As the open house season gains momentum to fill college classrooms for the fall, Johnson College is celebrating exceeding their spring goal for 2016. Johnson College places a high priority on retaining students from year to year, while also continuing on its growth trajectory by attracting new students. This demonstrates how the type of education Johnson provides is setting students up for success.

This fall, the College accomplished record-setting freshman enrollment. Johnson College’s fall freshman enrollment reached 108% of the goal with over 300 students enrolled. This was the largest freshman class for the two-year technical college. Additionally, the College has surpassed its spring goal, by enrolling 34 students that make up 113% of the 30 student goal set. Total enrollment this year is 471, accounting for the most students on campus in the College’s history.

This spring, Johnson College is more appealing to students than ever before. It has more course offerings in the evening and provides spring start students the opportunity to take at least one of their core courses in their first semester which in the past was not possible because of a mod-based schedule system. Rita Lapera, Director of Enrollment at the College said the revised spring offerings, especially the core course offerings for 2016 “get new students engaged right from the start.”

Lapera also credited the type of education offered at Johnson which is in constant demand by people in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She said the 90% job placement rate is a key reason students choose to attend the college in North Scranton, “All of our technology-driven programs offered at Johnson College prepare students for in-demand family sustaining careers in as little as two years with significantly less debt than four year institutions.” Additionally, between 94% and 97% of Johnson College students receive some type of financial aid.

After celebrating the first winter commencement just a few weeks ago, the College now has more options than ever for students to attain their degree in a timely fashion so they can get right out into their high-demand careers. The College provides a type of education that suits many types of people. With new flexibility initiatives and dual-enrollment, the College is seeing an influx of transfer students, nontraditional students, and veterans seeking hands-on training through degree programs and continuing education offerings. “One in every three students at Johnson College is a transfer student,” said Lapera. She also mentioned that the graduation rate for transfer students is 5% higher than the College’s average. The spring semester has brought an additional 13 transfer students onto the Johnson College campus to begin degrees.

The Spring Open House  will take place on February 27th beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Moffat Student Center. There will also be a Financial Aid Workshop on the same day at 8 a.m.

Johnson College is making it even easier for prospective students to transfer into its programs with a new initiative called Transfer Tuesday. Transfer Tuesday is a process that addresses the specific needs of the growing population of Transfer Students.  The College is encouraging transfer students to visit the college on any Tuesday throughout the year to speak with an admissions representative about degree options and transferring credits.  Transfer Tuesday takes the Transfer Day concept and makes it a year-round philosophy on campus to ensure prospective students begin meeting their academic goals as quickly as possible.  The goal is to make the process of transferring more customer focused and stress free for students.

In 2015, Johnson College welcomed the largest number of transfer students since the College started tracking this population in 2006 with a 3% increase from the prior year, representing 35% of incoming students.  One in every three students on campus has transferred at least one class from another college or university.  The most common reason for students transferring to Johnson College is a change in career path due to the inability to secure employment in their originally chosen curriculum.  All 14 of the College’s programs of study feature at least one transfer student among its cohort. The graduation rate of transfer students is 5% higher than the overall Johnson College graduation rate.

Johnson College student organization, Social Force, collected presents for 85 children in the Scranton area. The students sponsored a giving tree in the Moffat Student Center with the names of local children in need. Students, faculty, staff and alumni donated gifts to fulfill the wishes of every child. Under the supervision of Ms. Linda Learn, Assistant Director for Student Support Services, the giving tree at Johnson College has provided local children with presents for the last eleven years.

Johnson College’s Physical Therapist Assistant Program has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) is an accrediting agency that is nationally recognized by the US Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CAPTE grants specialized accreditation status to qualified entry-level education programs for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. Johnson received the maximum accreditation for a newly established program which is a duration of five years. CAPTE is the only accrediting body for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. In October 2013, the program was granted Candidate for Accreditation status, which is the first step in the process. It is at that time that students in the inaugural class were accepted to begin the technical portion of the program. CAPTE representatives made a formal visit to the college in September 2015, during the last term of the first class of students. The College was notified of the decision for accreditation by CAPTE on November 25, 2014.

Dr. Melissa Cencetti, Department Chair of the Physical Therapist Assistant program said, “CAPTE has a very important job to do. They are looking out for the well-being of the student, the program faculty, the institution, and most importantly, the health care consumer. Accreditation is a rigorous process that requires a team effort. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the support of my Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education, Nicole Fabricatore, administration at Johnson College, our Program Advisory Committee, and our students, who put their faith in us from the beginning. We will continue to develop our program to meet the needs of our students, the profession of physical therapy, and our community.”

The Physical Therapist Assistant Program will graduate its first class on December 17^th. The first class has eight graduates. In the fall of 2014, the College accepted an additional 12 and 12 more in the fall of 2015. In 2015, the College began tracking transfer students within the program and 10 of 12 accepted were transfer students from other institutions.

On November 30th, senior radiology students participated in a community project to assist the Scranton Public Library to prepare for their quarterly book sale. The proceeds from the book sale help to support operational expenses along with community events sponsored by the library. On December 7th, the students returned to aide in boxing the remaining books which are then distributed to local centers in need of books.

Johnson College has chosen Dr. Diana Pope-Albright, Assistant Vice President of Outpatient Services at Allied Services Rehabilitation Hospital, to give their 2015 commencement address to graduates on Thursday, December 17th, 2015 at 5 p.m.

Dr. Pope-Albright has received many accolades in her field of work including a Certificate of Achievement in Pelvic Physical Therapy from the American Physical Therapist Association, she is the former Treasurer of the Northeast District of Pennsylvania Physical Therapist Association, and serves as a member of Johnson College’s Program Advisory Committee. She has several years of clinical teaching experience and more than 30 years in the field of physical therapy. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Vermont, her Master’s in Physical Therapy Neurology from Temple University, and doctorate from Arcadia University.

Dr. Pope-Albright resides in Clarks Summit with her husband Rich, and their three children Sean, Kevin, and Erin

This will be the Inaugural December Commencement Ceremony for Johnson College. It will be held in the Moffat Student Center Gymnasium on campus.

Students from the Carpentry & Cabinetmaking Technology Program at Johnson College recently crafted and donated cutting boards to be auctioned off at the NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Comfort Food Fest and Celebration of Home on October 1^st at Zacahrellis Gardens.

NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania (NWNEPA) is a not-for-profit organization that has worked for the past 30 years to improve the financial stability of families throughout the City of Scranton, Lackawanna County, and northeastern Pennsylvania through providing meaningful and effective homeownership services. Johnson College students contribute to a variety of NeighborWorks projects annually and service projects like this provide them with valuable hands-on, real world experience.

On Friday, September 18, 2015, the Johnson College Radiologic Technology program held its annual Radiation Biology & Protection Safety lecture presented to the senior students by Michael and Samuel Payne, Independent Medical Physicists.

 

Staff and students from the Johnson College Physical Therapy Assistant Program, in partnership with Junior Achievement of NEPA, recently sponsored JA-in-A-Day at Scranton’s Robert Morris Elementary School. To help celebrate Physical Therapy Awareness month, the students chose Junior Achievement as their community service project. Volunteers delivered Junior Achievement’s enrichment programs in grades kindergarten through fifth grade.   Students spent the morning exploring money matters and the “world of work.”