It’s never too late to learn.
That has become the professional mantra of Eric Skowronski, director of Lifelong Learning and Special Programs at SUNY Fredonia.
His department serves both the college and local communities with a wide variety of learning options. In all there are five program categories under his direction, including a Credit Program, Noncredit Training, Course Auditing, Summer Session/“J-Term,” and the SUNY Learning Network.
“Individuals are seeking opportunities for personal enrichment, exploring new career paths, and launching college careers, often at their own pace,” Skowronski said.
Fredonia’s Lifelong Learning Credit Program was designed for those who would like to begin their college studies on a part-time basis, enabling individuals to enroll in true college courses without the more formal admissions procedures associated with full-time study.
“This provides adult learners with the opportunity to try the SUNY Fredonia experience before committing to a full degree program,” Skowronski adds.
Although the application process is greatly simplified, Lifelong Learning students are held to the same academic standards as their matriculated colleagues — and experience the same high-quality education.
While some Lifelong Learning students enroll because they are interested in specific courses, others register to ultimately complete a degree. In either case, the credits earned under Lifelong Learning status are genuine, and can be applied toward the requirements for any degree.
“While we strongly recommend that Lifelong Learning undergraduates matriculate once they earn 15 credit hours, those who successfully complete 30 credit hours receive a Certificate of Achievement,” Skowronski says. “This offers recognition for successful study and often further motivates students to earn a degree.”
Another facet of Lifelong Learning is “Noncredit Training.” This provides the college and surrounding communities with a mix of professional certification and special interest topics. They include Defensive Driving for point/insurance reduction classes, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) Original and Challenge Refresher courses, Notary Public pre-licensing seminars, New York Property & Casualty insurance pre-licensing and continuing education courses, and Real Estate Sales pre-licensing certification. In addition, partnerships with Gatlin Education Services and Education to Go (ed2go) enable the college to offer noncredit courses online.
“Moving forward, we plan to enhance our noncredit offerings with topics that are both contemporary and consistent with the university’s strengths and expertise,” Skowronski says. “Because we have direct access to SUNY Fredonia’s talented faculty and staff, we can also develop customized training programs for business and industry.”
Summer Sessions are a major component of Fredonia’s Lifelong Learning efforts, which allow students to take summer classes whether they are full-time students at Fredonia or elsewhere. Summer Sessions allow students to get ahead in their studies, explore new or special areas of interest, fulfill professional continuing education requirements, or simply catch-up in order to graduate on time. Whatever their needs, students in Fredonia’s summer programs enjoy the convenience of multiple sessions, the choice of campus-based, online or study-abroad experiences, transferable SUNY credits, affordable tuition, and the beauty of a Western New York summer.
Similar to Summer Sessions, Fredonia’s “J-Term” offers a select group of undergraduate and graduate courses on campus and online for two weeks each January, as well as a specially designed set of intensive study-abroad experiences.
“Both Summer Sessions and J-Term provide local college students with the opportunity to continue their studies while spending time at home,” Skowronski says, “and we always welcome visiting students.”
For those wishing to experience a full semester course but don’t want or need to receive college credit, Lifelong Learning also offers Course Auditing.
“Auditing provides adult learners with a means to explore areas of interest, while not having to meet the rigors of academic degree study,” Skowronski says.
Finally, the department participates in the SUNY Learning Network (SLN), which offers courses online. These credit-bearing, instructor-led, asynchronous courses are offered by most SUNY campuses across the state, allowing students from other colleges to experience SUNY Fredonia from afar.
For more information about any of these learning options, please contact the Lifelong Learning and Special Programs office at 716-673-3177, or at www.fredonia.edu/lifelong.
