MARIETTA, OH — Washington State Community College is opening up their registration on Monday for students with 30 or more credits. Vice President of Institutional Advancement Amanda Herb is inviting students to go ahead and register for their Summer and Fall semesters. She has a message for folks toying around with the idea of going back to school. "This is an institution that's going to support them 150% in their academic endeavors."
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Herb said their staff understands the challenges of everyday life, but explained they have the framework to support adult students holistically. "In addition to having flexible course options we've also built supports because we know that success doesn't just happen in the classroom." They now have a food pantry, emergency grant aid, disability support, and even a mental health counselor on campus.
The school has changed some of its programs to be more flexible. "Online courses and evening courses to support adult learners. We know that even in a non-pandemic situation adult students value flexibility in their courses." Some classes are completely online and can be taken at any time. Other classes are meeting remotely at a specific time. "We do a variety of different ways of online learning."
Herb believes more flexibility from employers could open up additional career opportunities. For example, folks wanting to work out of the area, but stay in the Mid-Ohio Valley. "A lot of people want to stay here with their families. With remote work options, that's going to increase their ability to work for companies that they would have otherwise had to move away to work for."
WSCC is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The institution opened its doors in 1971 out where the Washington County Career Center is now. They moved 30 years ago from their original campus to where they are now off of Colegate Drive. There had been some fanfare planned for the 50th anniversary, but the pandemic really put a damper on that party. "We plan on hosting a big gala next spring."
Fiftieth-anniversary party or not, programming at WSCC is continuing to expand. "I think that's really indicative of our true mission as a community college. That's how we're designed to operate, have this continuous evolution based on what the workforce needs in the community." She says another thing that's evolved is the incorporation of transfers. "We work very closely with students who want to continue on and get a four-year degree."
They're renovating their existing health science lab, adding a physical therapy assistant lab (PTA), and adding a new occupational therapist assistant program (OTA). "What this means for students is that our existing health sciences programs (which are well known for their high success rates), nursing, respiratory therapy, medical laboratory, they will benefit from new facilities. Also expanded facilities, so hopefully, opportunities for more students to become part of the health sciences program." They're also adding a health information program for students to work in medical offices, to do things like billing, coding, and other medical clerical work.
The school offers a number of resources for those seeking information. They're hosting a drive-thru college fair. High school students seeking college credit can take advantage of this program. And summer course offerings are available now.
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April 05, 2021 at 07:31AM
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