Adams State University joins 29 other four-year institutional and community college and teams from across the country to accelerate transfer reform
Nearly two years into the pandemic, four-year colleges and universities and community colleges across the country face an imperative to ensure students from communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic can access, persist through, and realize their higher education aspirations. This year, Adams State University embraced the challenge by coming together with Trinidad State College to accelerate transfer reform as a part of the Transfer Student Success and Equity Intensive. The Adams State University team will join the first-ever cohorts of the Aspen-AASCU Intensive: Transfer Student Success and Equity, comprised of 29 other four and two-year partnerships from across the country.
The Intensive, funded with the generous support of Ascendium Education Philanthropy, will span the next year, through October 2022. Teams will receive one-on-one consulting with experts and work to identify, collect, understand, and utilize critical transfer outcomes and equity data. As part of this community of practice, teams will attend monthly sessions focused on co-creating practices and policies to improve transfer student success and equity.
Adams State University President Cheryl D. Lovell said the support provided by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and American Association of State Colleges and Universities will directly benefit transfer students. “Adams State University and TSC are fortunate to be selected for this project. This initiative will provide training and support for our admissions team and will help us improve our process for students transferring to Adams State University from TSC as well as other institutions.”
“We want students to feel confident in their goals and not waste time or money taking classes they don’t need, while still reaching their goal of a bachelor’s degree,” said Trinidad State College President Rhonda Epper, Ph.D.
Adams State University and Trinidad State College will join 67 of their peers in this effort, selected from an applicant pool of 97 institutions and 3 systems from 25 states. Together, these cohorts account for a total enrollment of nearly a million undergraduate students, offering the promise of significant impact.
For Adams State University, participation in the Transfer Student Success Intensive represents an important extension of efforts to increase community college transfer and bachelor’s degree attainment. These include:
1) Increase enrollment by visiting all Colorado and New Mexico community colleges
2) Provide one on one attention to every potential transfer student
3) Make Adams State University the first choice to continue their education
4) Promotion of ASU throughout the San Luis Valley to increase transfer student enrollment
Jeff Storm, Adams State University transfer coordinator said he wants Adams State University to be the number one choice for Trinidad State College transfer students, as well as all others institutions. “Through our excellent academic programs, cost of attendance and the one-on-one assistance we provide to transfer students, we hope to increase our transfer student enrollment. The Transfer Student Success and Equity Intensive Program will assist and provide us guidance and new methods to recruit transfer students to ASU and to ensure those students attain a bachelor’s degree.”
For a full list of institutions selected for the first two cohorts of the Transfer Student Success Intensive and details about the initiative, please visit highered.aspeninstitute.org/transfer-intensive/.
