Thinking about graduate school can sometimes feel overwhelming—especially if you’ve spent years building a career and are contemplating a return to the classroom. In a recent episode of the Victors in Grad School podcast, Dr. Christopher Lewis sat down with Barb Whitney, an accomplished artist, educator, and arts administrator, to discuss her inspiring journey through graduate school and how it shaped her professional trajectory.

Barb’s story stands as a testament to the transformative power of lifelong learning and the value of embracing new challenges. After earning her undergraduate degree in art history from Kalamazoo College, Barb dedicated years to working in various roles in the arts. However, she reached a pivotal moment: to advance to the role of executive director, she realized further education was essential. With encouragement from mentors and a clear vision for her future, Barb made the courageous decision to pursue a Master of Arts in Arts Administration at the University of Michigan Flint.

In the episode, Barb discusses the unique blend of excitement and anxiety that came with returning to school after a significant gap. She candidly describes adapting to newer technologies, learning to ask for help, and finding the most effective ways to study in a graduate-level environment. Her openness about facing a steep learning curve—and conquering it—offers valuable reassurance to anyone wondering if they’re truly “ready” for grad school.

A key theme in Barb’s journey is the immense value of practical, real-world application. She simultaneously took on the role of executive director while pursuing her studies, creating an enriching feedback loop between classroom learning and workplace challenges. She also highlights how the University of Michigan’s reputation and rigorous curriculum opened doors for national fellowships, provided invaluable networking opportunities, and allowed her to tailor her education with field trips and independent study projects directly connected to her passions.

Barb’s advice for aspiring grad students is both practical and inspiring: seek out ways to fund your education (such as research fellowships), don’t hesitate to ask for support, and recognize the broad impact a graduate degree in the arts can have—not just on your career, but on your community. The arts, she reminds us, are powerful drivers of health, well-being, and creativity in every field.

Whether you’re considering grad school immediately after your undergraduate degree or after years in the workforce, Barb Whitney’s story is packed with wisdom and encouragement. Tune in to this episode of Victors in Grad School for a candid conversation filled with actionable advice and hope for anyone on a similar journey.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:01]: Welcome to the victors in grad school, where we have conversations with students, alumni, and experts about what it takes to find success in graduate school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:11]: Welcome back to victors in grad school. I'm your host, doctor Louis, director of graduate programs at the University of Michigan, Flint. Really excited to have you back again this week. As always, I love being able to be on this journey with you. And I call it a journey because it truly is a journey. Because no matter where you are, as you are either looking at graduate school, thinking about graduate school, preparing for graduate school, or currently in graduate school, it is this continuum, this journey that you go from that first inkling of wanting to continue your education all the way to post graduation. And there are definitely things that you can do day in, day out to prepare yourself, but also to continue to work through the process of finding success in that journey. And that's why this podcast exists.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:04]: Every week I love being able to bring you different people with different experiences that have gone to graduate school or are currently in graduate school that have figured this out for themselves. And everybody has to figure it out in different ways. What I'm trying to do with you is give you some of those tools ahead of time so you don't have to hit so many bumps along the road. So this week we've got another great guest. Barb Whitney is with us. And Barb is an artist, an educator, an administrator. She's done many different things in being a champion for the arts. And through her own experience, not only professionally, but through her education, she started her education at Kalamazoo College and got a Bachelor of Arts in Art History.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:51]: And then after some years of working made a decision, made a decision to continue her education and getting a Master of Arts in Arts Administration. We'll talk more about that. But I'm really excited to have her here. Barb, thanks so much for being here.

Barb Whitney [00:02:06]: Thank you. I'm delighted to be with you.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:02:08]: Well, I am excited to have you. You and I have known each other for quite some time over our time working in the Lansing area. And as I mentioned, you did your undergraduate work at Kalamazoo College and you got that bachelor of arts degree in art and art history. And then you graduated and you went off, started getting some experience as an educator, as a program manager, as an administrator, working in the arts in many different ways. And at some point during that professional experience, you made a decision. You made a decision that you wanted to go back to school. Bring me back to that point. What was going through your head and what made you decide that you wanted to go back to get that graduate degree?

