By Katie Farkas
Beginning in fall 2021 with 29 students, Adelphi University and Nassau Community College (NCC) teamed up to bring two-year associate degree students the opportunity to live on campus in Garden City and participate in university activities, while being a part of a transfer pathway for completing their bachelor’s degrees at Adelphi.
Kristen Capezza, vice president for enrollment and university communications, said that the idea for this collaboration came from both institutions’ desire “to create a sense of community for two-year students working on their associate’s degree in anticipation of transferring to Adelphi for their bachelor’s degrees. By folding two-year community college students into the co-curricular experience at Adelphi from day one, it would allow them to feel integrated into the community, making the adjustment upon transferring much smoother and likely positively impacting retention and graduation rates. Additionally, it would promote student success and important skill development from the get-go of college studies.”
When the program was announced last summer, Christine M. Riordan, PhD, president of the university, said, “Adelphi is committed to helping students achieve success in individualized ways, and I am pleased that this program offers an equitable and appealing option to students planning to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“As part of our vibrant Adelphi community from the start of their academic journey at Nassau Community College, students will seamlessly have access to a four-year experience in a way that works best for them,” she continued. “We look forward to building on our strong partnership with Nassau Community College and supporting students’ success in accessible and meaningful ways.”
Although the pandemic may have caused the program some setbacks Capezza said that, “it was in the early stages of discussion during the pandemic; having some time in remote and hybrid settings allowed both institutions time to work on the program’s logistics. And, because of capacity in the residence halls, we were able to launch the program in fall 2021.”
The benefits of taking part in this program, listed on both Adelphi and Nassau’s websites, include affordable tuition by beginning one’s studies at Nassau Community College while taking advantage of the four-year, co-curricular Adelphi experience. Students have the option to live and dine on Adelphi’s campus, participate in Adelphi clubs, recreation and leadership development programs, and have access to the Adelphi community and campus facilities, on-campus parking at no additional charge, early academic advising from the Adelphi Transfer Student Success Team, a waived transfer application and deposit fees.
Any NCC students who do choose to live on Adelphi’s campus will be required to pay room and board fees applicable to their housing and meal plan selections. All of these housing options can be found on Adelphi’s housing website along with the meal plan costs.
Todd Wilson, a spokesperson for Adelphi, said, “This does not negatively affect traditional Adelphi students looking to live on campus. The number of rooms set aside and the capacity of the program is dependent on Adelphi’s student demand for housing. Each semester, this number is revisited as needed with first priority going to Adelphi’s degree students.”
Anyone looking for more information regarding this program can find it on Adelphi’s website www.adelphi.edu/admissions/transfer/apply/nassau-adelphi-gateway/ or can reach out to Anna Zinko in Student Affairs, www.adelphi.edu/directory/anna-zinko.