NORWICH – From the late 1980s to the present, Liberty Partnership programs across the state have worked with local high schools, endeavoring to keep at-risk students from dropping out as well as ensuring they are provided with the tools necessary to secure a bright future. In Chenango County,  Morrisville State College supplies Norwich, Otselic Valley, Bainbridge-Guilford and Unadilla Valley school districts each with a full-time Liberty Partnership representative who is on call throughout the school day. Recently Morrisville’s Liberty Partnership signed an agreement bringing the Chenango County Office of Employment Training (OET) on board, further expanding the opportunities available for students.

“We will be doing a portion of the program with them,” said Chenango County OET director Gary Waffle. “We have agreed to provide a workforce development coordinator, and one of out staff members will be visiting schools to teach classes, as well as functioning as an employment/training counselor.”

Liberty Partnership is funded through the state education department and 40 separate programs exist in New York, each reflecting the slightly different natures of the colleges which run them.

“Our goal is to keep the students successful,” said SUNY Morrisville Project Staff Associate and Liberty Program coordinator Shelly L. Bartow. “We cater to the needs of individual students, so ensuring success doesn’t always mean the same thing.”