Ohio University recently came to an agreement to ease the transfer process from Hocking College, OU's primary source of transfer students. The agreement calls for administrators and faculty from both institutions to identify Hocking College courses and associate degrees that correlate with bachelor degree programs at OU. Academic programs listed in the agreement ' social work, nursing, technical and applied studies, specialized studies and criminal justice ' will transfer directly to the student's major at OU.
This agreement, signed March 12, will formalize an already well-established institutional relationship ' a good thing for students and the university. Students will not have to retake classes, saving them time and money. It also has the potential to increase student transfers, the lack of which were a catalyst for OU's budget woes.
In 2004 President Roderick McDavis' Vision Ohio campaign called for new recruitment methods targeting transfer students from two-year community colleges. This desire for synchroneity has recently become more urgent, as this year the university is projecting an estimated $11 million budget deficit after failing to meet projected enrollment and transfer student targets.
State funding is based on the number of credit hours enrolled, and upper-level courses count for more than introductory level courses. So transfer students mean more money ' even more than an equivalent number of freshmen. Transfer students are one way to offset attrition
said Bill Willan, OU's associate vice president for University Outreach and Regional Campuses. If we increase numbers we also increase our budget.
Officials hope the profits of this agreement will outweigh the costs of adding administrative positions, and there is discussion of establishing a similar agreement with Columbus State University. Faced with Strickland's proposed tuition freeze, such agreements are a welcome opportunity for growth.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the executive editors.
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OU-Hocking College agreement benefits transfer students, university financially
