WCC, MOC ink partnership deal to benefit students
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on May 27, 2011 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MICHAEL K. DAKOTA
Mount Olive College President Dr. Philip Kerstetter and Wayne Community College President Kay Albertson talk about an agreement that connects the two institutions of higher learning.
Wayne Community College and Mount Olive College formalized a partnership agreement Thursday that will enhance and expand options for community college students.
The articulation arrangement will not only allow students a more seamless transfer from the associate degree programs to a full range of bachelor degree programs, but also allow students to apply for state and federal financial aid.
"It's wonderful, it's a good thing. It's finally official," said Dr. Kay Albertson, WCC president.
"There's been longstanding relationships between Wayne Community College and Mount Olive College," said Dr. Philip Kerstetter, MOC president. "What this does is formalize what's been happening all along."
Students already have a number of options available to them, he added, so it makes sense to build an even stronger connection between Wayne County's two colleges.
"We want to make that seamless to them," he said. "That's the whole purpose of higher education."
"We're blessed in Wayne County to have that transitional area that can go between Wayne and Mount Olive. So many of our students do select to go there," Mrs. Albertson.
The "non-traditional student" is becoming more prevalent, she added. WCC has always had those -- older students returning to college, able to stay in the community and work and rear families while going to school.
In the 2011 graduating class at MOC, she pointed out, 30 students had formerly been at WCC. She expects those numbers to continue to grow, as students can get a quality education at both of the institutions.
"It makes sense," she said, to have a formal agreement for students to continue their education. "Articulation is certainly the way to go. We're very blessed to make this formal."
Under the arrangement, MOC will guarantee admission and acceptance of 64 credits from WCC associate of arts or associate science graduates with a grade-point average of 2.0 or higher.
It also enhances Mount Olive College's relationship with the N.C. Community College System, as a participating member of the N.C. Comprehensive Articulation Agreement.
WCC, a public, two-year college, serves 15,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry and community organizations.
MOC, a private college sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has grown to seven locations. In addition to Mount Olive, they are New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Jacksonville and Washington.