Less than a year after Jessica Peptis dropped out of high school in her junior year, she became pregnant with her son Aiden. Struggling to survive as a single mother wasn’t easy, but she had anticipated the hardships and softened the impact by earning a GED before he was born. The day she enrolled Aiden in pre-K, she went home and opened the phone book to “colleges.” Syracuse University was the first listing she saw, and that day she called University College to set up an appointment with an advisor to discuss part-time study toward a degree. Continue Reading
According to an article in the August 18, 2015 Education Advisory Board Daily Briefing nearly 3 million jobs added during the economic recovery following the Great Recession are “good jobs” that pay at least $53,000 a year—and nearly all of those are going to college graduates, according to a new report from Georgetown University‘s Center on Education and the Workforce.
Released August 17, the study found that 44% of the 6.6 million jobs created from 2010 to 2014 were good jobs—and 97% of them went to college graduates.
For the report, researchers used census data to group jobs into 485 occupations—rather than industries—calculated the median annual earnings, and divided them into three tiers. The top earners were the “good jobs.”
Many of the new jobs created were in managerial, STEM , and health-care professions.
And while many college-educated individuals were unemployed or underemployed during the recession, those levels were much higher for people with just a high school degree or less, says Anthony Carnevale, lead author of the report.
“We don’t have enough jobs yet and that means that the college graduates are first in line and they’re bumping out the people who aren’t college graduates,” Carnevale says. “If you’ve got a high school degree and you had a good middle-skill job you were very much at risk.”
Syracuse University recently introduced two part-time degree and certificate programs that provide the skills employers seek when hiring new employees. The Creative Leadership and Knowledge Management programs can be completed entirely online or through a combination of online and on-campus classes. The certificate programs are comprised of five classes that can later be folded into the degree program. New York State residents may be eligible for scholarships worth 50 percent off tuition.
More than 150 additional degree programs are available at SU, many of which can be earned on a part-time basis.
In 2011, Amanda (Teachout) Riccardo was a licensed cosmetologist working in a Destiny USA hair salon. While chatting with one of her clients, Amanda received a piece of information that would redirect her career and turn her life in a new direction. The client was Mary Pagan, a former student advisor at University College (UC), the home of part-time studies at Syracuse University. She told Amanda about the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP)—the only program of it’s kind in New York State that serves part-time students. HEOP provides financial aid and academic assistance for educationally disadvantaged students who want to earn a college degree. Continue Reading
According to an article in the June 2, 2015, Education Advisory Board Daily Briefing , when students are asked why they decided to go to college, the overwhelming response is mostly about money. It was reported that in a recent survey, students age 16-40 were asked about their reasons for going to college. The three most common responses were:
Improved economic opportunities (91 percent)
Make more money (90 percent)
Get a good job (89 percent)
The article also states that adult students over 30 were more likely to say that their decision to attend college was driven by a desire to set a good example and build a better life.
Affordability and availability of financial aid are also important when deciding which college to attend.
Syracuse University wants to help you improve your economic outlook while sharing your concern about the cost of continuing your education. SU recently introduced a new scholarship worth 50 percent off the cost of tuition for New York State residents who matriculate into the part-time Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree or certificate programs through University College.
Or, if you want to enroll in a class or pursue a different degree, the University College Incentive Grant provides funding for 50 percent of the cost of one course for up to three (3) semesters. New and qualified returning students are eligible for the grant.
For more information about funding opportunities for part-time students at Syracuse University, contact a financial aid officer: Call 315-443-3261, e-mail parttime@uc.syr.edu, or visit professionalstudies.syracuse.edu.
When Timothy Bryant was growing up in a tough New Jersey neighborhood, he enjoyed school and believed that despite the difficult circumstances of his life, he was destined to go to college and have a rewarding career. But that notion started slipping away from him at age 9, when he was the victim of a violent crime. He felt like it was ripped away for good when he was attacked again at 14, and his dreams were replaced with raging Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). “I found myself unable to function socially for several years, and as a result I was unable to complete high school,” Bryant, now 50, recalls.
He struggled to come to grips with what his life had become, but little was understood about PTSD at the time. “I was living and operating in ‘survival mode,’” he says, as he tried to comprehend and treat his disorder. This led him to massage therapy, which can help individuals heal from grief and trauma. He completed his GED, became a licensed massage therapist, and assumed that this path would be his life’s journey.
Then Sandy Lane, Ph.D. walked into the Syracuse spa where Bryant was working, and his life turned in a bold new direction.
Lane was a Syracuse University professor of public health, and as she came to know him, she recognized abundant intellectual potential as well as a passion for helping people. She encouraged him to pursue a college degree through the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) at University College. HEOP provides academic and financial support for students whose life circumstances might prevent them from attending SU. It is the only program of its kind for part-time students in New York State.
“HEOP not only provides the financial means to return to school, it gives students the necessary tools to acclimate into the academic environment,” Bryant explains. “It is a tremendous support system.”
Bryant enrolled in Falk College as a part-time student. “I wasn’t confident I’d succeed, but I knew I had a golden opportunity,” he recalls. “I entered with an open mind, determined to see what would unfold.”
What unfolded in Bryant’s college journey would surpass his wildest dreams. He made the dean’s list every semester on his way to a bachelor’s degree in public health in 2015. He traveled to Europe and Africa, and was inducted into Alpha Sigma Lambda, the honor society for nontraditional undergraduates. And he received one of SU’s highest student honors—the Chancellor’s Award for Public and Community Service—for a smoking cessation program he and three classmates designed and implemented at the Syracuse Community Health Center. National recognition came from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) in 2016, which named Bryant the Outstanding Continuing Education Student of the Year.
Last year, Bryant learned that his bachelor’s degree would not be the end of his educational journey. He was admitted to SU’s Ph.D. program in Sociology, with four years of funding.
He is currently engaged in intensive research in the sociological aspects of inequalities based on race and sexuality, and how they affect physical and mental health. “To be pushed intellectually, especially in an environment where others are sharing the experience, is exhilarating,” he says. “I think I’m right where I need to be; in a space between inquiry and illusion, where all the magic happens.”
As limitless possibilities stretch before him, Bryant reflects on what brought him to this point. “Success is not determined by achievements, but rather by facing fears, perseverance over obstacles, and doing the very best you can,” he says. “I would say that I have reclaimed something that I believed was stolen from me as a young child. It derailed my aspirations, and I gave up on dreams. It took a lot of work, but finally, through education, I have hope for the future once again.”
