NORWICH – Collaborative efforts between the Norwich high school and the SUNY Morrisville Norwich campus are bringing something new to the table for high school juniors and seniors this year and according to school officials, it’s benefitting students, the college and the community as a whole.
The high school and SUNY Morrisville are working with Chenango County in a joint undertaking for the first time to offer students college level courses. Students’ tuition is covered by funding extracted from the county budget while the Norwich City School District picks up the tab for textbooks and the college waives any additional fees – nearly an $800 per course value for prospective college students. The same arrangement has also been made for students at Otselic Valley Central School. The initiative began in September and thus far, said school officials, all is going well.
According to Morrisville Norwich Campus Dean Marsha Cornelius, the new offering is ideal for increasing college enrollment while also serving as a prelude of the college workload students can expect as they pursue higher education. At the same time, collaboration between the school and the college serves as a “win-win” for students and the community, she said. “It creates a better sense of community when the college can work with the school. As long as the county is supportive, we will grow and offer this at other high schools in the county,” she said. “I’m very pleased in how this has worked out this year. There were a few glitches early in the year but it’s now running more smoothly.”
Although advanced placement (AP) courses have been offered to high school students in past years, the new arrangement is providing students with guaranteed SUNY credits, giving many students a jump-start in their college career. As of now, more than 50 Norwich students are enrolled in biology, business law, accounting, and calculus courses. At Otselic Valley, professors are instructing students in English courses including freshman composition and writing about literature. Cornelius said hopes are to expand on the program by September 2013, with additional course offerings and higher enrollment. The biggest challenge in doing so, she noted, is working out transportation issues and recruiting professors willing to be more flexible with their schedule.
“Ideally, I would like to see students have the chance to graduate with a full semester of college credits under their belts,” said Norwich City Schools Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan. Like Cornelius, O’Sullivan said he wishes to see the program grow with more opportunities made available to students by next year, but since it’s still in its experimental phase, he said the district is taking it slow to smooth out any problems first.
“This is just another great opportunity for students here,” O’Sullivan added, alluding to the advantages of having a college in close proximity to the high school. “We can offer something unique that so many other locations can’t,” he said.
Scott Kimball, a biology professor at SUNY Morrisville, currently has 13 Norwich high school students enrolled in his course. While most other students in his class are adult learners, he said it hasn’t detered high school students from learning and being well prepared for class.
“It’s a more disciplined specific course but it’s certainly accessible to high school students,” said Kimball. “It also fills out the class and gives it more diversity. It helps to get a different perspective on things,” he added.
“This has been a wonderful opportunity (for students) to see diverse learners in both age and economics,” Cornelius said. “It’s something I would love to continue and to see growing next year.”