{"id":433,"date":"2017-03-20T10:51:59","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T17:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=433"},"modified":"2024-04-02T15:26:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T22:26:40","slug":"todd-van-hess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/todd-van-hess\/","title":{"rendered":"Full-time everything? No problem."},"content":{"rendered":"

Support system helps keep Ecampus business student moving forward<\/h2>\n
\"Todd

Ecampus business administration student Todd Van Hess is setting a precedent for his children. \u201cI wanted to set an example that if their dad could do it, so could they,” he says. And with a full-time job, full-time course load and full-time family responsibilities, his support system is what keeps him motivated to continue moving forward.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Heather Doherty<\/a><\/em> \u00a0
\n<\/em><\/a>March 20,\u00a02017<\/em><\/p>\n

Todd Van Hess found himself in a predicament a few years back: He had served in a management position at a large cable company near Portland, Oregon, for more than a decade, but he didn\u2019t have the opportunity to move up any further without a college education.<\/p>\n

Well, that\u2019s what a new CEO had said.<\/p>\n

He could settle and stay in his current position or he could do something about it.<\/p>\n

He decided to do something about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that you can show a commitment to. You can show that you finished it. You can show that you excelled at it, and I think that\u2019s what employers are looking for,\u201d Todd says.<\/p>\n

Despite being away from the classroom for more than a decade, Todd took a leap of faith and enrolled in Portland Community College to get his start.
\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"Todd\"Play\"<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

Watch this video to hear why Todd says the business administration classes are already helping him be a better manager at his current job.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

He knew he ultimately wanted a bachelor\u2019s degree in business because that\u2019s what made sense for his future job outlook, he says. So he looked further into his options.<\/p>\n

He discovered that Oregon State University offers a business administration degree online<\/a> that directly aligned with his career aspirations and family lifestyle. And it didn\u2019t hurt that he was already a huge Beaver fan, football season ticket holder and, not to mention, his parents had met at OSU years ago.<\/p>\n

After making a few calls and working with OSU College of Business<\/a> Academic Advisor Lindsay Niemeyer<\/a>, he learned that some of the classes he was taking at PCC wouldn\u2019t transfer to OSU.<\/p>\n

Together, they created a plan and he enrolled in the OSU Degree Partnership Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great program. All my credits transferred automatically,\u201d he says. \u201cI was able to make sure that I was working efficiently in all my school work and everything I was doing was going right toward my bachelor\u2019s degree instead of taking classes I didn\u2019t need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a full-time student pursuing a business administration degree delivered online by Oregon State Ecampus, Todd says the flexibility is key.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning online fits into my life\u2019s demands,\u201d he says. \u201cIt allows me to spend time with the family, go to work and take the dog for a walk because I\u2019m not sitting in a lecture class. It allows me to attain the same goals without uprooting everyone\u2019s life that we had established already.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he says what he\u2019s learning in class is already making him a better employee \u2013 and in turn, a better prospective leader in the future.<\/p>\n

“<\/span>I learn something new every term. I thought I knew all of the answers, but the coursework definitely sheds a lot of light on some of the bigger picture items.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Todd

“My wife is behind me 100 percent. My parents are behind me 100 percent. I went back to school and my mom\u2019s like, \u2018I\u2019ll buy your books.\u2019 I\u2019m in my mid-30s and my mom\u2019s buying my books. It\u2019s rad,\u201d Todd says.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI learn something new every term,\u201d he says. \u201cI thought I knew all of the answers, but the coursework definitely sheds a lot of light on some of the bigger picture items.\u201d<\/p>\n

Todd says he now understands the theory behind his company\u2019s business decisions, the terminology to explain the theory, and he\u2019s learning to make business plans to improve future processes.<\/p>\n

So when his company\u2019s CEO left and it was no longer required to have a bachelor\u2019s degree to earn a promotion, Todd found himself in another predicament.<\/p>\n

He could drop out of school or continue on his higher education path and set a precedent for his children. He chose the latter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to set an example that if their dad could do it, so could they,\u201d he says. \u201cI know I want my children to go to college and in the future, they\u2019ll need to go to college, so how can I preach that to them without a college degree?\u201d<\/p>\n

And with a full-time job, full-time course load and full-time family responsibilities, Todd says his support system is what keeps him motivated to continue moving forward day after day.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife is behind me 100 percent. My parents are behind me 100 percent. I went back to school and my mom\u2019s like, \u2018I\u2019ll buy your books.\u2019 I\u2019m in my mid-30s and my mom\u2019s buying my books. It\u2019s rad,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy boss, my boss\u2019 boss, his boss\u2019 boss asks me how my degree is going. Everyone is really supportive. Everyone thinks it\u2019s important. I\u2019m really lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 4<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Ecampus business administration student Todd Van Hess says what he\u2019s learning in class is already making him a better employee \u2013 and in turn, a better prospective leader in the future. \u201cI learn something new every term. I thought I knew all of the answers, but the course work definitely sheds a lot of light on some of the bigger picture items.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[52,129,639,107,350],"class_list":["post-433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-academic-advising","tag-business-administration","tag-business-and-communications","tag-college-of-business","tag-portland"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Todd-Main.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-6Z","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1056,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/parents-college-business-degree-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":433,"position":0},"title":"Leading by example: Going back to college as a parent","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"September 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Like all good dads, Todd Van Hess wants the best for his three children. He knows that their best chance to lead successful lives is for them to earn college degrees when the time comes. And like all good dads, Todd knows that if he\u2019s going to hold his kids\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Todd Van Hess, Oregon State Ecampus business administration graduate","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/working-parent-business-degree-todd-van-hess.jpg?fit=744%2C428&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/working-parent-business-degree-todd-van-hess.jpg?fit=744%2C428&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/working-parent-business-degree-todd-van-hess.jpg?fit=744%2C428&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/working-parent-business-degree-todd-van-hess.jpg?fit=744%2C428&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":600,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/dpp\/","url_meta":{"origin":433,"position":1},"title":"Join the OSU community. We\u2019ll join yours, too.","author":"Heather Doherty","date":"September 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cWorking through Tillamook Bay Community College, as well as Oregon State, I was able to feel connected to my local community as well as a greater community,\" says Christiania Jefferies, OSU Ecampus psychology student.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Christiania Jefferies and her son play in the sand at a beach near their home in Tillamook, Oregon. 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He loved his job at Dutch Bros, and he wanted to move into a management position, but when it came to attending college on-campus in Sacramento, he just couldn\u2019t get the flexibility he needed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Toby Long looks off in the distance. 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Ecampus learning opens up doors for flexibility,\" says business administration OSU Ecampus student Chris Clarke.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Chris-Clarke-business-administration.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Chris-Clarke-business-administration.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Chris-Clarke-business-administration.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Chris-Clarke-business-administration.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1376,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/business-administration-online-caitlin-brooks\/","url_meta":{"origin":433,"position":5},"title":"Online business degree takes grad from fighting crime to launching a business","author":"Jordan Friedman","date":"April 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"For Caitlin Brooks, furthering her education enabled her to launch her own fitness apparel business. 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The quality, support and flexibility offered online by OSU Ecampus became essential to her success.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State University Ecampus graduate Caitlin Brooks, then a police officer in central Oregon, holds a white dog","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/preview-full-IMG_6314.jpg?fit=792%2C591&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/preview-full-IMG_6314.jpg?fit=792%2C591&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/preview-full-IMG_6314.jpg?fit=792%2C591&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/preview-full-IMG_6314.jpg?fit=792%2C591&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}