St. Joseph Dual Admission Agreement Expands Opportunities for Community College Students

For Immediate Release-September 12, 2011
For additional information, contact:
Mary Anne Cox
860-244-7605
mcox@commnet.edu

On Monday, September 12, 2011, Pres. Pamela Trotman Reid of St. Joseph College will join the 12 Connecticut Community College Presidents at a meeting of the Council of Presidents to celebrate the beginning of a new semester that marks the inauguration of a dual admission program and expanded educational opportunities for community college students. Students interested in transferring to St. Joseph College to continue their studies beyond the Associate Degree level are now able to enroll in the St. Joseph College (SJC) Weekend Program for Adult Learners thanks to an agreement that gives them guaranteed admission to St. Joseph College’s baccalaureate programs in the fields of Accounting, Management, Social Work, or Psychology.

The Weekend Program for Adult Learners will accept graduates from all twelve community colleges who have applied for dual admission to St. Joseph College during any semester of their associate degree program of study. Academic advising and support provided by each community college and St. Joseph College will help students to make a smooth transition based upon a planned program of study that will maximize transfer credits to their intended bachelor’s degree. Students must earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 and must enroll in the SJC Weekend Program within two years of completing their associate degree. Once accepted into the program, students will be able to participate in SJC student activities and college events and will have access to SJC library and network center.

This expanded partnership is modeled on the successful Community College/St. Joseph College partnership in Nursing Education inaugurated in 2010 that offers students in the Community College Associate Degree Nursing Program, offered at six of the 12 Connecticut Community Colleges, the opportunity to continue their studies in the R.N. to B.S. in Nursing at St. Joseph College. Graduates of the St. Joseph College R.N. to B.S. concentrate on serving Connecticut’s Latino and multicultural populations and are prepared to promote National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health Care as promulgated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health.

According to Pres. Cathryn Addy, Chair of the Community College Council of Presidents, “this expanded partnership with St. Joseph College is a wonderful opportunity for community college students throughout the state to advance their educations and their career opportunities by pursing a St. Joseph College baccalaureate degree.” President Reid of St. Joseph College said, “We anticipate the same enthusiastic response from community college graduates and the same success that we have enjoyed with our dual admission program in Nursing Education. Once again, an innovative agreement bridges institutions and programs and serves as a pathway to success for students.”

The St. Joseph College dual admission program will benefit from an oversight committee of academic leaders from the Community Colleges and St Joseph College who will ensure ongoing communication and collaboration between the institutions, student advisors, program faculty, and their students to publicize the program and streamline its operations. President Barbara Douglass of Northwestern Connecticut Community College and Academic Deans Michael Rook (Tunxis Community College, Farmington) and Mary Ann Affleck (Capital Community College, Hartford) will serve on the oversight committee for the community colleges along with Gary Sherman, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Dean Daniel Nussbaum (School of Graduate and Professional Studies, and Dean Wayne Steely (School of Humanities and Social Sciences), representing St. Joseph College.

Saint Joseph College, founded in 1932 by the Sisters of Mercy to provide higher education opportunities for women, is a comprehensive institution serving women from diverse backgrounds and religious traditions. Responsive to the evolving educational needs of the community, the School of Graduate and Professional Studies also offers both women and men graduate degree programs in many fields, a Weekend Program for Adult Learner, professional certificate programs relevant to today’s workforce, and other continuing education opportunities.