By Christine Graf
New York State P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) programs have been designed to address critical skilled labor shortages that are impacting manufacturing and technology companies throughout the state.
Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative (WSWHE BOCES) was the first to offer the program locally. It is called Southern Adirondack P-TECH.
“We were one of the first 16 cohorts (partnerships) in New York state to receive a seven-year grant to create the program. We received the grant in 2013, and that was a planning year for us. Our first cohort of students started in 2014 and are graduating this year,” said Kim Wegner, lead coordinator for Innovative Programs at WSHWHE BOCES.
“There wasn’t a lot of guidance. It was a thought and idea based off a program that launched in 2009 at a school in Brooklyn. (The state) decided they wanted to expand program across state. There were some guidelines, but we built the program as we moved through it. Where we are today is not where we were six or seven years ago.”
Each of the New York State P-TECH partnerships features a three-way alliance that includes local school districts, local businesses, and one or more SUNY or CUNY educational institution. Southern Adirondack P-TECH partners with SUNY Adirondack and local businesses and school districts. The program is currently offered to students at Saratoga Springs, Queensbury, Hudson Falls, South Glens Falls, Corinth, and Hadley Luzerne school districts.
P-TECH is a six-year program that offers an integrated high school and college curriculum with a heavy emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Students who complete the program receive a Regent’s diploma, an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, and industry-specific credentials. The program is offered at no cost to students.
SUNY Empire State 1-Stop Staff Moves To Newly Renovated Building On West Avenue
Saratoga Springs-based SUNY Empire State College 1-Stop student services staff are now located under one roof at the newly renovated building at 111 West Ave.
“SUNY Empire’s statewide footprint requires the college to provide the same level of service to students in real time during normal business hours, online, by telephone and in person, at the college’s 34 locations across New York state,” said SUNY Empire State College Officer-in-Charge Mitchell Nesler. “SUNY Empire’s adult, nontraditional and part-time student population requires approaches distinct from the traditional campus-based model, which focuses on a younger, residential, full-time student population.”
Assistant Professor, Filmmaker At Skidmore College, Is Named 2019 Guggenheim Fellow
Cecilia Aldarondo, a filmmaker and assistant professor of English at Skidmore College, has been named a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow.
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation announced the prestigious award to 168 scholars, artists and writers Wednesday, April 10. The foundation said recipients are selected for “prior achievement and exceptional promise.”
“When applying for an honor as elusive as a Guggenheim Fellowship, I mostly had to close my eyes and hit ‘submit,’ and put all hope out of my mind,” Aldarondo said. “I am thrilled to have the support I need to continue two documentaries I am currently directing, one on the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and the other exploring the keen anguish of adolescence.”
Applications For Leadership Saratoga Being Accepted; Program Begins In September
The application period for the Leadership Saratoga Class of 2019-20 is open.
The program is designed to orient and train persons who are interested in becoming more involved in their community in volunteer leadership capacities. In addition, participants will receive in-depth knowledge about some of the critical issues facing Saratoga County.
This will be the 36th class of this award-winning program.
Officials Say Skidmore College Enrollment For The Fall Is The Largest In School History
The number of applicants for the incoming Class of 2023 at Skidmore College has climbed in each of the past four years. This year, Skidmore received 11,050 applications, the largest number in college history.
Applications have grown 31 percent over five years. Skidmore received applications from 50 states, Washington, D.C., five U.S. territories, and 141 foreign countries. New York, Massachusetts and California yielded the largest number of applications.
Officials said applications from domestic students of color also continue to grow, increasing from 20 percent to 34 percent of Skidmore’s applications over the past decade.
To Better Themselves, Meet Standards, School Staffs Continue Their Development
By Jill Nagy
Teachers in the Saratoga Springs School District are going back to school, and so are administrators and non-instructional staff members.
They can attend programs in school, through the internet, or at off-campus locations. Keeping all these things organized is Melissa Drummond-Kerrick, the district coordinator for professional development, aided by a professional development committee and an administrative assistant who “keeps me organized and on time.”.
