Pictured from left are Larry Tackett, West Virginia Northern Community College New Martinsville campus dean; Debbie Bennett, WVNCC campus coordinator; Mark Ciccarelli, Mountain State University executive director; and Besty Kubacki, MSU branch campus enrollment manager.

West Virginia Northern Community College New Martinsville Campus Dean Larry Tackett announced that Mountain State University will be offering an accelerated bachelor’s degree completion program at the New Martinsville Campus this fall. This program is in organizational leadership.

Mark Ciccarelli, executive director of Mountain State University, spoke on Aug 13 at WVNCC about this program. He stressed this class will be only one evening a week on Mondays, from 6-10 p.m.

This is a full-time program which does make a person eligible for financial aid. The degree can be finished in as little as 18 months. The fall class will start on Sept. 21, with the application deadline on Aug. 20.

“We are trying for the students to make it as convenient for them as possible,” Ciccarelli stated. He explained that most of the students taking this one night a week class are people over the age of 24, have full-time jobs, are married, and have a family. “They want to further their careers and they need their bachelor’s degree to do this,” explained Ciccarelli.

He also explained that the class size will be small and it is an enjoyable format.

He stated that once the person gets over the fear of returning to college and sees that other people in the classroom are like him, he enjoys the program.

Debbie Bennett, WVNCC campus coordinator, said people gain knowledge of other businesses because they are learning from each other in the class, including their different backgrounds in employment. She also explained that most of the course work to be completed can be submitted online by a computer to Mountain State.

Students must have 40 college credit hours before they can start this accelerated bachelor’s program, but Betsy Kubacki, branch campus enrollment manager of MSU, wanted to remind people that sometimes they already have college credits they don’t know about. This can be a college class they took when they were younger or even their work experience could count as credits. She noted that even certifications that people gain at their jobs go toward college credits.

Kubacki explained that what students learn in this leadership program is an asset they can use on the job as well as in their communities and organizations to which they belong. “This will contribute to their success,” reminded Kubacki.

Ciccarelli explained that Mountain State University is regionally accredited and they do not charge out of state tuition fees. He also stressed that they do have agreements with some companies that give a reduction on tuition fee if they are taking this accelerated bachelor’s degree program.

Mountain State University was founded in 1933, is an independent, not-for-profit university offering traditional classroom-based education as well as independent and distance learning programs.

They are now waiving the application fee if you go online to www.mountainstate.edu/pa and click on apply and download and print the complete graduate application.

For more information about the program visit www.leadership.mountainstate.edu.

For more information call Kubacki toll free at 1-866-656-9400, extension 1903 or (724) 774-2400, extension 1903.