UC, CSU, community colleges collaborate on transfers

UC, CSU, community colleges collaborate on transfers

The leaders of the three segments of California public higher education released areport today (March 8) from the Community College Transfer Task Force outlining steps to improve access and opportunity for California transfer students in the face of dramatic budget challenges.
The task force met in the spring and summer of 2009 following an announcement by University of California President Mark Yudof, California State University Chancellor Charles Reed and California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott stating that the state's historic commitment to the transfer of students from two-year colleges to four-year institutions must be reinvigorated.
The task force makes recommendations that members agree would produce significant improvements in transfer preparation, access and student success yet are achievable in the current budget climate. As the introduction to the interim report states, "These findings should not be considered exhaustive - in fact, they are just a beginning."
"The report of the Transfer Task Force is a great start, and the recommendations represent considerable improvements that all of us can work toward," said UC president Mark Yudof. "What we need to do now is continue in this spirit of collaboration and collectively roll up our sleeves. We at UC will actively partner with the CSU and the community colleges to help students understand that the transfer option is achievable and affordable."
The eight recommendations identified by the task force cover a broad range of challenges facing students who wish to transfer, from strategies for enhancing student academic preparation - the Early Assessment Program and enhancing the course articulation process - to the availability of information on financial aid and smoothing the process of transfer by adopting similar academic calendars across colleges and universities. A copy of the report is available here.
Despite the challenges students face in negotiating the transfer process, the system does work for many students in California. Currently, approximately 14,000 students per year transfer from the California Community Colleges to UC campuses and another 55,000 matriculate to CSU campuses.
"The task force has given us a roadmap to make the process easier and more understandable for students to navigate. However, there is considerable need for continued improvements to help more students achieve their goal of a college degree," said CSU Chancellor Charles Reed.
The community colleges enroll approximately 2.9 million students per year, many of whom are the first in their families to go to college. Community colleges serve a variety of educational needs, and many students in the colleges are not on a four-year degree path, but those with interest in obtaining a baccalaureate degree should be given every opportunity to achieve it, the three segment leaders agreed.
"A seamless transfer process would enable California to produce more college graduates at a lower cost and that's where we need to be," said CCC Chancellor Jack Scott. "This report reaffirms for California, as President Obama has done at the national level, the important role that community colleges play in educating our future citizens and work force and emphasizes the importance of making transfer work for everyone."