General Information

Welcome to Granite State College
Granite State College, formerly College for Lifelong Learning, provides flexibility, value and statewide accessibility to higher education throughout the state of New Hampshire and beyond. The college is one of the four institutions of the University System of New Hampshire and serves over 4000 students each year. For more than 30 years the college has specialized in teaching people who seek alternatives to traditional campus-based programs. Courses are conveniently scheduled in the daytime, evenings, weekends, on-site, and online.

Mission and History
The Mission of Granite State College is to expand access to public higher education to adults of all ages throughout the state of New Hampshire.

The college achieves this mission by offering degree, certificate, and contract programs of excellence that serve our communities through learner responsive curricula, innovative teaching methods, and ongoing assessments of learning outcomes. Granite State College fosters partnerships with area businesses, local and state organizations, and other higher education institutions in order to bring high quality academic experiences to the residents of New Hampshire in an effective and efficient manner.

More than thirty years ago, the Trustees of the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) anticipated a change in higher education which has since become an established trend-more and more adults in their mid-twenties and older are going back to college or starting for the first time. In 1972, USNH created the School of Continuing Studies (SOCS). The idea was to deliver USNH programs to adults across the state in the communities where they live and work. Later renamed the College for Lifelong Learning (CLL), the institution grew into a college serving more than 4,000 adult learners each year. In the spring of 2005 a statewide needs assessment was commissioned by the University System of New Hampshire. The resulting report by MGT of America, Inc. supported an expanded mission for the college and a refocus on providing greater access to other university system programs and services.

Vision Statement and Values
Granite State College will be nationally recognized as a leader in meeting the academic needs of adult learners by offering programs and services of the highest quality that address the educational and workforce priorities of our state and regions. Our statewide presence, unique programs, and responsive delivery models will enable the college to provide a greater number and more diverse group of learners with increased educational opportunities. Granite State College will continue to be the institution of choice for individuals who wish to be part of a teaching and learning environment that actively promotes academic success, personal development, professional growth, and community involvement.

The mission and vision statements of Granite State College reflect the following core values identified as key elements in successfully meeting the educational needs of our learners:

• Our primary commitment to and respect for adult learners of all ages, for whom our innovative college programs are designed
• Our commitment to ensure access for all adult learners in the state of New Hampshire who desire a college-level education, and the consequent commitment to make college geographically proximate and financially affordable
• Our belief that learning is a lifelong process
• Our determination to provide an academic experience that extends critical thinking throughout the curriculum, integrates theory and practice, has a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, and fosters self-directed learning
• Our belief that effective teaching and learning results in assessable outcomes
• Our determination to have a positive social and economic impact on the communities of which our learners are members
• Our commitment to diversity and the educational value that inclusion brings to the learning experience
• Our recognition that staff and faculty are vital members of our learning community and the college respects and values their essential contribution to the education of our learners. Hence, the college will support the lifelong learning goals of our staff and faculty.

Granite State College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and offers a variety of bachelor and associate degrees and is the University System's leader in delivering online education making it possible for people to earn a degree totally online. Part-time faculty are also employed in their professional fields and enhance the classroom with relevant real-life experience.

Nine academic centers located throughout the state help ensure geographical accessibility. Centers are located in Berlin, Claremont, Concord, Conway, Lebanon, Littleton, Manchester, Portsmouth, and Rochester.

As a degree granting institution our greatest concern is that our graduates master a specific group of skills and competencies which they can use in their careers and life work. That is why our degree and course requirements, while still maintaining high academic standards, can be more flexible-an outcome-based degree program. Granite State believes that you have a better chance of succeeding when you have a clearer sense of goals-the outcomes of your learning experiences.

An outcome-based degree program promotes quality in performance because it:

• provides you with standards to be met in demonstrating competence
• gives you a base from which to design self-directed learning activities such as learning contracts
• gives you the ability to make judgments concerning the appropriateness of prior learning that can be demonstrated through a variety of options.

Institutional Assessment
To examine the college's effectiveness in providing an environment that facilitates the acquisition of skills and knowledge and the enhancement of lifelong learning, the college is launching an institution-wide assessment program. The plan includes the assessment of learner achievement of broad educational outcomes as well as specific program and course outcomes, and an examination of the effectiveness of teaching and learning environments as well as services that support learning.

The goal of the assessment process is to provide research-based information that leads to continuous program involvement and enhanced educational services for adults.

Online Degrees & Courses
Granite State College offers six accredited totally online degrees plus a wide variety of courses. Online degrees provide the flexibility to complete your work from wherever you have online access. Students have access to an online community of faculty, course materials, library resources, and fellow students.

Online degrees are available in:

• A.A. General Studies
• A.S. Business
• B.S. Applied Technology
• B.S. Business Management
• B.S. Self-Design
  

Students should possess basic computer skills including file organization, editing, word processing, email and familiarity with the Internet.

Computers are available during specified hours at each Granite State College Center. These computers will be equipped with all the necessary tools required to take online courses. Granite State College offers technical assistance to all of its students taking an online course.

MyGranite Portal & Blackboard
Granite State College uses Blackboard and the MyGranite Portal. By activating a GSC email account MyGranite provides quick access to WebROCK (course grades, registration, financial aid, etc.), all courses using the Blackboard tools, GSC email, important information and announcements, and quick links to available services. Blackboard is a course management system for an electronic environment.

Project Access - Granite State College Call Center
Access to college can be restricted because some programs may not be offered in all geographical areas. Access is also hindered because individuals may not be aware of what is already available to them through innovative delivery systems that go well beyond traditional classroom and campus settings. To address these issues, USNH has launched Project Access. The vision of Project Access is to expand access to higher education to New Hampshire citizens and to address any unfulfilled educational and workforce needs through a combination of traditional, innovative, and alternative delivery systems. Project Access will fulfill a key component of the mission of USNH and that is - to serve the higher educational needs of the people of New Hampshire.

A central component of Project Access is now in place-the Call Center at Granite State College. This centralized Call Center was launched in the fall of 2005 and serves as a single source of information to the public for all online and off campus programs and courses offered by USNH institutions. The Call Center provides information on existing academic programs at UNH, Plymouth State University, Keene State College, UNH Manchester, and Granite State College available through innovative delivery systems that expand access well beyond traditional classroom or campus based settings. The toll free number is 1-888-566-8764.