By: Alicia Otto
Helping the university better serve adults and become more military-friendly — those are Dr. Gordon Mapley’s greatest achievements at Western.
Dr. Jim Scanlon, who was president of Western at the time, called before Mapley was set to take early retirement from the University of Ohio. “We have an opportunity here that is right up your alley and you should take a look at it,” Scanlon said to Mapley.
“I did, and it was,” Mapley said. Those few simple words changed the focus of several degree programs offered at Western.
The steps that have been taken in terms of online courses, bachelor of general studies (BGS) and bachelor of science in technology (BST) are all designed to do a few things. The programs are designed to grow enrollment, increase net revenue for the university and help balance the university budget.
“Most importantly, they are designed to help adults get degrees so that they can more effectively provide for their families,” Mapley said. “These three all fit together.”
A major part of these programs was the Buchanan County Degree Attainment Initiative (BCDAI) Federal Grant. The goals of the BCDAI are to increase the number of individuals in Buchanan County who hold a bachelor’s degree, to increase the number of jobs in high-growth industries in the region and, most importantly, to strengthen the economy.
Almost 10 years ago, then-Gov. Nixon had an idea for helping individuals earn degrees in a short period of time. Nixon was focused on helping high school students get credit for working, and he wanted universities to partner with industries so that students could take courses, such as those offered at Hillyard Technical School, but also take courses for college credit. Nixon’s goal was for students to graduate college in three years instead of the traditional four.
Mapley countered that we could accomplish the goals of having more Missourians earn degrees and positively impact the community in terms of growing the economy. But Mapley wanted to focus on people who are working at Mosaic, Boehringer Ingelheim, Altec, Triumph, Hillyard, etc. — individuals who have some college credit but never completed a degree.
“If they can complete their degree, they can be of more value to their employer, and they could get a raise, provide for their family and help grow the economy by having an advanced skill set,” Mapley said.
Mapley rewrote the grant, and the state gave $1 million for scholarships. That part of Mapley’s vision has had tremendous success in helping people get degrees. Given the realities of the university, Mapley knew his overall plan would take time.
“You’re not going to get rid of me until I accomplish my last piece of my overall game plan, and the last piece of that is to make the university more military-friendly,” Mapley said.
There are probably only a dozen universities that offer what Western is offering to the military.
Prior to Mapley’s revamping of the program, seven people in 10 years graduated with a BST degree compared to seven proposals being processed during one week in the fall of 2018.
The changes made are two-fold: individuals only need 30 hours of applied coursework, and those 30 hours can be in any vocational area, not necessarily just “academic” hours.
Mapley convinced the campus University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee to be more accepting of what was not traditionally considered to be considered traditional college courses. The American Council of Education (ACE) agreed that anything on military personnel’s Joint Services Transcript that aligned with traditional college courses could be considered as college credit hours.
The Governance Advisory Committee was the key to get all ACE-endorsed military training and all technical courses from accredited colleges accepted for application to the BST.
These changes have made a huge difference in military personnel completing their college degrees. And Mapley is the reason they can receive their degrees more quickly.
The BGS degree was initiated by Mapley. A group of faculty pushed the program forward because, as an administrator, Mapley could not go to the curriculum committee and suggest the degree. The BGS has graduated over 200 people since approval, with 28 graduating in the fall of 2018.
“Some of the ads we have on billboards say ‘Complete What You’ve Started,’” Mapley said. “About half of the people we see are those completing what they started at some earlier point in life and are not currently enrolled.” The other half are largely people that found they were on the wrong pathway. They are current students who realize the degree they were seeking is not what they really want to do as a career.
A career change awaited Mapley in St. Joseph after he was hired by Dr. Robert Vartabedian.
“Gordon’s accomplishments at Western are numerous,” Vartabedian said. “Under his leadership, we have made incredible strides in our offerings/enrollments in online courses and dual credit courses. The increases made in these two areas alone are game-changers.”
Mapley could have retired at 48 from General Motors with a lot of money in his pocket, but, like others in academia, he really does believe in transforming lives through the power of education.
“I’ve chosen to transform adult lives,” Mapley said. “The combination of online courses, the BGS and BST, along with some scholarship money through the BCDAI — all those come together to help those adults move ahead. So, when someone says, ‘what are you proud of,’ that’s what I’m proud of.”
Other accomplishments Mapley takes pride in include the Walter Cronkite Memorial, Western Playhouse, dual credit and the bio bus.
Western Playhouse made a positive difference in the lives of many students who are majoring in various forms of theatre. Many individuals are now out working as actors, stage managers, or working behind the scenes would not have the jobs they have without the resume they built while with the Western Playhouse.
“There are lots of things I can look at and feel pretty good about my role in making that happen,” Mapley said. “But overall, the big thing is helping adults reach their dreams and impact their family and community for good.”
“Replacing Gordon will be extremely difficult,” Vartabedian said. “He is a tireless worker and has a truly vast array of skill sets.”
Mapley would have liked one more year to make sure the programs are where he envisioned them, but he is comfortable with the hands in which he is leaving the programs.
“I’ll be able to leave it behind and look in the mirror knowing that there are going to be some people that are going to be ahead that wouldn’t have been ahead had I not been there,” Mapley said.
“I’ve done what I came here to do, and I’m leaving the place having done some things that will leave the community better for me having been here,” Mapley said with all due humility.
Mapley feels strongly about helping other military personnel because he spent time in the military himself. Mapley said he would not leave campus until it was military friendly.
Dr. Mapley, you can now leave campus having completed what you started. We salute you.
