By Julia Ross-McGuire | November 1, 2021
The University at Albany and SUNY Polytechnic have partnered to allow students from either university to take classes at the other as visiting students.
This is an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that allows students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to take classes at another university and be billed through their home university.
The MOU, which is currently set for three years, will make it easier for undergraduate and graduate students to work with their advisor to make sure that financial aid and enrollment status are unaffected and that credits gained at the partner school are applicable to students’ degrees.
UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez stated that, “This collaborative arrangement allows our students to seamlessly enroll in the specialized courses offered by SUNY Polytechnic Institute, while opening to SUNY Poly students the wide array of courses at the University at Albany,” going on to say that “The agreement creates an important synergy between these two neighboring institutions of higher education, offering undergraduate and graduate students alike a chance to broaden their horizons.”
Similarly, SUNY Poly Acting President Tod A. Laursen expressed his enthusiasm for the program stating, “We are excited to work with the University at Albany to further streamline the student experience. By enabling our respective students to participate in courses at the other institution, it means we are collaboratively opening doors so they can gain an even more well-rounded education, which is critical for success in the 21st century economy.”
UAlbany Provost Carol H. Kim and SUNY Poly Interim Dean of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering André Melendez both said their belief that the program will allow students to have an increasingly reciprocal and engaging education.
SUNY Polytechnic’s mission statement says that it “prepares its students to apply basic and applied knowledge to challenges, complexities, and opportunities to advance our modern technological society.” UAlbany on the other hand focuses on being a “diverse public research university” showing its emphasis on being a liberal arts university.
In allowing students to take classes at either university, students can gain research opportunities and diversify their education offerings, benefiting from both a liberal arts education and an increasingly focused technological education.