Le Moyne College, SU’s iSchool Announce Expanded Partnership for Accelerated Graduate Degree Programs
Officials from Le Moyne College and the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University have entered into an agreement that reaffirms and expands the academic collaboration that has existed between the schools since 2011. (Shown signing the agreement are Interim Provost Tom Brockelman and Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Liddy of SU.)
The plans for the new Fast Track graduate education path permits Le Moyne College students from all majors to earn information management and library science master’s degrees on an accelerated basis through the School of Information Studies (iSchool). This signing extends the partnership to Le Moyne students within any of the College’s three academic areas – the College of Arts and Sciences, the Madden School of Business and the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. (Previously, the agreement permitted students in the Madden School of Business to earn accelerated master’s degrees at the iSchool in information management.)
On Tuesday, August 18, this new agreement was formally signed by Le Moyne’s Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas Brockelman, and Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Liddy of Syracuse University.
“This agreement opens up a world of new possibilities for any Le Moyne student interested in continuing their studies at the graduate level within the iSchool,” said Dr. Brockelman. “We are very excited about furthering our collaboration with Syracuse University in such a meaningful way, and we anticipate that this new partnership will benefit an increasing number of individuals who are interested in professions that are expected to grow significantly in the coming years.”
“Through this partnership, we hope to attract students from various disciplines to learn to address the information opportunities and challenges in their defined fields,” said Dr. Liddy. “There are an infinite number of professions that a student can succeed in by combining an undergraduate program with an information degree. And as a former librarian, I am delighted that this partnership has also been expanded to offer a pathway to librarianship combined with specific subject specialties. We look forward to attracting many strong Le Moyne students with diverse interests to these graduate programs.”
The Fast Track articulation agreement leads to one of the following three degrees: M.S. in Information Management, the M.S. in Library and Information Sciences or the M.S. in Library and Information Sciences- School Media Specialization.
Among the details of the agreement:
* Students enrolled in the Fast Track program can earn their graduate degree in one year of full-time graduate study. This translates into a significant cost and time savings – in addition to the possibility of receiving scholarships, students are able to complete the program in one year post graduate rather than two.
* Unlike other accelerated or 4+1 programs, the FastTrack program offers students the option of entering the workforce after completing their four-year Le Moyne undergraduate program – because students can complete their second graduate year of studies through the iSchool’s online and part-time study paths.
* Le Moyne students make application to one of the graduate programs by Feb. 1 of their junior year. Once students are “pre-approved” for admission to one of the programs, they will then begin graduate course work at SU in the summer following their junior year at Le Moyne. Students are formally admitted into the graduate program when they complete their degree requirements at Le Moyne.
"The Master's of Library Science degree reflects an exciting new direction for the College of Arts and Sciences; it also presents an opportunity that many Le Moyne students, particularly in the Humanities, have requested," said Kate Costello-Sullivan, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Le Moyne. "In addition, the cultural heritage certification option and the technical training this graduate degree provides illustrate the kind of flexibility that Liberal Arts undergraduates from fields as diverse as English, history, sociology, anthropology, or computer science can employ. The MLS will serve to affordably marry the adaptability and personal attention of a Le Moyne education with the excellent training and superior placement record of the iSchool. We are delighted by this opportunity for our students, and by the chance to collaborate again with our colleagues at SU."
Jeffrey Stanton, interim Dean of the iSchool, noted that since the initial agreement in 2011, 15 Le Moyne graduates have enrolled in the iSchool’s master’s program in information management. He said the school anticipates strong interest in this expanded program, particularly the library degree offerings. He suggested that students in Le Moyne’s Fine Arts and Science and Education programs, in particular, may find that a library and information science degree enhances their knowledge, skill sets and marketability.
“We have greatly valued our Le Moyne students for the academic and professional preparation that they have brought to their graduate studies here at the iSchool,”said Stanton. “The expansion of our partnership with Le Moyne will now make thisaffordable graduate school option available to Le Moyne students from the full range of undergraduate majors. We are particularly pleased that both our Library Science and our Information Management master’s degree programs will be available to Le Moyne students.”