The leaders of public higher education in California announced the commencement of a joint-effort initiative by the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges last week, designed to increase transfer enrollment into the state’s four-year universities.
UC President Mark G. Yudof, CSU Chancellor Charles Reed and California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott said the goal of the initiative is to augment the number of students eligible to transfer from community colleges to UC and CSU campuses.
According to the UC Director of Undergraduate Admissions Susan Wilbur, the UC system feels a strong commitment to serving community college students as part of’ its long-term effort to boost California’s economy by educating a greater number of citizens.
‘We have a responsibility to take transfer students, but also, we want to help the students,’ Wilbur said. ‘It’s good for California if more students earn bachelor’s degrees, not only for the economic benefits, but socially as well.’
Another reason for the new initiative, according to Wilbur, is a concern that some state community colleges do not send large enough numbers of transfer students to four-year institutions.
‘While some community colleges do an excellent job with helping their transfer students, others might benefit from some strategy and initiative to help these students transfer more successfully,’ Wilbur said.
In response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $109 million cut to UC state funding earlier this year, the UC Board of Regents voted last month to decrease freshmen enrollment by six percent. Instead, the regents are encouraging freshmen to attend a two-year community college before applying to a four-year university.
A total of 11,184 transfer students applied to UCSD for Fall Quarter 2009, more than 10,000 of these having attended a California community college.
About 1,920 transfer students are expected to be admitted to UCSD in fall 2009, marking a 17 percent increase from fall 2008. ‘We think that transfer students are very important in that they bring great diversity and come in to the university with a wide range of life experiences,’ UCSD Assistant Vice Chancellor of Admissions Mae W. Brown said. ‘This population will add a great deal both inside and outside of the curriculum.’
According to Brown, UCSD and the UC system as a whole have worked for a number of years to increase transfer enrollment as well as to provide specific accommodations for those students transferring from California community colleges.
A new housing facility being constructed in North Campus will cater solely to transfer students.
UCSD Transfer Student Services, led by Assistant Director for Transfer Services Timothy Borch,’ aims to to increase UCSD’s visibility on community college campuses.
The department plans quarterly forums with counselors and directors familiar with the campus, encouraging community college students to apply. Additionally, a program called Transfer Fridays allows potential transfer students to tour the UCSD campus.
The new initiative to support transfer students is set to take place over the next several weeks.
‘The senior leadership for this initiative was named and a group meeting will be in place shortly to discuss and develop the work plan,’ Wilbur said. ‘It’s a fast-track initiative. We will put some strategies in place to further support transfer students.’
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