Mission & Vision

Our Vision

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

Our Mission

Learning is the focus of Jefferson Community College. Through excellence in teaching, innovative services, and community partnerships, the College advances the quality of life of our students and community.

Strategic Goals

College Objectives

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.

Accreditation

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. The College’s accreditation was re-affirmed by the Middle States Association on November 18,2010.

In addition to its Middle States accreditation, the College is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 500 Atlanta, Georgia 30326, 404-975-5000 and by the National Alliance of Concurrently Enrolled Partnerships.

Jefferson is a member of the Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOC) and the Servicemembers Opportunity College Associate Degree Network (SOCAD). Jefferson is also a founding member of SUNY Colleges in the North Country, a higher educational consortium.

About the College

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 Fort Drum, bringing some 30,000 new residents to the area and doubling the population of the Watertown metropolitan area. The Fort Drum area has experienced even more recent growth. The US Army has added 3rd and 4th Brigades to the 10th Mountain Division, bringing an additional 12,000 residents to the Watertown metropolitan area since 2003.

Jefferson admitted 119 full- and 221 part-time students to its first class in September of 1963. In the fall 2011 semester, Jefferson’s total headcount was 2,238 full-time and 1,768 part-time students.

The College offers 13 A.A.S. career curricula, 14 transfer A.A. or A.S. curricula, and 9 certificate programs. Six degree programs are available entirely online. To ease transfer, Jefferson has articulation agreements with colleges and universities across the United States, as well as two jointly registered programs (Business Administration and Liberal Arts—Childhood Education) with SUNY Potsdam. Additionally, through Jefferson’s Higher Education Center initiative, the College has partnered with several four-year institutions to provide opportunities for community members to earn several bachelor’s, master’s and even a doctoral degree locally.

Technology is an integral component of the Jefferson experience. Jefferson’s wireless network provides free, high-speed internet access throughout campus. Classrooms contain “smart” technology, giving the student an immersive learning experience from a range of technological resources at the instructor’s fingertips. Internet applications, including the Blackboard Learning Management System, extend the students’ learning to wherever they are in the world. Online courses can be taken by on-campus students or by students in other countries. The possibilities are boundless.

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. 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. JCC does not currently have on-campus housing, but there are apartments in close proximity to campus and within walking of public transit and groceries. Through a partnership with the Faculty Student Association at Jefferson Community College, plans are underway for on-campus residence halls with an expected opening date of Fall 2014.