Niagara and Medaille reach agreement for clinical mental health counseling and M.S.Ed.

More than 320 graduate Medaille students transfer to programs at Niagara University

By Niagara University

Niagara University’s College of Education recently finalized its partnership agreement with Medaille University to teach out both the clinical mental health counseling program and the M.S.Ed. in teacher education program. Through this agreement, more than 320 graduate students from Medaille can complete their degree program at Niagara University.

“Niagara University has exceptionally strong programs in education and counseling and, for the past two months, we have been working with administration and faculty at Medaille University, alongside the New York State Education Department and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, to support their students in completing their studies in these fields,” said Dr. Tim Ireland, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Niagara University. “We have also hired faculty from Medaille to make the transition for these students even easier as they complete their studies and build their pathway to careers in counseling and education.”

As part of the teach out agreement approved by the NYSED, Medaille’s teacher education candidates will transition seamlessly into Niagara’s existing programs, while Niagara will support the clinical mental health counseling students as they complete their program in an accelerated, online model of instruction that was part of the Medaille program.

To ensure a smooth transition and support the increased number of students in these programs, Niagara University has hired eight members of the Medaille faculty, including four from education and four from counseling. In addition, Niagara will also hire a number of adjunct faculty from the Medaille programs to add additional support during the transition.

Earlier this summer, Niagara’s athletics department absorbed Medaille’s women’s bowling team and hired Medaille Mavericks coaches Jeff Walsh and Peggy Kuhn. NU has also accepted a number of the members of the Medaille bowling team to start the program, which will begin competition this fall.

Niagara University continues to enroll former Medaille students across programs through its teach out partnership with Medaille. All credits earned at Medaille are accepted at NU, and most financial aid packages received at Medaille are honored on Monteagle Ridge.