PLATTSBURGH — Clinton Community College and Plattsburgh State have teamed up in an effort to improve the efficiency and services of both institutions.
During a meeting Tuesday on the Plattsburgh State campus, Plattsburgh State President Dr. John Ettling and Clinton Community College President John Jablonski signed an agreement expressing their intentions to share services.
Doing so, Ettling said, will allow the colleges to “put more of our overall resources into academic instruction and move it over from things that don’t directly impact the classroom.”
The plan is still in its early phases, according to Ettling, but the two colleges have identified possible opportunities for collaboration, such as sharing food and bookstore services and hosting joint conferences and seminars.
ACADEMIC LINKS
Plattsburgh State and Clinton Community are also discussing ways of establishing agreements between departments, he said, which would help Clinton students move over to four-year programs at Plattsburgh State without losing any credits.
Also being considered is the development of a conditional acceptance program for out-of-state and international students, which would allow such students who do well at Clinton Community to continue their education at Plattsburgh State without having to go through a separate admissions process.
In addition, Ettling noted, nurses are in high demand in the area, and both colleges have nursing programs with far more applicants than spaces available.
“We are just beginning conversations on ways to collaborate there,” he said.
Over the next 12-month period, Jablonski said, Clinton Community and Plattsburgh State will likely start to implement aspects of their shared-services agreement and look at establishing legally binding contracts.
“I feel great about it,” Jablonski said. “I think it’s something that’s only going to result in positive outcomes for the community and our students.”
EARLY START
Last year, SUNY launched a shared-services initiative, which requires all of its campuses to shift a minimum of 5 percent of their spending from administration to academic and student services within the next three years.
The initiative is expected to result in a $100 million investment in instruction at SUNY schools.
Ettling said that Plattsburgh State and Clinton Community had been discussing shared services even before the initiative was put in place and that the two institutions have had a close relationship for some time.
“The two schools complement each other in ways that can only benefit people in the North County,” he said.
Email Ashleigh Livingston:
alivingston@pressrepublican.com
