Long Island University (LIU) Hudson has established a partnership with White Plains Hospital that offers students a specialized graduate-level program.
is designed for students who are employed at the hospital and interested in pursuing a graduate degree. It combines hands-on experience with classroom learning to give students a well-rounded education.
LIU Hudson currently offers leading to master’s degrees and advanced certificates. The programs have helped increase career opportunities for residents of Westchester and Rockland Counties and the lower Hudson Valley.
The partnership with White Plains Hospital gives employees the skills to move up within their organization. One of the specific programs offered to students is an MBA with a concentration in healthcare sector management. That program helps healthcare professionals understand how the industry functions in today’s business environment and allows them to move into leadership roles, says Bruce Jonas, the director of marketing and recruitment at LIU Hudson Graduate Centers.
“The idea is that people in the hospital might be working in silos so they may not have a broader perspective of the organization itself,” Jonas says. “In the program, they learn business skills, networking, and [how to] understand the perspectives of other people in their organization.”
According to Sylvia Blake, the dean and chief operating officer at LIU Hudson, the partnership with White Plains Hospital is beneficial for everyone involved. The employees get financial support to advance their education, the hospital gets more skilled employees, and LIU Hudson is guaranteed to have a cohort of grad students in the program each year.
In addition to the hospital partnership, LIU Hudson has partnerships with local school districts. Students in the often work in public schools that need teaching assistants. According to Blake, the students in these programs help teachers with a variety of daily tasks. Many of them get offered job opportunities once they complete their program.
“Districts are having difficulty finding teaching assistants,” Blake says. “These students have a greater likelihood of being successful as first-year teachers after coming out of this program. They know the culture, how to interact with parents, and the demands that are on teachers.”
For professionals who are looking to become principals and superintendents, LIU Hudson offers a program in . The program is now offered fully online and caters to people’s work schedules. When enrolled, students can benefit from networking opportunities and build deep relationships with alumni, Jonas explains.
Recent graduates of the program are now administrators in Scarsdale, East Ramapo, and other area districts. Many people who enroll in this program are already teachers or working in local school districts and hope to move into leadership roles.
Another program that works closely with local organizations and partners is the . Within the school, students can pick a variety of specialties such as mental health counseling, school counseling, school psychology, and marriage and family counseling. The school also offers certificates in bilingual extension for school psychologists, crisis management, and mental health counseling.
“These students have to continue to do intensive hours even after they graduate,” Blake says. “Very often, they are hired by the places they are initially placed for their internships such as a school, psychologist office, or psychiatrist office.”
While each program has unique partnerships, both the partner organizations and students benefit. Oftentimes, Jonas says the community also benefits because these students work hard in schools, mental health spaces, and hospitals where they are needed most.
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