As Paul Smith’s College celebrates its third-straight year of enrollment growth, it today announced plans to launch a new Work Experience Program beginning with students entering in Fall 2027. The program will provide students with meaningful work opportunities connected to their education while helping reduce the cost of attendance and preparing graduates for successful careers.

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Drawing from the federal Work College model, the Work Experience Program is designed to meet the needs and interests of today’s students. The initiative builds on Paul Smith’s College’s longstanding tradition of hands-on, place-based education by creating a more intentional pathway for students to gain professional experience, develop workplace skills, and document their accomplishments.

“Paul Smith’s College has always believed that the best way to learn is by doing,” said President Dan Kelting. “Our students already graduate with experiences that set them apart because they have worked in professional kitchens, managed forests, and operated campus enterprises. This program will build on that foundation while making education more affordable and even more valuable to our students.”

The program will expand upon opportunities that already exist across the College. Paul Smith’s College operates numerous campus enterprises that serve as living classrooms, including its restaurant, bakery, forestry and arboriculture crews, and light construction crews.

Students selected for the Work Experience Program will participate in structured, supervised positions that align with their academic programs and career goals. During the program, participating students will help cover their cost of attendance by working each week in an assigned work crew. As a part of this, students will receive documentation of their work experience through a work transcript, highlighting skills, responsibilities, and competencies developed during their time at Paul Smith’s College.

A pilot of the program is currently running. Three student crews focused on maintenance, groundskeeping, and custodial services are working alongside faculty and staff to inform the continued development of the program ahead of its full launch.

“My first day, we were out doing tree work at the Visitor Interpretive Center. That’s exactly what I’m learning in class. The program is definitely focused on the work I want to do,” said Ben ’28, a pilot participant and Arboriculture & Landscape Management student. “It’s been a blast. I’m out here learning by hand and learning by doing.”

The Work Experience Program will launch with a limited number of opportunities available to current and incoming students beginning in Fall 2027. Additional details about eligibility, application requirements, and available positions will be announced at a later date.

“Employers increasingly value graduates who can demonstrate what they know and what they have done,” Kelting said. “This program will ensure students leave Paul Smith’s College with the confidence that comes from real responsibility, practical experience, and the ability to show future employers the impact they have made.”

Read more about the program at paulsmiths.edu/academics/work-experience-program/

About Paul Smith’s College:

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. As the only four-year institution of higher education located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith’s provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences, and natural resources. We can draw on industries and resources available in our backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive, and adventurous individuals collectively provides experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond, and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu.

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