The University of Hartford

Date: Jun 12 2019
Major: Nursing (This Major's Salary over time)
I spent one semester and completed two courses in the graduate nursing program. I received As in both courses and felt like I learned a lot. I dropped out and transferred to another university due to it being a very unsupportive, unprofessional environment. With two bachelor's degrees and a nursing job of 20 years, quitting was not my usual style.

One week before a discussion post was due and one and one half weeks before a major project was due, Professor Duhamel sent a memo to the class that said,

please note the changes to the syllabus.

The post was now due the next day rather than in one week and the project was now due in three days rather than in a week and a half. In a panic, I emailed her and said this was impossible. It was not until this point that she admitted she made a mistake…and that we should have caught on and spoken up. Well I had not caught on. I trusted the syllabus. Go figure. She said she would grant me the original dates but it would mess up the grading system as it went beyond what was supposed to be the end of the term. There was no apology or acknowledgment that this sudden change would cause undue stress. I turned the project in three days after the new due date and four days before the original due date (that I had been granted). I made an error in setting the video for her viewing. She emailed me and told me to correct it immediately or the grading system would be screwed up. When I reminded her I had been granted the original due date, she lectured me about how the class was at fault for not catching the mistake.

When I went to Professor Breda, the head of the department, she responded by what sounded like a pitch she gives to new students about the program and advanced nursing. She kept avoiding the topic. Even upon my inquiry, she refused to acknowledge any injustice I had encountered. She told me she could get me a new advisor (as my advisor was Prof Duhamel) but that I would still have to take the nursing theory course with her. When I asked her if I could take nursing theory at another university and transfer the credits, she said no. After dropping out of the program, I decided to take the issue further up the chain, hoping corrective action would take place for the sake of other students. In a telephone conversation with Professor Thompson, the head dean, she not only refused to acknowledge I had been wronged, but gave me serious attitude repeating several times the phrase, "but you're not a student here anymore." She missed the point. Really, all I wanted was something like, "The behavior you describe is not commiserate with the values of the university. I will investigate the matter as this is not a way to treat students. I'm sorry we lost you as you were a good student." I received nothing of the sort from either dean.