Message From Director Lisa Sax Mahoney | | |
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Hello NCCRS members, college and university professionals, and friends,
As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” For NCCRS, life starting again is characterized by aiding students who endeavor to transfer credit recommendations toward degree programs, reconvening teams of evaluators to assess learning, and resuming our focus on working with organizations that are committed to equity and social justice.
In this edition, you’ll learn about a few of the people, institutions, and organizations that are instrumental in advancing NCCRS’s mission to increase access to higher education and who share NCCRS’s commitment to learners. We’re excited to see growth in the number of institutions willing to consider acceptance of NCCRS credit recommendations and we’re inspired by innovations in partnerships and support services devoted to adult learners. If your organization or institution has an NCCRS student success or partnership story to share, please let us know. We would love to showcase best practice and opportunities that have helped people succeed.
In the coming months, we will be distributing surveys to gather information about transcripts, transfer policies, and your interest in a variety of topics for the launch of a quarterly webinar series devoted to matters of importance to our network. Please help us by participating in these surveys and forwarding to colleagues as applicable.
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Apex Technical School Opens
New Facility in Long Island City
| Congratulations to Apex Technical School on the recent opening of a new state-of-the-art facility in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, New York. Apex, an NCCRS member organization since 1998 that has offered high-quality, hands-on education for more than six decades, moved into the new modern facility in order to meet the growing demand for their educational offerings in construction trades. The facility houses automotive, welding, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, construction, building, plumbing, and pipefitting instruction. Part of the organization's expansion plan also includes a new clean energy program. | | |
UoPeople President Shai Reshef Awarded
Yidan Prize for Education Development
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NCCRS extends kudos to Shai Reshef, president and founder of University of the People (UoPeople), who was recently awarded the 2023 Yidan Prize for Education Development, the world’s highest education accolade. The award, referred to as the "Nobel Prize of Education," recognizes UoPeople’s mission to open the gates of higher education to all qualified students globally. The Yidan Prize honors change-makers in education research and development. Prize winners receive a gold medal and a substantial donation to their university. UoPeople, a valued NCCRS collaborating university based in Pasadena, California, is the first tuition-free, accredited, online institution of higher education in America.
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AHRC Receives Grant Funding to Provide Career Training for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities | |
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AHRC of New York City, an NCCRS member organization since 2007, recently announced it is one of seven organizations in New York State to receive grant funding to provide career training opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. More than $13 million has been awarded by the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities to fund career-specific vocational training.
"There is clearly a need for a more aggressive and progressive focus on optimizing employment and internship opportunities for people with developmental disabilities," states AHRC NYC CEO Marco Damiani. "We are proud to be a recipient of an OPWDD vocational training grant and are committed to partnering with NYS government to achieve full inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.”
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NCCRS evaluator Rory Butler, Ph.D., professor of computer science at Bucks County Community College (left) poses with Simon Hauger, director of Workshop U, a new NCCRS member organization based in Pennsylvania, at a recent successful evaluation session. | |
Earlier this year at the SXSW EDU conference in Texas, NCCRS director Lisa Sax Mahoney (right) caught up with Scott Campbell, Ph.D., vice president of higher education partnerships at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). | |
UoPeople Offering Transfer Course Fee Waiver | |
If you're a member organization that has had courses recommended for credit by NCCRS and students who have been putting off completing their college degree, you will want to let those students know that now is the perfect time for them to get started and transfer their credits to University of the People (UoPeople). From now through November 15, 2023, new transfer students can transfer their credits to UoPeople and enjoy a fee waiver for up to 20 courses. Simply click below and share with them the URL to apply. They can then follow the simple transfer process as prompted during the admission process and be on their way toward completing their degree. | |
Gail Lamberta: Wearer of Many Professional Hats | |
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Gail Lamberta, Ph.D. wears many professional hats. The longtime NCCRS evaluator is presently the Associate Dean of Community Development, Department Chairperson and Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies, and Coordinator of Experiential Learning at St. Joseph's University, New York. She also oversees the University's Continuing Education Department, and serves on numerous boards and commitees throughout Long Island.
"I decided to become a professor because I've always enjoyed working with people and providing various types of training programs and participating as a presenter at professional conferences," explains Gail, who culminated her educational journey by earning a doctoral degree in Community Health with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation from Walden University in Minnesota. "Since I had worked in the field for so many years, I felt I could provide not just the academic side of my field, but also incorporate the practical side from years of experience. I enjoy teaching, and coming up with new pedagogies, and also learning from my students as well. It’s a great profession, and I learn something new every day."
Aside from presenting at several notable conferences, and authoring a book based on her dissertation, Gail says her most notable professional accomplishment was spearheading efforts for her department to receive accreditation from the Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions. "That was a large undertaking, and when an external accreditation is granted, it really raises the standards of a department," explains Gail who noted the department was recently granted its third re-accreditation.
When asked how long she has served as an NCCRS evaluator, Gail laughingly answers, "That's a great question...a very long time...approximately 20 years." Gail continues, "I enjoy serving as an NCCRS evaluator. I have learned so much about the amazing organizations that continue to create excellent educational programs for students pursing a college degree. The programs are comprehensive and most provide students with an experiential component, so they are able to apply what they have learned through their coursework to real world situations. This model benefits the organizations, as they can widen their recruitment and fill prospective positions, as well as students, who are receiving college credit while at work or in an organized program."
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Congratulations to NCCRS Member
Organizations for Recent Successful Evaluations
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Welcome to New NCCRS
Cooperating Colleges/Universities
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Congratulations to NCCRS Member Organizations Celebrating Membership Milestones This Quarter | | |
Three Ways Digital Credentials
Motivate and Engage Students
By providing job-ready skills, digital credentials are further preparing students for successful careers in an ever-changing world of work. A recent eCampus News article explores a major shift happening in the higher education space, the rise of skills-based learning wherein skill-specific courses and digital credentials are serving as a supplement to a traditional degree.
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