THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014
Regents approve reverse t
KRISTA MONTGOMERY news@kansan.com
When Briana Lewis transferred to Washburn University from Johnson County Community College, she was only one credit short of earning her associate degree. Though she completed her bachelor's degree at Washburn, she never received her associate degree from JCCC.
According to Breeze Richardson, Associate Director of Communications & Government Relations for the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR), a quarter of a million Kansans have received some college education but no diploma. In fall 2012, at the University Lawrence campus alone, there were 1,771 community college transfer students according to the KBOR Transfer
Feedback Report.
If Lewis had been able to transfer one of her Washburn credit hours to JCCC, she could have earned her associate degree. In an effort to increase diplomas among Kansans by 8 percent in the next six years, Kansas will now implement a policy with such an end goal; reverse transfer policies will help students statewide who are in the same situation Lewis was to earn their associate degree.
In a Board meeting on June 18, all 32 public postsecondary institution presidents signed a document implementing reverse transfer, which will coordinate the transfer of students to universities and enable them to better earn associate degrees.
Throughout the state, community and technical colleges will now work under the coordination of the Board
to make the higher education s more seamless.
"A very big component of seaeless transition is course transfer Richardson said. "What's so aw about it is the responsibility th university and the system as a is taking on."
There are now 46 courses guaranteed to transfer anywhere with Kansas' public higher education tem. Within a student's first set at a university, the university will notify students if they are eligible be considered for reverse tran degree status, as well as what they need to take to attain that degree.
"That counseling now I think ally critical to helping the stu just how close they might not realize they are to getting tha