Jackson College selected to receive funding for a program that will find ways to simplify the transfer process for students

Sixteen college partnership programs from across the country have been selected to receive a grant to develop new ways of facilitating transfers from two-year to four-year colleges. Jackson College has long partnered with Wayne State University to encourage students to continue their education after receiving associate's degrees. Now, a $27,000 award from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) through its Equity Transfer Initiative (ETI) will fund collaboration between the two institutions to make a four year degree even more accessible to students by reducing common barriers, particularly those most frequently encountered by students from communities underrepresented on college campuses.

The guidelines provided by the AACC for the ETI program require that participating colleges and universities assess their current processes and identify obstacles often encountered by students from underrepresented communities, then plan response strategies. The guidelines also specify that the strategic plans incorporate evidence-based equity strategies. The ETI program provides coaching support and technical assistance from the AACC to meet these goals. Jackson College has identified lack of access to technology and support systems as two of the hurdles often faced by its students.

In a news release, Jackson College President Dr. Daniel J. Phelan said of the initiative, "I'm delighted that Jackson College is one of 16 higher education partnerships chosen nationally to participate in this project. This forward-looking project is designed to enhance the academic completion of under-represented students and ensure their successful transfer to a baccalaureate-granting institution – in our case, Wayne State University."

Transfer Liaison Stephanie Waffle-Stephenson was a first-generation student herself once and remembers wishing she knew more about the resources available. She spoke about the potential to help more students through the ETI, "Although there have been great strides to make the transfer process as easy to understand and seamless as possible, there are still nuances that can make it difficult to navigate. The Equity Transfer Initiative project will provide us an opportunity to really dive deep into our processes and view them through an equity lens."