Goodwin’s Master’s Degree in Public Health:
A Graduate’s Letter of Appreciation

By J.M. Adams, MPH

Dear Prospective Students,

If you’re contemplating applying to college to earn a certificate, associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree, please consider my Goodwin experience detailed below.

As a graduate of Goodwin University’s Master’s in Public Health (MPH) program, I discovered the school’s community culture stood out among other higher education institutions. The community is positively different; therefore, the culture is indicative of the word itself.

Open admissions, scholarships, and student loans are easily accessible to a diverse student body. Classes are offered at various times during the day, evening, and some Saturdays. Goodwin’s flexibility for families, working adults age 18 and older, and an abundance of online classes are readily available at your fingertips. Goodwin’s mission, purpose, institutional outcomes, and core values are represented well among the faculty, staff, and student body.

The professors are well educated, equipped to teach, knowledgeable, and interactive with their students. In the MPH program, my student cohort was a variety of cultures — skillful, intelligent, and devoted to their educational purpose of achieving and graduating.

Goodwin promotes sustainable developmental goals that focus on quality education at every level. Goodwin challenges all students to produce the best of themselves, test their abilities, step by faith, move forward with courage, and believe they can achieve. An essential objective is being a solution to the problem while lifting others. This positive vibe describes Goodwin.

Goodwin University’s founder, President Mark Scheinberg, proved himself a genuine leader who will search and find solutions to problems of the unknown. Being at the helm of Goodwin, it takes courage to pivot with every change and keep things moving forward while discovering new avenues to help people improve their lives. It requires a calm spirit, much patience, wisdom, and a desire to see others succeed.

When the Coronavirus arrived at the world’s doorsteps, Scheinberg was put to the test of turning things around. He temporarily closed the East Hartford campus and ensured his team, the Goodwin faculty, staff, and students were safe and protected.

The shift for Goodwin’s faculty, staff, and students was quick, fast and efficient. When COVID-19 came, the University was forced to shut down within a few days. Goodwin went from on-ground campus studies to 100% online distance learning of approximately 7,000 students. Amazing!

The shifts and solutions were just the beginning of the many miracles of Goodwin University during this time. The faculty, staff, and professors utilized their creativity through the Universal Design for Learning framework to find alternative ways to breathe life into teaching online. Goodwin’s technology department was available to help students with questions or technical support with the remote transition. Goodwin extended their semester hours and increased their student support system. I received a health check phone call from Goodwin’s Counseling Services, and it was appreciated.

Goodwin’s on-campus to at-home conversion was unique and above other educational institutions. Several news media outlets requested interviews with Scheinberg to learn how he accomplished his efforts with expertise. Those in the media spoke of their shock with great admiration about Goodwin’s transitioning of thousands of students in a few days, while it took other higher learning institutions two weeks or more for their transition. I was so proud to be part of a university with great leaders and innovative thinkers who carry their team, students, and communities in their hearts.

In addition to transitioning thousands of students online, Goodwin also gave back to the community at large. For instance, when the president of the Board of Trustees contacted the Advanced Manufacturing department regarding the desperate need for more N-95 masks in hospitals, professors and students alike joined forces and began to utilize their skills. As a result, through innovative inventions using computer-aided design (CAD) and 3-D printers, reusable face masks were produced and delivered to Connecticut hospitals, communities, and businesses.

Through much labor of love and learning, Goodwin’s dedicated team and committed students donated and produced the following from the heartbeat of Goodwin’s campus:

• A 2020 commencement video was created to connect graduates during social distancing,
• Campus housing was open for frontline workers to rest and quarantine,
• Donations of personal protective equipment (PPEs),
• Hospital supplies and lab spaces were offered around the clock, and
• Many nursing, respiratory care, and histology students were taking their skills from the classroom to the COVID frontlines.

Mark Scheinberg’s dream and vision continue to bring ideas to reality because he never gave up. That same desire is poured into Goodwin’s professors who strive to get their students where they need to be to achieve their educational dream, fulfill their goals, and become successful employees or innovative entrepreneurs. This is the ultimate sacrifice of a man who cares for all people in many communities.

The news media called Scheinberg a hero. Yet, as many organizational leaders do, he continued to credit the Goodwin team, healthcare workers, students, staff, faculty, and all departments who were part of the solution during this unprecedented time.

Be good to yourself on purpose.

— J.M. Adams, MPH