Agreements Between USM and Community Colleges Ease Transfer for Maryland Students
October 13 Conference to Focus on
Best Transfer Practices
ADELPHI, MD. (October 10, 2006) University
System of Maryland institutions accepted some
2,200 more Maryland community college transfer students in fall 2004 than were
accepted in fall 2000. The jump from 6,381 to 8,659 accepted students is a 26
percent increase.
This
news of increasing access, and the growing ease with which community college
students can transfer to USM institutions, was made possible by collaboration
between USM and the Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC).
Agreements developed by the two groups are improving transfer opportunities for
the state's community college students.
Overseeing the transfer initiatives is the
Committee on Transfer and Success, part of the USM/MACC Joint Leadership
Council. The committee's co-chairs are Stuart Bounds, president of Chesapeake
College, and Robert Caret, president of Towson University (one of USM's 11
degree-granting institutions). "We have extended our long-standing
commitment to an effective and efficient transfer process to include assessment
and analysis of student transfer patterns and identification of best practices
among our institutions," stated Bounds. "Moreover, the committee has
established specific goals to ensure that we jointly meet the need for
baccalaureate education in Maryland."
In
related news, USM recently issued a report titled "Transfer Students to the
University System of Maryland." According to the report, 21 percent more
Maryland community college students actually
transferred to USM institutions in fall 2004 than just five years ago, from
6,626 in fall 1999 to 8,048 in fall 2004. During this same period, the number
of African-American community college transfer students increased 42 percent
and the number of Hispanic transfers increased five percent.
"Among
the most important happenings are the partnerships between specific community
colleges and USM institutions to encourage and smooth the transfer process,"
said Caret. "For example, Towson University is developing new 2+2 (two years offered by the
community college; two years offered by four-year institution) programs to be
offered entirely at community college sites including the Community College of
Baltimore County and Harford Community College. Also, the University of Maryland, College Park has established
the Transfer Advantage Program with Prince George's Community College and
Montgomery College. Students who participate in this program successfully will
be admitted for transfer at the four-year institution."
Other
programs, such as Project Focus, allow
for dual admission to Coppin State University and one of the following two-year
institutions: Baltimore City Community College, The Community College of
Baltimore County-Catonsville, Prince George's Community College and the College
of Southern Maryland.
Increasing financial
resources available to transfer students is another goal of the Committee on
Transfer and Success. In the past year, need-based financial aid for Maryland's
community college students has increased $1.5 million (34%) providing aid to
1,936 additional students (25%); and for public four-year college students,
$4.8 million (15%) for 544 recipients (4%). To help inform students of their
financial aid options, the financial aid directors at Maryland's community
colleges published the first Transfer
Scholarship Guide nearly a year ago, with support from USAFunds. The guide
is available at community colleges and on the Maryland Higher Education
Commission's Web site at: http://www.mhec.state.md.us/financialAid/student_information.asp.
Several states have
contacted Maryland to learn more about the agreements between community
colleges and USM institutions that define transfer degree programs in Associate
of Arts in Teaching (AAT) and Associate of Arts in Science (AAS). These
programs are increasing the number of teaching and nursing degree candidates in
Maryland. "But we are not done," said Caret. "We are starting work on an
Associate of Science in Engineering (ASE) degree, to encourage more students to
become engineers, in response to another of Maryland's workforce shortages."
To share best transfer
practices and success stories statewide, Maryland's higher education community
is holding
the Maryland Institute for Transfer Success (MITS), a one-day conference at the
University of Baltimore Friday, October 13. Nearly 200 faculty and staff
members, administrators, and students from all of the state's higher education
segments are expected to attend and to discuss continued improvement of the
transfer process. For more information about
MITS, visit: www.mitsconference.com.
The Maryland Association of
Community Colleges is the organization representing Maryland's 16 community
colleges. Its mission is to develop and execute a strategic direction for the
community colleges. MACC seeks to provide leadership and advocacy on behalf of
the institutions to the state legislature, other branches of government, and
the community as a whole.
The University System of
Maryland (USM) is the state's public higher education system. It comprises 11
degree-granting universities and two research institutions and is home to nationally
ranked academic programs and path-breaking research centers. USM universities enroll
some 144,000 students worldwide.
For a copy of the most recent
MACC/USM transfer report titled "Growing Our Own," or the USM transfer report,
contact Barbara Ash at MACC, 410.974.8117, barbaraash@mdacc.org or Anne Moultrie at USM, 301.445.2722, amoultrie@usmd.edu.
Contact: Anne Moultrie
Phone: 301.445.2722
Email: amoultrie@usmd.edu
