July 12, 2021
Ursuline College is one of 14 Ohio independent colleges and universities participating in a grant-funded effort to improve the transition for students who transfer from a community college to a private four-year institution.
The national Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) last week announced that a grant from the Teagle Foundation and Arthur Vining Davis Foundation will fund an Ohio Consortium for Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts. The 14 independent colleges and universities are all members of the CIC-affiliated Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges. In coordination with 10 community colleges in Ohio, they will establish pathways to baccalaureate degrees in English, psychology, and biology for community colleges students.
The Consortium will address some of the most challenging barriers faced by community college students transferring to four-year colleges and universities, including a lack of comprehensive advising, and credit loss in the transition between institutions. According to CIC President Richard Ekman, “Losing credits during the transfer process can have severe consequences for students. Not only does taking extra classes cost more and add to student debt, but it can also increase students’ time-to-degree or even lower their chances of graduating at all.”
Ursuline College President Sister Christine De Vinne, OSU, PhD, said, “We look forward to working with this consortium on ways to provide students with clear paths to Ursuline degrees in English, psychology and biology. Ursuline already has partnerships with Northeast Ohio community colleges; this new effort will strengthen those ties and open new opportunities for students to succeed with us.”
Curricular templates for each of these three majors will alleviate credit loss and reduce the confusion and anxiety surrounding many transfer decisions, so students can focus on their goal: graduating with a bachelor’s degree.
The project will begin in September.
Participating community college in Northeast Ohio include:
Cuyahoga Community College
Lakeland Community College
Lorain County Community College
Stark State College
Participating CIC member institutions
Ashland University
Baldwin Wallace University
Bluffton University
Capital University
Defiance College
Denison University
Hiram College
Lourdes University
Malone University
Muskingum University
Ohio Dominican University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Tiffin University
Ursuline College
