Morrisville State College

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by: Jill Kraft

Being centrally located in a smaller city has some real home-town advantages. Morrisville State College, located in the Roger W. Follett Hall next to the Eaton Center, prides itself on being one of the major focal points in the community.

From internships, trips, game nights and community involvement to holiday open houses, Morrisville State College administration as well as staff and students play a role in participating in public affairs and activities throughout the year. Its second annual holiday open house drew in a crowd between 400 and 500 people and offered local specialty food makers a chance to strut their stuff.

Catering to both traditional and non-traditional students, Dean Ted Nichols said the student body is split 50/50 between students who enroll directly after high school and students who are returning for their college education. “This is our diversity,” said Nichols. “Our students come from various backgrounds, have a variety of work and life experiences.”

With approximately 550 students, Nichols says enrollment is holding steady. The college, according to an internal success review, was said to have achieved near record enrollment both in terms of student headcounts and full-time equivalents/credits generated. “I am happy to see the college servicing so many students and pleased with the number of students choosing to attend our campus,” he said.

In an effort to adapt to student interests and maintain new programming, two new associate degree programs were put into place in 2007. An A.A.S. in Human Services and A.A.S. in Criminal Justice were newly implemented and go along with an Early Childhood degree program which started in 2006. The Norwich Campus now offers students the ability to choose from 11 associate degree programs, various technical courses and several liberal arts/transfer options.

“These programs seem to be taking off well,” said Nichols.

“Unlike the other programs offered at our campus, these programs are specifically offered at the Norwich campus,” the dean added. “The local campus hired full-time faculty coordinators C. Fred Weaver and Clare Armstrong-Seward for the programs following successful national searches.”

One goal Nichols says is important to both the administration and to facility is to get the students involved in the community and try to get the students to earn degrees locally and go onto utilize their degrees here, too. “We have many students doing internships with local businesses and organizations,” he said. “We try to get our students into the local workforce and show them there are jobs here they are qualified for.”

Nichols says another goal is providing students scholarships to offset the rising costs of gaining a college education.

The college increased scholarship support for Chenango County students by awarding Raymond Foundation merit scholarships to 11 students. These $1,000 scholarships are awarded to students in the top-five percent of the incoming Norwich Campus freshmen class.

“Scholarship support was also provided to 14 other Norwich Campus students based on a combination of merit and need,” said Nichols. Scholarship assistance for Chenango County residents attending the Norwich Campus is provided by community minded individuals, businesses, and foundations throughout Chenango County through the Morrisville College Foundation.

Looking ahead, Nichols says the college would like to look into offering bachelor degree programming but the idea is not realistic yet due to lack of housing space and other four-year qualifications the campus does not have. Looking into other options, such as international student programming, is an idea Nichols says he thinks could ultimately be the way to go. “This community has a lot to offer, from restaurants to the YMCA and other venues students could benefit from,” said Nichols.

He also says college officials are viewing options to see what health care courses the college could offer. “We have a great nursing program and we are trying to see what other health care services could be a good asset to the curriculum,” he said.

Building community partnerships Nichols says is the biggest asset to the campus and to the students who attend. The college is currently looking into providing entrepreneurship education in partnership with Commerce Chenango for Agri-business and Commercial District Small Business development. “Introducing entrepreneurship to individuals and helping existing ones learn the tools they need to succeed is the goal we are working to achieve,” said Nichols.

According to an internal review, the Norwich campus served the community and the surrounding area numerous ways. The campus manages a Liberty Partnership Program with Chenango County school districts, provides dual credit high school/college courses for high school students in their home schools, provides assistance to unemployed/underemployed individuals through their Bridge Program, provides customized training to area employers, offers non-credit/continuing education (continuing dental education and SAT preparation), serves as a host location for GED classes in cooperation with Afton Consortium, offers professional development and conference services and serves as a cultural center for community events, lectures, colloquia, and films.

The facility, which is fully equipped with a state-of-the-art wireless networking system, is the best in the country, maybe even the world, according to Nichols. Taking a leading edge in technology services, Nichols says, he wants to see the college continue to gain and remain a leading source for technology degree programs.

Having an increasing presence with on-line and hybrid courses, which brings students face-to-face with instructors, also enables the convenience of doing school from home. Nichols says the option is making a name for Morrisville. “I love the fact I can still take courses while I work full time,” said online student Heather Birdsall.

The Morrisville main campus is located approximately 45 minutes north of Norwich. It is a rural campus that thrives on equine science and other agricultural degree programs. That the Morrisville college experience can offer a wide variety of both agricultural and technical programming is one point Nichols says needs to be made. “When people think about Morrisville State college they need to include what we are doing in Norwich, what we have accomplished and where we are going,” he said.

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