Local News from Marbletown, Rochester, & Rosendale
Best Colleges has ranked SUNY Ulster as number one in its annual ranking of Top Ten Best Community Colleges in New York State for 2020,recognizing the College in four important categories:
High quality academics, affordability, diverse opportunities for involvement including clubs, athletics, and cultural events, and a balance of transferable and career-ready associate degrees were the categories in which the college ranked first. Best Colleges noted the wide variety of fields and disciplines SUNY Ulster offers, including arts, education, human services, nursing, public safety, and STEM. Also mentioned was the college’s wide selection of online courses.
Criteria for ranking New York State’s community colleges is based on academic quality,
affordability, and online competency using the most recent data available from the Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and College Navigator, both of which are
hosted by the National Center for Education Statistics.
“We have an incredible community of students, faculty, staff, trustees, Foundation Board directors, county and state partners who all contribute to serving the SUNY Ulster community in many ways. I am honored to be part of SUNY Ulster,” said college president Dr. Alan P. Roberts in a press release. “Oh yes, it’s a beautiful day here!” he said on the phone. “We are just so proud of so many things.
Roberts cited the President’s Challenge Scholarship, which assists first-generation college-bound students from Ulster County with overcoming the financial barriers associated with attending college, as an outstanding success since its beginning. President’s Challenge students are identified in 8th grade by their sponsoring school district and receive guidance counseling and mentoring through the completion of high school. Once students graduate high school, they are able to attend SUNY Ulster tuition-free for two years.
The program began with six students from Rondout Valley Central School District in 2016 and has since grown to include all nine Ulster County public school districts and serve approximately 100 students.
Another highlight Roberts takes special pride in is the New Start for Women initiative, funded by the Novo Foundation to assist women in Kingston and Ulster County who are living below the federal poverty level* or ALICE ( Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed).household survival budget in earning a one-year SUNY Ulster business certificate, leading to living wage employment and economic mobility. The program covers each student’s tuition, fees & books. The program offers childcare, tutoring, soft skills training, mentoring and other support.
“It is proving very useful for women who are underemployed and juggling a family,” said Roberts. “We are a community college, and that means reaching out to the community in so many different ways. We can’t just rely on or just serve the traditional group who are just graduating high school; our ability and responsibility are bigger than that.”
Best Colleges mission is to help prospective students find the school that best meets
their needs through proprietary research, user-friendly guides, and independent college
rankings. According to their website, their intent is to inform people toward institutions that
“provide a quality education and a meaningful learning experience at an affordable cost.”
SUNY Ulster has recently acquired two other rankings: Computer Science Zone ranks
SUNY Ulster #3 nationally for our Online Associate Degree in computer science. and
Intelligent.com ranks SUNY Ulster as having one of the best Online Associate Degrees in the
nation in Business Administration.
Asked what the college plans to do next, Roberts was succinct. “Maintain that number one!” he said.
For more information about SUNY Ulster, visit the website at http://www.sunyulster.edu.http://www.sunyulster.edu.
