September 13, 2013 (Jackson) - Marsha Renee Dean and Manisha Janelle Edwards are the first two students to graduate from Belhaven Online Master of Health Administration (MHA) Program.
Dr. Barbara Johnson, MHA Program Manager said, “We are truly excited about the MHA program and its graduates. Both of these students have worked very hard and we are proud of their accomplishments. They are prepared to enter the healthcare administration arena and live out Belhaven University’s motto ‘to serve, not to be served.’”
Dean and Edwards are both from Jackson and completed their program of study in August 2013. Dean currently works for a Jackson law firm specializing in nursing home defense. She believes that her work experience and studies here at Belhaven have revealed long-term care to be a future player in health administration. Dean said, “I believe that the MHA program has prepared me to follow the administrative road in healthcare and my legal background offers me an added advantage that may lead to a career in healthcare risk management.”
Edwards plans to utilize both her knowledge and experience to become an advocate for individuals living with mental and/or physical disabilities. The current state of mental health is in need of leaders who will improve the quality of services that are readily available as well as create new avenues for those people seeking mental health services. Edwards states, “I am truly grateful for the opportunity and all of the support that Belhaven University has afforded me. It is because of this experience that I am one of the many faces and voices that will represent the future of healthcare in America.”
Belhaven University stands among select Christian colleges and universities and has been repeatedly named one of “America’s 100 Best College Buys." The University offers 30 academic majors across a full spectrum of disciplines as well as a variety of graduate programs. In addition, Belhaven has achieved the distinction of being among only 30 universities nationally accredited in each of the major arts – music, theatre, visual art and dance. All programs are taught from a Christian worldview perspective and are guided by the mission to prepare students academically and spiritually to serve Christ Jesus in their careers, in human relationships, and in the world of ideas.
Belhaven University serves over 3,700 students offering undergraduate and graduate degrees on its residential campus, an online degree program, and graduate and adult degree programs in Jackson, Memphis, Orlando, Houston, Chattanooga, and Atlanta.