STONE RIDGE – On Wednesday the big soccer field outside the Senate Gymnasium at SUNY Ulster became a sea of black gowns and mortar boards. It was the community college's graduation... and now these students — and countless others across the region — will be embarking on new paths. Some will continue on to a four-year college, while others will join ranks in the workforce.

"SUNY Ulster's programs provide two general directions for students to take: transfer or career," says SUNY Ulster President Dr. Alan Roberts, who was appointed president of the college just a year ago after a career as a college administrator in Florida. "For students looking to gain their baccalaureate in a field with promising job prospects, programs of note include our STEM programs in engineering, computer science and liberal arts, mathematics and science, as well as our business programs, criminal justice and human services. These transfer programs all have excellent projected job growth from the US Department of Labor."

Roberts added that many students opt instead to begin their careers upon receiving their associate degrees, and the college is set up for that as well.

"SUNY Ulster has career programs for students who prefer to begin their careers upon graduating. These programs include veterinary technology, police basic training, business and entrepreneurship and industrial technology: drafting & design," Roberts said. "Seventy percent of our students graduate debt-free."

In just a few short weeks, the local high schools in our coverage area will hold commencement ceremonies. Not unlike those graduating two and four-year institutions, high school graduates will have a lot to consider. If they haven't already, they will need to decide which college they will be attending in the fall. And if not, they'll be looking into what type of employment they will seek.

SUNY Ulster, Roberts said, has a close relationship with all of the high schools within the county, and there is constant dialogue between them all about how to best prepare students as they continue to higher education.

"SUNY Ulster has several programs within the high schools that allow students to earn college credits while still in high school," Roberts said. "For motivated students, the access and experience of talking college-level courses not only prepares them academically, but allows them to save money on tuition."

For example, he continued, the Collegian Program offers a substantial tuition savings while offering college level classes right in one's own high school building.

"Starting at SUNY Ulster provides any college-bound student with significant savings as tuition and fees are on average less than half of those at a public four-year college and a tenth of those at private colleges," Roberts added.

That transition from high school kid to college adult can be as smooth or rough as the individual. But, there are supports in place at SUNY Ulster to shepherd students through unscathed.

"There are many factors that go into whether a student is prepared for the rigors of a college setting, some of them are not academic. SUNY Ulster's College Scholars and Honors Programs draw students who have a high level of academic achievement, while other students will require developmental courses to bring them up to college-level work," Roberts said. "Being a successful college student also requires students to quickly learn about the business of being a student — deciding their major, meeting deadlines, acquiring time management skills, paying tuition and managing stress." When joining the college this past fall, Roberts indicated a need to focus on enrollment issues, citing transportation for students as one problem, as well as a need to increase outreach for new enrollment demographics.

"We have reallocated resources to hire additional faculty in Human Services and are targeting the adult population by offering flexible scheduling," Roberts said.

He added that the opening of the Kingston Center of SUNY Ulster this past fall has addressed transportation issues, with students receiving a community student discount for using the UCAT public transportation system.

We'll get to the jobs side of the equation, at our community colleges and in real life, more as high school commencements approach.