SUNY Empire State College Names Associate Professor Sue Epstein as Director of Corporate and Community Partnerships

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York – Sept. 5, 2019) Sue Epstein, an associate professor in SUNY Empire State College’s Division of Business, has been appointed director of corporate and community partnerships.

Epstein’s academic accomplishments, experience in the public and private sectors, and her role as a member of the college’s faculty will help her advance the Office of Programs and Partnerships’ goal to significantly expand partnership development in the academic, corporate, and nonprofit environments.

Epstein also will continue in her role as associate professor in the college’s Division of Business.

“Associate Professor Sue Epstein has an ambitious vision and plan for how partnerships can benefit both SUNY Empire State College and our corporate and community partners,” said Jim Malatras, president of the college. “SUNY Empire State College was founded to meet the higher education needs of working people across the Empire State. Through partnerships, employers strengthen their most valuable asset, employees can earn a degree around their busy schedules, and SUNY Empire meets its education mission. I look forward to Sue’s successes in expanding our partnerships across the great Empire State.”

“Partnership development is a top academic priority, and we are very fortunate to have Sue, who has the skills and experience necessary to fulfill this important role and is ready and willing to take this challenge on,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Meg Benke.

“I look forward to collaborating with my SUNY Empire colleagues on the faculty as well across the college, and with our alumni,” said Epstein. “Together, we will build corporate and community partnerships that provide far greater opportunities for degree completion to the people who make up the workforce of the Empire State.” 

The overwhelming majority of the college’s students – adults with busy lives and competing priorities – mirror the profile of many employees.

SUNY Empire’s faculty have been teaching adult learners since the founding of the college nearly 50 years ago. The faculty’s collective experience provides a cornerstone in assuring student success.

In addition to experienced faculty, and many other forms of support, students accomplish their goal of degree completion through SUNY Empire’s flexible modes of learning, including:

• Face-to-face learning at one of the colleges 30+ locations across the state.
• Online learning.
• Blend of face-to-face and online learning.

Awarding credit for college-level learning acquired through workplace training, and many other non-traditional sources, provides students the opportunity to complete their degrees in less time and at a lower cost.

According to the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, bachelor’s degree holders are half as likely to be unemployed as their peers who only have a high school degree. Further, APLU states that, on average, degree holders make $1 million in additional earnings during their lifetime and that a college education is expected to become even more valuable as more employers require it.

About Sue Epstein

Epstein’s research and service activities emphasize the dynamics of students’ work and non-work lives as they manage professional, personal, and school responsibilities. Her teaching focuses on leadership, as well as the evolution, challenges, and opportunities for women as leaders in the workplace.

Epstein joined the college in 2011 after a successful career in the corporate sector in banking and pharmaceutical marketing, and as the founder of a boutique health care-focused market research firm.  She holds a Doctorate in Organizational Studies from the State University of New York at Albany, an MBA from New York University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Applied Economics from Cornell University.

About SUNY Empire State College

SUNY Empire State College educates more than 17,000 students in person, online, and through a blend of both, at more than 30 locations in New York and at eight international sites worldwide. Together with one of SUNY Empire’s more than 1,300 faculty mentors, each student designs their own individualized pathway to a college degree that accommodates their schedule and awards credit for prior college-level learning. SUNY Empire awards more than 3,000 degrees annually and 94 percent of graduates stay in New York state. Today, more than 87,000 SUNY Empire alumni are entrepreneurs, veterans, and active members of the military, professional athletes, teachers, medical professionals, and leaders in their field, as well as in their communities. To learn more, visit www.esc.edu and follow the college on social media @SUNYEmpire.