Alum Linda Dugan Champions PayPal's College at Work
Alum Dugan Champions PayPal’s College at Work
By Dan Silvia, Communications Manager
Bellevue University alum Linda Dugan is paying it forward as the Vice President of Global Operations for PayPal, the online payment processor based in Omaha. Dugan, who graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems in 2001, is helping PayPal employees earn their degrees as well through the company’s College at Work partnership with the University.
“We are consistently striving to identify ways that we can engage our team members and drive to differentiate our workplace in a manner that enables our teammates to have lasting careers with PayPal,” Dugan said. “The College at Work program is an ideal program and solution to support this business objective and to enable us to invest in the development of our teammates.”
The PayPal College at Work program started in 2007 and really gained traction in 2008 and 2009, said Jim Nekuda, Associate Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Bellevue University. A total of five cohorts have run on site at PayPal’s La Vista headquarters and a sixth started in March. Recruitment is currently underway for an MBA onsite for fall. Over 100 PayPal employees have graduated from Bellevue University as a result of the overall College at Work program with close to 50 from the onsite offerings.
“PayPal is a prime example of how we structure our strategic relationships with organizations,” Nekuda said. “As a trusted partner, Bellevue University provides marketing, curriculum, and outcomes measurement of the programs impact to the organization. PayPal’s custom portal, www.paypal.corporatelearning.com, was one of the first created for a strategic client.”
Bellevue University’s ability to meet the needs of an ever-changing marketplace has been a key component in making the partnership a successful one, Dugan said.
“The PayPal and Bellevue University relationship has evolved quickly primarily because of the willingness of Bellevue to be agile and responsive to our business needs and plans,” she said. “The collaboration is excellent and we continue to partner to understand how we can deepen the engagement and program opportunities. We believe we are just at the beginning of our shared journey.”
Dugan began her journey with Bellevue University in 1999. The University’s ability to meet her needs played a key role in her decision to attend.
“Bellevue University provided me an opportunity to be a student, mother, wife, and employee all at once,” she said. “The class sizes were ideal to be an active participant in the learning experience. The professors were exceptional and brought rich and interesting discussions to the classroom on every topic that we studied. Bellevue University enabled me to have a complete life while being a student of an exceptional university.”
The Kirkpatrick Signature Series, taught by the late Dr. Ed Rauchut, was a highlight for Dugan.
“I believe this program is a ‘must’ experience opportunity for every student,” she said. “The content was thought-provoking. The classroom discussions were engaging and always produced healthy debate and interest. The series was brilliant and remains a memorable learning experience.”