A December 7 signing event at the Ohio Statehouse will recognize the partnership of 25 Ohio institutions establishing pathways for students transferring from community colleges to independent campuses
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and the
Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) announce the approval of three transfer pathways developed by faculty and leadership at a consortium of 11 community colleges and 14 independent colleges. The pathways are for majors in Biology, English and Psychology, and align with the Ohio Guaranteed Transfer Pathways (OGTPs).
The
Ohio Consortium for Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts, was launched in the fall of 2021, made possible through a grant from the Teagle Foundation and Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. The Consortium has united 14 independent colleges and universities and 11 community colleges in Ohio to remove obstacles and establish pathways to a bachelor’s degree for students at community colleges for smooth transfer to one of Ohio’s private colleges.
To recognize the
25 consortium institutions and their recent curricula approvals, the Ohio Consortium for Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts Signing Ceremony and Reception will take place on December 7 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, OH. Presidents and/or a senior leadership officer from each institution will participate in the signing ceremony with a pledge to support access and opportunity for transfer students. Randy Gardner, Chancellor for the Ohio Department of Higher Education, will provide opening remarks, and Annie Bezbatchenko, senior program officer for the Teagle Foundation, will speak from the perspective of a grantor's support of this and other transfer pathway projects.
“We are tremendously grateful for the engagement, leadership and enthusiasm of these 25 Consortium institutions pledging to work together to bring clarity, consistency, and confidence to the transfer conversation for students, faculty and advisors, and to build a strong, enduring transfer culture,” stated Winnie Gerhardt, Consortium project director. “It is our hope that by building these three major pathways, a foundation will be in place for pathways to be approved in many more majors in the years to come.”
According to data published by a collaborative effort among the Clearinghouse Research Center, the
Community College Research Center at Columbia University, and Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program in their report titled “Tracking Transfer: Measures of Effectiveness in Helping Community College Students to Complete Bachelor’s Degrees,” about 80 percent of community college students say they want to earn a bachelor’s degree when they first arrive. However,
the 2022 data show that of those students who began postsecondary education at a community college in fall 2015, less than 50 percent graduated with a bachelor’s degree within six years, and lower-income students were nearly half as likely than their higher-income peers to have transferred to a four-year institution (25 percent vs. 41 percent) and to have attained a bachelor’s degree within six years of first entry (11 percent vs. 22 percent). Transfer pathways create clear curriculum choices for students that will then transfer to many 4-year universities to alleviate fears of losing credits or taking the wrong courses, which are often obstacles for students hoping to transfer down the road.
In addition to building transfer pathways, the Ohio Consortium for Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts project will work with partner institutions on best transfer practices by:
- Developing workshops for faculty, administrators, and transfer advisors from the consortium institutions to support and enhance the transfer culture on their campuses;
- Highlighting financial aid and scholarship opportunities; and
- Encouraging students to follow transfer pathways to the four-year institutions as juniors and explore reverse transfer options.
A Final Report to be published in Spring 2025 will evaluate the pathways’ influence on enrollment numbers, transfer numbers, student experiences, and work and relationships of faculty and transfer advisors.
Learn more about the Ohio Consortium.
Approved transfer pathways
CIC/OFIC Members
- 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
Ohio Community Colleges
- Central Ohio Technical CollegeClark State College
- Columbus State Community College
- Cuyahoga Community College
- Lakeland Community College
- Lorain County Community College
- North Central State College
- Northwest State Community College
- Sinclair Community College
- Stark State College
- Terra State Community College