University Business - November 2008 - (Page 32)

COMMUNIT Y COLLEGES Targeting Transfers together to improve the transfer process Community colleges, universities, and states working L By Ann McClure have a lot to add to our campus,” says Rebecca egbert, director of C-step at UnC. the grant’s aim was in line with Director of admissions stephen Farmer’s interest in transfer issues, she notes. egbert and her counterparts at alamance say communication at all levels is important for a successful program. “if you have a program driven by one partner, it won’t work very well,” says Janyth Fredrickson, executive vice president at alamance. the original steering committee worked to define the application process, student recruiting and qualifications, the support services students would receive, and the role of each institution at each stage of the process. Fredrickson says it is critical for staff assigned to the program to develop working relationships with admissions office staff at the partner institution so they have someone to call if problems arise. FaCulty FaCtor Creating opportunities for faculty members to meet is as important as having administrative contacts. “[Faculty] are the ones who know what is happening in the class,” points out Kevin Dougherty, senior researcher at the Community College Research Center at teachaligning core course elements places community college students on the same playing field as native university students. “We had to find out what was required and what to add in [to our calculus classes],” explains perry Hardison, co-advisor for C-step at alamance. He points out that whereas calculus has always been offered, enrollment has risen partly because of the improved transfer culture. state intervention the north Carolina institutions were a step ahead in aligning courses; all the community colleges in the state developed a common course numbering system in the 1990s. “a lot of states don’t have this, and it isn’t easy,” says Fredrickson. Dealing with 58 different course numbers for freshman composition can dampen any administrator’s enthusiasm. “Community colleges have been very responsive to the concern about transfers,” says Michelle Cooper, president of the institute for Higher education policy, adding that policies have to align at the institutional, state, and federal levels to be successful. iHep oversees the national articulation and transfer network, a consortium of minority-serving institutions that are working together to create effective transfer pathways. natn also supports a website with links to state information and a portal for guidance counselors and students. Many states are setting up websites to provide transfer information as well. statewide agreements can help smooth the way if the goal is to have transfer agreements with more than just one institution. But it is important to have institutional buy-in so the agreements are not sidestepped. ong a stepping stone to higher education for low-income and first-generation students, community colleges will become more important to a wider variety of students if the combination of a weakening economy and increasing tuition continues. according to the national Center for education statistics, in 2003-2004 nearly one out of five students who enrolled for the first time in a four-year institution were transfer students. With the encouragement and support of state leaders and nonprofit organizations, administrators at higher education institutions are working hard to improve the process. CommuniCation is Key “Four-year institutions have to make clear their doors are open,” asserts emily Froimson, director of higher education programs at the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “there is only so much community colleges can do without knowing their students will be well received.” the foundation gave grants to eight selective four-year institutions to encourage programs and policies that support student transfers. Using those funds, the university of north Carolina at Chapel Hill created the Carolina stu- ‘Four-year institutions have to make clear their doors —Emily Froimson, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation are open.’ dent transfer excellence program (Cstep) in partnership with alamance Community College, Durham technical Community College, and Wake te c h n ic a l C om mu n it y C ol le g e. “people are realizing [transfer students] ers College, Columbia university. “they are the judges of course content.” if there’s time for faculty members to share pedagogical practices, faculty at the four-year institutions can better receive and teach the transfer students. 32 | November 2008 universitybusiness.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - November 2008

University Business - November 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Human Resources
Financial Aid
Money Matters
Community Colleges
Expansion, without the Red Tape
Coming to You by Video
Challenging Authority
Road Tour
What's New
End Note

University Business - November 2008