Press Releases

January 13, 1999
Gerontology Program Offers Graduate Learning by "Long Distance"

Contact:
Jane Finalborgo
Virginia Bennett
(516) 287 8313
Fax: (516) 283 4081

A new generation of gerontology professionals is needed to address the multifaceted issues facing mid-life and older adults as the 77 million Baby Boomers who have so shaped our culture, our markets, and our thinking become the Elder Boomers. In anticipation of this demographic shift, Southampton College of Long Island University has developed an innovative "Distance Learning Program" to accommodate adult learners seeking an advanced degree or certification in the field of Gerontology. The flexible program will allow students, in conjunction with a faculty mentor, to create an independent study curriculum to fulfill the rigorous requirements for either a Master's degree in Professional Studies (Gerontology) or a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology. By fulfilling a minimum residency requirement at Southampton College, students may complete the rest of their studies via "long distance" study. This system allows learners to more easily balance the demands of career, family and personal commitments while working toward a degree. Under this new program, distance learners will begin each course with an "independent learning contract," written with the faculty mentor. The contract will address the mode of instruction, dynamics of the mentor / student relationship, learning goals and process of the course, logistical concerns, and methods of communication between faculty and students. Communication with faculty mentors will take place in meetings and via telephone and mail. E-mail is encouraged but not required.

"Contract learning is based on the concept that with qualified guidance a student can learn through self-direction and personal motivation without the necessity of sitting in a classroom on a weekly basis," said Dr. Christopher Hayes, Chairman of the Graduate Program in Gerontology. " The hallmark of this program is flexibility." The program includes an on-campus requirement; 15 credits for the Masters Program or 3 for the Certificate Program. A full-day orientation at Southampton prior to the start of the distance program is required. The program will be available in June 1999 in conjunction with the fourth annual Summer Institute on Aging, an intensive five-week educational experience beginning in June at Southampton College. "We are approaching an era when the ranks of the aging will grow dramatically," said Dr. Hayes. "Equally dramatic is the change in our vision of aging which is now more closely associated with 77-year-old John Glenn's voyage into space than retiring to a rocking chair." The Gerontology Program at Southampton has become the one of largest specialized aging programs in New York State. The clinical faculty are all well-established experts in the field of human service delivery to the aged. Besides the Master's degree it offers a fifteen-credit graduate certificate in gerontology and a specialized gerontology certificate for health care professionals. Combined, the program is committed to "leading the charge" in developing a cadre of trained gerontologists for the next millennium. For more on the distance learning program, the Summer Institute, or general course information, contact Dr. Hayes at (516) 287- 8460.