Dr. George Edwards, president of Big Sandy Community and Technical College and the college’s provost Dr. Nancy Johnson joined the University of Virginia College at Wise’s Chancellor David Prior and Gil Blackburn, that school’s provost and senior vice chancellor, to sign an agreement between the two schools Wednesday. Students from Big Sandy will now be able to make a transfer of credits to the West Virginia school seamlessly.
Representatives with the University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVCW) visited the Prestonsburg campus Wednesday morning to sign an agreement between the two schools that will enable students to transfer to the West Virginia school as easily as BSCTC students have transferred to UK in the past.
Students who choose to transfer under the terms of the new agreement will participate in what is called the Guaranteed Admissions Program, or GAP.
Under GAP, students graduating with an associate degree in arts, science or general studies will receive a number of benefits.
Those benefits include transfer to UVCW with junior status, including a fulfillment of all general requirements, priority consideration for all academic merit and need-based financial aid program assistance, as well as a waiver of the $25 application for admission fee.
Dr. George Edwards, BSCTC president, expressed gratitude for the partnership and stressed that the college has always sought out ways students could continue their education beyond the local campus.
“This is giving opportunity to our students here at Big Sandy,” Edwards told those gathered for the signing Wednesday. “Transfer is one of our major areas of focus and we’re more than pleased to enter into this agreement.”
Also on hand was UVCW’s chancellor David Prior, who said his college is eager to begin accepting students coming from Prestonsburg.
“We work week in and week out to create a very welcoming environment at our school, and feel this will be a real benefit to everyone,” said Prior. “We think this is a natural match.”
Among individual sets of terms for both schools drawn out in the agreement, there are also requirements that both schools will share as the two institutions embark on their new partnering.
Under the agreement, both will monitor the academic performance of students enrolling, identify problems and work together to adjust details of course content to ensure students can transfer without disruption. Also, both have agreed to arrange meetings to develop additional major course equivalencies between the two schools.
The agreement, signed 10 a.m. Wednesday in the BSCTC student center, will be binding for four years and will be reviewed annually.
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