Baccalaureate Degrees Granted for the First Time
In 1983, the College became the first in the region to install a campus-wide computer network. In 1984, Villa Julie became a four-year college offering the bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. In 1985, the bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies was added. The College continued to offer its two-year programs leading to the associate in arts degree in these and in all other majors.
In 1985–86, the College again responded to continually increasing student interest by constructing a new three-story classroom/laboratory building. Along with the growth of the student body and faculty through the years and the enlargement of the physical plant, the academic offerings of the College were augmented steadily to include new majors and programs. The arts and sciences continued to form the core of all curricula, as they do today. The additional major programs provided a wider choice of professional career possibilities and at the same time supported the changing requirements of the business and professional communities in the region. The concept of career education combined with the liberal arts became a hallmark of the College’s philosophy, Pro Discendo , Pro Vivendo : For Learning, For Living .
In 1988, the Middle States Association again reaffirmed the College’s accreditation, this time as a four-year college offering bachelor’s and associate’s degrees. New baccalaureate programs were added: liberal arts and technology, and business systems: administrative science, computer accounting, computer information systems, and business information systems.
For the convenience of the growing number of adults interested in completing their degrees, the College added Saturday classes to its day and evening programs. Today, a number of undergraduate degree programs may be completed either entirely or substantially during evenings and weekends, some in an accelerated, online format.