News

Candace Campbell Jackson to Speak at University College Commencement Celebration

The University College Commencement Celebration for part-time students will take place on Thursday, May 10, at 6 p.m. at Hendricks Chapel, followed by a reception on the Quad.

Candace Campbell Jackson

Candace Campbell Jackson

Benjamin Vasquez, who will graduate with a bachelor of professional studies degree in creative leadership, will be the student speaker. Patricia McBride, also graduating with a bachelor of professional studies degree, will be the UC class marshal.

Candace Campbell Jackson, senior vice president and chief of staff for Chancellor Kent Syverud, will be the keynote speaker. Jackson came to Syracuse University in 2015 from the University of Akron, Ohio. She served there as vice president for student success and vice provost for academic success, providing strategic and operational leadership to nearly 600 employees in more than 20 student success and academic support units.

Prior to her career in higher education, Jackson was an attorney in the public law and corporate departments of the law firm Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLP. A graduate of Howard University with a bachelor of arts in journalism, Jackson earned a J.D. from the University of Akron.

This year, seven University College students will be named Alumni Scholars. These students have excelled academically while juggling countless other responsibilities, earning a GPA of 3.63 or higher.

Awards will also be given to students to recognize their outstanding achievement and academic excellence and to faculty, staff and departments across campus who demonstrate a commitment to providing quality education to UC students.

The campus community is invited to attend the celebration. To RSVP for the event, visit cc.syr.edu/UCGrad2018, call 315.443.3261 or e-mail ucinfo@uc.syr.edu.

Celebrating a Century of University College

The Crouse Mansion (later the SU College of Law) was home to the first Syracuse University evening classes on October 8, 1918.

In the early 1900s, college was a distant dream for most American students. As they grew older, opportunities for college study receded even further, but the desire for education never diminished. M. Ellwood Smith, a Syracuse University graduate and member of the University’s faculty, recognized this gap, and set about rectifying it. He recommended that SU establish a self-supporting night school where adults could study part time. In 1918, Smith’s efforts led to the creation of Syracuse University’s School of Extension Teaching and Adult Education,
which later evolved into University College. The intervening 100 years have witnessed many changes in adult education, but Smith’s vision remains at the core of UC’s mission: to provide a first-class education to adults, veterans, active military, and first-generation college students. Career advancement has always been a goal for nontraditional students who study part time through University College. But other motivators include setting an example for children, fulfilling long-held dreams, and experiencing the joy of lifelong learning. Innovations through the years include the development of distance education options, community engagement programs, and the creation of pathways for students with significant educational and economic challenges. More recently, UC has become SU’s leader in the advancement of innovative online curriculum and programming.

The future is here – A Message from the Dean

Dean Frasciello speaking at 2016 UC Commencement

“Adult education is now one of the primary functions of a modern university and no longer a peripheral activity. It is an indispensable service of the greatest significance.”
~ Chancellor William Tolley, April 1958

Sixty years ago, Chancellor Tolley was championing adult and continuing education. He made it part of Syracuse University’s ethos—a spirit within our institutional culture which Chancellor Syverud has today challenged us to reimagine for a modern university of the 21st century. This year University College celebrates its 100 year anniversary. When I look at how University College has evolved over that time, I see Syracuse University’s strategic response to the societal, cultural, economic, and global exigencies of each era. The first Syracuse University Evening Session was held on October 18, 1918, making SU one of the first universities in the country accessible to part-time adult students—just as the world was anticipating the end of the Great War. During the 1930s, amid a global economic depression, Evening Sessions grew into the School of Extension Teaching and Adult Education. In 1946, the school was re-chartered as University College to serve thousands of returning World War II veterans, preparing them for entry into Syracuse University and beyond.

Today, University College is the agile and innovative academic unit through which Syracuse University is responding to disruptive shifts in higher education, the rapidly evolving educational and skills demands of a global and transient workforce, and the notable progression away from aging modes of place-based full-time education. We are advancing quickly with innovative programming, accessible academic pathways, and world-class online education—while expanding our student-centric departments—from student support services through curriculum development and academic programming. While University College has evolved over the past 100 years, our core mission has remained the same— providing educational opportunities for non-traditional students whose only access to a Syracuse University education is through part-time study. This October, I hope to see all of you at our Centennial Gala, celebrating the thousands of part-time students who have transformed their lives with a Syracuse University education—and the thousands more we seek to serve.

In your service,

Michael J. Frasciello, Dean

UC Centennial Scholarship – Funding the dream for future students

Aerial photo of SU promenade

“The financial support helped me focus more on becoming the best student I could be, and less on how I was going to pay for my education.”
— Benjamin Vasquez ’18

Benjamin Vasquez is a police officer in Geneva, NY who aspires to go to law school and eventually work for the federal government. He’s been commuting to Syracuse between shifts for the past few years to complete a BPS in Creative Leadership at UC, and will be the 2018 Student Speaker when he graduates in May. Last summer, Ben was chosen from a field of 7,200 applicants to complete a White House internship. This spring, he received the Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship.

Ben says a UC Achiever Scholarship was instrumental in helping him complete his degree program. “The financial support helped me focus more on becoming the best student I could be and less on how I was going to pay for my education,” he says. “I’m humbled and appreciative for this prestigious scholarship.”

Jeanette Bova, a mother of two who works six days a week as a waitress, concurs. “Financial aid has been instrumental in my returning to school,” she says. “Without it, this would be impossible.” She is working toward a degree in English and Textual Studies, and as a recipient of an Achiever Scholarship, Jeanette must maintain excellent grades. She’s met the challenge with a nearperfect GPA.

Stories like these abound at UC, where almost every student receives some form of financial aid in the course of their undergraduate career. UC is hoping to provide more robust opportunities for part-time students with the Centennial Scholarship, which is being created in recognition of UC’s 100th anniversary. A Gala Fundraiser is planned for October at Schine Student Center, and all funds raised will be used to establish this scholarship. “Providing opportunity is what we do at UC,” says UC Dean Michael Frasciello, “and we hope this will enable us to reach out to even more students who have the drive and the dream, but don’t have the funds to finance a college degree.”

Would you like to create opportunities for deserving students by contributing to the Centennial Scholarship? Contact Jenn Scott at 315-443-3281 or jbscott@syr.edu .

Forging online pathways

Father working on laptop with infant sitting on lap

Online education is the wave of the future, and University College is creating digital pathways that will reach every corner of Syracuse University. The establishment of the Center for Online and Digital Learning at UC will develop and launch market driven online and residential graduate and undergraduate programs.

“As we fully align with the University’s Academic Strategic Plan, University College will play a critical role in carrying out the ambitious vision to solidify Syracuse University as a preeminent and inclusive student-focused research university,” said UC Dean Michael Frasciello.