01-20-94 OSU Signs Transfer Agreements With NE Colleges OHIO STATE COMPLETES TRANSFER AGREEMENTS WITH COMMUNITY COLLEGES Transferring to The Ohio State University just became easier for students attending three northeast Ohio community colleges. In separate ceremonies on the campuses of Cuyahoga Community College, Lakeland Community College and Lorain County Community College, E. Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State, on Thursday (1/20) signed transfer articulation agreements that take effect immediately. Signing for the community colleges were Jerry Sue Owens, president of Cuyahoga Community College; Ralph Doty, president of Lakeland Community College; and Roy Church, president of Lorain County Community College. Representing the Ohio Board of Regents at the ceremonies was Paul M. Dutton, chairman. The ceremonies concluded more than a year of cooperative efforts by Ohio State faculty and their counterparts at each community college to relate community college courses to university degree requirements. The articulation agreements are based on the principles of the Ohio Articulation and Transfer Policy adopted by the Ohio Board of Regents, which encourages cooperation among state supported colleges and universities. The agreements permit students to more easily make the transition from the community college to the university. They provide students with the flexibility to transfer after a course, a quarter or two, or a year or two of community college study. The agreements also give community college students the information they need to choose courses at the community college that can meet bachelor's degree requirements at the university. Educational opportunities are expanded because students may start a university degree while attending their hometown community college. Conversely, Ohio State students may use information in the agreement to take community college courses while at home during the summer. As an integral part of the agreement, Transfer Counselor Handbooks have been prepared for staff at the three community colleges to use in advising students about course selection and planning for their future move to the university. The handbooks relate community college courses directly to university degree requirements. They will be updated continuously as the institutions revise their curricula and degree requirements. They also contain pre-admission information and a resource directory of academic, financial and social support services. Last year, a total of 145 students from the three community colleges transferred to Ohio State (Cuyahoga, 49 transfers; Lakeland, 41 transfers; Lorain, 55 transfers). Community college transfer students tend to perform well at Ohio State. Approximately 25 percent of students receiving undergraduate degrees from Ohio State entered as transfer students from other four-year institutions or community colleges. Ohio State previously developed an articulation agreement with Columbus State Community College. Similar agreements are being developed with Sinclair Community College in Dayton and Clark State Community College in Springfield. # Contact: Tom Schriner, associate director of admissions at Ohio State, (614) 292-5995 Comments on the significance of the transfer articulation agreements: "These agreements secure important linkages between Ohio State and three excellent community colleges. They improve access for students to Ohio State and enable a smooth transition from a two- year to a four-year program." Dr. E. Gordon Gee, president, The Ohio State University "We're pleased that our state's largest university has entered into an articulation agreement with Tri-C, which is Ohio's largest -- and first -- community college. We already have agreements with Cleveland State University, Kent State University and Dyke College, and this will now build yet another bridge with one of our fine four-year institutions to make transfer between the two schools so much easier for the students. The agreement will be mutually beneficial because it will also enable Ohio State students to take transferrable community college courses while at home during the summer. We also have high hopes that the articulation agreements will make the transfer process more visible to students and the public." Dr. Jerry S. Owens, president, Cuyahoga Community College "We are pleased to form this partnership with The Ohio State University to increase educational opportunities for Lakeland students. This articulation agreement illustrates the growing cooperation between Ohio colleges to improve access to higher education." Dr. Ralph R. Doty, president, Lakeland Community College "Lorain County Community College (LCCC) has not only an obligation to educating a substantially increased number of Lorain Countians through affordable access to educational programs, but also to facilitate the successful transfer of students from our programs to upper division/university levels. The signing of this historic agreement with The Ohio State University helps us to do both. On behalf of all of Lorain County, I am most grateful to Dr. Gee and Ohio State for providing this community with this wonderful opportunity. It is my hope that the collaborative spirit fostered by this agreement continues and benefits many future generations of Lorain Countians." Dr. Roy A. Church, president, Lorain County Community College "We recognize that today's college students need the ability to be academically mobile. Many students find it necessary to drop out of college for brief periods of time, or to "stop out" for extended periods of time; others are unable, or choose not to complete all of their coursework at the same college or university. Serving these students well -- and providing good stewradship of public higher education's resources -- will require sustained efforts to ensure that academic credit, once earned, is not lost and the coursework, successfully completed, is not repeated needlessly. The Ohio Articulation and Transfer Policy, and the agreements being signed today, are the result of such efforts. The Ohio State University -- and their northeast Ohio community college partners -- have demonstrated outstanding leadership and exemplary cooperation in developing these important agreements. We salute them." Elaine H. Hairston, Chancellor, Ohio Board of Regents "This is exactly the kind of agreement that the Board of Regents had in mind when it adopted the Ohio Articulation and Transfer Policy some three years ago. This agreement has tremendous potential to increase access to higher education for northeast Ohioans, and we are extremely pleased about that." Paul M. Dutton, Chairman, Ohio Board of Regents "Tri-C prepared me well, and I had no problems with the transition. It was an excellent idea for me to go to Tri-C first because of its flexible scheduling that made it easier for me to work while going to school." Walter W. Whicker, Elyria, Ohio State sophomore, aviation management major "Going two years to LCCC and then two years at Ohio State is a fabulous way to get a bachelor's degree, especially if you don't want to -- or can't -- afford to spend $6,000 on the first year of school. Plus, you get to spend the first two years at home." "I earned more than 100 hours at LCCC and all of them transferred to Ohio State. I was able to enter OSU as a junior and I'm really enjoying it. LCCC absolutely prepared me for courses at Ohio State." Akhil Patel, Elyria, Ohio State junior, history major "I went to Lakeland with the intention to transfer. Lakeland gave me the foundation I needed to learn to apply myself." Michael J. McNamara, Cleveland Heights, Ohio State freshman, history major January 20, 1994 [Submitted by: REIDV (reidv@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu) Thu, 20 Jan 1994 17:04:13 -0500 (EST)] All documents are the responsibility of their originator.