NSUBA offers dual admission program to TCC students

Tulsa Community College is providing its students with more room to grow next semester, as Northeastern State University provides a home for TCC students to take general education classes while paving the way for the students to transfer to NSU seamlessly.

We are finalizing the details f a dual admission program that will allow TCC prospective students to begin and finish at the NSUBA campus, said Jerrett Phillips, Enrollment Management Center director.

The seamless transition allows the institutions to leverage their respective resources and allow the student to achieve associates, bachelors and masters degrees as if attending one university.

One of the many reasons we worked on this, we wanted to meet the needs of the student, said Dr. Christee Jenlink, dean of NSUBA. Particularly in Wagoner County and the city of Broken Arrow, we want to show them that higher education is available starting with the TCC classes.

All TCC courses offered at NSUBA are 1000 or 2000 level freshman and sophomore classes that focus on the general education requirements for an associate's degree from TCC.

We believe that once they have had the excellent experience with TCC classes on our campus, they will choose to stay with us to complete their bachelors degree, said Jenlink.

Phillips said the academic advisement teams at both institutions assessed scheduling gaps related to students enrolled in TCC courses at the Broken Arrow campus.

We worked to eliminate any competing days and times that limited a students ability to enroll in courses full time at one location, said Phillips.

One exciting feature for Spring 2011 is a navigational list printed as a schedule for students to reference. The schedule maximizes their choices to obtain full-time enrollment without having to leave campus.

TCC students will have the option of taking bi-weekly classes Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday.

For those with busier lives, taking Friday classes is also an option. Beginning with the Spring 2011 term, students can take four back-to-back classes on Fridays.

A lot of students want to stay on the Broken Arrow campus, said Julie Cole, transferring coordinator of NSUBA. I think a lot of them thought for the longest time that they could only go to the campus in Tahlequah. A lot of students stay here for a reason.

The convenient scheduling options are designed to allow students to save money on fuel costs and allow time to schedule other activities around job and family.

I think all of our students are just about non-traditional, said Dr. Carol Messer, provost of TCC Southeast campus. Many students who are in the traditional age category have families and work 20 to 30 hours a week. What we are trying to do is offer classes at times we felt would appeal to the needs of populations particularly from Wagoner County and Broken Arrow. We planned this so that a student could minimize the amount of time on campus in a week period.

Phillips said that the Spring 2011 class schedule is only one of the joint efforts between TCC and NSU.

We are collaborating on multiple levels throughout the academic year to ensure students have a dynamic educational journey and are afforded greater opportunities through our collective approach, said Phillips.

Students transferring from TCC will enjoy ease and convenience as the academic progression has become more seamless.

This is about convenience, said Messer. For students seeking a bachelors degree, a student can do it all at NSUBA.