Fulfilling Dreams and Promised

Fulfilling Dreams and Promises

Montclair State Program Lets Returning Students Commit to Finishing Degrees They Started

Chris Taite attended Montclair State University for three years before dropping out. He promised his father that he’d return to complete his undergraduate degree some day but financial commitments, work and life derailed his plans for years.

Taite, 31, of Bayonne, is now working toward finishing his undergraduate degree through the University’s Degree Completion Program. Because the courses are online, it’s convenient and costeffective since students don’t have to pay fees. They can complete their degrees in as few as 18 months.

Launched last fall, the program is designed for students 25 or older, with 60 transferable credits and at least a 2.0 GPA. Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Humanities or Education Studies; other concentrations may be added in the future. “Our main goal is to provide a pathway for adults who started college to return and earn their degree,” says Degree Completion Programs Assistant Director Jane Sanchez Swain. This program is perfect as it provides the fastest and most direct path to degree attainment. They can complete this degree in as little as 18 months.’’

When Taite left Montclair in 2012, he promised his father that one day he would return. Years went by and the idea took a back seat to work. “It was something that ate at me,” he says.

While in college, Taite says, he wasn’t as focused as he needed to be and he didn’t fully avail himself of Montclair’s resources. This time, when the University asked him to return, he was prepared.

“At 17, 18, I wasn’t ready for Montclair, but at 30, Montclair reached out and said, ‘Hey we’re ready for you,’” Taite says, smiling. “I go to school now, for me. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”

Chris Taite, a supervisor for Con Edison, has returned to Montclair to complete his bachelor’s degree, keeping a promise he made to his father that one day he would return.

For more, visit montclair.edu/finish

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