As a bill to make the community college-to-university transferring process more transparent nears passage in the state Legislature, ASU has secured a $1 million grant to increase its number of transfer students.
The Kresge Foundation awarded ASU the grant in order to increase the number of students coming to the University from the in-state two-year colleges.
In 2009, 5,237 students transferred to ASU from an Arizona community college. By 2014, that number is expected to grow to 6,000, according the Arizona Board of Regent’s five-year strategic plan.
The proposed legislation, SB 1186, would mandate the university system and the community college district to work out a common course numbering system, in order to simplify the process of transferring credits.
Though they are not directly related to one another, the Senate bill and the grant have a similar goal —improving a system where students transfer their credits with less confusion
The bill unanimously passed the House Education Committee on April 5 after a 30-0 vote in the Senate in February. The final stop for the bill will be on the House of Representatives floor for a final read.
As of Tuesday, it was not listed on the agenda. However, the measure is expected to pass because it has received no criticism or votes against it since its introduction in January.
Erin Hertzog, government affairs director for the Arizona Students’ Association, spoke to legislators before the vote last Tuesday.
“Lots of students are having serious transfer issues with the current system,” Hertzog said to legislators.
More than 30 states have installed a common course numbering system in response to those issues, Hertzog said.
The current system, called the course equivalency guide, was established in the 1980s and contains vast and deep flaws, she said, primarily the lack of common course numberings between colleges.
The universities and community colleges will present a plan in December that will outline the exact details of the system and how far-reaching it will be.
ABOR spokeswoman Christine Thompson outlined possible scenarios to legislators last week.
“This might mean some kind of virtual number so students can quickly look and see if something transfers,” Thompson said in her remarks to lawmakers. “It might mean further down the line making curriculums align.”
Currently, whether or not a course transfers is dependent on several factors, its equivalency often resting on whether the material of the course matches up to the college the credit is being transferred to.
Maricopa Community College District spokesman Tom Gariepy said it was too early to tell if a change in curriculum will be needed.
Coconino Community College professor Bryan Bates said there are flaws in the idea.
“If you force colleges, and thereby their instructors and staff to go to a common course number system, that pulls time, energy and money away from current, ongoing projects,” Bates said. “The only way to cover that loss of time and energy would be to gain extra money. Where is that money going to come from?”
Bates’ concern is that it could mean an increase in tuition for students to cover the cost.
Hertzog said the bill is so flexible that ABOR and community colleges and universities can go forward with cost-effective changes as they deem necessary.
“In the long term, this would actually save money,” she said. Hertzog pointed to the costs associated with students having to retake classes they thought transferred, or the administrative and state costs associated with students being in college longer and not in the workforce paying state tax.
A comprehensive plan will be presented in December.
The money from the Kresge grant will go in part to developing a suite of technology tools that will make transfer opportunities more accessible, understandable and user-friendly, said Maria Hesse, vice provost of ASU Transfer Partnerships.
The grant, which will be spread out over three years, will be divided up depending on the budget needs, she said.
It will enable students to share their academic records across community colleges and ASU, Hesse said.
“This is different than sending an electronic transcript to ASU at the time of admissions,” she said. “This would essentially allow community college students to upload their transcripts so that during their years at community college, they could check to make sure they are taking the correct coursework for their intended major at ASU.”
Previously, students could use AZtransfer.com, though it required the students to key in all their courses, leading to mistakes and misinformation. The Web site will be improved soon, Hesse said.
The grant will also expand ASU’s eAdvisor tool, creating a more well-rounded program and course-searching tool, Hesse said.
The Kresge Foundation is a $2.8 billion private, national foundation that awarded over $181 million in grants in 2008.
Reach the reporter at kpatton4@asu.edu