Barb Whitney [00:02:55]: I remember the day that I decided to apply. I had been thinking about it for some time. I was in a role working with the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, and I had this incredible boss, Leslie Donaldson, who would regularly ask us, what are you doing and what would you like to be doing as an artist, as an educator, as an administrator, and helped me to envision my potential for the future because I was able to articulate that I wanted to further my education. I started thinking about if I wanted to go beyond being a program manager, which I loved, what that might look like as an executive director, and I knew that I needed to go back to school for that. I found a few different programs that were master's programs in arts administration. And, you know, when I was in my undergrad research way back in the day thinking about colleges, I thought about Kalamazoo College and University of Michigan. And when I had seen the helicopter campus view for the Ann Arbor campus, I was a little intimidated, so I made my application to Kalamazoo College and did my undergrad that way. But then thinking about an advanced degree and knowing that there was a program at University of Michigan Flint, I went and scoped it out.

Barb Whitney [00:04:27]: Flint's a community I know somewhat, and went to that beautiful little coffee shop downtown and sat there and had coffee and had lunch. And I just thought, you know, I think I'm ready to make this big change. So within about six months, I had actually made my application to go back to school and been accepted and then gotten a job as an executive director. So I ended up doing my graduate studies at the same time as taking on a role as an executive director. So I did my first three years of being an ED. I was also in graduate school, and my board of directors was incredibly supportive of that time and really saw how much it enhanced our work together to be working in the field and to be learning at the same time using our work as case studies in the classroom and vice versa was really beneficial.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:05:20]: Now you kinda already mentioned this, but I guess I would love to get into your mind a little bit because there are there are many arts administration programs across the nation. You chose to go to the University of Michigan Flint, and I guess take me back to that point as you were thinking about where to apply, why to apply to that program. What made you ultimately choose the University of Michigan Flint as the program that you ended up with?

Barb Whitney [00:05:42]: I knew that I wanted to attend in person, and I'm about an hour away. So I figured if I was already in Lansing, which is about halfway from my hometown, that I could do that travel. So proximity was a factor, but I also knew that I wanted to have some prestige and cache to the work I do, and University of Michigan speaks volumes at the national level. So when I was thinking about doing things like national research fellowships, the University of Michigan name helped a great deal. I wanted something that was academically rigorous. So if I made the commitment to go back to school, I knew I wanted it to be difficult. I knew that was part of the calculus at the time, and I did find that. Doctor.

Barb Whitney [00:06:30]: Sarah Lippert was my advisor and was just exemplary in what felt like a million ways, but also very challenging. And that's part of what I've been looking for.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:06:40]: Now everybody that goes back to school and goes into a graduate degree goes through a transition. You went from undergrad, you had a I'm gonna say a wide gap between going to undergrad and going into graduate school. So you had a transition as well. Not only a transition from how you learned as an undergraduate student to how you were learning as a graduate student, but having to get yourself back into the mindset of being a student again. And you did find success in that journey. You graduated, you got that degree to prepare you for the work that you are doing and to help you in the work that you are doing. Talk to me about what did you have to do as you started in the program to set yourself up for success? And what did you have to do to maintain that success throughout the entire graduate school journey?

Barb Whitney [00:07:32]: I had to remember how to ask for help. I remember the first of the times we were working with doctor Lippert for a timed written exam. I thought I understood the assignment and thought I answered all the questions really well, and we got them back. And I remember doctor Lippert saying, would anyone like to retake the exam, Barb? And I said, yes, please. I'd like to retake the exam. And in the end, I did have, four point in my graduate courses. But those first few sessions, there was a a steep learning curve around many things. First of all, how to use the online systems.

Barb Whitney [00:08:23]: Second of all, the use of technology in the classroom or not. I showed up with my little laptop, and I thought I'd be typing notes, and that was gonna be the right way. But that wasn't actually always the right way. Some professors required handwritten notes because they know the research about retention. So some of it was just learning how to accommodate each different professor in terms of their needs and interests. And some of it was defining for myself what success looks like and then asking for what I needed during those times.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:08:50]: So you completed that degree. And at the time you were an executive director working in an art space in the Lansing area. You were leading that work. And I'm sure that in the time that you were in the program, as you said, you were doing that work, and probably testing out some of the things you were learning from class into the work that you were doing. But talk to me about what you learned in that program, and how did it prepare you, not only for the work that you were doing then, but also the work that you do today?

