Sep 11, 2012

Transfer and Articulation Policy Moving Forward

Approved by the Board of Regents for Higher Education in March, the Transfer and Articulation Policy (TAP) is moving forward toward implementation.

Approved by the Board of Regents for Higher Education in March, the Transfer and Articulation Policy (TAP) is moving forward toward implementation. Faculty committees met over the summer to develop a framework for the common transferable General Education Core. The innovative program specifies competencies that students must develop and demonstrate, rather than courses that must be completed. Competencies include Quantitative Reasoning; Knowledge and Understanding of Science, History and Social Phenomena; Written and Oral Communication; Aesthetic Dimensions; Critical Thinking; Information Literacy; and Ethics. In the upcoming months, faculty groups will develop the methods and standards that will be used to measure competency. The policy will help students more easily transfer across the state’s 17 Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (ConnSCU) – the 12 community colleges, four state universities and Charter Oak State College.

Key elements of the Transfer and Articulation Policy include:

The development of a common General Education Core
Common lower division pre-major pathways which include 30 credits of transferable general education credits common to all 12 Connecticut Community Colleges
Junior year status upon earning an associate transfer degree
Guaranteed or priority university admission
Associate and bachelor degree credit limits

In addition, Patricia L. Hirschy, mathematics professor and chair of the Liberal Arts Department at Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield, was named TAP Coordinator for the project. As TAP Coordinator, Hirschy will help lead the implementation of the Transfer and Articulation Policy working closely with the Vice Presidents for the Community Colleges and State Universities, faculty committees and campus faculty and administrators. Hirschy will focus on fostering collaboration among the 17 ConnSCU institutions and streamlining the transfer processes.

“We have a TAP implementation plan that involves a variety of governance units from the 17 institutions. My job is to make sure the whole process continues to move forward. Our goal is to make the process of transferring across our institution seamless,” said Hirschy. “Whether our students are moving between community colleges or from a community college to a state university or Charter Oak State College, there needs to be a process that is easy to navigate and understand. We want to minimize the number of students who take additional classes to fulfill their basic requirements because of transfer issues.”

Hirschy’s past academic experience includes positions as an adjunct faculty member at Capital and Middlesex Community Colleges, Central Connecticut State University, Trinity College, Hartford College for Women, the University of Delaware and University of Hartford. She also served as chairperson of the Mathematics Department, director of the Delaware State Math Coalition and an instructor at Delaware Technical and Community College. At Nova Southeastern University, Hirschy earned an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction, and at the University of Delaware earned a Master of Science degree in applied mathematics and Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in mathematics. She was also the principal investigator for several National Science Foundation grants.