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Thursday Morning Roundtable (TMR) will celebrate 50 years of service to the Central New York community at a breakfast on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at Drumlins, 800 Nottingham Road, Syracuse. Charles Blow, an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and a CNN commentator, will be the guest speaker. Registration for the event is open until October 5.

Since 1965, University College (UC) of Syracuse University has administered Thursday Morning Roundtable – a respected and well-recognized assembly focused on enlightening community members and actively engaging citizens in order to promote positive change in Syracuse and Central New York.

Founded by the late Levi Smith, a former dean at UC, the groundbreaking forum was one of the first of its kind in the country. The University provides a neutral ground for bringing reason and balance to discussions like public welfare, social action, and urban planning. Monies raised at the event will support the Levi Smith Scholarship Fund. The endowment provides the means for part-time students to continue their education. Recipients are chosen based on their financial need, academic record, and interest in public or social service, reflecting TMR’s purpose and mission.

“Thursday Morning Roundtable embodies one of the core missions of University College – to act as a bridge across the various sectors in our community – educators, business partners, and local government,” said University College dean Bea González. “In the past 50 years, we have facilitated over 1600 programs that have impacted the way we live and work in Onondaga County. Our participants build relationships that lead to more effective problem solving,” she said.

“TMR is an unusual place where people from all walks of civic life come together,” said longtime TMR member Marilyn Pinsky. “If you’re a young person in the community and want to get to know people, this is a great way to do it. I’m amazed looking back over the 40 years I’ve been a TMR member at how many people in the community I wouldn’t know if not for TMR, she said. “There’s not a session I go to that I don’t learn something new. You can’t ask for more than that.”

For more information about Thursday Morning Roundtable or the 50^th Anniversary event, call 315-443-4846 or e-mail cps@syr.edu.

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.

For more information about part-time study opportunities at Syracuse, University, call 315-443-3261, e-mail parttime@uc.syr.edu or visit professionalstudies.syracuse.edu.

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:

1. Improved economic opportunities (91 percent)
2. Make more money (90 percent)
3. 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.