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Libraries Professor Michael Lorenzen, left, presents Brian Tucker with his Bachelor of General Studies degree during the fall commencement ceremony in December.
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WIU Anthropology Professor Heather McIlvaine-Newsad met Brian Tucker face-to-face for the first time at December commencement.
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BGS Degree at WIU Offers Unique Options to Finish Higher Education Degree

January 30, 2023

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MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – With a new initiative toward attracting former students to return to Western Illinois University to finish their college degree, the Bachelor of General Studies program is offering options to reach academic, personal and career goals.

One such student is December 2022 graduate Brian Tucker, of South Holland, IL, who initially came to WIU in 1978 to begin his undergraduate studies. Tucker spent three years at WIU studying Industrial Education and Technology before returning to his hometown for the birth of his daughter.

After seven years working for UPS, Tucker said he took a series of assessments and embarked on a journey of self-discovery before taking on an almost 25-year career in data and broadcast television sales.

"I took a deep dive to determine what I wanted; what excited me," he said.

Near the end of his sales career, Tucker again began looking inward in an attempt to "reenergize my soul," and realized he enjoys helping people and making a difference in their lives. This resulted in a journey to become a certified life coach, and pursuing the necessary certifications to open his Life Coaching and Hypnosis practice in Chicago. Thirteen years later, Tucker has two offices that help people seeking a new perspective on their lives.

"It's having faith in good outcomes," he said. "It has ties to spirituality and practicality and finding where people are conflicted."

Through his practice, Tucker works with a variety of high-level professionals. As part of this work, Tucker said he began thinking about how he was working with many highly-educated people, but he hadn't taken a usual educational journey in his career development.

"I took a non-traditional path to education; more into deeper thought processes and ways of thinking, and I pursued the finest institutions that offered that type of training. But part of me kept thinking that I didn't have a traditional college degree. The mind is a powerful thing and I have that level of self-integrity that tells me to finish what you started."

It was a conversation with his two nieces about what college he should seek out to finish his bachelor's degree that brought him back to Western. The two young women suggested he return to where his degree path started.

"I'd not even thought of that," he said. "This was on a weekend and I called Monday and registered. It was in January 2022, and it was an 'ah-ha' moment."

After three semesters at WIU, Tucker paired his classes with his previously completed work to finish his bachelor of general studies degree through online course work. What he didn't expect was how his course choices would impact his existing professional career, particularly those in Anthropology with Professor Heather McIlvaine-Newsad.

"Every class was deeply impactful to some part of my life and anthropology incorporates into the work I do with clients, in terms of understanding people and customs and culture, and higher levels of thinking" he said.

As his December graduation approached, Tucker reached out to his professors because he had never met them in person. McIlvaine-Newsad said Tucker was among the first students to accept her invitation to reach out and chat over Zoom as part of her fully online course.

"I have been teaching online since 2016, and find that students are still able to form connections with each other and their professors with a bit of extra effort," she said. "I remember Brian was sitting in a diner in Chicago while we talked. I answered some questions about the course and then asked him to tell me a bit about himself. He has done remarkable things with his life and I was inspired by his drive to complete his degree. When he asked if I would be willing to meet him at graduation I jumped at the chance. It was delightful to meet him and his family and share in the moment of such an accomplishment."

Tucker and his family took pictures with McIlvaine-Newsad and he said he was so excited to "be able to be in the presence of somebody who impacted me."

BGS program director Professor Jeff Hancks said the University has undertaken a targeted campaign to get students who left WIU without a degree to return to finish.

"Brian's story of determination and grit is inspiring and he is someone we're going to point students to as a model," said Hancks. "The BGS program is perfect for students who have taken time off and want to return to complete their bachelor's degree with maximum flexibility. We accept all previous coursework from accredited schools, plus we offer academic credit for work, military and internship experiences. We always say that students are often closer to earning their degree than they might expect."

For more information about WIU's BGS program, visit wiu.edu/BGS.


Posted By: Jodi Pospeschil (JK-Pospeschil@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing