Syracuse University has renamed University College as SU College of Professional Studies

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — University College at Syracuse University is now operating as the Syracuse University College of Professional Studies.

The SU board of trustees approved the name change during its May meeting, the university said in a news release.

The college traces its history to 1918, when Syracuse University became one of the first universities in the country to open its doors to “non-traditional,” part-time students when it began offering evening sessions. Then in 1946, at the direction of Chancellor William Tolley, University College was formally chartered as the university’s academic college of adult and continuing education.

“We looked to the past in charting our course for the future. The core mission of University College has always been to provide educational opportunities to those who are unable to study full-time on-campus,” Dean Michael Frasciello said. “Today, we extend that mission globally as the College of Professional Studies.”

The new name reflects what University College has become, John Liu, interim vice chancellor and provost, said.

“Over the last century, Syracuse University has innovated to meet the needs of students seeking market-sensitive professional degrees, non-credit programs and executive education,” Liu contends. “The College of Professional Studies’ new name reflects its accomplishments as an academic unit working in partnership with other Syracuse University schools and colleges to develop accessible academic pathways, world-class online education and the needs of post-traditional learners.”

Frasciello notes that the “rapidly evolving” education demands of a global and mobile workforce — and the progression away from full-time study — have “dramatically increased” the need for Syracuse University to have a visible point of entry for adult, part-time, and post-traditional students seeking professional studies degrees and alternative educational credentials.

“As the College of Professional Studies has served non-traditional students for more than 100 years, we will continue to dare to do things, to experiment and innovate and to be responsive to dramatic shifts in higher education,” Frasciello said.