Campuses To Nominate Degree Programs for Next Wave of Open SUNY
May 12, 2014
Albany – State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher recently called on the system’s 64 colleges and universities to nominate their top online degree and certificate programs for inclusion in the second wave of Open SUNY. Open SUNY+ degrees carry unique student and faculty supports that go beyond SUNY’s existing online offerings, and they are closely aligned with the state’s workforce needs.
Degrees and certificates selected as part of the next wave of Open SUNY+ programs will be available for student enrollment in September, with classes beginning January 2015.
“Many throughout our system are eager to rise to the challenge of Open SUNY and exponentially increase access to their finest degree programs and online offerings, and we are eager to facilitate that for our students,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “Open SUNY embodies our most fundamental ideals to increase access, speed degree completion, and increase success among all students and graduates. We are looking forward to what the next phase of this exciting initiative will bring.”
Potentially the world’s largest online learning platform, Open SUNY will vastly expand access to a SUNY education, making it possible for the system to enroll an additional 100,000 students within three years. More than 2,000 students have enrolled in the first eight Open SUNY+ degree programs, which were introduced in January 2014.
As part of the nomination process for round two, SUNY will also collect feedback and input from students, faculty, and staff across the system about how to reduce time-to-degree through expanded options for students at the course level.
“The potential of Open SUNY runs even deeper than the courses and programs we will able to offer on this ‘anytime access’ platform,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “It can also be a unique and useful vehicle for campuses to collaborate, learning from one another’s experiences and exploring opportunities for future partnerships and joint offerings. SUNY faculty are the driving force behind Open SUNY’s success, and I am confident they will continue to innovate and deliver for our students and for New York State.”
Also as part of the initiative, faculty from across SUNY have published five open textbooks to date, with two more expected this summer, and 15 selected for next year. Because the books are “open,” they can be accessed by anyone, world-wide. All of the Open SUNY textbooks can be downloaded at opensuny.org.
About Open SUNY
Open SUNY, the system’s comprehensive online learning platform, was launched by Chancellor Zimpher in January as part of her 2014 State of the University Address. The launch included eight degree programs now offered through six SUNY campuses, with plans to grow its portfolio in 2014 and beyond.
In addition to its Open SUNY + programs, Open SUNY takes every online course offered at every SUNY campus—upwards of 12,000 course sections conducted by 7,000 faculty—and makes them easy to find and accessible for every SUNY student.
Included as part of Open SUNY is a complete portfolio of student and faculty supports as well. Online tutoring and tech support for students is available around the clock and an on-campus student concierge offers financial aid information, degree planning, advisement services and more; and a Center for Online Teaching Excellence enables faculty to collaborate in a professional online development community.
Open SUNY also aims to meet the needs of New York State, tailoring its offerings to meet specific workforce demand, and to reach the 6.9 million adults in New York who have a high school diploma but no college degree.
Open SUNY+ programs introduced in January were: AAS in Clinical Laboratory Technician (Broome Community College); BS in Nursing (SUNY Delhi); BS in Business, Management, and Economics: Human Resources Management (SUNY Empire State College); BS in Science, Mathematics, and Technology: Information Systems (SUNY Empire State College); AAS in Tourism Management (Finger lakes Community College); Masters of Business Administration (SUNY Oswego); MBA in Health Services Administration (SUNY Oswego); and BS in Electrical Engineering (Stony Brook University).
To learn more about Open SUNY, visit: http://open.suny.edu/
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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