Jonathon Sharp, a deputy for the Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office who works in the jail, slips into a seat at Terra Community College in Fremont, Ohio—one of several locations across Ohio where Tiffin University offers its distinct degree completion program. Jonathon is just a few classes shy of completing his Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree, something he did not believe he would ever be able to do while working full-time in law enforcement.
“Tiffin’s program is one of the few that can accommodate the needs of corrections officers who do not have predictable work schedules,” he says. “The fact that this works so well with my schedule and gives me a big opportunity is just terrific. And I like all of the instructors because they have a lot of experiences of their own to share.”
Jonathon has taken each of his first 10 classes with the same small group of students, what Tiffin calls a cohort. These students meet once a week, for about four hours a night, with their instructor. Outside of class, they talk and e-mail and provide support for one another. “Everyone in here is working one or two jobs, so they are here because they really want to learn. I don’t know of any other university in the area that offers this kind of an opportunity. Normally, it would take me five or six years to complete my bachelor’s degree. With this program, I will be done in less than two years.”
Jonathon says once he earns his bachelor’s degree he may consider a master’s degree at Tiffin. Until then, he’s enjoying interactions with faculty such as Richard “Butch” Collins, an adjunct professor, who is teaching Jonathon’s cohort about national security studies. During the day, Collins is district commander for the Findlay District of the Ohio Highway Patrol. He graduated from Tiffin’s master’s program in forensic psychology and sees firsthand the value in giving nontraditional students a convenient way to finish their degrees.
“I love the instructors in this program,” Jonathon says. “They all bring something different. It’s practical knowledge that I can apply the next day.”