Harrisburg resident Kriss Berry chose to complete his bachelor’s degree online so he could continue serving full time with the Guard
University Park, Pa. -- When Staff Sgt. Kriss Berry of Harrisburg returned from a year in Afghanistan in 2006, he enrolled at Penn State Harrisburg to complete a college degree he had begun a few years earlier at a community college. Taking two to three courses a semester in the evening enabled him to continue his full-time day job with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. But when he was ready for the core courses in his major, Berry faced a dilemma. These courses were only offered during his work time. His solution: Penn State’s World Campus, which offers online degree programs. Berry will complete his online bachelor of science degree in criminal justice this month.
“Online was the easiest way to get classes done, considering my work schedule,” said Berry, who serves in Recruit Sustainment Detachment 13 in Chambersburg. “It was much more convenient,” he said, and didn’t interfere with his duties training new enlisted soldiers and getting them ready for basic training.
Earning a college degree benefits Berry both personally and professionally. The degree will help with future promotions within the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. “I also will be a role model for other soldiers,” Berry said. “They can see that you can be in the Guard and continue with your civilian life.”
As a World Campus military student, Berry was eligible for a military grant-in-aid. World Campus has grant and scholarship programs specifically designed to help military students fill the gaps between their federal education benefits and other education-related expenses. Penn State’s efforts to help military students have been recognized with the 2009 Ray Ehrensberger Award for Institutional Excellence in Military Education.
“The Penn State grant-in-aid is a great program,” Berry said. With the grant and his Guard education benefits, “now everything is covered. I only have to pay for my wife’s college expenses. This is cutting down on the loans we need.”
Berry’s wife Lesley Wirick is enrolled at Penn State Harrisburg and expects to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education next spring. Berry plans to wait until then to receive his degree, so he can join his wife in the campus’ commencement ceremonies.
In the meantime, Berry is continuing his work with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and is committed to an Army career. He reenlisted while serving in Afghanistan at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost Province, on the border with Pakistan. His goal is “to finish my 20 years of active duty and retire and move into the civilian sector to begin another career.”
For more information about Penn State's online degree programs, visit World Campus at http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/military-online/ online.
Penn State World Campus specializes in adult online education, delivering more than 60 of Penn State’s most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate and professional education programs through convenient online formats. Founded in 1998, Penn State World Campus is the University’s 25th campus serving more than 7,100 students in all 50 states and 62 countries. For more information, visit http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/ online. Penn State World Campus is part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education, serving more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 114 countries worldwide.