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Jefferson Community College

Jefferson at a Glance

Jefferson Community College will be a dynamic educational leader, transforming lives and our community.

Teaching and learning are the focus of Jefferson Community College. Through educational excellence, innovative services and community partnerships, the College advances the quality of life of our students and community.

• Strengthen program mix, including curricular and co-curricular offerings.
• Enhance facilities and technology to meet the needs of the college and support sustainability.
• Strengthen long-term financial resources within and beyond the operating budget.
• Foster an environment that encourages campus civility, diversity, communication, and openness.
• Promote student achievement through affordable, accessible, flexible educational opportunities of the highest quality.

Jefferson Community College is committed to building community and building success by providing an educational, social and cultural environment in which all members of the community can learn, question, grow and contribute effectively to a changing world. In meeting that commitment, the College has established the following objectives:

1. To provide Associate Degree programs in the arts, sciences and professional fields enabling graduates to transfer and continue their study.
2. To provide Associate Degree and certificate programs in career-oriented fields designed to prepare graduates for employment in a variety of vocational and technical areas.
3. To provide opportunities for lifelong learning and for specific job training through certificate, workshop, seminar and community service programs.
4. To provide library, media, and other technical resources to support courses, curricula, and life long learning activities of the College and the community.
5. To provide assessment, advisement, and counseling services to assist students in establishing and achieving their educational, vocational and personal goals.
6. To provide appropriate equipment, facilities and human resources to support academic programming and support services.
7. To provide a wide range of cultural programming for the members of the College community and area residents.
8. To provide community service through the availability of College staff, facilities, resources and programs.
9. To provide appropriate instruction, support services, and facilities for all members of the campus community - including the academically talented, the academically disadvantaged and the learning and physically disabled - to advance and enrich the educational experience.
10. To expand educational opportunities by establishing partnerships with area businesses, colleges, schools and community organizations and agencies.
11. To promote an understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures.
12. To promote the College's General Education Objectives and Statement of Student Development.
13. To promote the friendly spirit across the campus in the belief that this provides a better environment for learning.

Jefferson Community College was chartered in 1961 and was initially accredited in 1969 by the Middle States Association, 3624 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-2680, (215) 662-5606, www.msache.org.

In addition to its Middle States accreditation, the College is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006, (212) 363-5555, www.nlnac.org and is a member of the Sevicemembers Opportunity College (SOC) and the Servicemembers Opportunity College Associate Degree Network (SOCAD). Jefferson is a founding member of the higher educational consortium, SUNY Colleges in the North Country.

Jefferson Community College is one of 64 campuses--and one of 30 community colleges--which comprise the State University of New York (SUNY) system; it is the only institution of higher education whose campus is within a 50 mile radius of the city of Watertown, NY.

The College is supervised by the State University of New York and sponsored by Jefferson County. Its service area is largely rural, with agriculture and tourism the dominant industries. In 1985, the US Army posted the 10th Mountain Division at nearby Ft. Drum, bringing some 30,000 new residents to the area and doubling the population of the Watertown metropolitan area.

Jefferson admitted 119 full- and 221 part-time students to its first class in September of 1963. In the fall 2005 semester, Jefferson's total headcount was 1,821 full-time and 1769 part-time students.

The College offers 15 A.A.S. career curricula, 11 transfer A.A. or A.S. curricula and 6 certificate programs. (A complete listing is available on the Academic Programs page.) Along with its credit bearing programs, the College offers a variety of workshops, seminars and workforce training opportunities. Cultural events, open to the public, routinely include film and theatrical events, lectures, seminars, and art exhibitions. The library resources are open to the public, and community members are encouraged to use them. Personal, academic, and vocational counseling are provided to both students and the community.

The Center for Community Studies at Jefferson conducts community-based research and provides a forum for the productive discussion of ideas and issues of significance to the community. Additionally, a SUNY Small Business Development Center was opened on the campus in 1986.

The College campus, located near Interstate Highway 81 on the western boundary of the City of Watertown, consists of eight permanent buildings, athletic fields and ample parking for its commuter student body.

Technology plays an important role in supporting the educational process at the College. There are multiple instructional computer classrooms and an open computer resource center which are all connected to a campus-wide network. Faculty and staff have access to the same campus-wide network from their offices for application and information sharing as well as electronic mail and Internet access. Members of the campus community also have access to aspects of the campus-wide network via wireless technology from many areas on campus. In addition, there are several computer clusters in areas such as geology, biology, physics, nursing and criminal justice. Several electronic classrooms provide access to on and off-campus resources for multimedia presentations. The Internet is available in the Melvil Dewey Library, the open computer resource center and all computer classrooms. An email ID is created for all students enrolled in at least one credit course. In addition, there are two Interactive Distance Learning rooms which enable the College to send instruction to and receive courses from other institutions with similar capabilities.