Margaret
Drugovich
President
Hartwick College
Hartwick constructed a three-year track through a four-year school ahead of the curve. More than 20 percent of their applicants for fall 2010 are interested in it - an option that well-prepared students understand and value.
How is Hartwick's curriculum and campus compatible with a three-year bachelor's degree?
Seven learning outcomes are important to us that are recognizable to almost everyone in higher education. What's new is our liberal arts in practice curriculum with a great deal of flexibility built into it. The new track enables students to earn 18 credits in the fall and spring semesters and four credits in a January term. We employ the same courses, the same faculty, and the same classrooms. And designated faculty advisors are assigned to the students who choose the three-year track.
Did you bring this idea with you, or was it in progress when you arrived?
What I brought was my concern about the affordability of a private college education. As I became familiar with Hartwick's curriculum, I asked the faculty if it would be compatible with a three-year experience. As a result, two senior members of the faculty, Cherilyn Lacy and Reid Golden, came to me to test my seriousness, and then offered to help make a three-year degree happen. They held public forums with their colleagues, and six months from the time I mentioned the idea we were well on the way.
Will Hartwick be a three-year experience exclusively?
The four-year option will continue to be available to students. We will offer both programs. We're marketing the program as an option, and it's each student's choice.
Please describe the experiential component in a Hartwick student's curriculum.
One of our seven learning outcomes is Applying knowledge through practical experience. About 300 students opt for January term study projects which often include travel. At our Pine Lake environmental campus, more than forty courses throughout the year will satisfy the requirement. Studio arts, dance and theater courses are also popular options. 40% of the 2008 graduating class had at least one “internship” experience to their credit.
Who are your competitors, and to what extent are they involved in 3-year degrees?
Ithaca College, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Quinnipiac University, Skidmore and Saint Lawrence are the top five privates. To the best of my knowledge, none of them have three-year offerings.
What are the barriers those schools are up against?
I don't know for certain. Every institution has its own goals and mission. Faculties have their own priorities.
When someone asks you to describe Hartwick's strategic vision, how do you answer?
Instead of a vision we have an organizing principle. Hartwick will be the best at melding liberal arts education with experiential learning.
How does your prior work experience in marketing, admissions and enrollment management affect your work today?
As chief enrollment officer I was sensitized to the need that each family has for an affordable liberal arts education of quality. As a president I'm devoted to making it possible.