22 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 3, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Plaza College’s successful court reporting program takes
steps to go online
JBY MADELINE NELSON
ust a year after becoming the only
college where one can receive a
degree in court reporting in the city,
Plaza College in Forest Hills is further
expanding its successful program.
Plaza College’s Associate degree program
in Court Reporting has begun the
process to offer the program online,
making it possible for people nationwide
to attend the Queens institution.
Court reporting is undergoing a
resurgence after a decline in the 1990s
with the advent of electronic recorders
and the onset of funding shortages.
Today, electronic recorders make key
mistakes and are known to be not as
reliable as once believed. The New
York State court system has severely
limited the use of electronic devices,
and coupled with the number of court
reporters retiring, there is a tremendous
increase in demand.
An estimated 5,000 court reporting jobs
will become available in the next five years.
“This is the only program out of 14 at
Plaza College where the student can
demonstrate their achievement of the
225 word-per-minute speed and begin
their professional career the next day,
even in the middle of a semester,” said
Charles Callahan III, President of Plaza
College. “The demand is so great that
Eric Allen, President of the Association of Surrogates and Supreme Court Reporters
addresses students during Plaza’s Court Reporting Week
students are often hired right out of the
internship they complete in their last
semester of the program.”
As the salary outlook is extremely
favorable, it’s a sought-after program
even for people who already have
bachelor degrees.
Court reporters make an average of
$3.25/page during trials and depositions.
A freelancer who picks up work through
an agency or a law firm can easily earn
$50,000 as an annual salary.
The median annual wage for court
reporters is $98,000 in the state of
New York.
As the only college that offers court
reporting in New York City, the program
has students from all five boroughs, New
Jersey, and even further due to a lack of
court reporting institutions.
Karen Santucci, the Court Reporting
Program Advisor at Plaza College and
Vice-President of NYS Court Reporters
Association, said there are “no other
schools in New Jersey or Connecticut.”
More than 200 students from the region
are enrolled in the Court Reporting
program. Plaza College is expected to
increase their amount of applicants by
50% in the next year.
Plaza College is hosting a court
reporting celebration open to the public
on June 7 from 6-8 p.m. Working
reporters, freelance agencies, and folks
from all walks of the legal community
will be in attendance.
Court Reporting students practicing their
Court reporting class being conducted outside on Plaza’s terrace writing speed in class