Morehead State's Level UP Program experiences continued growth

Morehead State University continues to prioritize student success and career preparation through a program that is growing in popularity and becoming a pacesetter for Kentucky's higher education institutions.

Level UP is an initiative to ensure students can engage in experiences that prepare them for success, including undergraduate research, education abroad, service learning, and internships within the courses in their major. The courses focus on building in-demand career skills like oral communication, written communication, professionalism, critical thinking and teamwork.

Since its inception, more than 3,500 students have "leveled up" their college experience through the program. From the 2021-22 academic year to the 2024-25 academic year, Level UP saw a 425% growth in students enrolled in courses from 619 students in that first year to 1,522 students.

Morehead State University is at the forefront of Kentucky universities, providing opportunities to gain valuable professional skills and high-impact experiences through its Level UP program. Level UP has been used as a model for an exemplary Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), MSU's accreditor. In Kentucky, the Council on Postsecondary Education has shared MSU's Level UP as an example through conferences like Pedagogicon, which focuses on faculty teaching and scholarship, and it is identified as a model approach to the KY Graduate Profile's 10 Essential Skills.

"The Level UP program will mesh nicely with the Kentucky Graduate Profile since the skills that are learned in Level UP are a subset of the 10 Essential Skills," said Dr. Chris Schroeder, provost for undergraduate education and student success. "Our students will have the option of mastering communication, teamwork, professionalism, and critical thinking by way of high-impact practices, making the experience that much richer and more meaningful."

MSU has put together a task force of 10 faculty members representing the University's four colleges to help implement the Kentucky Graduate Profile. Discussions are underway on adding additional skills to the Level UP program that match the Graduate Profile while maintaining the same career skills certifications it already offers in current Level UP courses.

Morehead State plans to expand Level UP to incorporate the Kentucky Graduate Profile's 10 Essential Skills into courses and have every MSU student graduate with these skills by 2028.

Amanda Garlitz (Class of 2025), a strategic communication graduate from Alexandria, credits Level UP with helping her improve her skills through experiential learning.

"I was paired with a classmate to design and run a social media campaign for a local business. We had to create interactive and informative content, pitch our ideas weekly, and adjust our strategies based on the client's feedback. What really stood out to me was how much this project improved my ability to communicate clearly and professionally," Garlitz said. "I truly believe that experiences like these, offered through the Level UP program, help set students up for long-term success."

MSU's Level UP program is making an enormous difference in the lives of its students, and that impact will only continue to grow as the program evolves to match the Kentucky Graduate Profile and students' needs.

"These two programs (Level UP and Kentucky Graduate Profile) will help us document and demonstrate the value that we add as an institution for our students," Schroeder said. "As students move into their career paths, they will be able to clearly articulate the skills that they have learned in their curriculum and demonstrate how those skills will help make them more effective in whatever they do going forward."

Visit moreheadstate.edu/levelup to learn how to Level UP your college experience at Morehead State.