Advisory regarding Southern California wildfires

Advisory regarding Southern California wildfires

On behalf of everyone at Thomas Edison State University, we hope that students affected by the wildfires in Southern California remain safe. The University is offering accommodations to students affected by the wildfires:

  • Students who are directly impacted by the fires and who are currently registered in courses for the November 2024, December 2024 and January 2025 terms have the option of receiving a free eight-week course extension without mentor approval; or, a 100% tuition credit for their course(s) to a future term. Affected students should submit a Request for Course Extension Form or a Request for Course Withdrawal Form indicating “Southern California wildfires” as the reason for the request. Please note that TECEP exams in these terms cannot be extended, nor credited for tuition after the exam has been taken.
  • Impacted students who are currently on a course extension for the September 2024 and October 2024 terms can request a second eight-week extension on their current term at no additional cost.

Request an Accommodation: Students affected by the wildfire and evacuations who need an accommodation should contact the Office of the Registrar by email at registration@tesu.edu or by phone at 609-777-5680. Accommodation requests should be submitted by January 24th. Requests after that date can be accommodated if the student provides documentation of the reason for the late request.

Mission and Purpose

The mission of the John S. Watson School of Public Service is to serve higher education and the public interest as a school of innovation, information and policy formulation; to support informed public policy and to strengthen leadership in local, county/regional and state government, the nonprofit and private sectors; to provide applied research, technical assistance, program development and policy analysis; and to strengthen the capacity of people and organizations providing services in the public interest.

This mission is inspired by Thomas Edison State University’s mission of providing flexible, high-quality collegiate learning opportunities for self-directed adults, and grounded in the University’s mission to fulfill the public service obligation inherent to American institutions of higher education.

Goals and Objectives

The John S. Watson School for Public Service will prepare professionals for leadership roles in a wide variety of public service-related settings including government agencies at the local, regional and state levels; educational institutions providing services to youth, families and communities; health, human and social service agencies; and nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations.

The Watson School shall affect its mission by:

  • Reframing public service education and preparation
  • Transforming theory and practice related to quality provision of services to the public
  • Preparing skilled professionals in the public service professions and related fields to contribute effectively to the delivery of public services
  • Developing model programs, through the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy, for direct delivery to the public service sector
  • Providing state-of-the-art blended learning opportunities and programs for adult learners in public service related professions
  • Collaborating with the other schools within Thomas Edison State University to provide a rigorous and interdisciplinary course of study
  • Identifying and developing leaders within the public service professions