Two Michigan organizations have earned a grant designed to help improve the transfer process between community colleges and four-year universities in liberal arts programs.
The Teagle Foundation in New York has awarded the $25,000 grant to the Michigan Community College Association and Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities.
“Expanding opportunities for students to transfer is a top priority for Michigan’s community colleges,” says Erica Lee Orians, executive director of the Michigan Center for Student Success at the Michigan Community College Association. “We are grateful for our partnership with the Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities and this support from the Teagle Foundation.”
In Michigan, 52 percent of students who earned a bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution in the 2015-2016 academic year had been enrolled in a two-year public institution in the previous 10 years.
“Improving the transfer process will give students better access to additional educational opportunities at Michigan’s independent colleges and universities,” says Robert LeFevre, president of Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities. “We appreciate the support from the Teagle Foundation and the chance keep improving the transfer process for Michigan students.”
The support from the foundation will help the grantees explore transfer patterns between community colleges and independent institutions as well as faculty and administrator perceptions of transfer. The project is designed to generate recommendations to help increase engagement and promote transfers.
The Michigan Community College Association fosters collaboration among the state’s 28 public community colleges and their stakeholders. It provides advocacy in Lansing and throughout Michigan and works to improve the image and credibility of community colleges.
Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities works to be the voice of nonprofit independent colleges and universities institutions in the state, serving its members through government relations, public policy development, and advocacy.
The Teagle Foundation works to support and strengthen liberal arts education. It works to be a catalyst for the improvement of teaching and learning in the arts and sciences while addressing issues of financial sustainability and accountability in higher education.
