Dr. Sharon Strohecker is director of the MBA with Healthcare Emphasis program, which provides students with the tools to address management, analytics, finance, risk management, leadership and business strategy. Upon graduation, students will be prepared for careers in group or individual practices, long-term care administration and healthcare facilities.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Tell us about your background in the health care field.
I joined Alvernia in September 2021. And prior to that, I was a vice president and chief nursing officer at Penn State Health, St. Joseph. So I've been an executive nurse leader for about 14 years. Prior to that, I was at Abington Hospital in various leadership positions.
So you bring a lot of real world experience to this job.
Hands-on, operational experience. That's correct.
And what was it about ×îÐÂ91ÖÆƬ³§ that intrigued you?
I've always been with nursing students, and I've enjoyed not only that university experience that they've brought to the table, but the community experience. So I was really excited to be able to join the team here to be able to move this program forward.
A lot of schools offer an MBA. Not nearly as many offer an MBA with healthcare emphasis. Can you tell us a few of the highlights about this particular program?
This is a special track to really engage students who want to have that extra focus for a career in health care. It's looking at real-life, current issues that are happening in health care. And the health care world is changing every day. So it's a great opportunity to really understand what the focus is out there.
Alvernia has been a leader in adult education since the mid-’80s. What advice would you give to adults who maybe aren't 100 percent sure that this is the right time to start a master's program?
I can tell you, I would say from my heart, there probably is never a perfect time. But I would encourage you to start, and I do believe that Alvernia offers a lot of flexibility. That’s very different from a lot of other opportunities out there. And you just start one at a time, and just like a stepping stone, keep working through it. And before you'll know it, you'll have it done.
How excited are you about the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne?
It’s great. Alvernia has this university academic world, but it's got this great community connection too. And I think CollegeTowne just enhances that. It really brings a presence down there. It makes sense; that connection is really strong.
