Displaying items by tag: SUNY Empire

SARATOGA SPRINGS — SUNY Empire State College Officer in Charge Nathan Gonyea has announced the SUNY Empire State College Center for Autism Inclusivity’s new name, Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports, during the college’s inaugural conference, Partners in Applied Behavior Analysis. Gonyea also announced an endowment from Susan and Jack Turben that funds the center’s director role in perpetuity.

The Center for Autism Advocacy’s new name more closely represents the center’s goal of supporting students with autism, providing the autism community with up-to-date research on autism spectrum disorders, and education faculty and staff on how to mee the needs of students with autism in online and in-person learning environments. 

SUNY Empire State College also announced that the Center for Autism Advocacy’s directorship is permanently endowed thanks to a gift from SUNY Empire alumna and child-development expert Susan ’72 and Jack Turben. In recognition, the role, currently filled by Dr. Noor Syed, is now the Susan H. Turben Director for Autism Advocacy. 

In August of last year, SUNY Empire and Anderson Center celebrated the launch of the Center for Autism Inclusivity to provide educational support and research to better serve individuals with autism in the classroom and the workplace. In partnership with Anderson Center, the center promotes workforce development for professionals serving individuals with autism, creates autism-inclusive learning environments, and helps meet the growing demand for professionals working with children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. SUNY Empire’s Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, which launches in spring 2022, prepares students to address the educational, emotional, and social needs of individuals with autism. 

“Over the past 50 years, we’ve built upon the diversity of our students – developing, implementing, and assessing approaches to learning that recognize and adapt to their distinct needs,” said SUNY Empire State College Officer in Charge Nathan Gonyea, Ph.D. “The Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports is a shining example of our mission, and its new name encompasses the full continuum of services we provide.”

“As we collaborated more extensively with our autistic colleagues, we realized that the Center for Autism Inclusivity’s name did not fully represent the scope of our goals,” added SUNY Empire State College’s Susan H. Turben Director for Autism Advocacy Noor Syed, Ph.D. “Our new name, Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports, better reflects our mission of working with, listening to, and learning from the autistic community to engage in initiatives that best support autistic and neurodivergent values.” 

For more information about the Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports and it its programs, visit www.esc.edu/autism. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — SUNY Empire State College students have reported the highest levels of satisfaction with their overall college experience in several key areas of the 2021 SUNY Student Satisfaction Survey. Fifty SUNY campuses participated in this year’s survey. SUNY Empire has regularly participated in the system-wide student opinions surveys since 1994. 

The 2021 survey marks the inaugural year for SUNY in-house survey administration. In previous iterations, the survey was called the Student Opinion Survey (SOS) and was administered by American College Testing Inc. (ACT) in collaboration with SUNY System Administration. 

The Student Satisfaction Survey, conducted on a triennial basis, is designed to evaluate programs, services, and facilities SUNY campuses provide to undergraduate students. College and system administrators use this information to identify areas of strength, as well as areas that require attention. 

The Student Satisfaction Survey study population is based on degree-seeking undergraduate “home institution” students 18 and older who were enrolled in at least one course during the Spring 2021 semester. The survey was administered to a random sample of SUNY Empire degree-seeking undergraduates. 

Specific areas of high student satisfaction include academic support and student services, campus climate, and lifelong growth and learning. SUNY Empire also took the top ranking when students were asked if they would choose their college again if they were starting over. The college ranked first among all participating SUNY campuses in terms of satisfaction with the campus response to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

“We are thrilled to once again rank first in student satisfaction among comprehensive colleges in the Student Satisfaction Survey. These survey results are a testament to the accessible, quality, student-centered education that has been part of our mission for the past 50 years,” said SUNY Empire State College Officer in Charge Nathan Gonyea. “These survey results also speak directly to the efforts of SUNY Empire’s faculty and staff who have worked so hard to maintain and improve the student experience while dealing with challenges and obstacles in their own professional and personal lives.” 

Among its four-year comprehensive college cohort, consisting of 13 campuses statewide, SUNY Empire ranked first in 39 areas spanning six categories, from academic-related services and information technology services to campus climate and ancillary services, such as billing and financial aid. 

For more information about SUNY Empire State College, visit their website at www.esc.edu. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS - As SUNY Empire State College marks the 10th anniversary of its RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends and family celebrate the inaugural cohort’s 10-year reunion in Saratoga Springs.

The inaugural nursing cohort comprised 42 students. Today, the college enrolls approximately 1,250 nursing students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Since the establishment of the RN to BSN program, the School of Nursing and Allied Health has added three online degree programs: The Master of Science in Nursing Administration, the Master of Science in Nursing Education, and, in 2018, a Bachelor of Science in Allied Healthcare, to better meet the needs of New York’s health care providers and the people they serve.

SUNY Empire has transfer pathway agreements with all 37 SUNY and CUNY community colleges and many private institutions. Pathways agreements with nearly half of the SUNY community colleges provide a seamless education for registered nurses seeking their bachelor’s degree. Recently, the college also has developed enhanced partnerships with Corning, Rockland and Ulster community colleges, which enables nursing students to complete initial bachelor’s coursework on their campus through a blend of face-to-face and online learning.

The college’s nursing partnerships have taken on new importance because in December of 2017, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law what is known as the “B.S.N. in 10” legislation, which requires all future graduates of associate degree programs in nursing to complete a bachelor’s within 10 years. A column by SUNY Empire Officer in Charge Mitchell S. Nesler, details the college’s leadership role as this legislation takes effect.

“Congratulations to SUNY Empire nursing students, alumni and the faculty and staff who educate and support them on a decade of success,” said Nesler.

“SUNY Empire nursing students and alumni play a critical role in patient care throughout New York state, and their accomplishments merit celebration. The college takes great pride in the challenging work nurses do to care for the sick and suffering every day,” Nesler continued.

“Celebrating our nursing students, alumni, faculty and staff is a joy,” said Bridget Nettleton, dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health. 

“Better-educated nurses means better health care for the people of the state. Continuing to provide nurses, and their employers, with the education they need to meet every increasing and complex health care is essential for success. Thanks to the hard work of our students, and the education and support they receive from our faculty and staff, SUNY Empire nursing graduates are professional health care providers of the highest quality,” Nettleton commended.

In the spring of 2014, the School of Nursing and Allied Health became part of the at-large Tau Kappa chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (STTI). STTI is the most prestigious nursing honor society, which recognizes academic excellence and achievement in its members.