Stratford University, a Virginia public benefit corporation, is a U.S. higher educational institution founded in 1976. Stratford specializes in adult education, provides placement assistance for students and graduates, and offers degrees through the doctoral level. It delivers online, classroom, and blended online/classroom programs.
Stratford University is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia and has campuses in Virginia (Alexandria, Falls Church, Woodbridge, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and Richmond), Maryland (Baltimore ), and India (New Delhi ). The majority of the student body is non-traditional and works full-time while attending school. Stratford's international student body is diverse and represents over thirty countries.
Stratford has partnered with the Global Land Coalition to provide distance education services in developing countries. The Stratford campus in India is a Joint Venture with the K. K. Modi Group, created to offer residential American degrees in India. The legal name of the Indian Joint Venture is Modi Stratford Education Management (MSEM), Pvt. Ltd. The Modi Stratford Foundation, a wholly owned non-profit subsidiary of MSEM, delivers the academic programs in India as an accredited campus of Stratford University.
In 2010, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and Computerworld reported that the Stratford University has a larger number of F-1 Visa students receiving post-graduate Optional Practical Training (OPT) STEM extensions (727) than any other school in the US, with twice the combined total of the entire Ivy League. In 2012, Computerworld again reported that Stratford had more OPT STEM extension approvals than any other school in the US.
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Academic Programs
Stratford University awards graduate and undergraduate degrees in a number of disciplines including business administration, computer information systems, health sciences, nursing, culinary arts, and hotel management. Online, residential, and blended programs are available. All online and blended courses use the Stratford online Moodle platform hosted in Stratford's data center. The learning outcomes embedded within the curriculum are employer-centric, while the teaching methods and delivery style are student-centric.
The University offers accelerated degree programs for those who wish to start their careers quickly. An associate degree can be earned in 15 months, a bachelor's degree in 30 months, a master's degree in 15 months, and a doctorate in 35 months. The table below lists all programs and indicates which are available online.
Stratford Online College Video
Awards
Dr. Richard R. Shurtz II, Stratford president, won the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in Greater Washington for the Government/Education Services category. Stratford University was ranked as one of the Top 100 Graduate Degree Producers for All Disciplines in 2009 by Diverse Education.
In 2015,The PeaceJam Foundation's 'One Billion Acts of Peace' campaign awarded its first annual Hero Award to Stratford University for Best University Act. PeaceJam judges "recognized Stratford University as a true agent of change in helping to solve some of the biggest global issues around the world." Stratford University was one of only five worldwide recipients.
In 2016, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker presented Stratford University with the President's "E" Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The President's "E" Award is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports. The 'E' Awards noted Stratford University's dedication to providing quality education to students around the world, particularly its investment in language training programs.
Continuing Education Programs
Stratford University offers a number of non-credit continuing education and professional development courses as part of its community outreach initiative.
- Event Management Certificate Program The mission of the Professional Event Management Certificate Program at Stratford University is to support the events profession by offering superior educational courses and practical experiences for career advancement within the industry, including special events, meetings, tradeshow, entertainment, sports management and fundraising.
- Culinary Workshops Stratford University's Culinary Workshops offers first timers and experienced cooks the opportunity to learn a few outstanding recipes and to make some new friends while having fun on a Saturday morning. The schedule includes special classes for couples and singles.
- Certification Courses including Oracle, MSCE, .Net Framework, Cisco, Linux, and computer security-related topics for students and IT professionals.
Scholarship Programs
Stratford University has a number of general scholarship programs for undergraduate studies.
- Graduating High School Senior Scholarship Program--This program is designed for high school seniors who begin a program of study during the summer after graduation. In order to qualify a student must complete a scholarship application before May 1 and be admitted to the institution to start classes in July or August annually. The scholarship requires evidence of recent high school completion, and the desire to achieve success in the selected program. The scholarship pool under this program is limited to a maximum of $25,000 to be awarded in the Spring and Summer.
- Private Scholarship Programs--Stratford University accepts private scholarships from foundations, service clubs, and other organizations. Examples of these programs used by Stratford students include Culinary Scholarship Programs such as the scholarship from Careers in Culinary Arts (C-CAP) Culinary Competition, American Culinary Federation Scholarship Fund, Virginia Culinary Competition, Northern Virginia Culinary Competition, or Discover America.
Programs for US Military Personnel
Stratford University has established a number of programs to help US military and former-US military personnel complete their education.
- Stratford is recognized by the Veterans Administration as a military-friendly institution and a member of the Yellow Ribbon Program.
- Stratford has programs to assist military students on Tuition Assistance (TA) to eliminate out-of-pocket tuition expenses.
- Stratford is a member of the DoD Servicemembers Opportunities Colleges (SOC) Consortium, and the Concurrent Admissions Program (ConAP).
- Transfer credits are accepted from AARTS, SMART, CCAF,ACE, DANTES, CLEP exams, as well as from other SOC colleges and universities.
- Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is used to grant credit for military experience and training programs.
- Stratford is approved for the training of veterans, reservists, and other eligible persons under US Code, Title 38 (Veteran's Benefits), including Chapter 30 (Active Duty), Chapter 31 (Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities), Chapter 32 (Post-Vietnam Era Educational Assistance), Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 Educational Assistance), and Chapter 35 (Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance), as well as, Title 10 (Armed Forces), including Chapter 1606 (Selected Reserve Educational Assistance), and Chapter 1607 (Reserve Educational Assistance).
