New Director Named to Lead National College Credit Recommendation Service



SAX MAHONEY NAMED HEAD OF NATIONAL
COLLEGE CREDIT RECOMMENDATION SERVICE



   ALBANY -- Lisa Sax Mahoney of Queensbury, New York has been named director of the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS), a non-profit organization that evaluates training and education programs offered outside of the traditional college classroom, then sets and translates them into college credit equivalencies.

   As director of NCCRS, Sax Mahoney will oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization, including coordinating teams of college faculty evaluators to conduct extensive reviews of education and training programs offered by corporations, unions, associations, religious organizations and proprietary schools. Programs that successfully meet the criteria are granted college credit recommendations accepted by more than 1,500 cooperating colleges and universities.

   "Company training, apprenticeship programs and workplace learning are often comparable to the education individuals would receive in a college classroom," said Sax Mahoney. "NCCRS ensures that training and experience meets the high standards worthy of college credit. NCCRS also plays a vital role in business development and employee retention by giving companies more flexibility to promote from within."

    Sax Mahoney most recently served as director of corporate and community partnerships at SUNY Empire State College in Saratoga Springs. Prior to that, she served as executive director of the Adirondack Business & School Partnership in Glens Falls and director of the Newspapers-in-Education program at The Post-Star in Glens Falls.

   A native of Schenectady, Sax Mahoney received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the College of St. Rose in Albany, where she majored in English and Education.

    Founded in 1973, NCCRS is administered by the University of the State of New York, Regents Research Fund. NCCRS (formerly National PONSI) has served more than 500 organizations across the U.S. and abroad, and has evaluated and made college credit recommendations of approximately 5,200 courses and educational programs.

###
 

Credit for MOOCs?

Robert McGuire from MOOC News and Reviews recently asked me to do my favorite thing.....TALK! Since I've been closely (almost religiously) following the MOOC movement, it's fair to say I've developed some opinions, preferences, and even some biases on the topic. Thanks, Robert, for giving me the medium to voice them all!

Please read the interview here, and stay tuned for more MOOC developments as higher education wrestles with the Mightly MOOC.

Thanks!
Tina

Saylor + NCCRS: Dynamic Credit Duo!

It's official, +The Saylor Foundation  has announced transfer credit agreements with seven colleges/universities benefiting students who have taken and passed three of their National CCRS credit-recommended courses! This is a significant step for nontraditional higher education, because such partnerships solidify the granting of actual college credit for nontraditional learning and show the benefit of collaborative work among the Saylor Foundation, accredited colleges and universities and, yours truly, NCCRS!

"These recommendations by NCCRS are already widely recognized," said Devon Ritter, credit pathways program administrator at Saylor.org, "but the commitments by these seven institutions relieve students of the burden of uncertainty. If you apply and are accepted in a program of study with these schools, your applicable credits come with you." (c) Business Wire 2013

To read more of the article, click here.

Written by Simone Arrington, @NCCRS Marketing Intern, @SimoneArrington

College Credit? We've Got That!

The national focus on college completion has renewed an interest in prior learning assessment and alternative degree pathways. One exciting benefit is that college and university acceptance of National CCRS credit recommendations is on the rise!

Here are some impressive statistics from National CCRS member organizations: 

“The JATC of the Elevator Industry, IBEW, and Local Union #3 has issued 286 transcripts in January 2013 and 284 transcripts in June 2012…. I applaud National CCRS….for their commitment and oversight which will help to ensure that the integrity of these programs is consistently maintained.”

-     Nicholas LaGuardia of The Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee of the Elevator Industry

“Ramapo for Children has issued 400 transcripts since 2008; 202 of these were for students working on our campus in Ramapo’s summer camp in Rhinebeck, NY and 198 were for students who participated in our courses in the NYC Metropolitan area.”

- Lisa Tazartes, Director of Training, Ramapo for Children

“Approximately 350 transcripts were issued in 2012.  Most transcripts were sent to John Jay College of Criminal Justice where many FDNY/EMS employees are pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree.”

- Jacqueline Merveil of the New York City Fire Department

Rabbi Chaim Estrin of Yeshivas Toras Moshe issues about 100 transcripts per year. Most of their students receive credit through Excelsior College which, he reports, “has always accepted all of our credits and when any issues come up they are easy to work with and we have been well supported by National CCRS.”  Yeshivas Toras Moshe students have also had transcripts accepted at Queens College, Brooklyn College, Yeshiva University, Touro College,  University of Pennsylvania, Baruch College, York College, and Columbia Law School.

Chief Leonard Bozza of the Nassau County Fire Service Academy reports that 72 transcripts were issued in 2012. His firefighters have received credit from Nassau Community College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Molloy College, Empire State College, Long Island University and Excelsior College.

In addition, The New York City District Council of Carpenters has issued hundreds of transcripts since their first National CCRS evaluation in 2007. And the BEST news for last: Dale Carnegie has issued almost 6,500 transcripts to date through Excelsior College and the New York State Department of State issued 3,277 for their Family Development Credential.

