”I didn’t wake up one day and decide that I wanted to start working for UMUC, UMUC started working for me.”
-Charles Garnett, Military Student (Coast Guard)
Computer Science Major
School of Undergraduate Studies
MyUMUC Story:
Garnett Says UMUC Support G.O.E.S a Long Way
By Stephanie Edwards
Charles Garnett, an undergraduate computer science major, has truly loved his UMUC experience. In fact, he loves it so much that he wants to make sure his fellow Coast Guard servicemembers, stationed in Baltimore, Maryland, enjoy the same opportunity.
“I didn’t wake up one day and decide that I wanted to start ‘working’ for UMUC, UMUC started working for me,” said Garnett. He started unofficially recruiting for UMUC when he began telling others about the flexibility of its programs and the extensive support system provided.
He explained that many people do not even realize that they can pursue a degree while holding a full-time job. Garnett believes that UMUC accommodates students from all walks of life and he wanted to let his colleagues know how great the university’s support system is—for all students, including military students.
Garnett said he particularly thanks his military advisor, Melissa Stein, who has provided him with extremely knowledgeable and professional support. He went on to say that UMUC provides staff members who believe he matters, professors who care if he succeeds, and a comprehensive Web site that provides access to all the information that students need.
To pay this support forward, Garnett set up his own educational support group—Group of Online Educational Services (G.O.E.S.) for himself and other Coast Guard enlistees. In setting up the group, he thought about his own distance learning needs and goals for success. He has also set up a library for group members, based on student donations, to help defray the cost of course books. The library, which is managed by one of his UMUC ‘recruits,’ is “for those students who have economical objections to their pursuit of excellence,” said Garnett.
Garnett also used his 100 pound computer, whom he calls “Brutus,” to set up a server for group participants. Using Brutus, he provides group members with data storage. Students may also post and view bulletins and pictures and participate in chat sessions. Garnett personally provides live text, voice, and video chat services to fellow students every day.
Membership in the group is free, said Garnett; he only asks that members donate at least one text book to the group library. For further support, he holds mandatory check-ins every weekend to make sure everyone is registered for their next class and/or aware of UMUC online announcements and postings. He said his program helps student members manage their time effectively.
As for Garnett’s own goals, he is excited to finish his associate's degree and move forward by earning his Bachelor of Science in computer science at UMUC. After transferring his previous college credits to UMUC with ease, he plans to use his degree to become an officer in the Coast Guard. Then, one day after military retirement, he hopes to open a school in his name, which he says will help to “develop efficient, young scholars who will epitomize success and the enlightened human mind.”
“I couldn’t make strides without the support of extremely knowledgeable and professional advisors,” said Garnett. “UMUC provides a simple interface to do my work, extensive databases that put an incalculable amount of information at my fingertips, an extensive Web site that allows students to find that critical bit of information when they need it, and finally, a staff that cares, that makes me feel that I matter. Thank you UMUC.”
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