While the Fall 2023 semester is still a few weeks away, the regional colleges and universities are not taking it easy during their final weeks of summer. Here is a roundup of some of the most prominent updates from the local institutions of higher education.
Dutchess Community College
Dutchess Community College is participating in a grant-funded initiative that covers the educational costs for a Direct Support Professional (DSP) credential program for new and incumbent workers. The first cohort will start classes on Aug. 28.
The initiative is designed to advance statewide efforts to retain and grow New York”™s direct support workforce to provide quality care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The three-tiered credential program aligns with national certification standards set forth by the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals, and students will receive college credit that can be applied toward a certificate and/or associate degree in the college’s human services program.
“We”™re proud to introduce this new program, which stands to make a difference in the lives of many in our community and throughout New York State,” said Dr. Peter Grant Jordan, the college’s president. “As a community college, we are committed to making education accessible and meeting the needs of our students and the broader society. The DSP program does just that.”
Sacred Heart University
A newly received $150,000 grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation will enable 30 Sacred Heart University nursing students to complete their degrees.
The Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing will apply the funds to the new Sustaining Hearts Scholarship for juniors and seniors pursuing their bachelor”™s degrees in nursing. Academically and financially eligible students with $5,000 scholarships, and a committee has been created to disseminate funds.
“One of the biggest hurdles for nursing students is the cost of a college education. Their debts hamper their ability to progress without working long hours while in college or forgoing the purchase of vital classroom materials, such as textbooks.”
A committee will oversee the Sustaining Hearts Scholarship, create the selection process and disseminate funds, starting this summer. The financial aid office will ensure that selected students, who must have at least a 3.0 GPA, meet the program”™s income criteria.
“One of the biggest hurdles for nursing students is the cost of a college education,” said Cynthia O”™Sullivan, associate dean for academic affairs and global nursing. “Their debts hamper their ability to progress without working long hours while in college or forgoing the purchase of vital classroom materials, such as textbooks.”
Pace University
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University announced the addition of Paul Rink as a visiting assistant professor of environmental law.
Rink comes to Pace from the climate law firm Our Children”™s Trust, which represents young people from around the world in strategic and provides legal assistance to secure their right to a safe climate system. Earlier in his career, he was a forest restoration consultant for Conservation International in Australia and researched the impact of business interests on international environmental law as a Fox Fellow in Mexico City. He received his law degree from Yale Law School and his Masters of Environmental Management degree from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
“The Elisabeth Haub School of Law has a reputation around the globe as the premier institution for environmental law,” said Rink. “I look forward to sharing my passion for climate law with the Haub Law community and to collaborating with its top-tier faculty and students to develop ideas and strategies for effectively combatting the climate crisis.”
Western Connecticut State University
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded a $250,000 Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-Wet) grant for a watershed research project conducted by graduate students from Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) in collaboration with Danbury High School students and the Danbury Department of Public Works.
The research will determine if carp previously introduced into Squantz Pond and Candlewood Lake to control invasive Eurasian watermilfoil resulted in having a negative impact native specifies of vegetation.
The project is being coordinated by Fairfield County high school science teachers David Herberger and Gregory Lewis, who are currently pursuing Master of Science degrees in WCSU”™s Integrative Biological Diversity program; the Danbury High School students involved in the research are Halle Alysandratos, Alondra Lenz, Tumiso Leshiba and Camila Gonzalez.
“The situation with vegetation in the lake isn”™t really talked about that much, and that”™s a big surprise,” said Herberger. “There are a lot of people who don”™t know what”™s going on in their own backyard, and this could have a big effect on the entire lake and the whole community. The stakeholders don”™t really understand the consequences of what could happen if there were no more aquatic plants in the lake.”
Bard College
Bard College has partnered with Montefiore Einstein to open a new public early college high school this fall in the Bronx.
The new Bard Early College Bronx will introduce students to biomedical science and research as well as career pathway programs. Graduating students will receive both a New York State Regents Diploma and an Associate in Arts degree from Bard College.
