Nicole Ludwig worked carefully alongside her classmates on five battered, scarred and petrified pit bulls during a class a few weeks ago. Ludwig and her classmates weren't told how these animals got in such bad shape, but they took care of them anyway, giving physical examinations and cleaning their scars.
"[We] gave them a second chance at life," said Ludwig. She called the class "inspiring."
Ludwig is a second year Thompson School student who will graduate next semester with an associate's degree in applied small animal science.
"In the past two years we've been increasing about 10 to 15 students each year," said Thompson School Director Dr. Regina Smick-Attisano. "We've also increased our internal transfers, meaning students who were enrolled in four-year degree programs have switched over to one of our two-year programs."
Smick-Attisano explained that when they have internal transfers, they try to figure out why students transferred. The main reason for this increase is due to a growing interest in hands-on learning and experiential learning among students. She said more students are coming to school not knowing what they want to do, so they're anxious to get out into the work force and pursue their aspirations before pursuing a four-year degree.
The Thompson School of Applied Science, commonly known as the T-School, was founded in 1895. It has about 400 students enrolled in its seven associate degree programs, including applied animal science, applied business management, civil technology, community service and leadership, food services management, forest technology and horticultural technology.
The two-year degree programs emphasize hands-on learning, where students learn by doing rather than participating in the traditional sit-and-listen-to-your-teacher type of learning.
The T-School students in the restaurant management program run two restaurants: the Balcony Bistro open for lunch on Tuesdays in the fall and Stacy's Buffet open for lunch on Thursdays in the spring. Students in the small animal care program or the small animal grooming program also run a grooming shop. The T-School horticulture students are now preparing for their Annual Poinsettia Open House the first week in December in UNH's greenhouses.
"There's definitely a more hands-on feel and we spend a lot more outside," said David Knight, a first-year horticultural technology major. "It's kind of like when you're working and you're actually doing it."
Knight is one of the internal transfer students. He came into UNH as a forestry major and quickly realized he wanted to transfer into the T-School.
"I like working with my hands," said Knight. "I grew up playing with Legos everyday."
Knight's favorite class is his freshman seminar that identifies different species of plants. He said they spend a lot of time walking around campus looking at different plants instead of looking at them in a textbook in the classroom.
Last summer Knight worked for a landscaping company, and he thinks he wants to go into landscaping design. His plan is to possibly come back for a four-year degree from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics after working for a few years, so he can start his own business.
Laurie Chapman-Bosco, chair of the applied animal science department in the T-School, said Knight's aspirations are not at all uncommon.
"I would say about 40 percent do pursue a four-year degree after completing their associate's," said Chapman-Bosco.
Ludwig also plans to come back to UNH to get a four-year degree in psychology and minor in animal behavior to possibly work as an animal psychologist.
"When I was going to college I wasn't positive on what I wanted to do exactly, so I decided to go to the two-year that may have been more focused on the small animals," said Ludwig.
Both Smick-Attisano and Chapman-Bosco believe that soon there may be an even greater increase in students enrolling in T-School programs due financial reasons.
"It's too early to tell but we are curious to see, with the economy failing as it is, whether more students will pursue associates degrees as they would only have to pay for two years of schooling," said Smick-Attisano.
Chapman-Bosco explained that students concerned about graduating from a four-year degree program with tens of thousands of dollars in debt often get an associate's degree in order to begin work early so they can save money for a four-year degree later on.
"I think more people are looking at how they can pay for school," said Chapman-Bosco. "If you get an associate's degree, you're ready for the work force, and therefore, you can work and still pursue a four-year degree possibly part-time."
Overall students have been increasingly attracted to the experiential learning that goes on at the T-School.
Cailen Ciarletta, a second year applied animal science major, who plans to become a service dog trainer, said she appreciates the skills she's learned at the T-School from her hands-on experiences there.
"Knowing that my college education has provided me with the skills I need to do great things in life is satisfying to me, and I am truly grateful," said Ciarletta. "I couldn't have chosen a more wonderful school for my college education."
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