With ever increasing importance placed on acquisition of knowledge and the ongoing drive to increase the rate of collegiate grads in Michigan, a focus on collaboration agreements between Michigan’s independent, non-profit colleges and universities and the state’s community college sector is helping thousands of students earn their degrees, according to a new report issued today by Michigan’s Independent Colleges & Universities (MICU).
By taking two years of courses at a community college before transferring to a four-year MICU member institution, more Michigan students are able to access post-secondary education. Currently, 8,024 students are enrolled in independent, non-profit colleges and universities as a result of collaboration agreements.
Robert LeFevre is President of MICU. He tells us, “When it comes to higher education, access is an important issue that comes to mind for students and policy leaders alike.” He notes, “That is why our state’s higher education community has come together to develop innovative solutions that work.”
MICU’s report notes approximately 12.4-percent of all students (9,054 individuals) transferred into their member institutions during the 2015-2016 academic year. For graduates of partnership programs during this period, collaboration resulted in more than $72 million in total cost savings for these students and their families.
Former Lake Michigan College President, Dr. Rick Pappas, who is now President of Davenport University in Grand Rapids and also serves as board president for MICU says, “Eighteen out of our 25 members have specific collaboration agreements in place with their neighboring community colleges, with more being developed.”
Pappas says the agreements include local articulation transfer programs and other specialized programs hosted on community college campuses, saying, “We find these tools to be of immense value in supporting lasting student success, adding specialized training opportunities, and ensuring that higher education is accessible for students in all circumstances.”
More than 25-percent of degrees awarded in FY 2016 by independent, non-profit colleges and universities were completed through collaboration agreements. Top areas of study for students participating in these programs include management/marketing, health professions, and computer science.
In the local area, both Andrews University and Siena Heights College (which offers programming on the campus of Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor) are members of Michigan’s Independent Colleges & Universities.
You can read the full report by clicking the link below:
http://micolleges.org/collaboration-across-higher-education-institutions-michigan
