CVHEC Web Site Feature: Transfer Project

This September 2022 issue’s feature for our renovated Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) web site is our Central Valley Transfer Project page developed by CVHEC regional coordinator Stan Carrisoza.

The Central Valley Transfer Project exemplifies the effectiveness of consortium members collaborating to ensure that the students of our nine-county region are afforded a successful transfer experience.

The web page details how in 2019, a year after UC Merced met with CVHEC and expressed grave concern for the low number of Central Valley CC transfers, the two entities launched a pilot project with CVHEC members Merced College and Bakersfield College to explore new strategies to increase transfers.

At the same time, CVHEC member CSU Bakersfield was collaborating with Bakersfield College to create full transfer pathways aligned with the CSU-approved Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT).

As a third element emerged — the Pathways Program Mapper, a public internet-based software application — the project bloomed into full implementation in the fall 2021. The project was presented publicly in November at a convening at UC Merced where educators learned how Mapper presents students with pre-approved course sequences aligning the community college ADTs with the upper division requirements by major for successful degree completion.

“The significant breakthrough occurred when UC Merced agreed to pilot with Merced College and Bakersfield College to convene select groups of faculty and staff to review the CSU-approved ADT’s to determine if they could also fulfill the lower division requirements for successful transfer to UC Merced,” explains Carrizosa, who is also president-emeritus of CVHEC member College of the Sequoias.

“Additionally, all parties embraced the Program Mapper application as the vehicle for creating easy access for students, counselors, advisors, high school students and parents to expedite their education planning and successful transfer to UC Merced.”

The Transfer Project program will also be featured at the Community College League of California Annual Convention 2022, in San Francisco Nov. 17-19 (see related story in this issue).

“On CVHEC’s Transfer web page, you can learn how the Transfer Project model has been refined and replicated and is being implemented by several more Central Valley community colleges,” said Angel Ramirez, CVHEC Operations & Finance Manager, who has been spearheading the web renovation project.

See the Central Valley Transfer Project page.