Pictured left to right: Martha Asselin, Kathleen Dowd Freese, Ms. Kathleen Popow, David Sampson, and Ms, Ann Marie Morin.

On February 18, 2016 Business Community Liaison Ms. Ann Marie Morin and Academic Manager Ms. Kathleen Popow met with Schenectady County Community College’s Vice President of Student Affairs Ms. Martha Asselin, SCCC Director of Admissions Mr. David Sampson and SCCC Associate Director of Admissions Ms. Kathleen Dowd Freese.

Initial contact was made with the college one of the breakfast meetings held at Glenmont Job Corps Center. Mr. Sampson and Ms. Dowd Freese were so impressed with our culinary students that she requested a tour of our lab kitchen. Ms. Dowd Freese then became interested in partnering with GJCC immediately and a meeting was arranged to discuss a partnership.
The meeting took place on the SCCC campus. In addition to discussing our programs here, the group discussed the possibility of Glenmont students transferring to SCCC as part of our ACT program. While there are many opportunities there for our students, we focused primarily on their AS Culinary degree program.
Ms. Popow and Ms. Morin were given a tour of the culinary classrooms and kitchens by Mr. David Brough, Dean of the School of Hotel, Culinary Arts, and Tourism. The tour was impressive. They walked through their many kitchens for cooking and baking, the butcher shop, and visited the bakery where baked goods are for sale. SCCC is in the process of developing a beverage brewing program as well. As Ms. Morin and Ms. Popow passed through the classrooms, it was clear that our culinary students would be well-suited for SCCC’s Culinary degree studies. SCCC also hosts a four-year Culinary degree program through a cooperating college, which students can earn while attending SCCC.

As a result of this visit, GJCC has started to work on developing a Memorandum of Understanding with SCCC to enable our students to transfer into programs of study offered there.