New Pilot Program Brings College Courses to East End Students

Stony Brook Southampton and Suffolk County Community College launched a joint pilot program intended to broaden college access on the East End and strengthen local workforce pathways. Announced January 7, 2026, the program will begin instruction January 26, 2026, on the Stony Brook Southampton campus.

The pilot, titled "Sharks and Seawolves at Stony Brook Southampton," will offer a mix of transferable courses taught by faculty from both institutions. Initial course offerings include PSY101 Intro to Psychology and HSC100 Intro to Healthcare and Health Professions from Suffolk County Community College, plus a one-credit Stony Brook University course on the Marine Biology of Eastern Long Island taught by Stony Brook Southampton faculty. Students will be able to enroll in one to three courses, and the program includes visits by students from Hampton Bays as part of its outreach to East End communities.

Administratively, the pilot represents a direct partnership between a community college and a public university campus, placing community college instruction physically on the East End rather than requiring travel to off-Island campuses. The arrangement is designed as an accessible pathway to higher education that supports transfer opportunities from community college coursework to four-year degree programs, while also addressing local workforce needs in fields such as healthcare and marine sciences.

For Suffolk County residents, the immediate impacts include reduced travel time for classes offered on the Southampton campus, earlier exposure to college-level coursework for high school students, and clearer pathways for adult learners seeking credentialing or career changes. The inclusion of an introductory healthcare course aligns with ongoing countywide concerns about recruiting and training medical staff, while the marine biology offering taps regional academic strengths and environmental workforce needs.

As a pilot, the initiative raises questions about capacity, long-term funding, and measurable outcomes. Policymakers and institutional leaders will need to track and report on transfer rates, course completion, enrollment demographics and local employment outcomes to determine whether the program should be expanded. Transparency in those measures will be essential to ensure the partnership delivers on promises of access and workforce development for East End communities.

The program launches January 26, 2026, and will serve as an early test of collaborative higher education strategies aimed at keeping college opportunity and career training closer to home for Suffolk County residents.