Paul Smith's College sits on the shore of Lower St. Regis Lake. (Photo provided by Paul Smith's College)

PAUL SMITHS — Paul Smith’s College is launching a new culinary certification program in spring 2024, and college administrators hope the program — which is partially based in New York City — could boost regular enrollment at the college with a more diverse range of students.

Friday’s announcement of the new program came just days after the college’s board of trustees agreed to freeze tuition rates at the school in an effort to keep the cost of college accessible for more people, and to reverse PSC’s downward enrollment trend. PSC hopes the new culinary certification program will do the same, according to the college.

The program is called “Culinary Arts Essentials.” It’s a certification program — not a degree-based program — that takes a little over eight months to complete, according to a news release from the college. Students would first spend a spring semester learning in a New York City teaching kitchen before completing a “Summer in Saranac” residency around the Paul Smiths area — an internship program at one of the regional resorts, hotels or restaurants — and taking some “core courses,” like baking at PSC.

According to the college, students would learn about culinary techniques, baking and pastry basics, and nutrition and kitchen management in the program, among other skills.

Culinary Arts Essentials graduates would walk away from the program with 33 culinary arts college credits and automatic acceptance into any of PSC’s associate or bachelor culinary, baking/pastry and hospitality programs — that’s PSC’s enrollment-boosting tactic, according to the college. Up to 20 students could be accepted in the first cohort.

The college is also hoping that basing part of the program in New York City could bring a diverse range of new students to the college.

“Our goal is to attract a broad diversity of students who may not otherwise know of opportunities in culinary — especially our top-ranked programs,” a statement from the college’s communications office read. “Creating a stackable certificate program, and being in New York City, opens many doors to communities we have not traditionally had access to. It’s a huge opportunity.”

The New York City-based kitchen that will be used for the program — the Food Arts Center in midtown Manhattan — belongs to The Fedcap Group, a nonprofit that offers educational services among its programs aimed at breaking down economic barriers to learning and professional development. A merger between Fedcap and PSC has been in the works for months, though it isn’t yet official. In the meantime, PSC has been approved to offer the accredited Culinary Arts Essentials program in Fedcap’s kitchen.

Part of Fedcap’s stated mission is lifting people out of poverty. Fedcap President and CEO Christine McMahon said in a statement Friday that partnering with PSC on programs like these could act as an “on-ramp to further education.”

“… Or they can enter the workforce immediately upon completion of their certificates,” she said.

PSC is still finalizing the total cost of the certification program, according to the college’s communications office, but they said tuition would be set at a “reduced cost” eligible for financial aid.