East Stroudsburg University President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., and Northampton Community College President Mark H. Erickson, Ph.D., announced today a new partnership between the two institutions that will enable students to complete bachelor degree programs in two popular majors at NCC\u2019s Bethlehem campus.<\/p>\n
Starting next year Nursing and Business Administration students who have completed their associate degree at NCC will be able to earn bachelor\u2019s degrees from ESU without leaving Northampton\u2019s Bethlehem campus at 3835 Green Pond Road in Bethlehem, Pa. The nursing partnership will begin in the fall of 2015 and the business administration partnership in the spring, 2016.<\/p>\n
According to Dr. Denise Fran\u00e7ois-Seeney, dean of NCC\u2019s College of Business and Technology, students who complete an associate degree in Business Administration at Northampton will be able to earn a bachelor’s degree from ESU with as little as one additional year of study if they enroll during summer and winter terms as well as during fall and spring semesters, or they may take summer and winter terms off and earn both degrees in four years. Students graduating from NCC\u2019s RN program may enroll in ESUs bachelor of science (BS) degree completion program which offers flexible evening part-time and full-time options for working nurses. Dr. Carolyn Bortz, dean of NCC\u2019s College of Allied Health Sciences, indicated this partnership will offer a seamless transition from NCC\u2019s associate degree in nursing (ADN) program to ESU\u2019s BS in nursing program immediately upon graduation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a new day and age for higher education,\u201d notes President Welsh. \u201cWe are actively seeking new and innovative ways to deliver an accessible and affordable academic opportunity to a steadily growing transfer student population. I\u2019m proud of this initiative and hope we can continue to find ways to partner with NCC to put students first.\u201d<\/p>\n
NCC\u2019s president, Dr. Mark Erickson, is also pleased with the new agreement. \u201cMany of our students transfer to ESU,\u201d he says. \u201cNow it will be even easier for business administration and nursing students to complete their bachelor\u2019s degrees, either through full-time study or while working. Northampton and ESU are united in our commitment to providing quality, affordable degrees to students in the Lehigh Valley as well as in Monroe County.\u201d<\/p>\n