Rockland Community College and St. Thomas Aquinas College Expand Relationship

St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) and Rockland Community College (RCC) are proud to announce the addition of a new Honors Program pathway to their existing “STAC Tracks” partnership.

Beginning Fall 2022, qualified honors students at RCC will be eligible to transfer into STAC’s Honors Program. STAC’s Honors Program offers high-achieving students the opportunity to expand their critical thinking skills. The program’s core course curriculum challenges students to pursue academic excellence inside and outside the classroom.

“We are thrilled to expand upon our relationship with RCC,” said STAC President Ken Daly. “Our institutional missions are closely aligned -- to ensure that students have access to an affordable education which will enable them to make a profound difference in the world. This synergistic partnership with RCC allows us to foster a seamless student journey towards the pursuit of their degree and beyond.”

The “STAC Tracks” partnership between the two institutions creates financial assistance and a seamless transfer partnership into STAC from RCC. In Fall 2021, RCC students also became eligible to live on STAC’s campus, experience campus life, and participate in numerous STAC activities, while continuing to earn their associate degrees at RCC. In addition, RCC students can gain easy access to streamlined transfer pathways for completing their bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

“Building upon the 'STAC Tracks' program and our housing agreement with St. Thomas Aquinas College, we are expanding our collaboration to include STAC’s Honors Program. This partnership will provide RCC's high-achieving students who achieve Honors designation with a seamless pathway to the next level of their educational journey, while offering financial support in the form of a generous scholarship. This is a wonderful development between two institutions who share a similar mission to provide access, serve students and prepare future leaders in our shared community," said Dr. Michael A. Baston, RCC President.

Students interested in the honors program must meet all RCC requirements including a 3.5 GPA and must apply to STAC to be admitted into its Honors Program. If accepted into STAC Honors Program, full-time students are eligible to receive up to a $30,000 scholarship per academic year as well as the opportunity to study at Oxford University in the summer between their junior and senior years, with all academic expenses paid. The STAC Honors program also features required experiential learning and internship experiences.

Applications for the Fall 2022 Honors Program are being accepted until July 1. Interested applicants should reach out to Kaitlyn Healy, Associate Director of Transfer Admissions at khealy@stac.edu or Meghan De Witt, Director of the Honors Program: Recruitment at mdewitt@stac.edu. Questions about Rockland Community College’s Honors Program should be directed to Dr. Katie Lynch, Director of the Sam Draper Honors Program, at klynch@sunyrockland.edu.