Bob Martin: Today’s guest on Imagine America Radio is Dr. Susan Naples, campus president of Lincoln Tech in Shelton, Connecticut. Today’s topic of Imagine America Radio is the current [coronavirus] epidemic—and how this campus of Lincoln Tech has adapted to the current crisis and what they’re doing to provide continuing services to enrolled students, and how are they addressing the question of potential new students.

Susan—may I call you, Susan?

Susan Naples: Absolutely.

Bob: Thank you for joining us, joining Lee and I this afternoon. We appreciate it. Could you please—I interrupted you—could you please outline for us how your campus has responded to the current [coronavirus] epidemic?

Susan: Certainly. Based on the COVID-19 preparedness, our residential campus has now moved online for students, faculty, and staff. For incoming students, we are handling virtual tours remotely with our admissions staff. Our financial aid office is supporting our incoming students by conducting financial aid appointments virtually. And our faculty and staff are assisting our students in the online environment. They are hosting conference calls every day. They are hosting videos for students to watch. They are on a robust system called Canvas, in where they interact with students in discussion boards and they’re doing it very successfully.

Lee Doubleday: That’s great. This is Lee. I’m talking to Dr. Susan Naples, campus president of Lincoln Tech in Shelton, Connecticut. I think you did briefly mention this, but you are now teaching completely online and my question for you is that: Are you still open for tours, or is that something done virtually? I think you’d mentioned virtual tours. Is there a website or somewhere—how would someone who’s interested in taking a virtual tour of your campus go about doing that? Would they contact admissions?

Susan: They could call the school at (203) 929-0592, and we can schedule an appointment with an admissions representative from our campus. And they will walk through the prospective individual through a virtual tour and guide them through the process from inquiry into a start position.

Lee: Wow, that’s fantastic. I think it’s incredible what you guys have done in such a short period of time to be able to transition a lot of these processes online, so kudos to you and your team.

Susan: Thank you.

Lee: So that actually leads into my next question, though. Can I still enroll for a future class, or is this pandemic going to affect any future upcoming class starts? Can you talk to that a little bit?

Susan: We start classes every month and it has not prohibited us from starting a class. We are open for business through the virtual platform. We are also conducting—we already have started classes. We do remote orientations and we transition students into the online component, and they start their classes. And we’ve been doing that very successfully.

Lee: That’s fantastic. And that sort of actually covers the next question that I was going to ask you, which is, if the campuses are closed because of the virus, what will happen to the next upcoming start—but I think what you’re telling me is that they’re going to be starting their education online. Is that correct?

Susan: That is correct. Until we can get them back on campus once the COVID-19 epidemic is lifted.

Lee: Okay, and then my final question before turning it back over to Bob, is that: Are your current student services—i.e., admissions, financial aid, career services—are those all still available to your current students and any future prospective students?

Susan: Absolutely. The faculty and staff and support staff are all working remotely, and we’re here to support the incoming students as well as the current students.

Bob: We’re talking to Dr. Susan Naples, campus president, Lincoln Tech in Shelton, Connecticut. Susan, this is Bob Martin again. Real quick question. One, I’m putting on my high school guidance counselor cap. If I’m a guidance counselor who may not even see any more students again for the rest of the year—or, for that matter, could be a workforce development person, who could be anybody referring. How would you recommend we—as in you and I, Imagine America Radio and Lincoln Tech—help them learn more about your school: websites, emails, that sort of thing, please.

Susan: What they can do is they can contact the campus at (203) 929-0592, and one of our admissions representatives will provide either a virtual tour or they can email them information that walks through the virtual tour materials.

Bob: Perfect. Well, here again, we’re talking to Dr. Susan Naples, campus president, Lincoln Tech – Shelton, Connecticut. Here’s my takeaways, Susan, from today’s call.

First of all, Lincoln Tech in Shelton, Connecticut, is open for business and is currently assisting existing students. It may be a different way of presenting education and participating, but, nonetheless, you’re there and you’re available to them.

Second, Lincoln Tech in Shelton, Connecticut, is enrolling new students and potential students, and you can go to the website or contact you directly if they want updated information on campus tours, upcoming open houses, enrollment dates, that sort of thing.

Finally, I’m going to ask you—if you don’t mind, one more time—if we have listeners that are on today’s edition of Imagine America Radio, and they have questions or they’re interested parties or parents or whoever they may be—guidance counselors—would you mind just running through, very quickly, your contact information so they might be able to contact you and ask any questions. Emails, telephone numbers, websites.

Susan: Sure. They can go to our lincolntech.edu, Shelton campus, or they can email me directly at snaples@lincolntech.edu. Or, call the main number at (203) 929-0592, and they can ask for me directly.

Bob: Perfect. We really appreciate it. I want to thank you for your time today.

We’ve been talking to Dr. Susan Naples at Lincoln Tech in Shelton, Connecticut. We want to thank our listeners for listening to this podcast, for taking time out of their very busy and often hectic schedules to listen to Imagine America Radio.

To avoid missing any future episodes, go to Spotify or Apple; click on the Imagine America Radio logo.

On behalf of my colleague, Lee Doubleday, and myself, please be safe and we’ll be talking to you all very soon. Thank you and goodbye.