By Tom Williams

Many people in the North County leave the area to continue their education and develop careers because the areas of education they were interested in were not available. The expansion of Fort Drum has eliminated many of these educational concerns. With Fort Drum’s expansion and the influx of new residents, the demand for higher education became even greater. Hence the development of SUNY North Country Consortium with the State University of New York. This partnership of SUNY institutions serves Jefferson and Lewis Counties, southern St. Lawrence County and northern Oswego County. The consortium brings to the area four-year and higher degree programs to the residents, soldiers and their spouses.

The Consortium of SUNY institutions, currently consisting of Jefferson Community College (JCC), SUNY Canton, SUNY Empire State College, SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Upstate Medical University, was formed in 1985 and serves the residents of these communities. Each institution brings different degree programs to the North Country in order to broaden the array of degree choices. In its first year of existence, the consortium offered 26 courses. Fast forward 24 years and we find that in its brief history, the consortium has offered more than 82,000 courses.

The Consortium’s executive director, Miyako Schanely is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a BS in Engineering Management, and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Rochester. She has taught business administration at Jefferson Community College, SUNY Oswego and SUNY Potsdam.

Schanely has also served her country for over 23 years as an active and reserve member of the U.S. Army and currently commands the Third Battle Command Training Group of the 75th Division at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

Two years ago, building on her experience in higher education and in the military, Schanely accepted the executive director position for the Consortium. TheConsortium’s Fort Drum office is located in the Fort Drum Education Center and the McEwen Library building on Fort Drum. A second location will soon be available in Jefferson Community College’s Higher Education Center, which is scheduled to open in January 2010. Approximately one third of the staff members are retired military or spouses of soldiers, and, as such, provide good understanding of military needs, customs and jargon.

The Consortium works with people from a wide range of educational backgrounds from GED to the masters degree level. Individuals can walk into either office to ask questions or gather information, or they may schedule an appointment with an advisor. Advisors will help students with selection of a college and degree program, application for admission, registration for classes, and navigating the financial aid process. JCC and Empire State College have full-time advisors available at the Fort Drum office, and SUNY Oswego and SUNY Potsdam have advisors available at JCC or at Fort Drum by appointment.

Classes are offered at the Education Center on Fort Drum and at the JCC campus. Additionally, many of the classes are offered as “non-traditional” classes. They may be taken online, in eight-week semesters, in three-week intense semesters, as weekend classes, hybrid, and guided independent studies. Many students are also able to earn college credit for work experience and professional training.

Once the advisor and the student meet and determine the student’s areas of interest, the advisor can cross-refer between schools in order to best match the student’s goals. The member colleges offer flexible options to accommodate students’ schedules and other obligations. In addition to working with civilians and their work and family commitments, the consortium also serves soldiers and their spouses, including the special needs each may have when a soldier is deployed.

Most soldiers find they can continue classes wherever they go. Advisors work with the active duty service members, members of the Guard and Reserve components, veterans and former service members utilizing vocational rehabilitation benefits, and family members of these patriots.

As mentioned earlier, the SUNY North Country Consortium is not only for the military. It is for everyone who is interested in continuing their education in the North Country. Many of the courses are offered locally so one does not have to travel great distances to receive an education. Many courses are offered online and many do not require attendance at one of the local colleges. Empire State College, specifically, is a leader in adult and online courses. It offers associate degrees, bachelor degrees and graduate programs. There are 11 undergraduate degree programs: the arts; business, management and economics; community and human services; educational studies; historical studies; human development; interdisciplinary studies; cultural studies; labor studies; science; mathematics and technology; social theory, social structure and change.

Empire State students may complete a master of arts degree in labor and policy studies, social policy, business administration, liberal studies, and teaching.

Empire State College is ranked number one in independent national surveys. Faculty members are experts in their fields and provide students with one-on-one personal attention. Most faculty members hold doctoral degrees in their respective academic fields.

Financial aid is available through grants and scholarships. In fact, 50 percent of SUNY Empire State College students receive financial aid.

JCC plays a major role by providing space for other colleges to conduct courses at the JCC campus. JCC offers certificate programs in accounting, criminal justice, hospitality and tourism, office studies, paramedic, and teaching assistant. associate degrees are offered in many fields: accounting, animal management, business administration, computer science, fire protection technology, liberal arts and sciences, nursing, office technologies, paralegal, and paramedics, to name a few.

JCC also offers online degrees in business administration, criminal justice, individual studies, and liberal arts. These online programs offer adult learners options for continuing their education around their work and many other commitments.

Two of the northern members of the consortium are SUNY Canton and SUNYPotsdam. SUNY Canton offers certificate programs, associate degree and online programs, especially in the technical fields. The college exports its certificates in motorsport performance and repair and electrical construction and maintenance to the Fort Drum area. Local residents may also conveniently access Canton’s associate degrees in automotive technology, air conditioning engineering technology, civil engineering technology, and electrical engineering technology.

SUNY Canton also locally offers several bachelors degree programs in the areas of criminal investigation, emergency management, facilities management, financial services management, health care management, law enforcement leadership, legal studies and veterinary services management.

SUNY Potsdam brings several popular degrees to the North Country. Local students may complete a bachelor of science in business administration after completing the first two years of the degree through JCC. Additionally, residents seeking a masters degree in education may complete their degree, including their teaching practicum, locally. There are four master of science in education degrees offered in the North Country, including literacy and curriculum and instruction. SUNY Potsdam also locally offers the master of science in teaching, which allows students with bachelor degrees in fields other than education to earn the requirements for teaching in New York State.

SUNY Oswego offers a variety of online courses, bachelor degrees and graduate degrees. Local students can complete bachelor degrees in business administration and public justice, as well as graduate degrees in human services/community counseling and business administration. Online degrees offered include a bachelor of arts in broadcasting and mass communications and a bachelor of science in vocational teacher preparation.

SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, also known as SUNY-IT, is partnering with the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) to bring degrees in several healthcare careers to the North Country. Many registered nurses who earned their associate degree through JCC or other institutions earn their bachelor of science in nursing locally through SUNY-IT, completing their clinical rotations in local hospitals and healthcare institutions. SUNY-IT also offers bachelors degrees in health information management and health systems management online. Masters degrees available locally from SUNY-IT include accounting, technology management, health systems administration, information design andtechnology, nursing education, nursing administration, and nurse practitioner.

SUNY Upstate Medical University is the final member of the SUNY North Country Consortium, also partnering with FDRHPO to bring degrees in healthcare fields to this area. Degrees currently offered locally include masters of science in family nurse practitioner and family psychiatric/ mental health nurse practitioner. SUNY Upstate Medical University most recent local initiative is bringing a respiratory therapy program to the JCC campus.

The SUNY North Country Consortium offers a wide selection of opportunities in many fields to anyone interested in continuing their education. Scholarships and grants are available and the instructors are highly credentialed. If interested in continuing your education or if you are just looking to take a course or two in a subject in which you have an interest, contact the SUNY North Country Consortium through its website at www.sunynorth.edu or phone for information at 315-773-9007 or 772-5477. If you are interested in contacting any of the other SUNY colleges directly, please note the following websites:

Jefferson Community College: www.sunyjefferson.edu
SUNY Canton: www.canton.edu
SUNY Empire State College: www.esc.edu
SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/ Rome: www.sunyit.edu
SUNY Oswego: www.oswego.edu
SUNY Potsdam: www.potsdam.edu
SUNY Upstate Medical University: www.upstate.edu