First Married Couple Completes Limestone MBA Program

William and Sherri Gordon knew their undergraduate degrees had taken them just about as far as they could go in their professional careers.
So they were looking for a Master of Business Administration program that they could complete together, while still being able to manage their healthcare professions and balance their home life.
They found exactly that at Limestone College.
They also made history in the process.
Twenty-two months after beginning the Limestone MBA program, the Gordons finished their course work in June of 2015 and will walk across the stage to receive their degrees this December. They will be the first husband and wife to graduate together from Limestone’s MBA program.
“Both of us work in the healthcare field and with the roles we have, it was critical to pursue our MBAs,” said William, the Director of Surgical Services at Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood, SC, who previously earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lander University. “Going back to school at our age was challenging. We needed to find an online program that was flexible and beneficial. That is exactly what we got with Limestone.”
The Gordons said they did a lot of research of many online MBA programs and several things stood out about what Limestone had to offer.
“More than anything, we loved the fact that they offered a non-traditional MBA program at a traditional school,” explained Sherri, the Director of Respiratory Therapy, Neurodiagnostics, and Sleep Lab at Self Regional, who graduated from Southern Wesleyan with a BS in Management. She previously earned an Associate of Science degree in Respiratory Therapy from Greenville Technical College. Sherri is also the Director of Organizational Development and Training, and Self Excellence at Self Regional. “Along with the convenience of doing a lot of the work online, Limestone’s MBA residency program gave us the sense of actually being in school.”
Limestone’s innovative online MBA program offers flexible online classes plus three strategic on-site residency weekends that provide foundational learning opportunities while interacting with peers and faculty. The residency weekends are held at the beginning, middle, and end of the program.
“My husband and I were unique in that neither of us had undergraduate degrees in business,” she noted. “While that could have provided some real challenges, we learned quickly that our instructors wanted us to be successful. It was also impressive that many of the professors also have amazing careers in business.”
“The residency portion let us put faces with the names of our professors and our classmates,” William said. “We were with the same group of people for two years and that was a major benefit.”
For students like the Gordons who were not undergraduate business students, Limestone’s Foundations In Business course provides a basic understanding of business to ensure success in the MBA program. Depending on each student’s prior academic background, a different number of foundational modules may be required. Once the required modules are completed, the student may begin the MBA program.
While the couple had stopped before at a large outlet mall just off the interstate in Gaffney, neither had seen the Limestone campus prior to enrolling in the MBA program.
“It was so charming,” Sherri said. “Just a beautiful place that made us feel connected right away, and we were so impressed that Limestone’s President Dr. (Walt) Griffin was there to spend some time with us, show us around, and answer our questions. We have a daughter, Kathryn, who is attending the University of South Carolina and we think Limestone would be an excellent place for her to get her graduate degree as well.”
The Corporate Grant Program is how the Gordons found out about Limestone. That program provides employees of the College’s partner corporations with grants on both the undergraduate and graduate level.
“Someone gave my telephone number to Brandon Gibson, the Director of the MBA Program, because he was looking to bring the Corporate Grant Program to our hospital,” Sherri explained. “That started us looking at Limestone and my husband and I realized this was something we could do together. It turned out to be really worth it.”
“Our plan for a while had been to earn our MBAs,” William said. “After seeing what Limestone had to offer, we knew that was the right program for us. We both have very demanding jobs and needed an MBA for our continued success. We could not be any happier with our decision to pick Limestone.”
Gibson said those interested in Limestone’s MBA program can get more information by visiting their website at www.limestone.edu/mba.
“Our MBA program is designed for students who are seeking a promotion, wanting a higher salary, or who simply desire to personally excel in their education,” Gibson noted. “We allow our students the ability to work at their own pace, focusing on a single class every eight weeks. And unlike many other online programs, Limestone has a long-standing heritage that many students want and expect from a traditional MBA program.”