With so many reports about the challenges of independent colleges, CIC would like to highlight a sampling of member institutions that shared with us that they are developing or launching new programs. There is innovation in our sector and successes to celebrate, and we are pleased to pass on some great examples that were sent to us.
If you have important or exciting news to share about your institution, please email Allison Crean, CIC editorial content specialist, at acrean@cic.edu to be considered for an upcoming newsletter article.
Dominican University of California Begins La Vida Dominican Postbaccalaureate Program
Dominican University of California has been awarded a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to increase the enrollment and success of Latinx graduate students. The La Vida Dominican Postbaccalaureate (LVDP) program is funded through a five-year grant from the Department of Education’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program.
LVDP helps provide financial assistance and supportive programs. This academic year, ten graduate students were awarded $12,000 scholarships through the grant. The grant also will offer graduate-level integrative coaching, financial aid for assistantships and clinicals, a graduate resource center, and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. Dominican University of California launched a similar program for undergraduate students in 2022.
Trocaire College Launches Veterinary Assistant Program
Trocaire College (NY) launched a new online veterinary assistant program, developed by the Veterinary Sciences Department and offered as a non-credit program through the Workforce Development Division. The first cohort of the online program begins February 12, and includes 100 hours of self-paced coursework and hands-on clinical training at a veterinary facility of the student’s choosing.
Veterinary assistants support veterinarians and technicians with many tasks in a variety of settings including small animal clinics and hospitals, shelters, zoos, farms, laboratory animal facilities, and large animal practices. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate for veterinary assistants is projected to grow 20 percent within the next ten years. Katherine Fitzgerald, inaugural dean of the Veterinary Sciences Department, leads the program.
Hood College Launches Counselor Education and Supervision PhD Program; Creative Writing MFA
The Graduate School at Hood College (MD) is launching a new doctoral program in counselor education and supervision beginning in Fall 2024, the first-ever PhD offered at Hood. The program, which is based on guidelines set by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), will train counselors, supervisors, and counselor educators at the highest level. In addition to advanced coursework in research, leadership, and advocacy, candidates will complete a series of hands-on internships, working alongside clients and supervising students in Hood’s counseling and clinical health MS program at the NeighborHood Counseling Training Center, where Hood graduate students provide low-cost mental health services to underserved members of the Frederick, Maryland, community.
Shannon Shoemaker, associate professor of psychology and counseling, will serve as program director. While mental health professionals remain in high demand, there is also an increasing need for both counselor supervisors and counselor educators, who are essential in training future counselors.
The Graduate School at Hood College is also launching the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, the only low-residency program in Maryland to offer concentrations in both fiction and poetry, in June 2024. Students from across the country will immerse themselves in all aspects of the writing cycle from literary history and theory to editing and publishing, corresponding one-on-one with faculty mentors and convening on Hood’s campus for a ten-day residency during the summer. The residency experience includes workshops, readings, panels and lectures with permanent faculty and guest writers. By the end of the two-year program, students will have produced a fully polished manuscript that will be ready to submit for publication.
Augmenting Hood’s permanent faculty are several acclaimed guest writers: Sandra Beasley, Celeste Doaks, Robert Eversz, James Allen Hall, Donna Hemans, Steven Leyva, Cleyvis Natera, and Elly Williams.
Serving as director for the MFA program is Elizabeth Knapp, associate professor of English. Knapp is the author of Requiem with an Amulet in Its Beak and the recipient of the 2022 International Poetry Prize from Atlanta Review.
Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Program Launches at Berry College
Berry College (GA) will welcome young adults with intellectual disabilities to the new Inclusive Post-Secondary Education program starting in the Fall 2024. Berry will be the first private college in Georgia to have an inclusive post-secondary education program and will be the tenth program to join Georgia’s Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Consortium supported by the Georgia Council of Developmental Disabilities.
The two-year certificate program will welcome students aged 18 to 26 and will offer academic, vocational, and interpersonal growth opportunities. In pursuing these outcomes, admitted students can enroll in academic courses of their choice and various skill building and developmental courses. They will hold internships each semester and receive one-on-one mentorship throughout the program. Michelle Haney, department chair of the Psychology Department, is the director of the program.
McDaniel College Develops Four-Year Bachelor of Science in Nursing
McDaniel College (MD) has received approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) and the Maryland Board of Nursing to develop a comprehensive four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The development of a new four-year nursing undergraduate program aligns with McDaniel’s current strategic plan, “Reaching New Heights,” and the introduction of new majors that prepare students for careers in growing fields.
The proposed pre-licensure BSN program also helps to address the nursing shortage in Carroll County and the surrounding region. The planned program is designed to offer multiple admission pathways, including direct admission for both incoming first-year and transfer students. Additionally, current McDaniel students wishing to major in nursing can join the program in their third year. Heather A. Gable, a former dean at Centra College (VA), was named the college’s inaugural program director and Jennifer Ort, professor at Western Connecticut State University, has been selected as assistant director and faculty member in nursing. The program is slated to launch in Fall 2024.
