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2015-2016 Review of Accomplishments
is year, the Ammerman Campus piloted an Accelerated Learning Program (ALP),
where students could complete two foundational writing courses at the same time,
in order to advance their writing skills. initial data from the pilot suggests improved
retention among students who participated in the program.
During this academic year, we began an evaluation of the effectiveness of the
College’s developmental education placement policies. Beginning with a developmental
summit between the offices of Academic and Student Affairs, we shared best practices
for reducing unnecessary placement into developmental courses. is included
recommending earlier testing to high school counselors, the use of holistic scoring of
student writing samples, and retesting. A comprehensive set of recommendations has
been provided to me for my consideration.
Academic Programs
e College has several externally accredited programs. is year, program site visits
were hosted as follows: the School of Nursing completed a combined site visit for
continuing accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for education in Nursing
(ACeN) and the New York State education Department (NYSeD) office of
Professions, the emergency Medical Technician Paramedic A.A.S. program received
initial accreditation with the Committee on Accreditation of educational Programs
for the emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAeMSP), the veterinary
Technician Program was reaccredited by the American veterinary Medical Association
(AvMA), and the Paralegal program completed its accreditation visit by the American
Bar Association (ABA) and received continuing accreditation endorsement for a
seven-year period.
Based on findings from the site visit report for the School of Nursing’s associate degree
and the Practical Nursing certificate programs, the NYSeD team’s report indicated
that the College’s nursing programs will be recommended for re-registration with
the office of Professions in New York State. ACeN recommended continuing
accreditation for eight years, but indicated the need for improvement in the areas of
curriculum and outcomes. ACeN has indicated that follow-up reports will be due for
the practical nurse program in April 2017 and for the associate degree program in
october 2017, with a final accreditation decision being made during the ACeN
Board of Commissioners meeting in early March 2018.
As we strive to provide the most effective programs of study, we determined that
the College would modify its nursing degree from an AAS to an AS degree consisting
of 65 credits. Starting in the fall, we will announce this new degree. Students can
begin this program of study starting in January 2017. A crosswalk was developed for
students who are currently enrolled in the AAS degree option who wish to transition
into the AS degree.
e College now owns one of the most technologically advanced anatomy visualization
systems currently available. e Anatomage virtual dissection table is being adopted
at leading medical schools and institutions to allow life-like and previously unavailable
interaction and visualization of the human body and its systems. e table has a
touchscreen surface and uses three-dimensional imagery from life-sized digitally
scanned specimens in flawless detail. Students can zoom in on, rotate, and virtually
remove individual organs. e table illustrates what teaching anatomy in the 21
st
century is all about. its programming also includes the possibility of virtual dissection
of cats and dogs. e table helps to reduce the use of preserved specimens and
provides a more humane and sustainable approach to the study of vertebrate anatomy.
e College will modify its nursing degree from an AAS to
an AS starting in the fall.
Suffolk is one of the few colleges in the country to have an
Anatomage virtual dissection table.