Elsener: New School Can Be ‘Smashing Success’
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAs St. Joseph’s College at Marian University gets set to launch next month, Marian President Dan Elsener says he has lofty expectations for the new two-year school and its “learn and earn” model. Elsener says the school can play a vital role in helping solve workforce issues statewide. “In many countries, they have a pathway called earn and learn, where you get a high quality job half the week, a high quality education, you marry the two and in 22 months, you have an associate degree,” said Elsener. “At that point, the pathway becomes four-year college full-time, four year college part-time, or work full-time for a while and concentrate on your jobs. This pathway is very attractive and we’re looking forward to being a smashing success.”
Elsener talked about St. Joe Indy and the potential for statewide expansion on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick.
Plans for the new school were announced last fall, more than a year after Saint Joseph’s College officials announced plans to suspend operations, saying the school could not grow out of its financial stress. The Roman Catholic institution had operated since 1891 on a 180-acre campus in Rensselaer.
The new, two-year institution will not be “open enrollment,” but rather Marian will interview students for spots in the inaugural class. “We want the right students, ready with grit and determination,” said Elsener. “We want to be quality students doing quality work with quality employers, and the future is wide open.”