Degree Completion

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Rutgers University-New Brunswick’ s Summer Session kicked off this week with nearly 14,000 enrollments in more than 2,300 course sections for one of the nation’s largest summer higher educational programs. The number of students enrolled totals nearly one-third of the New Brunswick undergraduate population.

The 10,541 students enrolled in Summer Session make up 33 percent of the New Brunswick-Piscataway undergraduate student body of more than 32,000.

Rutgers Summer Session has drawn strong interest from students seeking science courses, visiting students and students who combine work and school. “We’re seeing strong enrollments in a wide range of academic fields from a diverse body of students,” noted Elizabeth Beasley, director of Rutgers-New Brunswick Summer Session, a unit of Rutgers Division of Continuing Studies (DoCS). “Students who work while attending Rutgers and those with a double-major course load turn to Summer Session in significant numbers to keep on pace toward graduation.

Summer is approaching, which means sandy beaches, bathing suits and ... textbooks. The Jersey Shore is set to be more than a vacation destination this summer.

For the first time, Rutgers University is offering summer classes at the beach, called RU at the Shore.

Instead of paperback novels, Rutgers students might be bringing textbooks as their beach reading. The university will host 17 new undergraduate courses in Atlantic City, Cape May and Point Pleasant Beach.

Read more at newsworks.org

University will offer 17 courses on its first Jersey Shore menu

            NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s Summer Session, with more than 2,200 course sections, already one of the nation’s largest summer programs, is adding a new component with 17 courses at the Jersey Shore.

            The decision to establish “RU at the Shore” for 2015 was made following a survey of more than 4,500 undergraduates here, with 1,200 students – nearly 27 percent – indicating they would spend time along the 130-mile coastline and would be interested in taking classes for credit. Summer Session offers extensive internship and research/travel opportunities in addition to undergraduate and graduate courses in 250 fields.

On May 30, a new partnership between Rutgers University and Mercer County Community College (MCCC) was formalized. The partnership, a function of Rutgers Off-Campus Programs will expand opportunities for associate degree holders in the Mercer County area to earn Rutgers degrees on MCCC’s West Windsor campus.

The Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony was hosted by MCCC President Patricia Donohue and Interim Vice President for Continuing Studies Richard Novak. The event was attended by state and county officials and MCCC and Rutgers academic administrators and staff.

“This initiative is designed to meet the needs of thousands of community college graduates who traditionally have faced great difficulty in transferring to a baccalaureate completion program. It recognizes the need for flexible options, such as online and hybrid courses, for those who have work and family obligations,” said Novak.

In a new partnership to be formalized May 30, Rutgers University and Mercer County Community College (MCCC) will expand opportunities for associate degree holders in the Mercer County area to earn Rutgers degrees on MCCC’s West Windsor campus.

Beginning in fall 2013, Rutgers’ newest off-campus degree-completion program will offer three bachelor’s degree programs at MCCC: labor and employment relations, RN to BS in nursing, and political science.

The two institutions will sign a memorandum of understanding formalizing their partnership in a ceremony at MCCC at 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, at 10 a.m., Thursday, May 30. Rutgers Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard L. Edwards and MCCC President Patricia C. Donohue will sign the document, officially commencing the partnership.

The bachelor of science degree in Labor and Employment Relations (LER) is a popular program among students enrolled in Rutgers’ Off Campus degree completion programs or those who choose to earn a degree online. With jobs focused on managing and representing people enjoying steady growth, a Rutgers degree in labor and employment relations can give an individual the advantage in the job market.

Offered through the School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR), the program comprises a flexible combination of online, daytime, weekend, evening, and/or off-campus courses. Yet, these flexible options do not hinder student access to faculty or student services staff at SMLR.

Rutgers officially opened its new Lifelong Learning Center on the campus of Atlantic Cape Community College in Mays Landing at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 28 hosted by Rutgers President Robert L. Barchi and Atlantic Cape President Peter Mora. More than 200 guests attended the event.

The two-story, 22,000-square-foot facility enables Rutgers to expand academic opportunities for students from Atlantic, Cape May and surrounding counties who hold associate degrees and wish to earn Rutgers degrees – close to where they live or work – in such popular disciplines as psychology and criminal justice.

“This splendid building demonstrates our strong relationship with Atlantic Cape as well as Rutgers’ commitment to address the growing educational demands of this region,” said Barchi.

As Susan and Ashley Rivenbark begin classes as new Rutgers students this month, they are among the first to walk through the doors of the university’s new Lifelong Learning Center on the campus of Atlantic Cape Community College in Mays Landing.

The Rivenbarks – mother and daughter – are starting the next phase of their college careers as students in Rutgers’ off-campus degree-completion program. Both received their associate’s degrees from Atlantic Cape last spring and were admitted to Rutgers’ program there. Susan plans to complete her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and Ashley in psychology. They will be among 300 students projected to enroll at that site this fall.

As residents of nearby Hammonton, they see the new facility as a draw for other like-minded individuals wishing to complete their degrees.

“I think it will attract many new people like me from the area who are looking for a great opportunity closer to home,” said Ashley.