AACRAO recently held its Transfer Conference in Tucson, Arizona July 14-16 at the J.W. Marriot. The approximately 400 professionals in attendance benefited from new ideas and strategies for professional development.
Dr. Stephen J. Handel delivered the opening plenary address. He examined the fundamentals of the community college “ four“year institution transfer partnership, documented the increasing desire of students to transfer, and recommended strategies to enhance this vital academic conduit as envisioned by education progressives. The ability of a student to move through the post-secondary system efficiently and to obtain a credential or degree has gathered a great deal of attention by policy-makers at all levels. This and other big picture issues create an impetus for change on campuses and influence how professionals within higher education do business. President Obama's College Completion Agenda, along with the lessons learned from the recent recession and inexorable change, have combined to create a "transfer student moment┬" for higher education.
One of these big picture issues is the growing educational attainment gap between students from high- and low-income families. As Hilary Pennington from the Chronicle notes Historically higher education has fueled social and economic mobility in America. But today that contribution is at risk. Attainment gaps between high-and low-income students have doubled over the past 10 years. Only 9 percent of students from low income households have earned a postsecondary credential by the time they are 26 compared to 50 percent from higher income households.┬"
The Great Recession has also contributed to the transfer moment. The financial squeeze on family finances after the great recession caused community college enrollments to swell. Many of these students intended to transfer to traditional four-year programs after the economy improved. Admissions offices across the country now view attracting these students as an important part of their portfolio.
AACRAO has released a white paper that contains executive summaries for three of the key plenaries at the conference. These sessions explore some of the most pressing transfer issues faced by the transfer community:
û║The Promise of Transfer: Reminiscences, Recommendations, and a Rant -by Stephen J. Handel, Executive Director, National Office of Community College Initiatives, CollegeBoard
û║ Future Trends in Higher Education “ A Panel Discussion with Mike Reilly (Moderator), Executive Director, AACRAO; Tom Black, Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs and University Registrar, Stanford University; Paul Fain, Senior Reporter, Inside Higher Ed; Michele Norin, CIO, University of Arizona
û║ Today's College Students “ Core Values for Building Transfer Student Success - by Mark Allen Poisel, Associate Provost for Student Success, Pace University
You can download the white paper in PDF format here.
Transfer Student Challenges
Beware: Attracting transfer students is only the first step in the process. It is well known that students who make the jump from community colleges to four-year programs are less successful at getting their four-year degrees than students who enter without taking the community college detour. Among the hurdles they face, according to Marc Cutright of Inside Higher Ed, are credits that are not accepted by the receiving institution, inaccurate advice from counselors and websites, and a complicated regulatory environment.
With all the attention paid to attracting transfer students, surprisingly little is known about what is needed to help transfer students succeed in their new institutions. Because transfer students come from varying circumstances, some have unique needs that may not be met by the existing infrastructure and approaches geared to the traditional┬" student.
Closing the gaps in achievement and service will take work. Another presentation at AACRAO's Transfer Conference Facilitating a Culture of Student Success for Transfer Students┬" demonstrated that there are better ways to serve transfer students before and after they arrive. The discussion, led by Crystal Anderson of Old Dominion University, explained how effective internal and external partnerships can facilitate transfer student success. Specific techniques include using pre-advising as a recruitment tool; engaging the campus community in transfer issues, retention and student success initiatives; and assisting students from afar. Larry Lee, Associate Director of undergraduate Admissions at SAIC “School of the Art Institute of Chicago commented:
Crystal Anderson from Old Dominion University offered valuable advice and insight in recounting how her institution faced the sobering reality that its own transfer student constituency felt underserved. Their self-report enabled them to identify how to completely retool their services to address transfer issues comprehensively. She generously shared her experience as the group in attendance peppered her with numerous questions and comments, especially about pre-advising strategies with outside partnerships for recruiting.
Save the Date
AACRAO's Transfer Conference is the leading venue for examining the many facets of Transfer in higher education. Make sure you plan ahead to attend AACRAO's next Transfer Conference, which will take place July 6, 7 and 8, 2014. Reserve those dates to join AACRAO at the Marriot Harbor Beach in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.