The views expressed by Austen Boroff in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or the Army and should not be considered an endorsement by either of those entities.
Austen Boroff is a University of Alabama student, earning a top-ranked master’s in Marketing with a specialization in Marketing Analytics all the way from Washington state … or South Korea … or Oklahoma … or Australia … or wherever the Army takes her. She has been able to fulfill her military commitment while staying on top of coursework through The University of Alabama’s online programs.
In 2017, three years after Austen had graduated from the U.S. Military Academy with a bachelor’s in International History, she was a lieutenant in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She was a platoon leader for 1-320th Field Artillery Regiment when she started her degree.
“Although my undergrad degree is in history, I’ve always had an interest in the hard sciences, and with my work at the time, I dealt with a huge amount of analytics, so I wanted to increase my learning in that area,” Austen said. A captain at Fort Campbell was earning the Marketing Analytics degree through UA Online and told Austen about it. “I did some research and looked into the accreditation especially, and I really liked the degree. It was a good fit for me.”
A new role in the Field Artillery Proponent Office in Fort Sill, Oklahoma soon after she started the program gave Austen a unique way to practice the program’s concepts. “As the engagement officer, I was able to apply many insights of analytics and data interpretation. The data-based feedback from cadets helped me with regard to marketing, strategic communication, and identifying the talents and attributes that are prioritized for the Field Artillery by our senior leadership. Because of my coursework, I was in a position to understand in more definitive terms the many dynamics that shape and influence branch selection decisions. I was able to evaluate our communication strategy in an effort to increase Field Artillery branch enthusiasm, and ultimately help alter the current trajectory of Field Artillery branch selection among the cadet population.”
Even as her role for the Army has changed, she’s been able to continue honing her professional talents through the master’s coursework. “The baseline skills of the program provide a solid foundation on how to present information, which is something I’m doing constantly. We deal with a lot of numbers in field artillery, and the tools of the program have helped me to present the data in a way that is user-friendly for everyone involved so that we can drive better decision-making.”
Now promoted to captain, Austen has gotten married, traveled to several continents and moved across the country all while in the master’s program. “The coursework has been so flexible. This past summer, I spent a lot of time in South Korea and Australia for various military training. Despite the time difference, my instructors were nothing less than beyond helpful. They’ve been extremely responsive working through the challenges of distance education in the military.” She also shared that even in the areas where her knowledge was weakest before, helpful instructors and TAs have made it easier because of the engagement and effort they put into their interactions with students.
Austen praised one professor in particular, the adviser for her Capstone project. “Dr. Arthur Allaway has just been phenomenal. He gave me insightful feedback, and his marketing classes were great. I had a lot of fun with my Capstone project.”
Austen and her husband are both stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, and they will both be taking command of their respective batteries soon. Right before she transitions to this command role, Austen will graduate in May 2020 and plans to make the trip to Tuscaloosa to participate in commencement exercises. Her parents are flying in from New Jersey as well.
“While challenging, this degree is accommodating and doable. Even if you’re balancing multiple demands of life – everyone has their own challenges – the flexibility makes it something you can do with competing demands.”
Published: August 31st, 2020