In the past, professional development activities were provided under the aegis of the Human Resources Department, Drummond-Kerrick noted. But during the almost two years she has been in this new position, far more programs have become available and she has made an effort to coordinate them.
U.S. Military Academy Grad Builds Career As A Trainer, Motivational Speaker And Writer
By Maureen Werther
Jay Rifenbary, president of Rifenbary Development in Saratoga Springs, was recently honored by Vistage Worldwide Inc. with the 2017 Speaker of the Year Award.
According to Vistage, the award “recognizes the MVP of the Vistage speaker community, which includes nearly 1,000 experts on topics ranging from leadership to health and wellness.”
Vistage Worldwide is a business advisory and executive coaching organization based out of San Diego.
Skidmore College Reports It Received Largest Number Of Applicants In School’s History
The number of applicants for the incoming class at Skidmore College has broken the record in each of the past three years, college officials said.
This year, Skidmore received 10,750 applications, the largest number in college history, representing a 7 percent increase over 2017 and a 30 percent increase in applications over the last five years.
College officials said Skidmore continues to experience growth in applications from international students, as well as domestic students who self-identify as students of color. In the past decade, the percentage of domestic students of color in the college’s applicant pool has increased to 30 percent from 21 percent, and the percentage of international student applicants has increased to 30 percent from 6 percent.
Adirondack Trust Co. Honored For Offering Financial Literacy Courses To Area Students
The Adirondack Trust Co. was honored at the third annual Financial Capability Innovation Awards presented by a leading technology innovator, EverFi Inc.
Presented at Nasdaq Marketsite in New York City, the award recognizes the company’s “significant efforts to improve the financial capability of local teenagers through unique online learning initiatives,” officials said in a new release.
Adirondack Trust has partnered with EverFi to bring the EverFi and Vault Financial Literacy Courses to local students at no cost to schools or taxpayers and has reached over 2,000 students since the 2014-2015 school year. The web-based program uses the latest in simulation and gaming technologies to bring complex financial concepts to life for today’s digital generation, officials said.
Charles V. Wait Jr., bank executive vice president, said the company “is honored to receive the Financial Capability Innovation Award from EverFi and Nasdaq. As a community bank, we feel it is important to encourage students in our local communities to learn about financial education and we are proud to be able to provide it through the EverFi program.”
He said he is committed to providing students with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully navigate the increasingly complex financial world.
“Each year, we travel to the birthplace of the American financial system to honor institutions that are truly dedicated to going above and beyond in service to their communities,” said Ray Martinez, EverFi President of Financial Education. “The Financial Capability Innovation Awards have given us the opportunity to share and celebrate the tremendous investment these institutions are making and continue to make in the communities where they live, work, and serve. For EverFi, our time here reminds us just how critical the role innovation continues to play in empowering Americans to pursue economic opportunity and achieve financial security for themselves, their families, and their community.”
Academy For Lifelong Learning Continues To Educate, Inform, Entertain Some 25 Years Later
By Maureen Werther
The Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL)at SUNY Empire State College is celebrating its 25th year in existence. It continues to attract more members and expand its offerings each year.
Jeff Shinaman, who has been at the helm for the last four years, said that membership has doubled during his tenure.
“We have a growing aging population here in Saratoga. People who come here from other parts of the country are familiar with lifelong-learning institutions from other places where they’ve lived. So, they are excited when they see that it is available in their new home,” he said.
ALL is hosted and sponsored by SUNY Empire State College and is a nonprofit organization. It offers a non-academic credit curriculum that includes lectures, study groups and social opportunities focused on a diverse range of topics from healthy aging to the arts, religion, classic films and bird watching.
It has 430 active members who pay an annual membership fee to take advantage of the many study groups and social events on the calendar.
ALL offers a fall and spring term. Each is eight weeks in duration. There is also a kickoff luncheon held the week before classes start, giving members the opportunity to meet.