FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: May 5, 2008

CONTACT: Lisa Saunders

(845) 574-4244

More than 400 Transfer to SUNY Rockland this Spring, a 35% Increase

Total enrollment for Spring’08 increased 6.6% compared to last Spring

Suffern, NY - This Spring semester, 422 students transferred to SUNY Rockland from other colleges and universities, a 35% increase over last Spring’s number of transfers. The total enrollment of 6,281 this Spring is an increase of 6.6% compared to last Spring.

Friendly and familiar, SUNY Rockland offers students the chance to discover what they really want to do with their lives, many of whom began their undergraduate studies at a four-year institution and became “reverse transfers” by transferring into a community college.

The reasons for transferring in are as varied as the students. They may involve academic, personal, social or financial considerations.
Kelly Shea of Stony Point transferred to RCC after spending a semester away at a Manhattanville College in Westchester, majoring in elementary and special education.

"I felt like the school was too small, and I wasn’t satisfied academically," she said. "I knew that RCC had a really good education program and would give me a chance to figure out my next step."

Kelly’s mother, Maureen Shea, is delighted about the financial savings they will see over the next three semesters - an estimated $60,000.

Honors student Brittany Kelly of Nanuet began her first undergraduate semester at University of Rhode Island. "I went there with a friend, thinking we could room together and have a lot of fun. But for the amount of money it was costing me to be there, the school just wasn't worth it. I decided to transfer to RCC because it's ten minutes from my house, and I heard there was an Honors program."

Chris Castelonia '07 of Hillburn transferred into RCC after a semester at Marymount Manhattan. "I wasn't ready to live away. I missed my friends and living in Rockland. I thought I would stay at RCC only one semester, but I stayed the whole two years because I fell in love with the school and the program."

To learn more about SUNY Rockland Community College, visit: www.sunyrockland.edu

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Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate's degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.