Acquisitions
Stratford University signed a letter of intent for an affiliation with Baltimore International College (BIC) on August 12, 2011. The university has received approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commissionand Baltimore officially became an additional location of Stratford University on December 1, 2011. Stratford intends to continue the culinary arts, culinary management, and hospitality management programs in Baltimore.
Stratford University signed a memorandum of understanding with Sojourner-Douglass College (SDC) on April 2, 2015. This memorandum outlines a process through which SDC programs will transition to Stratford after June 30, 2015, the date that SDC loses it accreditation. Stratford intends to offer nursing, allied health, business, and information technology programs at the SDC Baltimore location. This location will be renamed the Sojourner-Douglass Center at Stratford University.
Campuses
Stratford University, headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, has campuses in Virginia, Maryland and India. Stratford University's main campus is located in Falls Church, Virginia near Tysons Corner. It has a six additional US campuses in Alexandria, Virginia near Telegraph Road, Woodbridge, Virginia near Potomac Mills, in Richmond, Virginia near Short Pump, in Newport News, Virginia near Oyster Point, in Virginia Beach, Virginia near Town Center and in Baltimore, Maryland near the Inner Harbor. In 2009, the University opened two learning sites in New Delhi, India.
- The Falls Church, Virginia campus near Tysons Corner is located on Leesburg Pike within ten miles of Washington DC. The Falls Church campus features a broad range of laboratories and classrooms equipped with the latest technology.
- The Alexandria, Virginia campus is located on Eisenhower Avenue near Telegraph Road. The campus has culinary arts, health science, and computer laboratories.
- The Woodbridge, Virginia campus is located on Gideon Drive. The campus, designed using green technology throughout, has culinary arts, health science, nursing, and computer laboratories. The specially designed classroom environment is conducive to learning.
- The Richmond, Virginia campus at Short Pump is located on Broad Street. In addition to an on-site restaurant, the campus has culinary arts, health sciences, and computer laboratories.
- The Baltimore, Maryland campus is just two blocks from the world famous Inner Harbor. The campus houses all classrooms and laboratories, as well as the student union, computer labs, the Mount Vernon Hotel, student housing in Dublin Hall, the state-of-the-art Culinary Arts Center and the Learning Resource Center, which contains the library, computer labs and a gallery of edible art.
- The Newport News, Virginia campus is located near Oyster Point. The Newport News campus includes an on-site restaurant, as well as, culinary arts, health sciences, and computer laboratories.
- The Virginia Beach, Virginia campus is under construction near Town Center. The Virginia Beach campus will include an on-site restaurant, as well as, culinary arts, health sciences, and computer laboratories. Classes will start October 2014.
- Stratford has a main learning site and one satellite learning site in the New Delhi region. The main learning site is located in South Delhi. The satellite learning site is located in Gurgaon.
Supporting Services
Stratford University offers a wide range of services to assist the students and faculty some of which include:
- Stratford's Welcome Center offers a range of services including free gym memberships, housing assistance, information about health insurance plans. Welcome Center personnel assist students with any non-academic problems which they may encounter while completing their degree. Student activities and events are organized by the Welcome Center year round.
- Stratford's International Student Office provides support for international students, including: admissions assistance; obtaining F-1/J-1 Visas; transferring from another school; securing housing; travelling within and outside the US; obtaining CPT/OPT employment authorization; and advice for securing an H-1 Visa. This office serves as the gateway to all Stratford services for the international student community.
- Stratford's Language Institute offers an academic English as Second Language (ESL) program to help international students enter a degree program.
- Stratford's Career Services Office provides placement assistance for students through a large network of employers who hire Stratford graduates.
- Stratford's Academic Services provides tutoring and developmental mathematics and English to assist students academically.
- Stratford's Continuing Education Office offers many non-credit workshops and courses in business, health sciences, technology, culinary arts, and event management.
- Stratford's Food Services are managed by the School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts. The School of Culinary Arts offers fine dining to the public as part of its culinary curriculum. The School operates the Escoffier Dining Room, the Careme Dining Room, and the Library Cafe.
- Stratford's Media Office produces and broadcasts a weekly radio show, Tech Talk Radio, which is aired on WFED (1500 AM) each Saturday from 9 to 10 am EST. The show is streamed live over the Internet from the WFED home page. Audio files of the show and a podcast feed are posted each week to the Tech Talk Radio home page. The podcast is also available via iTunes. Tech Talk Radio first aired in January 2000 and has been previously broadcast on WMAL (630AM), WJFK-FM (106.7FM), WTWP (1500AM, 107.7FM), and WWWT (1500AM, 107.7FM) radio stations.
Accreditation and Affiliations
Stratford University has been endorsed and/or accredited by a broad range of organizations and agencies.
- Stratford University is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) to award degrees through the doctoral level.
- Stratford and ACICS are recognized by the United States Department of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
- Stratford University is exempt from requirements of oversight to grant Associates, Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees by State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
- Stratford is authorized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue a Form I-20 for an F-1 Visa and to enroll nonimmigrant alien students.
- Stratford is listed in the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs which identifies it as an institution or program which "is accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a reliable authority as to the quality of postsecondary education within the meaning of the Higher Education Act of 1965."
- Stratford is authorized to award Federal Student Aid, including both loans and grants for eligible US citizens and permanent residents.
- Stratford's nursing program has been approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing and has received programmatic accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
- Stratford's medical assisting program has received programmatic accreditation from the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools.
- The Stratford University Language Institute is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation.
- Stratford's culinary programs have received programmatic accreditation from the American Culinary Federation (ACF).
- Stratford is a member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
- Stratford is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
- Stratford is a member of the United States-India Educational Foundation.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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