U.S. News and World Report: SUNY Canton Among Top-Ranked Online Colleges in the Nation
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
SUNY Canton’s online courses and degree programs are among the best in the nation according to recently released rankings by U.S.News & World Report.
SUNY Canton was the highest ranked college or university in New York State in Student Services and Technology in the publications’ first ever Top Online Education Program Rankings, announced Tuesday.
“We have stayed ahead of the curve when it comes to online learning for several years and we are proud to see our time and energy recognized when compared to colleges from across the country,” said SUNY Canton President Joseph L. Kennedy. “Our consistent online enrollment growth has shown us that people trust SUNY Canton when it comes to an affordable and easily accessible online education and this honor reaffirms the reasons for that trust.”
SUNY Canton ranked 34th nationally in Student Services and Technology, finishing ahead of all other schools in New York including Marist College, SUNY Delhi, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Utica College. The College was also ranked 114th in the nation in Teaching Practices and Student Engagement.
The College’s online efforts reinforce SUNY’s system-wide efforts to become a worldwide leader in online education, as noted by SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher in her recent State of the University Address. Her remarks noted that SUNY has the potential to be the nation’s most extensive distance learning environment, connecting students with faculty and peers from across the state and throughout the world and giving them the access to the best in open educational resources.
“We were pleased to hear the Chancellor’s plans for SUNY’s future, particularly the ‘get down to business’ approach toward online education, lowering costs and enhancing productivity,” said President Kennedy. “We will continue to strive to reach and surpass the goals she has set for us. It’s an exciting time of great opportunity to progress forward for both SUNY Canton and the SUNY system.”
SUNY Canton’s online course offerings have become wildly popular over the last several years. Eleven years ago, the College offered four online classes and had 99 enrollments. To meet the demands of students today, the number of online courses offered is close to 200 and more than 4,000 students are scheduled to be enrolled in at least one course this year.
In addition to its online offerings during the academic year, SUNY Canton offers one of the largest winter and summer class sessions in the state. Close to 75 percent of students who take classes during either session each year are from other institutions from across New York and the country.
“Winterterm and Summer Session are so popular because they don’t require students to travel to campus or give up employment opportunities over their breaks,” said Director of Information Services and Online Learning Kyle Brown. “Online courses provide students with the flexibility and accessibility to educational opportunities they might not have otherwise been able to do.”
The College’s reputation in online learning is aided by the faculty’s extensive experience in providing a sophisticated online education. “The faculty members embrace online education and value the flexibility of learning online,” Brown said. “Teaching online courses isn’t for everyone. We select our faculty based on their ability to engage students in the online learning environment. They do incredible work.”
More information on the rankings is available now at www.usnews.com/online-education.
Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Manager, or call 315/386-7527.
