ShaDonna Crosby was looking for a way to elevate her career when she began the Strategic Communication Online M.A. Program at Michigan State University in 2017.
She was the assistant director of development at WKAR Public Media. At the time, she had been in public media for about eight years. With each job she held, she said she took “a little step, a little step in elevation.”
But as her MSU StratCom academic journey progressed, so did her confidence in her job. She was able to see the tangible impact of the new skills she was learning in her classes.
“… I just think the StratCom program allowed me step outside the day-to-day functions and the day-to-day sort of siloed work that I did and it really encouraged me to think about the organization as a whole and my piece in a very big model.
“I was elevated within my own thinking when it came to how I functioned within my organization.”
Crosby said she enjoyed how applicable MSU StratCom is.
“One of the things I think that’s amazing about the StratCom program is that you can learn concepts one day and apply them the very next day on your job,” she said.
And last fall, during her last semester in the program, Crosby was promoted.
“I was promoted to director of annual giving at WKAR Public Media while in the Strategic Com program,” she said. “This promotion is going to require that I think strategically and that I actually put into practice some of the concepts that I learned in the Strat Com program. That’s invaluable.”
For those who may be wondering what their return on investment is in pursuing an MSU StratCom degree, Crosby gives her endorsement.
“We’re wanting to know: ‘Is this going to help me elevate and get to the next level?’ I would say that definitely, the Strategic Com program is going to do that for you.”