News Summary
SUNY Niagara has canceled its evening Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) classes just days before the fall semester begins. This abrupt decision has left many students frustrated, especially those like Felicia Nieves, who have made significant financial and scheduling commitments. The university cites unforeseen faculty turnover as the reason for the cancellation. While alternatives to transition to daytime classes have been offered, they are not viable for several non-traditional students. SUNY Niagara plans to refund affected students and seek qualified instructors to resume the evening program in the spring semester.
Niagara Falls, NY — SUNY Niagara has canceled its evening Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) classes just days before the start of the fall semester, leaving many students feeling frustrated and uncertain about their educational paths. This last-minute decision affects a significant number of students who had planned their schedules around the evening LPN program.
Among the affected students, Felicia Nieves has shared her deep frustration with the school’s cancellation. She has taken out nearly $9,000 in student loans in anticipation of completing her nursing education. After committing three semesters to SUNY Niagara, completing various prerequisites and general education courses while also managing a full-time job and single motherhood, Nieves expresses concerns that her time and financial investment may be in vain. The university’s only alternative offered to these students was a switch to daytime classes, which is unfeasible for Nieves due to her work and family obligations.
Another impacted student, Luis Garcia, learned about the cancellation right before the semester was set to begin. Garcia described his reaction as one of shock and deep upset. He had already invested around $400 in books and supplies for the semester and had adjusted his work schedule to accommodate the evening classes. This abrupt cancellation has left him grappling with the implications for his education and financial commitments.
Dr. Maher Ghalayini, SUNY Niagara’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, explained that the decision to cancel the evening classes was unfortunate but necessary due to an unexpected turnover of faculty. Several evening instructors left for other job opportunities just prior to the start of the semester, creating a staffing shortage that the school could not quickly remedy.
In response to the situation, SUNY Niagara has offered students the chance to transition to daytime and morning classes, a move that has enabled most students to find alternatives. However, for Nieves and Garcia, this option is not practical, highlighting the challenges faced by non-traditional students balancing work responsibilities with education.
Looking ahead, SUNY Niagara is actively seeking qualified instructors to fill the vacancies for evening classes, with hopes of resuming the program in the spring semester. In the meantime, the university has committed to refunding affected students for their class supplies, an attempt to alleviate some financial distress caused by the sudden cancellation.
In a broader context, the challenges faced by SUNY Niagara reflect ongoing issues within nursing programs at educational institutions. Many programs across the nation are experiencing similar difficulties due to a nationwide shortage of nurses and related staffing challenges affecting educational facilities, making it increasingly difficult to maintain adequate teaching staff for specialized programs.
Despite the difficulties, Dr. Ghalayini reassured students like Nieves that the coursework they completed could still be valuable, with potential application to other healthcare fields or future nursing programs. Nevertheless, many students feel let down by the institution’s handling of the situation and express a desire for better communication and more viable options in times of unexpected staffing changes.
The cancellation of the evening LPN classes at SUNY Niagara serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities involved in nursing education and the need for institutions to have contingency plans in place to support non-traditional students who rely on such programs to further their careers.
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Additional Resources
- WKBW: Three Semesters Wasted
- Wikipedia: SUNY Niagara
- WIVB: Student Speaks Out
- Google Search: SUNY Niagara nursing program cancellation
- WNYPapers: SUNY Niagara Enrollment Up 11%
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Nursing
- KGN: SUNY Niagara Cancellation
- Google News: SUNY Niagara evening classes cancellation
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