The initiatives include a Tuition Match program, a Teach Now program, and a Preferred Pathway program.
Columbus State Community College and Ohio Wesleyan University have formed a partnership that are intended to help students who graduate from Columbus State Community College with an associate degree easily continue on to earning a bachelor degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.
According to an article on Columbus State Community College’s website, David Harrison, PhD, the president of Columbus State Community College, was quoted as saying of the new collaboration and what it means for the school, "Columbus State is committed to helping our students fulfill their career dreams as quickly and affordably as possible. Our expanded collaborations with Ohio Wesleyan through Tuition Match, Teach Now, and additional Preferred Pathway programming provide opportunities for students to earn an associate degree from Columbus State and a bachelor's degree from Ohio Wesleyan with little or no debt. Moving forward, these programs and future collaborations with Ohio Wesleyan will change the educational landscape in groundbreaking ways."
Each of the initiatives are focused on making pathways to success easier for students.
The Tuition Match program will allow students who graduated with a two-year degree from Columbus State Community College to enroll at Ohio Wesleyan University for the same price as their final semester at CSCC cost. This opportunity will be available to up to 25 students each year. In order to qualify, the student must be in good academic standing with a 3.5 or better GPA.
The Teach Now program is intended to address the state’s teacher shortage by providing a simpler and more streamlined avenue for qualified teachers to begin teaching in K-12 classrooms. It gives high schoolers who attended Columbus State Community College via College Credit Plus/Dual Enrollment classes and earned an associate degree the opportunity to enroll into the bachelor of Education program at Ohio Wesleyan University and become a licensed teacher in as few as two years.
The Preferred Pathway program is an existing program that has been expanded in collaboration with Ohio Wesleyan University. It will make it easier for students to transfer to OWU to earn a bachelor degree after graduating from Columbus State Community College without needing to figure out credit transferring. The Preferred Pathway program encompasses 20 academic programs at Ohio Wesleyan University that CSCC graduates can transfer into seamlessly, including communication, elementary education, finance, special education, zoology, and more.
Matt vandenBerg, Ed.D, the president of Ohio Wesleyan University, was quoted as saying of the announcement the two schools made on April 18, "With today's announcement, Ohio Wesleyan and Columbus State have struck a landmark partnership that we believe will redefine how institutions like ours can collaborate to expand access, improve outcomes, and address pressing societal challenges. Tuition Match, Teach Now, and our expanded Preferred Pathway programs provide important new opportunities for Columbus State graduates to turn their two-year associate degrees into four-year OWU bachelor's degrees. And this is just the beginning. Together, we aim to set a new paradigm for how liberal arts and community colleges can partner to advance shared objectives and ultimately strengthen our communities and world."
For more information about Columbus State Community College, visit the school’s website.