergraduate journey at Spelman, yet uniquely tailored for their professional growth.
eSpelman is a testament to Spelman College’s unwavering dedication to educational innovation and its mission to empower women to lead and enact positive change. It is a shining example of how tradition and innovation can coalesce to create opportunities that resonate with the needs of the present and aspirations for the future.
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Angela
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