As Pennsylvania deals with an aging population and projected education gap for its workforce, colleges and universities are looking for ways to ease students' paths to a post-secondary degree or certificate.
The University of Pittsburgh recently hosted its second Transfer Pathways Summit to encourage more transfer-friendly practices across institutions.
Eboni Zamani-Gallaher, the dean of Pitt's School of Education, said the main goals were to raise awareness of how a community college education can be a catalyst for opportunity and to open a dialogue about how to make transfers to a four-year institution seamless.
Nationally, 80% of community college students want to earn a bachelor's degree, but only 15% go on to complete one, according to the Community College Research Center at Columbia University.
Zamani-Gallaher said that disconnect has higher ed seeking solutions.
"It's not just that they enter, but where they enter and that we understand how to create a throughline so that they can go to and through to their desired educational goal," she said.
Pitt has a dedicated transfer center on campus to help students navigate their programs. Zamani-Gallaher said the university has some agreements with community colleges to accept credits into certain majors, and it offers college in high school classes in Pittsburgh Public Schools and other districts.
But more can be done, she said.
"We talk about 'It's possible at Pitt,' and now we just want to make sure many more folks are actualizing all the possibilities that lie before them if they were to come here," Zamani-Gallaher said.
Frank Harris III, an education professor at San Diego State University, delivered the opening keynote at Pitt's summit. He said colleges need to create a "transfer-receptive culture" to help those students stay on track.
Considerations include special housing options for transfer students, aligning curriculum with community college programs, scholarships, targeted advising, collecting student feedback, and gathering data on outcomes, Harris said.
Some of those measures are in place in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which includes Slippery Rock and PennWest universities.
Former community college students seeking a bachelor's degree within PASSHE have a 69.3% graduation rate with four years of transfer, said spokesman Kevin Hensil.
Between fall 2022 and spring 2024, more than 7,600 community college students transferred to a PASSHE university.
Years ago, there was a false perception in higher ed that students coming from two-year schools wouldn't be prepared, said PASSHE Chancellor Christopher Fiorentino. But now, the state system sees community colleges as partners
He said the mindset is now focused on facilitating student success.
"Community college students have different options in terms of where they can transfer, and we want them to transfer to a PASSHE school," Fiorentino said. "So, our responsibility is to make sure that it's as smooth as possible."
The state system has an agreement with Pennsylvania community colleges to accept students with associate degrees as juniors, helping to prevent credit loss.
At Indiana University of Pennsylvania, staff known as "navigators" help all students to map out their study plans and identify challenges. The program is testing how the tailored advice can help transfer students.
"We need to be flexible to be able to identify what it is that they need and be sure that we're offering the types of programs now, whether it's online programs or hybrid programs … to be able to meet their needs," Fiorentino said.
Fiorentino said PASSHE and Pennsylvania community colleges have a shared mission to provide a well-prepared workforce for the commonwealth.
A report completed last year for the state Department of Education found a projected shortage of about 218,000 workers with postsecondary-level skills and credentials by 2032. That's due to the expected growth of jobs requiring some kind of post-high school training combined with an aging population and a decline in post-secondary enrollment.
"We need to work in partnership to make sure that we are providing that educated workforce for the future of the commonwealth so that we can retain businesses and attract new businesses, which will support the health of the commonwealth [and] of our ability to provide resources to support society," Fiorentino said.
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