DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Students attending the two year community college, Henry Ford College, will soon have the opportunity to have their transfer requests to Wayne State University guaranteed, if they are qualified.
The program would apply to students fully enrolled in Henry Ford College, but also for students participating in a dual enrollment program, in which they are simultaneously enrolled in college courses while finishing their high school education. More than 2,000 HFC attendees from Detroit, and those in the Detroit Promise program would be the beneficiaries of this new partnership with Wayne State University.
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“The best option for them to earn a four-year degree and stay in Detroit is to attend Wayne State University,” Henry Ford College President Russ Kavalhuna told The Detroit News in an exclusive interview. “This makes it clear and easy for them to do that.”
HFC released a statement on Friday announcing the launch of the program: Henry Ford College Learn4ward and Wayne State Transfer Pathways, which would allow qualified students to earn not only two college degrees but also complete an associates degree according to HRC. Students at HFC must earn a minimum of 60 credit hours with a 2.5 GPA or a higher GPA and earn an associate degree from the institution to earn automatic admission to Wayne State University with a junior status.
“Wayne State has had a longstanding partnership with HFC and this new agreement, which enhances the collaboration between our two institutions, will benefit our students and contribute to the State’s competitiveness,” Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson. “We are offering students, including non-traditional and adult learners, high quality education and seamless pathways to earn two degrees, which will set them on a trajectory of economic advancement and social mobility. At the same time, we are preparing a pool of graduates that will support the talent needs of local employers, city and state agencies, be it in areas such as electrical technology, computer science, public health, or urban planning.”
The partnership coincides with Michigan’s 60×30 goal, which would increase the number of residents in the state with a college degree or a professional credential to 60% by the year 2030. Transferring between schools can be tedious, and admissions can be often tricky to navigate. To accommodate students beginning and ending with HFC or beginning and transitioning to WSU, a new tool was developed. The students in the program would be given a web-based tool which helps to navigate a course sequence map for both colleges, so that they may transition easily from classes at HFC to WSU.
According to Greg Handel, Vice President of Education and Talent for the Detroit Regional Chamber, nationally 40% of people with bachelor’s degrees started at a community college.
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“So when you understand how important this pipeline from community colleges to universities is, and if you can do things to make that pipeline more efficient, you are going to end up with more bachelor-degree holders,” Handel said. “So seeing improvements like this is really important.”
The program will officially be launched at noon today with HFC President Kavalhuna and WSU President Wilson, who will be joined by Detroit Chamber of Commerce CEO Sandy Baruah and others to commemorate the important partnership in higher education.
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