SUNY Delhi Earns Leadership Role In Open SUNY

DELHI, NY (readMedia)-- State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher today announced that SUNY Delhi will play a leadership role in the system's introduction of Open SUNY, offering one of the first degree programs to be powered by this initiative.

SUNY Delhi's online RN to BSN will now be offered to students throughout SUNY and worldwide.

"Open SUNY will provide our students with the nation's leading online learning experience, drawing on the power of SUNY to expand access, improve completion, and prepare more students for success," said Chancellor Zimpher. "In addition to these new, fully-online degree programs, Open SUNY will take every online course we offer at every SUNY campus - now upwards of 12,000 course sections conducted by 7,000 faculty - and make them easy to find and accessible for every SUNY student."

"Delhi was recently ranked number one in the nation for the best online programs," said SUNY Delhi President Candace S. Vancko. "Our online BSN has earned a national reputation for excellence and Open SUNY will allow us to expand the program and continue to help address the shortage of baccalaureate prepared nurses in New York State."

Across New York, 6.9 million adults have a high school degree but no college degree. Many want to pursue a degree but life commitments such as jobs, children, aging parents, financial limitations, and community ties limit their access to higher education. Open SUNY aims to reach these non-traditional students as well.

"Open SUNY will completely redefine access to a college degree in our state, reaching every child and adult in every school and home in New York," added Chancellor Zimpher, "and reaching them on their terms in their homes and communities, and on their time, adapting to their schedules."

Included as part of Open SUNY are built-in supports for students and faculty, such as 24/7 assistance for students, whether they need technical help, tutoring, financial planning, or academic advisement services; and a Center for Online Teaching Excellence where faculty can opt-in to training programs and online forums to broaden their knowledge about developing effective online courses or share best practices and learn directly from colleagues across SUNY.

The eight Open SUNY-powered degree programs set to debut in January were chosen based on a number of factors, including student interest, accreditation, and their capacity to meet current and future workforce demand throughout New York State. They are:

•SUNY Broome Community College: AAS in Clinical Laboratory Technician
•SUNY Delhi: BS in Nursing
•Empire State College: BS in Business, Management, and Economics: Human Resources Management
•Empire State College: BS in Science, Mathematics, and Technology: Information Systems
•Finger Lakes Community College: AAS in Tourism Management
•SUNY Oswego: Masters of Business Administration
•SUNY Oswego: MBA in Health Services Administration
•Stony Brook University: BS in Electrical Engineering

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 463,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs, and more than 1.8 million NYS citizens in professional development and personal enrichment programs, on 64 college and university campuses. There are nearly 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide.