Saint Xavier University recently partnered with City Colleges of Chicago to aid students transferring in from City Colleges.
Provost James MacLaren, Ph.D., and City Colleges Chancellor Juan Salgado and Provost Dr. Mark Potter signed a contract on February 12, 2020.
“We started a conversation with City Colleges of Chicago on how we could develop opportunities for students who started in a City College with an associate degree find an easy pathway if they want to continue into a four-year, program,” said Provost MacLaren, Ph.D.
Students who want to continue in a four-year university will obtain admission into SXU programs as long as these students obtain a 2.0 GPA and no grade below a C .
They will be guided by an advisor from City Colleges and an advisor from SXU.
The agreement in the contract states how there will be a linear process for these students.
This means that advisors will keep in touch with the students, information on prospective websites will be available, and Financial Aid will be available to see if the transition to a four-year university is affordable and which types of scholarships are available to students.
Many resources will be provided, so students are able to make decisions before they decide to transfer into SXU explained MacLaren.
“We want to create a single point place where students can go and map directly to SXU classes and just general elective classes,” continues MacLaren.
According to MacLaren, the enrollment team from the Office of Admission decided to take on this action since SXU is in the top 10 percent for the number of transfer students each year.
Most of these students are from City Colleges like Daley College.
MacLaren states, “Formalizing this partnership will allow us to promote our programs more effectively to students at the community college level.”
“Not only are students benefiting, but SXU will also be benefiting since SXU is a tuition-driven university,” MacLaren continues.
“Ensuring that the university could produce a stable source of undergraduate tuition revenue ensures that the university could make predictable decisions going forward, so certainly the undergraduate revenue makes sense, not just the undergraduates coming out of high school, but the opportunities for those students coming in as transfers students diversify the financial picture. It certainly helps on that side, but more than that we work here because we want to see students do well, and enrich lives through education,” MacLaren states.
“This decision connects with SXU values because of the university’s mission on helping others obtain an education that provides great opportunities, not just in salary but also the type of career students want to obtain,” MacLaren adds.
Abby Deninger, a Strategic Communication major and a transfer student to SXU from City Colleges of Chicago two years ago, but her transition to SXU was a little confusing.
“At first, I had no idea what I was supposed to do, where to start, or who to talk to since there are different offices here at SXU. I was not sure which one to start. As time went on, I started talking to people and they were extremely helpful. My transition went on more smoothly,” Deninger states.
She adds, “This new partnership will help a lot since it is hard to figure out where you start and to figure out which classes transfer or not, so having someone to guide students will be very helpful.”