As you can see, National CCRS credit recommendations are being used every day to help students obtain college credit. We applaud our member organizations for helping students save significant time and money on their path to degree completion.

If you or someone you know has successfully obtained collegiate credit by using National CCRS credit recommendations and is in the midst of pursuing a degree, we would love to hear your student success story! If interested, send us your story at nccrs@mail.nysed.gov.

Written by Simone Arrington, @NCCRS Marketing Intern, @SimoneArrington

From New York to Haiti: A National CCRS Student Success Story

Here at the National CCRS office, we don’t always realize the effect that our evaluations of learning experiences have on students’ lives. Recently, however, we learned about Jose Abreu and wanted to share his success story as he continues his path toward improving his education and opportunities in life.

Jose Abreu has much experience in Criminal Justice as a police officer and detective in New York City and Florida and through his service in the U.S. Marine Corp. The Weston, Florida resident is a Desert Storm Veteran who currently holds an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a total of 18 years of experience in the field of Corrections, Law Enforcement, and Private Investigations.

Currently an International Law Enforcement Professional in Haiti, Jose supervises a unit, collects, collates, identifies and analyzes patterns and trends in crime in various regions in Haiti. To sum it all up, you do not want to get on his bad side! Of course this is only when he is on duty at work; Jose is a happily married man with five children at home.

Credit: Getty Images

Even though Jose has an impressive resume with much experience, he is finding it hard to obtain a higher paying job in his field. A contributing factor to this professional standstill is the fact that Jose does not have his Bachelor’s degree, and most of the positions of interest to him require one. So, Jose enrolled at Ashford University where he has already completed three classes. During the assessment to have his credits evaluated, the school noted that he had attended the New York City Police Department’s training academy, a National CCRS member organization since 1974! His advisor at Ashford University found the NYCPD course information on the NCCRS Online Course Credit Directory and Jose was granted 24 credits to apply towards his Bachelor’s degree!

Jose states:

“This translates into 8 classes and $9,400 that I do not have to spend, and this also saves me 40 weeks of school. With the credits I have from my prior colleges and the credits I received which were facilitated by the National CCRS, I plan to have my degree within the next year and ten months. A bachelor’s degree coupled with my experiences will allow me to obtain a decent or a high paying job which I will use for the betterment of my family.”

Jose started school in January 2012 and plans to graduate in October 2013 while maintaining a spot on Dean’s List throughout his schooling. Due to his academic accomplishments, after his graduation from Ashford University he plans to obtain a new job as an Investigator for the International Criminal Court in Hague, The Netherlands.

NCCRS applauds Jose’s accomplishments and is proud to partner with the New York City Police Department in extending the benefit of college credit recommendations to their employees and students. National CCRS is here to help students achieve their educational goals, one credit recommendation at a time. Send us your Student Success Story (S-Cubed) at nccrs@mail.nysed.gov!

Written by Simone Arrington, @NCCRS Marketing Intern, @SimoneArrington

NCCRS Update!

Welcome to the National CCRS newsletter blog! Check in for happenings in the world of nontraditional college-level learning.

First, who are we and what exactly is it that we do?

Since 1973, the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS), formerly known as National PONSI, has been evaluating training and education programs offered outside of the traditional college classroom setting and translating them into college credit equivalencies.

Our mission: To increase access to higher education for working adults and other nontraditional students.

Over 1500 Cooperating Colleges and Universities across the nation will consider granting actual college credit based on our credit recommendations and in accordance with their own transfer policies.

National CCRS is a non-profit program supervised by the University of the State of New York Regents Research Fund and housed at the New York State Department of Education in Albany, NY.

We’ve ventured into the world of Open Education Resources!

A November 2012 visit to The Saylor Foundation resulted in the awarding of college credit recommendations for three courses!

+The Saylor Foundation is a free and open collection of college level online learning courses. The headquarters are located in Washington D.C., and did we mention that it’s FREE?! After a long day of analyzing and discussion, Saylor’s team of professors and evaluators successfully approved three courses for credit recommendations. There is a small final exam proctoring fee for students wishing to benefit from the credit recommendations.

Click here to find out which courses apply 

and visit www.saylor.org.

We visited the ultimate garden….in the winter?

The +New York Botanical Garden  has been studying, exhibiting, and conserving plants for 120 years. Located in the Bronx, NYBG has also been offering credit recommendations to their students since 1979, and they have recently renewed their membership in 2012 with the addition of their Horticultural Therapy Program. There are nine courses being offered for credit recommendation. Click here to find out more information.

Written by Simone Arrington, @NCCRS Marketing Intern, @SimoneArrington

For a complete list of member organizations and courses with college credit recommendations, feel free to visit our website http://www.nationalccrs.org/ccr/home.html.

Have a higher education or nontraditional story to share? The NCCRS blog would also like to extend an invitation to guest bloggers. Send your text to: sarringt@mail.nysed.gov for review.

Welcome!

Welcome to the National CCRS blog! Thank you for visiting and stay tuned for more posts.

-NCCRS Staff