In an effort to bridge educational gaps, Colorado State University and Front Range Community College have partnered to create the Ram Transfer Academy.
Funded by a $500,000 grant from the American Talent Initiative, the program focuses on increasing access to bachelor’s degrees by creating a seamless transition for students to transfer from FRCC to CSU.
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“This program goes far beyond simply facilitating the transfer of credits,” said Gabriel Castaño, vice president of enrollment management and student success at FRCC in a statement to CSU SOURCE. “This partnership between FRCC and CSU creates a holistic approach to serving transfer students, which is centered on developing a sense of belonging on both campuses and creating a seamless transition for their success. With the services and supports provided jointly between our institutions, we’re empowering our students to thrive academically, socially and personally.”
The RTA aims to support low-income and underrepresented students who begin their path in higher education at community colleges.
“The concept was raised that a lot of community colleges are where a lot of the low-income and undersupported populations often are, and … we support a lot more of those students than the traditional four-year bases,” said Kyla Antony, associate vice president of enrollment and retention at FRCC.
“Ram Transfer Academy is a new opportunity to do outreach to low- to moderate-income students who are interested in pursuing their bachelor’s degree.” -Kevin MacLennan, CSU vice president for enrollment and access
Antony emphasized the program’s goal to address the systemic barriers students often face when they transfer to a four-year university.
“Some of the things we have seen on the community college side is that, although we have extraordinary students who have every ability to achieve, that all the transitions and the hoops and the things that we unintentionally make students jump through to transfer and then start over at a new place sometimes becomes a barrier to students getting to that angle of a bachelor’s degree, even though a majority of our students come in with that goal in mind,” Antony said.
Students enrolled in the program will have access to services provided by both CSU and FRCC, including the CSU Health Network, Student Recreation Center and Morgan Library.
Additionally, students can take courses at both institutions, enhancing their connections with both campuses.
“Ram Transfer Academy is a new opportunity to do outreach to low- to moderate-income students who are interested in pursuing their bachelor’s degree,” said Kevin MacLennan, vice president for enrollment and access at CSU.
While many community college students aspire to complete a bachelor’s degree, MacLennan highlighted that a significant number of students are unable to reach that goal due to the barriers that arise when transferring to a four-year institution.
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“Nationwide, the number of students across the nation that enter community college with the idea of getting a bachelor’s degree eventually is fairly high, but those that are actually able to achieve it is only about 18% in this country,” MacLennan said.
RTA aims to eliminate systemic barriers by taking over the transfer process and automatically enrolling students at CSU once they have completed 24 credit hours at FRCC, offering students comprehensive support.
Students accepted to the program will receive a student success coach to support them at both institutions and will participate in a student success course to assist them in the process of transferring to CSU.
“The students participate in a AAA1001 class, which is a student success course, which our two institutions developed together so that they are getting the knowledge of how to navigate and be successful at Front Range but also how to navigate and be successful at CSU from the very beginning as well,” Antony said.
Eligible students can now apply to the program, with priority given to new Pell Grant-eligible students, followed by continuing Pell-eligible students with under 24 completed credit hours and a 3.0 GPA.
“Front Range is really excited to continue to work with CSU on this project,” Antony said.
Reach Laila Shekarchian at news@collegian.com or on social media @CSUCollegian.
