Cayuga Launching Early College Pathways to Connect High School Students to Degrees, Careers

Cayuga Community College unveiled an exciting new initiative Wednesday that creates a runway for high school students to earn extensive college credits before completing their associate’s degree in just one year at Cayuga.

Developed over the past two years, Cayuga’s Early College Pathways offers high school students an accelerated roadmap toward earning an associate’s degree while also connecting them with relevant career resources and training. The Pathways are designed for students and their families to easily understand the skills to develop and courses to complete to earn their chosen degree.

The initiative was shared Wednesday at a conference with leadership teams from school districts across Cayuga and Oswego Counties.

“Building our Early College Pathways and connecting students to degree and career possibilities have been long-standing strategic priorities at Cayuga, and I’m proud to see them come to fruition,” said Cayuga President Dr. Brian Durant. “These are designed to help high school students and their families understand the best route forward to a college degree and a well-paying career. We’re excited to partner with our local school districts on this new initiative.”

“Our Early College Pathways offer equitable access for high school students to identify and pursue their chosen degree and career. We believe that through these pathways, students will understand their options and how to achieve their goals, helping them build the skills they need for a successful future,” said Professor Sarah Yaw, Cayuga’s Director of K-12 Partnerships & Academic Pathways.

Cayuga developed eight pathways that guide high school students and their families on how the student can earn credits toward an associate’s degree at Cayuga. If the student completes the necessary credits in high school, they will have the opportunity to complete their associate’s degree at Cayuga in one year, setting themselves up to transfer to earn a bachelor’s degree or start their career.

The initiative features pathways in the following programs:

  • Business Administration
  • Electrical Technology
  • Human Services
  • Law and Public Safety
  • Mechanical Technology
  • Nursing
  • Psychology
  • Studio Art & Design

The pathways clearly outline college courses the student should take in high school, then courses they need to take at Cayuga to complete their degree. In addition, the pathways offer transfer options, show possible careers and earnings related to each degree.

Simultaneously earning high school and college credits creates an accelerated pathway for students to transfer or, in the case of Auburn High School grad and Cayuga alum James Mark, start their career.

Mark completed his high school degree while earning numerous college credits, then received his A.A.S. in Electrical Technology from Cayuga at no cost. He started at Waygate Technologies upon graduating, soldering cable harnesses before he was 20 years old. He was recently promoted to Shop/Plan Operator-Expert, and discussed his experience at Wednesday’s conference.

“The progress made from graduation to being a new hire to earning my first promotion has been rapid, and an amazing journey,” said Mark. “In conversations at work, we still use terms and topics I learned at Cayuga, so I doubt I’d be this far along if it wasn’t for that experience. I highly encourage everyone to consider a similar pathway to earn their high school and college degrees while preparing for their chosen career field.”

Initiatives like the Pathways announced by Cayuga are essential to preparing the future workforce, said Dr. Gretchen Schmidt, a Senior Fellow at the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement and the guest speaker at Wednesday’s conference.

Citing evidence from a recent study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, titled “The Future of Good Jobs,” Schmidt said future careers that lead to a living wage will require a postsecondary credential.

“The work that Cayuga is undertaking in partnership with local school districts is critical for the economic mobility of members of your community but also for overall economic growth in the region,” said Dr. Schmidt. “By working together, in more innovative and collaborative regional partnerships focused on programs that lead to a living wage, educational institutions and employers can increase economic opportunity for current and future students. This is hopeful work — for students, their families and the community at large.”

Connecting high school students to career pathways has also drawn support from district leaders at CiTi BOCES and Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, as well as Marq Brown, Vice President of Human Resources and Chief People Officer at Oswego Health.

“As the Baby Boomers continue to exit the workforce, it’s critical that we provide opportunities for Generation Z students to explore pathways into industries that are already seeing shortages,” said Brown. “Five years ago, Oswego Health partnered with Cayuga Community College and three local high schools in an Early College Health Sciences program to create these pathways. Our first cohort of 24 students just graduated, each with over 30 college credits toward healthcare programs like nursing and medical imaging.”

Dr. Brian Hartwell, District Superintendent of Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, and CiTi BOCES District Superintendent Christopher Todd said collaboration between educational institutions and industry leaders will lead to stronger results for students.

“Cayuga’s Early College Pathways program is a game-changer for our students. By providing a clear and accelerated path to both college credits and career readiness, we are equipping our students with the tools they need to succeed in today’s competitive job market,” said Dr. Hartwell. “This initiative reflects the strength of our partnership with Cayuga, and our commitment to fostering educational excellence and creating opportunities for all students in our region.”

“At the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation, collaboration is at the heart of everything we do,” said Todd. “We are dedicated to fostering a cooperative environment where ideas and expertise converge to enhance educational experiences. By working together, we can create innovative solutions and provide valuable opportunities that open doors to student success.”

The Early College Pathways are the latest addition to Cayuga’s concurrent enrollment initiatives. The College currently has diverse programming agreements with 31 school districts across Central New York, offering high school students the opportunity to earn credits toward a college degree.

The College has also recently developed the Early College Pathways Scholarship, which will offer annual scholarships to students based on the college credits they earned in high school through Cayuga’s concurrent enrollment programs.

Over the upcoming academic year, Cayuga will work with participating school districts to implement the Early College Pathways. The College is also working with four-year institutions to develop additional pathways in high-value degree programs. This initiative will help students in Cayuga and Oswego Counties complete a bachelor’s degree in less time at less cost and enter the workforce at a higher wage.

For more details about Early College Pathways at Cayuga, visit https://www.cayuga-cc.edu/academics/high-school-programs/cayuga-advantage/pathways/.