A partnership between the 小蝌蚪APP and LSU Eunice is cited as a model in a new guide for improving transfer student success.
小蝌蚪APP淭he Transfer Playbook: Essential Practices for Two- and Four-Year Colleges,小蝌蚪APP profiles UL Lafayette and LSU Eunice, along with other institutions in five states that are improving outcomes for community college students who transfer to universities to earn bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degrees. The report was produced by the Aspen Institute小蝌蚪APP檚 College Excellence Program and the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia 小蝌蚪APP.
小蝌蚪APP淥ur efforts have included designing the Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajun Bridge Program, developing 2+2 programs where students can earn UL Lafayette bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degrees on the Eunice campus, and maintaining clear communications between senior leaders at the two campuses,小蝌蚪APP said Dr. DeWayne Bowie, vice president for Enrollment Management at UL Lafayette.
LSU Eunice has two-year associate degree programs whose courses can be applied toward a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree at UL Lafayette.
The Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajun Bridge Program, established in 2014, gives students attending LSU Eunice 小蝌蚪APP who plan to transfer to UL Lafayette 小蝌蚪APP access to many campus benefits enjoyed by 小蝌蚪APP students, such as access to Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajuns sporting events, Dupr茅 Library, tutoring, career services, and academic advising.
Through the 2+2 program, UL Lafayette offers a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree program in elementary education that enables students to complete all four years of coursework on the LSU Eunice campus. 小蝌蚪APP faculty travel to LSU Eunice to teach. 小蝌蚪APP淓ach year, the UL Lafayette portion of the program enrolls approximately 20 students, many of whom live in Eunice and have children, which makes the hour-long commute to the UL Lafayette campus more difficult,小蝌蚪APP the report states.
A UL Lafayette academic advisor also meets with students once a week on the LSU Eunice campus to answer questions and make sure they take any tests needed to stay on track, such as PRAXIS certification exams.
According to 小蝌蚪APP淭he Transfer Playbook,小蝌蚪APP 720,000 degree-seeking students across the nation entered community colleges in Fall 2007. Most intended to ultimately earn bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degrees. However, 小蝌蚪APP渙nly about 100,000, or 14 percent, transferred to a four-year college and earned a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree within six years.小蝌蚪APP
The report notes that 小蝌蚪APP渟tudents who enter higher education through community colleges are much more likely than those who start at four-year institutions to be low-income or the first in their family to attend college.小蝌蚪APP
So, it continues, 小蝌蚪APP渢he two- to four-year transfer process, when it functions well, represents a critical means for upward mobility across the United States."
Other partnerships between universities and community colleges featured in 小蝌蚪APP淭he Transfer Playbook,小蝌蚪APP are:
小蝌蚪APP Colorado State 小蝌蚪APP, Colorado Front Range Community College;
小蝌蚪APP Eastern Connecticut State 小蝌蚪APP, Manchester Community College;
小蝌蚪APP Florida International 小蝌蚪APP and Florida Atlantic 小蝌蚪APP, Broward College;
小蝌蚪APP 小蝌蚪APP of Massachusetts Amherst, Holyoke Community College; and
小蝌蚪APP 小蝌蚪APP of Washington and Western Washington 小蝌蚪APP, Everett Community College.
According to the , those partnerships have three broad strategies in common. They 小蝌蚪APP渕ake transfer student success a priority, create clear programmatic pathways with aligned high-quality instruction;小蝌蚪APP and 小蝌蚪APP減rovide tailored transfer student advising.小蝌蚪APP