AIC, STCC collaborate to create a smooth student pathway between the schools

SPRINGFIELD — The trend toward creating seamless pathways for community college students received another boost Thursday.

American International College and Springfield Technical Community College signed a joint Articulation Agreement, which will allow community college students a planned, more natural entry to the four-year institution less than two miles away.

“Articulation agreements come and go, but I see this could be a historical document. It’s what (institutions) do with it that counts,’' AIC president Hubert Benitez said.

For Benitez, this agreement reflects his stated goals to make college and a four-year degree more accessible and affordable to all students, but particularly those of color, first-generation college students or those facing financial obstacles.

“How do we create better pathways for students? How do we create a bridge?” Benitez asked rhetorically.

“Our goal is to create a seamless transition for a student from STCC to arrive at AIC and pursue any degree of choice,” he said.

“A seamless connection can be done without loss of time, credits or money. Our goals are aligned and the geographic (proximity) of the schools can’t be beat,” STCC president John Cook said.

The partnership comes just 46 days after Benitez assumed the AIC presidency. He’s declared “seamless pathways” from community college to AIC to be among his priorities.

According to AIC vice-president of admissions Kerry Cole, transfer students will receive a $4,000 scholarship per year once they enter AIC as juniors, in addition to their earned merit scholarship, before any need-based aid is awarded.

“For many students, this could make AIC less expensive than public institutions,” Cole said.

At AIC, the program is called Direct Connect. Students can earn up to $18,000 in financial gift aid - not loans - before being evaluated for additional need-based aid.

The AIC Direct Connect program will allow students to study and major in their area of interest while attending community college.

Benitez said the increased workload from the program will be shouldered by AIC staff, so as not to add burdens to the STCC staff. Cook and Benitez described a plan by which AIC officials communicate with students while they are still at STCC, smoothing the transition to the four-year school.

“We call it a shared advising model,” Cook said.

Cook said the average STCC student age is 26, which means many have already given plenty of thought to their career paths. Benitez said the agreement signed Thursday puts theory into action.

“I believe in community colleges. We’re here to make this happen,” Benitez said.

The two schools have a history of partnership, but Cook said this collaboration “reinvigorates” the relationship. He said that along with Benitez’ arrival, a new era between the two Springfield schools is underway.

One noteworthy aspect is that the new arrangement is designed to give students opportunity in any AIC major in which they choose to seek a degree. Similar partnerships are not new among two-year and four-year schools, and they are growing in popularity, but many have been targeted to specific majors or courses of study.

AIC Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs Michael Dodge said he’s eager to take on the work ahead.

“Our goal is to make the transition really easy. How do we take the STCC credits and make them work (upon entering AIC)? That’s what we’ll be working on,” Dodge said.

For most of the 75-year history of community colleges in Massachusetts, entry into two-year schools, and later four-year colleges, generally involved two separate admissions. Without a clearly defined pathway to the four-year college, many students considered their associate’s degree the logical endpoint for their education, for reasons involving both commitment and cost.

The goal of collaboration has been to provide opportunity, motivation, financial aid and - of crucial nature - a melded, cohesive curriculum path. That avoids an often jarring shift from one curriculum to the next.

It also provides a student pipeline to the four-year school, at a time many such schools are seeking to maintain enrollment levels. The partnership also offers a useful and valid marketing opportunity for both school.

Benitez and Cook said they shared a belief in the three core educational values of access, diversity and opportunity for students.

“We are both sound bidders to the community of Springfield. We both want to be vibrant and lively contributors to the community,” Benitez said.