Spotlight on Mollie Bair

Mollie Bair
Program Administrator
Champaign Residential Services, Inc.
B.S. in Business Administration

I started my college education at a traditional college right after high school. Along the way, I experienced the frustration of having an incompatible roommate, the happiness of meeting and marrying my husband, the satisfaction of finding an interesting job, and the limitations of being forced to slow down because of a difficult pregnancy.

Throughout all these events, I kept plugging away at my education. Once I became a parent, it made more sense for me to switch my studies to an online education. With my full-time job, it was just plain smart to take classes at night from home when my baby was in bed.

I researched several colleges before choosing Franklin University, which my husband discovered through a community college. Unlike the other schools I considered, Franklin accepted all two years of my transfer credits toward a Business Administration Major. This made me feel like all the time and effort I’d already put forth weren’t wasted.

I really liked learning online because I could determine when I studied. I never missed the classroom because we had such great communication through email and conference calls. Plus, the Balanced Learning Format helped me manage everything — especially after I was promoted to my present position and after I gave birth to my second baby. I liked how the assignments were posted for each class so I knew exactly what was expected of me.

Most important, I put my education to use every day in my job with Champaign Residential Services, Inc. (CRSI), which provides in-home support for those with disabilities. As Program Administrator for two regional offices, I work with financial tracking, ratios, staffing and budgets. I also put in place effective teamwork strategies, which I learned while taking part in many team projects at Franklin.

I’m very proud of the diploma that hangs on my wall. It means a lot that I set an example for my boys. Although they’re young, they learned to respect my time when I was “going to school on the computer.” They’ll appreciate my accomplishment more as they get older. But I couldn’t have done all this without the encouragement and support of my husband who has been an adult student, too.

I’ve recommended Franklin University to many people. It’s an excellent, manageable education.