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Letter to the Editor: Veterans urged to consider Donald Trump’s record of avoiding military service

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Eventful weekend on tap for Penn State’s WPIAL grads

<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; It may look downright prescient now, but Luzerne County Community College President Tom Leary said it is only provident that the school opened a Scranton campus months before ITT Technical Institute abruptly closed its doors.</p><p>LCCC is scrambling to figure out ways it may help the displaced students who had been attending the ITT Dunmore campus, and has set up information sessions for interested ITT students. The sessions are slated for Monday and Tuesday at both the Scranton center and the main campus in Nanticoke.</p><p>&#8220;It really is having a very sudden impact on these students,&#8221; Leary said Wednesday, the day after ITT closed all its campuses nationwide. &#8220;I have never seen anything in higher education move so quickly.&#8221;</p><p>The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the for-profit chain&#8217;s apparent shuttering came in the wake of a decision by the U.S. Department of Education barring the school from enrolling new students who rely on federal financial aid.</p><p>Leary said LCCC officials sat down Wednesday to figure out what, if any, help the school might offer, and that it appears at least some of the courses taught at ITT &#8220;are very closely aligned to our technical and career programs.&#8221;</p><p>Because it is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, LCCC wouldn&#8217;t be able to let students transfer ITT credits directly, Leary said.</p><p>But LCCC does have a process to &#8220;assess prior learning and training and potentially give advanced standing&#8221; to prospective students.</p><p>The information sessions are set for 5:30 p.m Monday and 2 p.m. Tuesday in Scranton, and for 2 p.m. Monday and 11 a.m. Tuesday in Nanticoke. They will include information on financial aid, admissions and academic programs.</p><p>&#8220;We want to give them an overview of what Luzerne County Community College can do for them,&#8221; Leary said.</p><p>The fact that LCCC opened a center in the Steamtown Mall in Downtown Scranton may help make the community college more attractive to those who had been attending ITT in Dunmore, Leary said, but there&#8217;s another draw.</p><p>&#8220;The tuition difference is very substantial,&#8221; Leary said, adding that he didn&#8217;t know the exact charges at ITT, but that ITT&#8217;s rate &#8220;was substantially higher&#8221; than the $125 per credit charge at Nanticoke and the $250 per credit charge in Scranton for students from outside Luzerne County</p><p>For more information on Monday and Tuesday&#8217;s sessions, call Melissa Ide at 570-740-0210 and contact her by email at mide@luzerne.edu.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Leary </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Leary-tom.jpg</photo0><caption0>Leary </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

LCCC looking for ways to help ITT Tech students displaced by closures