Winter - Jefferson Community College

News from Partners in EducationServing Others the Draw for Keuka College Social WorkStudentB.S. in Business, M.S.T. and M.S.Ed Degrees among OpportunitiesOffered by SUNY Potsdam in WatertownSUNY Potsdam offers several degree programs in Watertownthrough JCC’s Higher Education Center initiative. A bachelor ofscience in business administration is offered to compliment JCC’sassociate of science degree in business administration. The jointlyregistered program, whereby a student is accepted to JCC and Potsdamsimultaneously, offers a seamless pathway to the baccalaureatedegree. The master of science in teaching provides prospectiveeducators the opportunity to achieve New York State Initial Certificationin Childhood Education 1-6. This program is designed to supportindividuals who have an earned bachelor’s degree in an areaother than education. In addition, Potsdam offers M.S.Ed degrees inCurriculum and Instruction, Literacy and Organizational Leadership.Finishing a social work degree in less than two years in Keuka College’sAccelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP) is perfect forsomeone like Jim Sheets, a former U.S. Army sergeant who retired in2004.“I can stay at my office after work, go five blocks down the road andattend [class] one night a week,” says Sheets, an outreach specialistfor the Watertown Veterans Administration Center who takes ASAPclasses at Jefferson Community College (JCC). Sheets educatesschool, community and veterans groups on the special adjustmentneeds of servicemen or women returning from war to base duty ortransitioning back to civilian life. With nearby Ft. Drum home to approximately25,000 active-duty soldiers in the 10th Mountain Divisionand their families, Sheets has no shortage of people to serve.A lot of what Sheets is learning in his bachelor’s degree program “fitsinto play, both with job, family and everything else,” he says. Amonghis VA colleagues, for example, he jokes that “everybody else here isa social worker and I’m not” as reason to pursue that degree.Sheets is one of 19 Keuka students studying social work at JCC andhe has found several from his cohort work in local agencies theVA already partners with for client services. Knowing who in thecommunity he can refer a veteran to for financial aid or housing assistance,for example, is “a big plus,” he said.Sheets initially considered attending ASAP courses at OnondagaCommunity College near Syracuse, but when he heard Keuka mightbe bringing the program to JCC, he decided to wait an extra yearand was the first to enroll when it began.Finishing his bachelor’s is important to him because he wants to seta good example for his three daughters. Education is all in the familyfor Sheets and his wife, Anita, who also retired from the military.Dad, mom and their oldest, Chiarra, all graduated from JCC with associatedegrees in 2006. Chiarra is now in grad school at the SavannahCollege of Art and Design, while Brittney and Alexis both attendSUNY Plattsburgh. He and his girls are now able to trade ideas viaemail. “We share our learning experiences,” says Sheets, who is ontarget to graduate in 2013.SUNY Potsdam continues to support aspiring and practicing educatorswith coursework and professional development opportunities.This year, SUNY Potsdam entered into a collaborative with theJefferson-Lewis Teacher Center in Watertown with the purpose ofmaintaining premier professional development opportunities forteachers, parents and other professionals. This partnership hascreated Potsdam’s first graduate assistant position in Watertown,providing an opportunity each semester for a Potsdam graduatestudent to become actively involved in the local education communityby working at the Teacher Center and assisting in programdevelopment and implementation. As a graduate assistant, thestudent can enhance his/her knowledge and skills of current teachingpractices as well as network with professionals in Jefferson andLewis county schools.For additional information about SUNY Potsdam educational opportunities,please contact Kathleen Morris-Kortz, at morriska@potsdam.eduor 315-786-2373.Upstate Medical University is currently accepting applicationsfor the Respiratory Therapy, B.S. degree program being offered onJCC’s campus. For additional information, please contact admiss@upstate.edu or call 315-464-4570.Empire State College is currently accepting applications for theEarly Childhood Studies, B.S. degree program offered on JCC’s campus.Interested students may contact Desalyn De-Souza, Desalyn.De-Souza@esc.edu or 315-785-2418. Empire also provides theopportunity to design your own individual degree program. Foradditional information, please contact Carol Petrie, Carol.Petrie@esc.edu or 315-786-6541.Keuka College currently offers a B.S. in social work and a B.S. in criminaljustice through its ASAP program at JCC. For information, please contactWendy Ferrucci, wferrucc@mail.keuka.edu or 315-694-8151.Jefferson Insider Winter 2011 • 14