Haslam College of Business - Breaking New Ground: UT Haslam’s Inaugural Online BSBA Grad Praises Program’s Impact

After earning her associate’s degree from Columbia State Community College, Nashvillian Saba Toski was eager to continue her education, but she didn’t want to give up her banking job with Wells Fargo or leave Nashville to pursue her bachelor’s. Searching online, she found the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business’ new Online Bachelors of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) program, a degree completion program emphasizing management and sales aimed at individuals who earned an associate’s degree from a Tennessee higher education institution.

A Bachelor’s Degree Suited to Student Needs

Toski was initially unsure if an online program would be a good fit, assuming it would require virtual meetings that would conflict with her work schedule. After discovering Haslam’s asynchronous BSBA program, however, she decided an online option could work for her needs.

“All of my credits from Columbia State successfully transferred to UT, and the cost of the online program was almost one-third on-campus options,” Toski recalls. “I thought, ‘This is it.’”

Involved Faculty Make a Difference

Toski earned her associate’s degree during the Covid pandemic, so she was familiar with remote learning. She found the online presentations enjoyable and engaging, despite describing herself as a visual person who learns best in in-person situations.

“It was so amazing how all of the professors didn’t miss a beat with their lectures,” Toski says. “Just watching the lectures made me feel like I’m in class. A lot of people think that it doesn’t work. It does, but you need to be in the right head space for it.”

Further, despite the remote nature of the program, Toski felt the faculty took an interest in her as a person, initially feeling surprised with how concerned they were for her academic and personal growth.

“The highlight of this entire process was the faculty,” Toski shares. “Their responses were always prompt, always helpful and always understanding.”

She praises Tory Kinson, a lecturer in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship and a Haslam leadership and career coach, for his mentorship, which she credits for her first-place finish in his class’s marketplace stimulation. She also recalls that Melinda Micheletto, senior lecturer in the Department of Marketing, knew the demands of her students’ work schedules and gave them flexibility with their assignments.

“Every single time I talked a project through with her, she was really understanding about my other responsibilities,” Toski explains. “That’s one example of the many professors that I’ve had in this past two years that were just so understanding.”

Micheletto was likewise impressed with Toski, saying she would have liked to have had her in more classes. “Her work was consistently thoughtful, thorough and showed a real mastery of the material,” Micheletto says. “She brought such a high level of professionalism and insight to every assignment. I could tell she took her education seriously, and I have no doubt she’ll continue to excel.”

Strengthening Discipline, Setting Priorities

To meet the deliverables her professional and academic careers demanded, Toski realized she needed to be disciplined and manage her time efficiently, sacrificing social time.

“I’m grateful that I learned this focus as an undergraduate,” she says. “Getting my priorities straight and aligning my discipline and time management according to my priorities, that’s one thing that this online program really, really taught me these past two years.”

One of Toski’s priorities is to advance her career in the banking industry by applying her training in the BSBA program. “Currently, I’m a personal banker, but I want to work with small businesses and corporations because that was the concentration of my degree.”

Enabling Young Professionals to Advance Their Careers

Impressed with her experience in the Haslam Online BSBA program, Toski encourages other young professionals to consider the option.

“I hope more students realize how beneficial this program is, especially if your lifestyle matches mine and you’re working a full-time job,” she says. “Haslam’s BSBA degree program gives you all the right tools for your career and encourages growth in your character.”

Jennifer Davis, Haslam’s assistant director of undergraduate programs, shared her satisfaction in seeing Toski and the other members of the online BSBA program’s inaugural cohort graduate.

“We are incredibly proud of Saba and the first graduates of our program,” she said. “They’ve set the standard for what it means to succeed in the online program with resilience, commitment and a passion for learning. The online BSBA enabled students like Saba to continue working full-time while earning their degree, and we look forward to watching as they progress in their careers.”

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CONTACT:

Scott McNutt, senior business writer/publicist, rmcnutt4@utk.edu