Barb Whitney [00:09:21]: Oh, every step of the way, it was beneficial. The coursework ranged from revisiting art history, which is some of my background, to which actually offered us an international field trip to Toronto, which was incredible. One of the most memorable experiences of my schooling was a a field trip we all took to go see Toronto, and it was just remarkable, the camaraderie, the fellowship, the networking that it offered us through that process. But then also, I did do some nontraditional ways of working, which I think I've always done. When I was in undergrad, I took almost a year to travel with a national touring group, and it required some decision making and some thoughtfulness on the part of administration to allow for an exception. And U of M did that for me too. So I had an opportunity for a national research fellowship about arts education during my time at University of Michigan and learning and growing. And I said, Could I do this as part of my work with you? So they waived a grants course for me because I was writing grants and I was able to prove that I garnered several hundreds of thousands of dollars for Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center, where I was the executive director over the course of the previous couple of years.

Barb Whitney [00:10:41]: And then by waiving that, I was able to do an independent study that was a national research fellowship. And I don't know that every school would see the value in doing something so nontraditional as part of the work, but it ended up being that it dovetailed with my thesis as well, and that thesis continues to get traction. It's arts education as a fundamental right for youth in The United States. And so I see those when people read your thesis, you see it. And I get those notifications about people who are still using and citing my research.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:11:16]: That's always exciting to be able to have people reflecting back on work that you put so much time, effort into to be able to help the profession in some way. And I've had that same experience in work that I've done and things that I put out there. And when you get that ping that shows that someone's read it, you're like, Yay. So definitely I hear you and I feel that excitement that you have in that regard. Now, as you think back to the graduate education that you went through and you think about other people that are thinking about going to graduate school, what are some tips that you might offer to other students? Whether it is going to someone that's going into the arts or something else, that could help them to find success sooner?

Barb Whitney [00:12:06]: I think if you have motivation to go back to school and you're thinking about doing it, there are many ways to make that possible. One thing I wished I had known about was a way to fund my education. My research that I mentioned helped me pay back my student loan within just a couple of years because I was receiving a stipend by doing my research fellowship. I didn't know fifteen years prior when I got out of my undergrad that I could do something like that. There are many ways of garnering resources that can help you go back to school to get your master's or to help you to go to school beyond your k 12 arts education experience. And then I would say too, if you're thinking about a career in the arts, it's so valuable to have a career in the arts because it offers you an opportunity to be with like minded people. We know some of the statistics about what the arts does for communities. It offers vibrant and thriving communities.

Barb Whitney [00:13:14]: It trains a dynamic workforce. When we look at creativity in the workforce and it being one of the top assets that employers are looking for, I think that just sort of undergirds the rationale for folks going back to school in the arts. We know that the arts offers better well-being and health in communities, and there are opportunities to go into sort of the arts and in so many different ways, the arts and healthcare, the arts and I mean, we know there are also lots and lots of creative opportunities and careers like architecture, any kind of music related career, and thinking about the ways that vibrant and thriving communities work, the arts are embedded in those efforts. So I think a career in the arts and the degree that are incredibly valuable. And I think a lot of cities and communities are recognizing that more and more too.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:14:11]: Well, Barbara, I just wanna say thank you. Thank you for sharing your journey today, for sharing the things that you learned and how you put them into place in your own professional career. And I truly wish you all the best.

Barb Whitney [00:14:24]: Thank you.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:14:25]: The University of Michigan Flint has a full array of masters and doctorate programs if you are interested in continuing your education. Whether you're looking for in person or online learning options, the University of Michigan Flint has programs that will meet your needs. For more information on any of our graduate programs, visit umflint.edu/graduateprograms to find out more. Thanks again for spending time with me as you prepare to be a victor in grad school. I look forward to speaking with you again soon as we embark together on your graduate school journey. If you have any questions or want to reach out, email me at [email protected].