The SUNY Morrisville Norwich Campus will be opening its doors to prospective students at an open house and instant decision day from 1 to 6 p.m. on Monday, November 20 in Follett Hall. (Photo by Sarah Genter)

NORWICH — The SUNY Morrisville Norwich campus, located at 20 Conkey Avenue in Norwich, will be hosting an open house and instant decision day on Monday, November 20 from 1 to 6 p.m. in Follett Hall.

Prospective students will have the opportunity to learn about the degrees and programs available at the Norwich campus, meet with financial aid personnel and academic advisors, apply for enrollment, and even set their class schedule for 2024. Plus, all students who apply at the event will have the $50 SUNY application fee waived.

Those interested in applying should bring copies of high school transcripts and any college transcripts, if possible.

"If they are someone who took a gap year, or someone who is looking to enroll in January, we can get them enrolled in classes right on the spot," said SUNY Morrisville Norwich Campus Director Tom Pilewski, who took on the roll earlier this year. "We will have admissions here, financial aid here. All the offices and all the people you would need to talk to to enroll in college, on the spot, on Monday could be done."

Degrees offered at the Norwich campus include business administration, criminal justice, human services, individual studies, and nursing. Pilewski said the only program not eligible for instant decision is nursing.

Both the SUNY Morrisville main campus and Norwich campus offer flexible learning options to meet students' needs. In Norwich, the school contains five classrooms that allow for distance learning: a combination of students in the classroom as well as students joining in virtually.

"Big television screen, their faces are on the television screen. Microphones to catch any questions they have or any discussion elements they want to bring to the discussion, and you’ve got students in the classroom," Pilewski explained. "For students that may be working, they can participate in what’s called asynchronous, where they’re not in the classroom, they’re not online live streaming, they can access the lecture later and learn that way and submit their work asynchronously."

"We are well suited to serve any student that needs flexibility. Ideally, we want them in the classroom getting the college experience, but if they can’t do it because they have to work, they can still enroll here and thrive here," he added.

Plus, attending the Norwich campus is much more affordable than attending an in-person school. Pilewski said the cost of attending in-person SUNY schools can range from $25,000 to $30,000 per year. At the SUNY Morrisville Norwich campus, costs average around $9,000 per year.

A new addition to the Norwich campus is the micro-credential and certification programs. Students who are interested in learning about a field but don't want to commit to a full degree program can instead enroll in these programs, where they take one or two classes for two semesters to earn a certificate or micro-credential.

"Students take two courses per semester, or even one and one, and they earn a micro-credential. It includes badges, and they're working full time. So they’re taking a small bite of the higher education apple," Pilewski said. "If they like it, they can enroll in an associate degree in human services, a bachelor's degree in human services, or they can just go back to work."

"The certificate is all courses designed to help that student hit the ground running in that field."

The SUNY Morrsiville Norwich campus currently offers a 21-credit human services certificate program, where students learn about abnormal psychology, counseling and case management, helping processes and crisis intervention, and administration and management of human services.

In the works are micro-credential programs related to business and entrepreneurship. Pilewski said he also hopes to develop certificate and micro-credential programs for criminal justice.

Although financial aid is only available for full-time students, Pilewski said grant and scholarship opportunities are available for those interested in certificate or micro-credential programs.

"We would never turn away a student who wants to come study here who needs some assistance," he said. "There’s a pretty good pot of money available here locally to support students that want to further their education. Never say I can't afford it. Let us see if you can afford it with some grants or scholarships."

The campus already has a good working relationship with Commerce Chenango, the Chenango County Historical Society, and UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital, but Pilewski said he wants to continue to develop and grow partnerships with community organizations and businesses, to further provide educational opportunities to SUNY Morrisville students.

"I want to have like a criminal justice industry day, but I want to bring people in from the courts, PD, and state troopers, and just learn from them. Hey, how did you get where you are today, and how would you advise an 18 year old?" he explained. "There is so much room for growth, and we want to help students grow, we want to help the community grow, and we want to be an integral part in, let’s say, transforming Chenango County into something more special than it already is."

Ultimately, the SUNY Morrisville Norwich campus is open to any and all prospective students, whether they be newly-graduated high schoolers, working adults returning to school, or individuals who want to learn the foundations of a field through a micro-credential program.

"We welcome customers that want the whole thing or just a little bit. Everybody is welcome here," said Pilewski. "It’s a great place to start, and we haven’t quite come up with a slogan yet, but I like ‘your future starts here at the Norwich campus,' [or] ‘start your future here.’"

For more information on the SUNY Morrisville Norwich campus, visit Morrisville.edu/norwich or the SUNY Morrisville Norwich Campus Facebook page.