Accreditation
Five Towns College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (267-284-5000). MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, learn more about MSCHE. Visit them online at www.msche.org.
The Teacher Education Unit, offers programs for music education (K-12) teachers at the bachelor’s and master’s level, and is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 1140 19th Street, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036 (202-223-0077). NCATE is a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This accreditation does not include, however, individual education courses that institution offers to P-12 educators for professional development, re-licensure, or other purposes. The College has announced that it will not renew its NCATE (now CAEP) accreditation when it expires in 2023. Instead, the accreditation of programs for the preparation of Music Education candidates will be covered by NASM. Learn more about NCATE. Visit them online at www.ncate.org.
Degree programs in Music are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), 11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21, Reston, VA 20190-5248. NASM is a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This accreditation includes programs in Music Education (K-12) leading to both initial and professional certification. This accreditation does not include, however, individual education courses that the institution offers to P-12 educators for professional development, re-licensure, or other purposes. Visit them online at www.NASM.ARTS-ACCREDIT.ORG.
Five Towns College holds an Absolute Charter granted by the New York State Board of Regents. Its curricula are registered by the New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234 (518-474-3862). Learn more about NYSED. Visit them online at www.nysed.gov.
Five Towns College is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST), 11250 Roger Bacon Dr., Suite 21, Reston, Virginia 20190-5248 (tele. # 703-437-0700). To learn more about NAST, go to nast.arts-accredit.org
Mission Statement
Five Towns College is a creative learning community that develops in students the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to pursue careers in the performing arts, media and communications, business and industry, and the teaching professions, Through programs that combine general education and content specialty areas, the undergraduate and graduate curricula integrate rigorous academic inquiry, industry standard technologies and facilities, experiential learning, and respect for diversity and ethical values. In so doing, the College helps each student to expand their unique talents to the fullest, while also preparing graduates to contribute to the advancement of society.
Goals of the College
- To develop in undergraduate students’ college-level proficiencies in general education.
- To develop in undergraduate students’ content expertise within the context of specific career objectives.
- To strengthen graduate students’ professional-level proficiencies in content-specific areas.
- To engage in strategic planning activities that nurture a culture dedicated to institutional and student learning assessment, and lead to clearly articulated student achievement outcomes.
Affirmative Action Policy
Five Towns College is committed to the Federal Governments mandate for equal employment opportunity and has adopted the policy to recruit, employ, retain and promote employees without regard to sex, age, color or creed. Also, the College adheres to the New York State Human Rights Law and supports the opportunity to obtain employment without discrimination because of age, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, marital status, religion or disability and applies this policy to the educational programs and activities it conducts as well. Questions, concerns or complaints about violations of this policy should be directed to the College’s Vice President of Administration, who also serves as its Affirmative Action Officer.
The Campus
Nestled in the rolling hills of Long Island’s North Shore, Five Towns College offers students the opportunity to study on a beautiful suburban campus, with all of the incredible amenities of an urban metropolis right nearby. The 35-acre campus is located in the wooded countryside of Dix Hills, in the Town of Huntington, NY - the geographic and cultural center of Long Island. The campus is just a commuter train ride from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan to the west and the Hamptons to the east.
Occupying the heart of the campus, Old Main is the primary academic structure which consists of 12 interconnected buildings. These include the Five Towns College Performing Arts Center; Sound Arena; Television Studio 400; Upbeat Dining Commons; Student Success Center; and Library/Learning Resource Center; along with classrooms, and computer, piano, and MIDI laboratories, and more.
In the middle of Old Main is the John Lennon Center for Music and Technology (JLC), so named by Yoko Ono to honor the memory of the music legend and iconic member of The Beatles at a historic ribbon cutting ceremony on April 11, 2005. The JLC houses the College’s industry-standard complex of audio recording studios – including SSL Studio A, Film Stage D, Interactive Media Arts Lab, IT Help Desk, and radio station, WFTU. The JLC audio recording and film studios were designed and built by the world-class Walters-Storyk Design Group.
Adjacent to Old Main is the FTC Studio Theatre, a small black box theatre dedicated to developing the actor’s craft. This dedicated facility allows aspiring actors to become immersed in the theatrical arts and is a workspace for students in the theatrical design and technology concentration.
The campus also is home to the Five Towns College Living/Learning Center (LLC). The LLC is a modern and secure complex of four residence halls for undergraduate and graduate students. The LLC is also home to the Five Towns College Center for Applied Music (CAM), Downbeat Cafe, College Store, and Film Stage E. Learn more about the College’s highly specialized campus at Facilities and Equipment.
