Excels: Success


Students succeed when they meet the goals they set for themselves, but it is also reasonable to acknowledge that our students sometimes need help in setting those goals. SUNY Erie will be an institution that promotes exploration while reducing wasted credits and keeping students on track toward their considered objectives.

 

In the transfer and workforce areas this will mean ensuring that students have the best possible transfer or career counseling all the way from the intake process through to graduation and beyond. SUNY Erie will be an institution that takes ownership of the successes and failures of our students while they are with us and after they go on to other pursuits.

SUNY Erie’s focus on success is exemplified through the following initiatives:

 

Applied And Experiential Learning

SUNY Erie has always focused on making education practical and applicable to the lives and jobs of our students. This focus is not in conflict with a love of knowledge and artistry for its own sake, but instead supports it by challenging us to creatively apply what we know to our communities, to our environment, and to our future goals. As such, the focus on applied learning fits equally well into the transfer and the workforce track. Those who seek to continue their education at a four-year institution will need to apply their SUNY Erie learning to that future degree, while those who seek to enter the workforce directly will need to understand how their learning applies to their future jobs.

Objectives:
  • Promote applied learning opportunities via the Career Resource Center in order to facilitate student access to – and preparation for –  service learning, volunteer efforts, and internships
  • Establish institutional database to track applied learning opportunities and activities
  • Adopt software to connect students and prospective employers via jobs and internships
  • Enhance Erie Community College’s role as an apprenticeship hub

Successful Transfer

For half a century, SUNY Erie has sought to promote the transfer of its students into four-year programs. This core mission of the college is currently met by 17 Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degrees that facilitate transfer and four-year completion. We will continue to promote transfer by establishing closer ties to our sister SUNY institutions in the region by fully implementing the SUNY Transfer Paths and the SUNY Seamless Transfer initiative. Where we have strong transfer partnerships with private institutions we will ensure that students are properly guided by partnering with advisors at those institutions to ensure a smooth transition.

Objectives:
  • Utilize National Student Clearinghouse reports to assess whether students are transferring to the campus of their choice and develop a transfer rate for all academic programs
  • Establish guided curriculum pathways to facilitate seamless transfer
  • Integrate transfer counseling into intake process during orientation
  • Promote dual admissions during intake as part of the formal application process
  • Require the adoption of a SUNY Transfer Path during the application process
  • Increase use of stackable certificates for all incoming students to facilitate dual awards upon graduation