Excelsior College, a member of the University of the State of New York, is a private college in Albany, New York offering associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs in Business, Technology, Liberal Arts, Health Sciences, and Nursing. Excelsior College in one of several regionally accredited colleges operating on a model similar to Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey, and Charter Oak State College in Connecticut.
History
Excelsior was founded in 1971 by the Board of Regents of The University of the State of New York as The Regents External Degree Program, a publicly-funded external-degree-granting unit of the New York State Education Department. In 1984, the unit was renamed Regents College. In 1998, Regents College severed its relationship with the Board of Regents to become a private college. The school adopted the name Excelsior College in 2001 (Excelsior is Latin for "ever upward" and is also the motto of the State of New York). Today, Excelsior College has 30,000 students enrolled in a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Excelsior College offers examinations Excelsior College Examinations or ECE) which are equivalent to CLEP and DSST exams and are accepted as a source of credits by many (but not all) US Colleges. Excelsior College is well-known for its flexible degree programs. Unlike most colleges and universities in the United States, Excelsior has no residency requirements, and many Excelsior degrees can be attained entirely remotely, and, in many cases, using mostly college credit earned elsewhere. Sources of college credit that can be used towards an Excelsior College degree program include distance learning courses from Excelsior, Excelsior College Examinations, recognized examinations such as the CLEP, GRE subject and DSST, traditional courses from other schools, and credit granting through a thorough assessment of prior learning via their portfolio assessment program. Excelsior College is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Its nursing programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. Its baccalaureate degree programs in electronics engineering technology and nuclear engineering technology are accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
Notable Alumni
- June Jones, Current Coach of Hawaii
- Anthony J. O'Donnell, (1985) Maryland politician.
- Joe R. Campa Jr., current Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
- Charles (Skip) W. Bowen, current Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
- Edward H. Rensi (1982), co-owner of Team Rensi Motorsports
