Excelsior College & Zone 5 Training Academy announce degree pathway for Capital Region law enforcement

by | February 3rd, 2021

Excelsior College and Zone 5 Training Academy today announced an educational agreement that will provide more than 7,500 Capital Region law enforcement personnel – and their spouses/domestic partners – an opportunity to pursue a higher education at Excelsior College at a substantially reduced rate.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Excelsior College and provide this type of educational benefit to our members,” said Rocco Fragomeni, director, Zone 5 Training Academy. “This is something that will help them in their career and to prepare for the next chapter of their life after retirement from law enforcement.”

The Zone 5 Training Academy, located in Schenectady, New York, is a full-service training academy that provides extensive training to new law enforcement recruits and veteran officers.  Founded in 1988, New York State identified the need for local law enforcement officers to receive training from various training zones around the State. Zone Five formed to provide training to officers in ten counties of Upstate New York: Greene, Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie, Saratoga, Fulton, Montgomery, Warren and Washington.

Today, the Training Center provides training to over 65 state, county, city, town, and village police agencies in a geographical area covering the ten counties of the Zone and other agencies whom have joined from other adjacent zones.

“Excelsior College was founded to serve an essential public purpose, to help adults earn college degrees, and since 1971 more than 160,000 individuals from around the world have taken advantage of our educational offerings,” said Dr. James Baldwin, president of Excelsior College. “We’re excited to extend educational opportunity to our local law enforcement personnel and affirm our commitment to the Capital Region and our core values of access, affordability, and academic integrity.”

Excelsior College works to remove the obstacles to the educational goals of working adults by providing multiple pathways to degree completion Excelsior College has evaluated Zone 5 training that will help position law enforcement personnel to complete their degrees and advance in their careers. The College has recently evaluated DCJS training for college-level equivalency, which will provide Zone 5 personnel with a head start on their studies. These courses include:

  • Basic Course for Police Officers – 23 credits awarded;
  • Basic Course for Corrections Officers – 13 credits awarded;
  • Instructor Development Course – 3 credits awarded;
  • Police Supervision and Management – 4 credits awarded;
  • Campus Public Safety Officer – 17 credits awarded.

“By assessing military and law enforcement training and awarding college credit, Excelsior can reduce tuition costs and shorten time to degree completion. If a Zone 5 member thinks of their degree path as a marathon, they’ll be able to start at mile 5, 10, 15 depending on what they’ve completed,” said Dr. David Hennessy, associate dean, School of Public Service at Excelsior College.

Excelsior offers more than 46 programs across five schools, including associate, bachelor’s and master’s-level programs within its School of Public Service ideally suited for law enforcement personnel.

“Excelsior is very excited about this partnership and the benefits that it could bring to our local first responders, their families, and the Capital Region community,” said Dr. Rob Waters, dean, School of Public Service at Excelsior College.

For more information regarding the partnership, visit zone5academy.excelsior.edu

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Excelsior College

Excelsior College is a regionally accredited, nonprofit online college focused on helping adults complete their degrees and advance their careers. The College contributes to the development of a diverse, educated, and career-ready society by valuing lifelong learning with an emphasis on serving individuals historically underrepresented in higher education. Founded in 1971, Excelsior meets students where they are – academically and geographically –  removing obstacles to the educational goals of adults pursuing continuing education and degree completion. Our pillars include innovation, flexibility, academic excellence, and integrity. Learn more at excelsior.edu.