Nicholas Ragsdale, MBA (2021)
Nicholas Ragsdale, MBA (2021)
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What is your background?What is your background?
I am a Colorado Springs native who spent 12 years active duty in the United States Marine Corps and four years now in the Marine Corps Reserve. I received My Associates and Bachelors degrees from American Military University in 2012 and 2017, respectively, and am now a full time student, full time corporate technical writer, and full time dad.on-profit organization – The Children’s Literacy Center.
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What were the factors that led you to pursuing the UCCS MBA/MSA?What were the factors that led you to pursuing the UCCS MBA/MSA?
The MBA program at UCCS allows me to be flexible in my time planning for graduating while also working within the needs of my career and my family.
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How would you describe your experience as a student in the MBA/MSA program?How would you describe your experience as a student in the MBA/MSA program?
I have had a quick start in the MBA program and have found the instruction rigorous as well as beneficial, as I have directly used many topics discussed in my classes often within days while at my job.
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Do you have any particular memory of a classroom experience, professor or fellow student that stands out?Do you have any particular memory of a classroom experience, professor or fellow student that stands out?
My first group project within the Strategic Fundamentals for Responsible Management was one of the most enjoyable group projects I have ever done. In my past academic experiences, group projects often fell on me to carry a heavy load but at UCCS, my partners not only carried their own weight but through our interaction actually made my role easier than I thought it would ever be. It truly speaks to the caliber of students in the MBA program at UCCS.
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Can you talk about your career to date and any way your education impacted where you are today?Can you talk about your career to date and any way your education impacted where you are today?
My accounting and statistics classes have directly played a positive role in my ability to effectively track changes in my department, specifically involving government proposal development. We have to be very precise in both our historical data and future predictions, and combining those two concepts and the aspects I have learned so far has put me ahead of some of my peers in performance.
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What would you tell other professionals with a military background if they asked you about pursuing an MBA/MSA at UCCS?What would you tell other professionals with a military background if they asked you about pursuing an MBA/MSA at UCCS?
Do it. Not to sound like a motivational speaker, but just do it. The program is flexible, the timing works around my schedule as a professional, and the students make the whole endeavor, online or in class, more than a simple “make a PowerPoint slide and turn it in” exercise that many of us have seen or dealt with in our academic careers.