"By the spring of 2016 I was living in Nashville, working in the media and contemplating a Masters program, which had long been on my bucket list. I'd visited Australia off and on for more than 30 years and saw university study as a means of escape.
Desire met opportunity and, at the age of 56, I put the wheels in motion to move to Armidale to study for a Master of Arts in Media and Communication at UNE.
But life intervened, and family commitments kept me in the United States. The program at UNE, however, was too good to pass up, so I opted for online study. I wanted to open more doors (of knowledge) and gain a global perspective on the changing media business.
UNE teaching staff are gifted in connecting those of us who are distant and studying alone. Wherever we are, the technology has kept us tethered to help, study and our learning community 24/7. It's like having a virtual guardian hovering above, available to answer every SOS. I've felt in very good hands.
My return to the classroom (virtual or otherwise) for the first time in 35 years has been a real achievement and UNE has walked me through this (almost completed) mission from afar. My degree will inform whatever comes next, which may very well be future visits to Australia, to immerse myself more in its rich culture."
UNE was awarded five stars for “Overall Student Experience” by the Good Universities Guide 2019 for the 13th year in a row.
Jim McKairnes
Master of Arts student, UNE
Nashville, Tennessee
