Bill Harlin, a teacher and coach, reached a crossroads in his life. When he got there, it was the online program at UT Martin that made his choice clear.
He and his wife, Kelly, had always planned for her to be a stay-at-home mom. Following the birth of their second child, he had to rethink his career choice in order to make that a reality.

“On a teaching salary with coaching supplements, it became harder and harder,” said Harlin. “I had gotten to a point where I was not sure if administration was the right choice or if I should restart my career in the business field. After a conversation with my father-in-law (Dr. Joe Johnson, UT president emeritus), he encouraged me to stay in education because I loved it and because I already had established a good foundation in that field.”

With that decision made, Harlin began to look around for an educational program to pursue an administration degree, but all of them were very time-intensive and inflexible. A few months later, Johnson gave him a brochure and told him about an online program offered by UT Martin.

“This program allowed me to keep all of my teaching and coaching positions and maintain family time. Meanwhile, I could develop professionally toward becoming a principal.” To achieve all his goals, he added, “I really would have strained my time at home with my family and my finances if this program had not been available.” He added, “It gave me the prerequisite hours in administration, certification for licensure and preparation for the school leader licensure exam. I started in the fall of 2004, and I finished in the spring of 2006.”

Harlin, who had a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in teaching from Belmont University, decided to pursue an add-on endorsement via the UT Martin New College online Educational Administration and Supervision program. On weeknights, he would begin his graduate work about 9 p.m. after spending time with his family. “Depending on the schedule of assignments, I would work three nights during the week for about two hours. I would block out three to four hours on the weekend to complete my work.”

The best aspect of the program was the internship, he said. “Through the internship, I did a whole range of activities that prepared me so well for my position today,” he added. “Some of the activities included police ride-alongs and spending an entire day at a school outside of my district to shadow another assistant principal. I took part in special education meetings. I worked on school improvement plans. I interviewed the Williamson County budget director and facilities manager.

“The internship process gave me great handson experiences, and it also provided me with contacts that have been very helpful in my new role as assistant principal at Brentwood Middle School.”

Harlin said the most challenging aspect of the program was getting used to not seeing and talking to a professor face to face. In fact, he’s never seen the UT Martin campus. “I had to learn how to use technology through Web cams, emails, Internet bulletin boards and telephones to interact with professors. Truly, the campus for me was the Web site of UT Martin.” He added, “It was a great skill for me to be able to learn how to ask questions, build rapport with other online students and to interact through technology, particularly since that seems to be the trend in all areas of life.”

Harlin has become a walking advertisement for the online program, recommending it to many of his colleagues who are thinking about going into administration. “Most of the administrators that I interned under or worked for were amazed at the experiences that I was getting in this program. No program in this area provided these kinds of educational experiences.”

“The distinction of being one of the first students to complete the online program means more now because I have been hired in one of the top middle schools in the state and in the country and because it has given me confidence to perform my tasks well as an assistant principal. I feel very fortunate to have been able to take part in this great program at UT Martin.”