Building a Framework: Daniel Follmer, HEP'13

Daniel Follmer had been working in undergraduate admissions for seven years when he decided to enroll in HGSE’s Higher Education Program (HEP) with the hope of gaining a better understanding of how the work he was doing fit into the broader educational landscape.

“It’s very easy when you’re working to get so busy that you forget to look beyond the little sphere you operate in every day,” he says. “HGSE offered me the opportunity to step back and think about the big picture.”

Now heading back to his position at the University of Chicago, Follmer is thankful for the framework provided by HEP that taught him how to think through the many issues facing postsecondary education from a variety of perspectives. “I’ll take that framework with me wherever I go, whether in higher education administration or elsewhere,” he says.

“Daniel Follmer engaged in his master’s degree studies with enthusiasm and an enjoyment of learning that was contagious,” says Professor Judy McLaughlin, director of HEP. “He asked probing questions, made thoughtful comments, and regularly drew connections between course concepts and professional practice. Many of his classmates noted that he was generous with this time, helping them with papers and projects and thinking with them about their career possibilities.”

Upon learning that he had been honored with the Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award for HEP, Follmer answered some questions about his time at the Ed School and beyond.

How did you stay inspired throughout the year? It honestly wasn’t difficult. There are far too many interesting things happening on Appian Way to lose inspiration. 

Is there any professor or class that significantly shaped your experience at the Ed School? More than any individual professor or class, what has most shaped my experience has been how well the courses complement each other. For example, and this really happened, on a Tuesday I was in a class with Bridget Terry Long hearing the economic perspective on college access. The next day, I was in a class with Mandy Savitz-Romer learning about the developmental processes that inform postsecondary and career planning. Then, on the walk home that day, I thought back to my History of American Higher Education class with Julie Reuben, in which we learned about when and how higher education first became more widely accessible in the United States. To be able to make these connections between different perspectives on the same issue is quite powerful and has shaped the way I think about every issue in education.

What advice do you have for next year’s students going through your program? Spend time with the cohort, and go to Askwith Forums whenever you can. It’s really unusual to get to see such interesting and accomplished people in the same buildings you’re studying in. Plus, once you’re working again, you’ll always be able to find a reason that you can’t go to interesting talks.

Despite your busy schedule, you always make time for … Cooking. It’s a great way to step back from homework and have some time to think. Plus, when you’re elbow-deep in research and feel like you’re getting nowhere, cooking a nice meal allows you to accomplish something tangible.

If you could transport one person/place/thing from HGSE to your next destination, what would it be? The Higher Ed cohort, without question. I tried to convince them all to move to Chicago, to no avail. I wouldn’t have learned anywhere near as much, or had as much fun, without them.

Read profiles of the other master’s students being honored with the 2013 Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award.