Serviceman takes online classes from CLU while serving overseas

Wallace Larson earned his MBA while serving in Germany and Iraq, taking all his classes online.

Larson participated in a program at California Lutheran University that allows students to listen to lectures, participate in class discussions and do group projects entirely on their computers.

"It takes a certain amount of persistence, dedication and internal discipline," said Larson, 45, who retired from the Army in November and now lives in Illinois, working as a financial planner. "It's rare to have a slacker in the classroom. This could be the wave of the future, especially for people changing careers."

Larson's experience may become more common as universities extend their online programs and troops take advantage of an expanded GI Bill, which covers tuition and other expenses.

"We know that in the past 10 years, because online enrollment in general has grown, service members are taking more online classes than they have in the past," said Carolyn Baker, chief of continuing education for the U.S. Department of Defense. "However, overall enrollment has not increased."

The MBA program at CLU is recruiting servicemen and servicewomen making the transition out of the military, said Harry Starn, associate director of the California Institute of Finance, part of the school of business at the Thousand Oaks college. The program already was attracting military people, who generally do well, probably because of their experience leading and organizing, said Starn, who graduated from West Point and served in the military himself.

In the past, people took advantage of the GI Bill after they left the military, but now they're being encouraged to take classes while serving, Starn said.

"Then they can hit the ground running when they get out," he said.

CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo also offers online MBA classes, although it does not have a program that is entirely online. CSUCI's program primarily draws students connected to the military in this area, said Gary Berg, dean of extended university.

"From the beginning, we targeted that as a population we wanted to serve," Berg said.

Larson decided to enroll in CLU's MBA program because he wanted a second career in finance after he retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel.

"The Army ends for everybody at some point, on their own terms or not," he said. "I wanted to set the terms for my retirement. ... I had the notion in my mind that an MBA gave credibility to someone working with money."

Larson enrolled at CLU in 2005 and received his MBA in 2008, taking one course each semester. He took his first course in Heidelberg, Germany, then was deployed to Iraq, where he did administrative work in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, going through stacks of paperwork every day and reviewing awards for soldiers.

Larson recognizes he was fortunate he did not have a rougher assignment, but even in the palace, Iraq's landscape created challenges.

"There was plenty of dust and sand," he said. "We had plenty of computer maintenance going on."

In his online classes, Larson also faced some challenges, such as the time difference with the United States and the occasional textbook that arrived late.

The program worked because it was flexible, he said. He could listen to lectures and join discussions after he finished work, and instructors were willing to adapt to his schedule when necessary. He was even able to do a group project with classmates in Italy, North Carolina and Simi Valley, all by computer.

"Rather than watching TV or doing household chores when you come home, you can take a class," Larson said. "This is an alternative that the Internet has provided society."

--- Published in the Ventura County Star on Jan. 17, 2010