Since its founding more than 150 years ago, Keystone College has been well known for going the extra mile to provide the best education possible to undergraduate students of all ages and backgrounds. Now, Keystone is taking that same expertise and dedication to attract and retain graduate and adult students.
Of course, Keystone has been offering quality master’s degree programs for several years but our new Department of Graduate and Adult Education will place even greater emphasis on attracting, enrolling, and retaining graduate and adult students. The new department reflects the changes in higher education taking place regionally and nationally and helps supplement Keystone’s Professional Development Institute (PDI), established several years ago to offer non-degree enrichment, continuing education, and certification programs.
As the population of high school aged students continues to decline, colleges and universities seek to enroll students from other demographics, including graduate students and adults hoping to return to college to complete their education. The new department at Keystone will place additional emphasis on attracting students from these specialized areas.
“We are extremely excited to bring this new initiative to Keystone College,” said newly appointed Director of Adult and Graduate Education John Gorel, who also directs the PDI initiative. “We know that Keystone has offered high quality graduate education for many years. However, our new program will absolutely increase our visibility to prospective students, including Keystone alumni.”
In addition to John, longtime Keystone employees Mari Flynn, Elena O’Connor, and Fran Calpin have joined the new group.
“Our team brings great knowledge and experience to their new positions,” said John. “More importantly, they have tremendous respect for the Keystone tradition which values each and every student. We really look forward to making significant progress with our new initiative in months to come.”
To show our appreciation for continuing the Keystone tradition, all alumni receive a 10 percent tuition discount on graduate tuition. Anyone interested in learning more about graduate education at Keystone may contact www.keystone.edu/graduate or e-mail john.gorel@keystone.edu.
