05/16/19
By Randy Gonzales
University Relations and Marketing
HAYS, Kan. – After failing to make the grade in college 20 years ago, Josh Fitkin has come full circle with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average – and a master’s degree.

Fitkin, who earned a master’s in instructional technology from Fort Hays State University, is making the long flight from Canada to participate in Saturday’s Commencement ceremony. It will be his first glimpse of the FHSU campus because his degree is through the Virtual College.

“Having flunked out of college, I really wanted to walk,” said the 40-year-old Fitkin, was to arrive in Hays just hours before graduation. “It’s going to be a little surreal to go through it.”

Fitkin is already having an impact on people’s lives with lessons he learned while working on his degree.

“As a working teacher, I could use activities that I was doing in class at Fort Hays State,” Fitkin said of his teaching days in Iowa.

Distance learning through the Virtual College enabled Fitkin to achieve his career goal.

“I could not attend university in Canada,” Fitkin said. “No problem. I’m at Fort Hays State. I can take classes anywhere in the world. That’s the beauty of the distance  learning program.”

An Iowa native, Fitkin moved his family to Canada about 11 months ago so his wife, a Canadian, could be closer to home. He had already started his online master’s program at FHSU and put the final touches on it just this week.

As part of his online education, Fitkin was required to teach a professional development session with Canadian teachers.

“I was able to bring to them material that they had never heard of,” Fitkin said. “Again, Fort Hays is educating other teachers through their students. In a way, we’re impacting teachers and students in Canada.”

Fitkin’s advisor, Dr. Suzanne Becking, said the instructional technology master’s option is a popular online degree.

“It’s a degree that has been really well-received by teachers, people who have realized that the future for their students is in knowing and understanding some of our technologies out there,” Becking said. “The program itself is instructional technology. The focus is on instruction, not necessarily the technology or the devices. How do you use the technology to get at student learning?”

That is why Fitkin was looking for a master’s degree in the first place. His school in Iowa was buying laptops for each student, so he thought he should learn how to teach social studies and history while using that technology.

Fitkin researched schools across the country before deciding on Fort Hays State. The lower cost of getting his degree at FHSU was a consideration, as was the fact he could do the entire program online.

“The master’s program was like thousands of dollars less than at my alma mater,” Fitkin said. “The thing that really made it possible was I never once had to step foot on campus as part of my program.”

“A lot of other universities, even if they have an online program, you have to go there in the summer time for three weeks, something like that,” he continued. “Fort Hays State was completely off campus. I could be at home working from my recliner.”

Once his visa paperwork clears, Fitkin will be working as an educator in Canada, and he is thankful he found the perfect online degree to further his career.

“With the master’s degree, I will be higher on the pay scale,” Fitkin said. “I also will be considered a highly qualified candidate as opposed to just a qualified candidate. It makes me more employable and gives me more opportunities.”

First, however, was the opportunity to walk across the stage for graduation. Even though his wife and two young children could not attend, Fitkin was determined to be part of commencement.

“It’s really a big deal for me,” Fitkin said. “I am glad I am doing it.”