October 19, 2017
Board of Governors approves degree programs in respiratory care, acting
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg 鈥� The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education today approved a Bachelor of Science in respiratory care degree program to be offered by Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting degree program at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Both of the programs were designed to address growing needs for highly skilled and highly trained graduates in the workforce.
The American Association for Respiratory Care and the Commission for Accreditation
for Respiratory Care both have indicated the need for a larger number of respiratory
therapists with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in response to the increased need in standard
of care.
Musical theater is the fastest-growing and most financially lucrative area of the
theater profession, with opportunities available not only on Broadway, but also with
the hundreds of touring productions that perform throughout the United States each
year, as well as with cruise ships, dinner theaters, theme parks and international
theater productions. Excelling in the profession requires highly specialized training
in acting, singing and dancing, a key component of Slippery Rock鈥檚 new program.
鈥淥ur universities continue to be innovative in developing new programs that provide
the knowledge and skills necessary for students to be successful in their lives and
careers,鈥� said State System Interim Chancellor Karen M. Whitney. 鈥淭hese new programs
demonstrate the forward thinking needed to ensure an array of programming across the
14 universities that is at the leading edge.鈥�
The bachelor鈥檚 degree program in respiratory care at Clarion will replace the university鈥檚
current associate degree program. It was designed to be completed in three years,
which will enable graduates to enter the workforce a year sooner than those who enroll
in traditional, four-year programs.
The new program will help fill the need for a larger number of respiratory therapists
with baccalaureate degrees to serve as educators, researchers, managers, clinical
specialists and in other roles throughout the healthcare system, including as respiratory
care equipment and supplies sales representatives. All of the occupations are included
on the current statewide and regional 鈥渉igh priority occupations lists鈥� published
by Pennsylvania鈥檚 Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.
The program will be offered beginning in fall 2018, and will be available both to
traditional students, most of whom enroll in college for the first time right out
of high school, as well as to already credentialed professionals who need the flexibility
to complete their bachelor鈥檚 degree online.
Graduates of the program will be immediately eligible to sit for the national credentialing
exams administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Upper level courses
being added to the program will provide students the higher-level knowledge and skills
necessary to serve as respiratory therapists within a broadening field.
The bachelor鈥檚 degree in acting at Slippery Rock will provide not only the typical
broad-based education in all aspects of theater, but also 鈥渢he rigorous professional
training in the skills needed by students who desire to enter directly into the competitive
fields of regional theater and musical theater.鈥� The new program will offer that training
using a focused 鈥渃onservatory-style鈥� approach.
A strong demand also exists for actor training in non-musical theater. Many theater
students enter college with an express desire to work in 鈥渞egional theater鈥濃�攖he umbrella
term for the nation鈥檚 network of more than 2,000 non-profit urban theaters and Shakespeare
festivals. The new program will include a separate concentration for these students,
providing the necessary physical and vocal training, as well as the thorough and rigorous
immersion in current acting technique that the profession requires.
The new program will be offered beginning in fall 2019.
For more information on either of the new programs, please contact the appropriate
university.
Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher
education in the Commonwealth, enrolling more than 100,000 degree-seeking students
and thousands more in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively,
the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and
certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System
university alumni live in Pennsylvania.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg,
Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery
Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate
branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield
(Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including
the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.