back
to top
Welty, others laud guaranteed college
transfer program
Presidents, chancellors say Central Valley will see
benefits.
By
Jim Steinberg / The Fresno Bee
Published
04/13/05
A guaranteed community college transfer program leading
to bachelor's degrees is the next step to
higher San Joaquin Valley standards of education and
living, college and university presidents and
chancellors said Tuesday.
Presidents
John Welty of California State University, Fresno, and
Carol Tomlinson-Keasey of the
University of California at Merced said the agreement
among their universities, other universities and
community colleges should help the Valley's students
and economy catch up with the rest of California.
The
presidents and chancellors of 15 colleges and universities
belong to the Central Valley Higher
Education Consortium, which announced the new plan in
Fresno. Welty serves as consortium president.
The
educators said that a guaranteed transfer degree from
community colleges, accompanied by an
agreed-to curriculum for that degree, will smooth students'
path from community college to a four-year
university.
Educators
say that it will take work with families, schools and
regional attitudes toward higher
education to lift the Valley's college-going performance.
The
consortium reports that about 28% of California residents
over age 25 hold bachelor's degrees.
In the San Joaquin Valley, the rate is about 15%.
Fresno
State "will give priority to those students who
complete this transfer degree," Welty said.
He
and Tomlinson-Keasey began the effort at cooperation
among colleges and universities five
years ago. He said they recognized the California Master
Plan for Higher Education "was not
serving Central California very well."
back
to top
CENTRAL VALLEY GUARANTEED
TRANSFER PROGRAM
Coordinated by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium
F
a c t S h e e t
WHY
Many students attend California community colleges with
plans to transfer to four-year colleges or universities
to complete their bachelor’s degrees. Sometimes
it is difficult to know what courses will transfer to
which institutions. Students who transfer from community
colleges to four-year institutions often do not earn
two-year associate’s degrees before they transfer,
and often do not complete the bachelor’s degree.
Thus, many students may have partially completed their
education but have no degree to show for it. Also, in
today’s educational marketplace, demand for spaces
in our colleges and universities is outpacing our ability
to provide more classrooms and faculty members. Admission
at four-year institutions is becoming more competitive.
WHAT
The Central Valley Guaranteed Transfer Program
has been developed by fifteen accredited, non-profit
colleges and universities who are members of the Central
Valley Higher Education Consortium. The purpose of this
program is to provide a unified community college transfer
curriculum that will assist students pursuing many (but
not all) four-year majors at Central Valley universities.
If the 60-semester-unit program is carefully followed,
courses will not be lost in transfer, an associate of
arts degree will be earned, and admission to any of
the six four-year universities in the Central Valley
Higher Education Consortium will be guaranteed, if (a)
the specified courses are completed and the necessary
grade-point average is earned at the community college
(2.4 GPA for a CSU campus and a 2.8 GPA for UC Merced,
Fresno Pacific, and University of the Pacific), and
(b) students correctly follow the application procedures
and deadlines for admission to the four-year universities.
WHO
The following higher education institutions have agreed
(as of 4-12-05) to participate in the Central Valley
Guaranteed Transfer Program:
California Community Colleges: Four-Year Universities:
Bakersfield College CSU, Bakersfield
Cerro Coso Community College CSU, Fresno
Merced College CSU, Stanislaus
Modesto Junior College Fresno Pacific University
Porterville College UC Merced
San Joaquin Delta College University of the Pacific
Taft College
West Hills College – Coalinga
West Hills College – Lemoore
This
program is especially aimed at high school students
who will be entering community colleges in the fall
of 2005 and beyond. It is important that students enrolling
in community colleges who are partners to this agreement
work carefully with a counselor at both the community
college and the participating university to which they
hope to transfer.
back
to top
A public outreach
effort of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium.