In an effort to balance the budget, Ithaca College hired Huron Consulting Group to reduce the college’s spending and increase revenue. One of the recommendations from Huron is to do away with the Rochester Center, where physical therapy students currently spend one summer and one graduate year

Physical therapy students argue that the Rochester Center is critical to learning the skills they will need after graduation. Ithaca is not located near a major medical center, so physical therapy students would not get the hands-on experience they receive in Rochester if the program was consolidated to the Ithaca campus. As the college is looking to cut spending, satellite programs should not end up on the cutting board. Because the college is located in a small city, students seeking real world experience will be less likely to choose Ithaca over colleges in larger cities.

Programs like the Rochester Center, the L.A. Program, the London Center and the recent New York City Program offer students the opportunity to work with organizations that can provide real-world experiences. If the college hopes to recruit more competitive students, it must continue to offer opportunities away from the Ithaca campus.