The school opens in September in the Crotona neighborhood in the South Bronx under the leadership of Dr. Siska Brutsaert as principal.
“Over the last 20 years, Bard College has partnered with public school systems to open early colleges in New York, Newark, New Orleans, Cleveland, Baltimore, Hudson, and Washington, D.C.,” said Dr. Dumaine Williams, Bard College vice president for early colleges. “This new partnership with the New York City Department of Education and Montefiore Einstein is a tremendously exciting opportunity to expand access to rigorous and intellectually inspiring opportunities ”“ particularly those in the biomedical sciences ”“ to high school students in the Bronx.”
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut School of Law is opening the Transactional Law Clinic, which will offer pro bono services to small businesses, nonprofit agencies, and individuals in transactional and regulatory matters.
The clinic, which has enrolled students for the fall semester, is the newest of seven in-house clinics operated by UConn Law faculty to serve the community while training law students. Among the services offered by the new clinic are contract review and negotiation, startup governance and filings, entity formation and document drafting, and industry-specific regulatory advice for dealing with local, state and federal agencies.
Casey Faucon, who launched a similar clinic at the University of Alabama School of Law, has joined the UConn Law faculty as clinic director and associate professor.
“Legal costs are so expensive for small businesses,” Faucon said. “We want to be able to provide help to the community.”
Iona University
Iona University is now offering a 33% tuition discount through its Archdiocesan Scholarship for Graduate Studies award to support current Catholic school educators pursuing a master”™s degree.
Qualified applicants may enroll in any of Iona”™s graduate degree programs. The scholarship is open to full-time teachers, administrators and guidance counselors employed by Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the Archdiocese of New York and neighboring dioceses, as well as members of the clergy.
“With Iona”™s proud Catholic tradition, and teachings of Blessed Edmund Rice engraved in its history, it”™s very fitting that we offer a scholarship to empower this current generation of Catholic school educators,” said Shantell Smith, director of graduate admissions for the School of Arts and Science. “Now is the perfect time for qualified educators to set themselves apart from the rest with a graduate degree from Iona.”
Fairfield University
Fairfield University has announced the launch of a new Master of Science program in financial technology within the Charles F. Dolan School of Business.
The new program begins in the fall 2023 semester and will be available in both a fully online and hybrid format. Students will study both financial principles and technological advancements with topics including blockchain and its applications, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, algorithmic trading, strategic management of technology and innovation, and ethical considerations for the regulation of fintech.
“As technology continues to revolutionize every aspect of our lives, the need for forward-thinking individuals who can bridge the gap between finance and technology has never been more crucial,” said Dr. Katsiaryna Bardos, chairperson of the finance department and associate professor of finance. “Our program is designed to address this demand head-on, offering students an unparalleled educational experience that blends theoretical frameworks with practical applications in cutting-edge financial technologies.”
SUNY Orange
SUNY Orange announced the Fall 2023 offerings for Encore, a non-credit program for adult lifelong learners aged 55 and older residing in the tri-state area.
The courses are short-run offerings ranging from one to four sessions per class held in a combination of lectures or hands-on participation as appropriate. Classes meet at the Middletown campus on varying days beginning Sept. 15 and are held through November.
The full roster of classes available for the Fall 2023 semester is: “The Music of Edvard Grieg,” “Beginning Watercolor,” “Native Peoples in the Lower Hudson Valley at the Time of European Contact and Their Fate,” “Color Pencil Drawing,” “Investments: Which Ones for a Possible Recession?,” “Making Movies on Your Mobile Phone,” “Bird Diversity,” “Card Making,” “Book Club,” “The Lost Mysteries of Books, Cinema & Radio of the 1940”™s,” “Nazi War Crimes and Trials: Nuremberg, Those Who Weren’t Tired and the Final Attempts to Bring About Justice,” “Automated External Defibrillator,” “Mahjong,” “Writing Your Book,” “Strong Women Throughout the Ages,” “Truth,” “Farmworkers in Orange County – Past & Present,” “Friday Film Series,” “Functional Fitness” and “Aquasize.”
