School officials sign multiple articulation agreements

ASHLAND — Ashland University undergraduate Allyson Vinson can attest to the success of articulation agreements between AU and North Central State College, where she began her higher education journey.

The criminal justice major started taking NCSC courses through the College Credit Plus program while still a student at Clear Fork High School in Bellville. She had amassed 53 credit hours before ever setting foot on the Ashland campus, where she is in her first year but already has sophomore standing.

“The atmosphere is a little different here,” Vinson said. “But I liked that it was a small campus and that’s what I was looking for.” And those NCSC credit hours? They transferred seamlessly to Ashland, said Vinson, who plans to attend graduate school after her AU coursework is complete.

That seamless transition from NCSC to AU will continue as officials from the two schools came together Monday at Ashland in a ceremony to sign seven different articulation agreements – four of them renewals of existing agreements, plus three new agreements.

The agreements, said AU Provost Amiel Jarstfer, will allow for the efficient transfer of credit from NCSC to AU, while at the same time bringing academic leaders from both schools into a closer dialogue concerning what concepts are being taught and in what manner.

In the end, Jarstfer said, the students are the true beneficiaries. “These agreements reaffirm the relationship between Ashland University and North Central State College and we hope this will make more students aware of the opportunities between the two schools,” he said. “We have had a very good longstanding history with North Central State College and we want that to continue to make it affordable and attractive for students to get a four-year degree without leaving the area.”

The new agreements involve the following academic programs:

• Associate of Science: Pre-Health Focus toward a Bachelor of Science in Biology
• Associate of Arts: Communication Focus toward a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies
• Associate of Science with a Pre-Professional Studies Focus toward a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

The renewals include:

• Associate of Applied Science in Bioscience toward a Bachelor of Science in Biology
• Three associate degrees toward a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (Associate of Arts: Criminal Justice Focus, Associate of Applied Science: Criminal Justice, and Associate of Applied Sciences in CJ: Law Enforcement)
• Two associate degrees toward a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (Associate of Applied Science: Human Services, and Associate of Arts: Social Work Focus )

Each agreement will be updated every three years.

Dr. Dawn Weber, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, noted that Ashland University’s focus on “accent on the individual” is ideal for community college students transferring to a four-year institution.

“NCSC students in these programs have a long history of completing their baccalaureate degree at Ashland University,” Weber said. “We are pleased to renew these agreements and to establish new articulation agreements for students in communications studies and two new agreements resulting in a bachelor’s degree in biology.”

North Central Vice President of Academic Services and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Karen Reed credited academic leaders from both schools “who really understand the give-and-take of this relationship. … Ashland has been a wonderful partner” and most often is the first choice of NCSC students who plan to continue on in their pursuit of baccalaureate degree, she added.