Brian Sandusky on Bellevue University and Golf



In addition to being a former golf instructor, Brian Sandusky, Ph.D., has owned his own company, serving as President and Senior Executive Consultant advising Presidents, CEOs, and Board of Directors on strategies to improve student enrollment and retention. He joined Bellevue University as Associate Vice President of Enrollment in June 2005. Feel free to contact Dr. Sandusky or any member of the Admissions office to learn more about enrolling at Bellevue University.

We asked our new Associate Vice President of Enrollment to give us his perspective of Bellevue University from a point of view he knows well.

Q: We know your background includes time as a golf instructor when you were in college. Can you relate this experience to what our students experience at Bellevue University?

SANDUSKY: In golf, you apply what you’ve learned after many years of practice to a game that consists of completing 18 holes as efficiently as possible. It takes knowledge and skill and a readiness to handle what may come with every hole. It can be challenging, but it’s always exhilarating.

As I see it, the “pros” who attend Bellevue University – people with years of experience learning in the classroom and at their jobs – are focused on what they want to accomplish. These are committed adults who want a meaningful, yet efficient outcome to earning their degree. So, we lay out the “fundamentals” for them – one class after another – and help them use what they know to complete each class efficiently. We add in the challenge of pushing their knowledge and skill to higher levels throughout the process so they graduate feeling exhilarated, too. Just attend a commencement ceremony once and you will know what I mean!

Q: Golf’s a solitary game, right? How can you relate that to Bellevue University’s cohort system where students go through the program with the same group of people?

SANDUSKY: Well actually golf isn’t really a solitary game. Even today, Tiger Woods, the number one ranked golfer, works closely with a golf instructor to continue to improve his “craft.” Professional golfers also depend on their caddies for a great deal of guidance and instruction. Tiger’s caddy provides him with advice as to what club to hit, distance to the hole, wind direction, etc. They work great together as a team.

These examples match the accelerated degree completion program at Bellevue University. Every student arrives and leaves with an individual goal, an individual GPA, and individual talents. Then they work in a group to make their best better. Our students and graduates tell us that they learn from the experiences, ideas, and opinions of their classmates and their professors. The counselors here are like the caddies – the people who never let you down, always there with what you need. Our Admissions Counselors help students from the time they inquire all the way through the enrollment process, ensuring a successful start in their program.

Q: Many times on TV we see these grand golf courses with everyone whispering – similar to what we see about the halls of academia. In your roll as Associate Vice President of Enrollment, how do you encourage people to look beyond the image and enroll?

SANDUSKY: In golf, the saying is “Drive for show. Putt for dough.” Many people who inquire about Bellevue University are intrigued by what we have to offer. But they just haven’t attended college in years, they aren’t sure if they can do it, or they just don’t know what to expect. This is like the anxiety of thinking about that drive off the first tee, over water, in front of a big group of people. Instead of thinking about the water, we have them think about the positive result of a good drive by applying the proper fundamentals, and that makes the big difference.

Bellevue University appealed to them because they got a sense of what we’re all about. We have their best interest at heart, and we give them all the support they need to reach their goal. Here they’ll find halls alive with the noise of adult students – or online cohorts burning up the virtual chat spaces of the internet. Here is where their professors will know their names and keep them thinking with engaging and encouraging feedback. And here is where they can take it step-by-step, “hole-by-hole” to get to the end goal, and they will be refreshed by the journey.

Bellevue University - Real Learning for Real Life.