Excelsior College and Westchester Community College collaboration to build pipeline of bachelor’s educated students
Excelsior College and Westchester Community College (WCC) hosted a signing ceremony on February 16, 2016 to reaffirm their academic partnership, which provides community college students with an affordable pathway to a bachelor’s degree via significant tuition discounts and the seamless transfer of earned credits.
Under this agreement, students who obtain a Westchester Community College associate degree may apply a maximum of 90 lower-level credits toward an articulated bachelor’s degree program at Excelsior.
In addition, the institutions announced a separate concurrent enrollment, which will allow students enrolled in the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in nursing at Westchester Community College to pursue a Bachelor of Science in nursing at Excelsior College at the same time, thereby shortening their time to degree completion. These concurrently enrolled students will be able to take advantage of federal financial aid programs.
“These types of institutional partnerships provide a pathway to a degree that may not otherwise exist at a time when college graduates are needed more than ever,” said Patrick Jones, PhD, vice provost at Excelsior. “With global competition on the rise and the federal government predicting a labor shortage of more than 35 million educated workers over the next 30 years, degree completion and economic prosperity have never been more intertwined.”
“This partnership defines guided pathways for our graduates ensuring a seamless transfer process and maximization of student resources (time and money) in their degree completion. Excelsior offers flexible online programs which will help many working students pursue their educational advancement simultaneously while balancing many of life’s responsibilities,” said Dr. Peggy Bradford, interim vice president and dean of academic affairs at Westchester Community College. “We are especially delighted for students in the nursing program who can accelerate their educational journey to a bachelor’s degree in nursing with the new concurrent enrollment program.”
Excelsior College, a private, nonprofit distance learning institution, has served the adult learner since 1971. The institution comprises five schools – Business and Technology, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, Nursing, and Public Service, as well as an Extended Education division and multiple centers. It offers more than 35 programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level as well as a variety of credit and non-credit certificates and courses. Enrolled students can choose among multiple options to complete their degree, including transfer, prior learning assessment, credit by examination, and online courses.
Excelsior’s nursing programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN). It has been designated a Center for Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing three times.
###
Excelsior College
Excelsior College is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
