By Jason Emerson
Cazenovia High School students already have opportunities to earn college credits from local community colleges, but as of today they may now earn credits at a local private college.
Cazenovia College and the Cazenovia school district today signed an agreement that will allow CHS students to register for one Cazenovia College course per semester for $100 per course. The agreement also offers high school students opportunities to attend on-campus sponsored academic and/or cultural events free of charge, commits that the college’s top scholarship can be given to any CHS student who graduates in the top 10 percent of their class and offers “instant decision days” in May and October for CHS students.
“The real spirit of this agreement is … that Cazenovia College is a tremendous resource locally, regionally and beyond, and if we want to demonstrate that we are willing partners, what better place to start than with our own high school?” said Cazenovia College President Ron Chesbrough. “It’s a way for us to recognize that this is a resource for those students and that we would like them to feel that this a home where they can get some college credit before they go on and while they are in high school.”
Chesborough, who was joined during the Jan. 11 announcement by the college’s vice president for academic affairs, Sharon Dettmer, Cazenovia CSD Superintendent Matt Reilly and Cazenovia High School Principal Eric Knuth, said the agreement was a “big deal” that creates multiple new relationships between the college and the school district.
Reilly called the agreement “emblematic of [the] nurtured partnership” between the two educational institutions.
“So many of our students find their way back to Cazenovia, in one way or another. I think this is a wonderful place and it’s a great opportunity for them to plant deep roots and to expand their educational opportunities,” Reilly said. “As Ron said, there’s a lot in here; it’s not simply the opportunity for our students to take courses, and in exchange we welcome Caz College students, as always.”
The “centerpiece” of the agreement is that it allows Cazenovia High School students to register for one afternoon course at the start of each fall or spring term for a fee of $100 per course, plus any applicable course fees. The students will have access to Cazenovia College courses on a space-available basis and must meet any and all prerequisites for each course. The students will be able to register for a course one week before the start of classes at the college.
The instant decision days component of the agreement states that the college’s admissions office will conduct two on-site admissions processing days at Cazenovia High School — one for seniors in October and one in May for juniors — for the purpose of affording students the opportunity to complete the application process, meet with Cazenovia College Admissions staff and receive an admissions decision at the conclusion of their meeting. All students have until May 1 of their senior year to submit their enrollment deposit.
For more information on the two institutions, visit cazenovia.edu and cazenoviacsd.com.
To view a recording of the Jan. 11 agreement signing, visit the Cazenovia College Facebook page at facebook.com/CazenoviaCollege.
