SUNY Empire State College was awarded
$400,000 to develop a Bachelor of Science degree
program in health science, a new program that
will contribute to achieving SUNY’s system-wide
completion agenda of awarding 150,000 degrees
each year by 2020, officials said.
Modeled after the college’s successful RN-to -B.S.
in Nursing program, SUNY Empire’s new bachelor’s
degree will provide a clear, direct and efficient path
for radiologic technicians, emergency medical technicians,
dental hygienists, physical therapy assistants
and many others who have earned an associate and
want to complete their bachelor’s degree, according
to the college.
“The B.S. in health science is the latest example
of SUNY Empire’s dedicated faculty and staff using
innovative, alternative and flexible approaches
to higher education that transform people and
communities through rigorous programs that connect
individuals’ unique and diverse lives to their
personal learning goals,” said Associate Professor
Kim Stote, who was a member of the team that developed
the successful proposal. “The B.S. in health
science is designed to promote seamless academic
progression for students moving from the associate
to completion of a bachelor’s degree.”
Graduates of this program can become directcare
providers, managers, educators or individuals
focused on state-population health issues.
"The program will also take advantage of the
college's partnerships with SUNY's community
colleges and several hospitals and health-care organizations
throughout the state," said Merodie A.
Hancock, president of the college. "Having this new
bachelor's degree in place will mean more and better
job prospects for people working in health care,
and their families, across the state. Better-educated
employees, in turn, will mean improved health care
for New Yorkers."
The college's School of Nursing already has
articulation agreements with 26 of SUNY's 30
community colleges. Part of the new program calls
for the college to work with its current community
college partners to extend the agreements to include
health sciences.
Officials said the college will leverage other
existing partnerships which currently provide a path
to degree completion for radiologic technicians,
including at Catholic Health System on Long Island,
Glens Falls Hospital, Hudson Mohawk Health Education
Center in Glens Falls, New York Methodist
Hospital in Brooklyn, Peconic Bay Medical Center
Radiology in Riverhead, Saratoga Hospital in
Saratoga Springs and Champlain Valley Radiology,
in order to begin the process of scaling up the new
program across the state.
Resources for SUNY Empire's new program
come from the SUNY system's newly established Investment
and Performance Fund and were awarded
through a competitive, system-wide process.
The college's proposal was one of 32 selected
for funding.
According to the state Department of Labor:
• The fastest growing occupations in New York
state are health-care related; these include physical
therapists and physical therapist assistants, diagnostic
medical sonographers, health educators and
dental hygienists.
• More than 3 million jobs in health care are
forecast to be created in the period from 2010- 2018,
resulting largely from the aging of the population.
• From February 2013 to February 2014 in the
state of New York, there was an increase of more
than 40,000 jobs in the health-care and educational
sectors.
The college's health science degree is designed as
an upper-level bachelor's degree completion program
and begins in the third year of a student's studies,
after the completion of the associate's degree.
"The health science program is designed to
create learning environments that promote critical
thinking, social responsibility and lifelong learning,"
said Stote.
She said students will be able to complete their
degree online, in small groups and through guided
independent study. Students learning on a full-time
basis can expect to complete the college's program
in two years.
The college anticipates enrolling students in the
new program beginning in the fall of 2017.
More information about the college is available
at www.esc.edu.