Long Island/New York City Metropolitan Region
The College is located in the downstate Long Island/New York City Metropolitan Region. Approximately 11 million people call this part of New York State home. While most people think of Long Island as encompassing just Nassau and Suffolk counties, in reality the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens are also located on the western end of Long Island.
The Long Island Expressway is the physical connector that links the eastern end of Long Island to New York City and the world. For those who travel by mass transit, the Long Island Railroad – the busiest commuter rail system in the United States - also connects the east end directly with the New York City subway system at Penn Station in Manhattan. Both of New York City’s major airports, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia, are located on Long Island.
The region runs the gamut from small agricultural and maritime based communities to the largest urban city in the United States. Indeed, the region does not just host the financial capital of the world – Wall Street, but it is also home to the political capital of the world – the United Nations. Not only is the region the most important and largest economic engine in the United States, but it is also the cultural capital of the United States. Every major television network and media company is either based in the region or has a major physical presence here. And, of course, the region is also home to the Broadway Theatre scene.
Without question, Five Towns College students have the best of all worlds – the advantages of studying in a major population center, while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of a quiet suburban campus.
Educational Relevance
Five Towns College has an established and growing reputation for educational innovation and excellence. It is in the vanguard of those institutions that have recognized and responded to the unique responsibilities and opportunities that are the province of highly focused and specialized institutions. The College is committed to providing relevant educational opportunities to the widest mix of students. It is aware of its pivotal role in educating tomorrow’s workers—and doing so in terms of what is required to succeed economically, techno- logically and culturally in the 21st century.
Faculty
In addition to possessing the requisite professional preparation and appropriate educational experience, the members of the faculty are individuals who have demonstrated teaching skill, an ability to relate to students as individuals, and a genuine interest in enriching the life of the College community. They are committed to helping each student learn to the best of the student’s ability. Faculty serve as academic advisors, lead various extracurricular activities, and provide support services to students as tutors.
Student Body
The men and women who comprise the student body reflect the diverse characteristics of the greater Long Island/New York City Metropolitan Region. They also bring to campus a wide array of cultural and social perspectives that enrich the campus and broaden the academic discourse for the benefit of the entire community.
Of the First-Time Full-Time Freshman (FTF) who entered the College for the Fall 2019 semester, 30% identified as female and 70% identified as male.
Ethnically, 55% of the FTF identified as White/Non-Hispanic, 13% as Black/African-American, 18% as Hispanic/Latino, 14% as Asian, >1% as Native American, and 10% as belonging to two or more ethnic groups. These characteristics have been relatively constant for the three year period 2018 – 2021, although the percentage of students from underrepresented communities declined slightly during the National Health Emergency.
Of the new FTF who entered for the Fall 2020 semester, approximately 34% enrolled in a program of study offered by the Business Division, 17% by the Music/Music Education Division, 14% by the Film and Television Division, 12% by the Theatre Arts Division, 3% by the Liberal Arts and Sciences/General Education Division, 12% by the Mass Communication Division, and 8% by the Interactive Media Arts Division. Of these students, the most popular majors by Division are Audio Recording Technology, Music and Entertainment Industry Studies, Musical Theatre, Music Performance, Broadcasting, and Interactive Media Arts. Newer majors, such as Live Entertainment and Media Production and Theatrical Design/Technology also are attracting growing interest from new students.
While high school grades play less of a role in the admissions process at colleges and universities with significant performing arts programs than at traditional liberal arts institutions (see, Admissions Standards, for related discussion), of the new Fall 2019 FTF the mean high school grade point average was 83, with 19% presenting a G.P.A. of 90 – 99, 27% 85 – 89, 25% 80 – 84, 19% 75 – 79, and 8% 70 – 74. Just 1% of new students were admitted with a H.S. GPA of under 70%. Students admitted on the basis of a G.E.D. or TASC score constituted >1%. The College does not admit students on the basis of an Ability-to-Benefit examination. Nearly every high school on Long Island and from around the region have been represented in the Five Towns College student population.
Data filed with the National Center for Educational Statistics indicates that, while the College is considered to be highly specialized by virtue of the unique programs of study it offers, in many ways its student profile is very traditional. 90% of students who matriculate are under the age of 24, while 10% are 25 and over. Similarly, the overwhelming majority of undergraduate students, 96%, pursue their studies on a full-time basis, while only about 4% attend on a part-time basis. Graduate students reflect this trend, but to a lesser degree, with 74% of these primarily adult learners pursuing a master’s or doctoral degrees on full-time basis and 26%on a part-time basis.
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