Transfer Agreements With Postsecondary Educational Institutions

Purpose:

To provide the procedures for the development of agreements to articulate academic programs offered by J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) with those of four-year colleges and universities for the purpose of ensuring academic continuity and quality as students progress from one educational level to another.

Procedure and/or Process Definitions:

Articulation Agreement: A formal agreement between two- and four-year institutions outlining the transfer policies for a specific academic program or degree and specification of course-by-course equivalencies. Articulation agreements enable students following the terms of the agreement to optimize the completion of a four-year degree after transfer.

Guaranteed Admissions Agreements (GAA): Agreements between a two- and a four-year institution according to which a student is guaranteed admission to the four-year institution by earning a transferable Associate degree (or specified Associate degree) and satisfying specified academic benchmarks and criteria. GAA may guarantee general admission to the institution only, or to a specific program of study at the institution. Students transferring under a general admission GAA are not necessarily entitled to be admitted to a specific program.

Transfer Pathway: A planned curriculum between two- and four-year institutions that identifies coursework needed to complete a specified Associate degree and its applicability to a specific baccalaureate degree.

Procedures:

1. Development of Articulation Agreements

   1. The Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs shall be notified when college transfer opportunities are initiated by any area of the college or by another postsecondary institution. This notification must be made prior to the development of written transfer agreements.

   2. A Department Chair or School Dean will initiate a discussion with the four-year institution. This discussion is preliminary and does not obligate the college.

   3. The School Dean and Department Chair will discuss the proposed articulation agreement with the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. The School Dean and Department Chair will work with the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs in the development of the written agreement.

   4. The Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs notifies the Vice President of Academic Affairs of the finalized, proposed articulation agreement.

   5. The academic school will schedule a meeting with the appropriate transfer representative from the four-year university, the academic school, and the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. The Office of Academic Affairs representative will take notes at this meeting for reference and historical knowledge. Specific items to be addressed at this meeting include, but are not limited to:

      • what degree does the Reynolds program transfer to?
      • what is the job outcome of the transfer partner degree?
      • is this a true 2+2 degree or will students need additional courses?

   6. Once complete, the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs coordinates a review of the agreement by appropriate college faculty and staff, depending on the type of agreement. Reviewers of the agreements will include the Vice President of Academic Affairs; Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness; School Deans; Director of Admissions; Registrar; Director of Financial Aid; Counselor of Transfer Services; and faculty via the School Deans.

   7. The Vice President of Academic Affairs will ask for a review of the proposed articulation agreement by the Vice President of Finance and Administration. All agreements entered into by the college with other institutions must be reviewed by the Vice President of Finance and Administration.

   8. When the college enters into a formal articulation with a four-year institution, final agreements must be entered into by the President or designee.

      1. The Vice President of Academic Affairs coordinates the signature approval process by the College President and the appropriate official at the partner institution.

   9. The Office of Academic Affairs is responsible for maintaining the college’s official document file for signed transfer agreements, which includes posting the agreements on Reynolds’ website for accessibility to faculty, staff, and students.

   10. The Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs will implement a process to review agreements annually. Agreements will be reviewed beginning in April, after the catalog is published for the next academic year to capture any revisions that have been approved by the college’s Curriculum Committee. Updated transfer agreements will be published to Reynolds’ website by June of each year.

2. Development of Guaranteed Admissions Agreement

   This section provides the procedure for agreements between the college and the 4-year institution when an agreement between the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and the 4-year institution is not in place. The associate vice president of academic affairs shall be notified when college transfer opportunities are initiated by any area of the college or by another postsecondary institution. This notification must be made prior to the development of written guaranteed admissions agreements.

   1. A Department Chair or School Dean will initiate a discussion with the four-year institution. This discussion is preliminary and does not obligate the college.

   2. The School Dean and Department Chair will discuss the proposed guaranteed admissions agreement with the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. The Dean and Department Chair will work with the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs in the development of the written agreement.

   3. The Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs notifies the of the finalized, proposed articulation agreement.

   4. The academic school will schedule a meeting with the appropriate transfer representative from the four-year university, the academic school, and the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. The Office of Academic Affairs will take notes at this meeting to keep for reference and historical knowledge.

   5. Once complete, the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs coordinates a review of the agreement by appropriate college faculty and staff, depending upon the type of agreement. Reviewers of the agreements will include the Vice President of Academic Affairs; Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness; School Deans; Director of Admissions; Registrar; Director of Financial Aid; Counselor of Transfer Services; and faculty via the School Deans.

   6. The Vice President of Academic Affairs will ask for a review of the proposed articulation agreement by the Vice President of Finance and Administration. All agreements entered into by the college with other institutions must be reviewed by the Vice President of Finance and Administration.

   7. When the college enters into a formal articulation with a four-year institution, final agreements must be entered into by the President or designee.

      1. The Vice President of Academic Affairs coordinates the signature approval process by the college President and the appropriate official at the partner institution.

   8. The Office of Academic Affairs is responsible for maintaining the college’s official document file for signed transfer agreements, which includes posting the agreements on Reynolds' website for accessibility to faculty, staff, and students.

   9. The Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs will implement a process to review agreements annually. Agreements will be reviewed beginning in April, after the catalog is published for the next academic year to capture any revisions that have been approved by the college’s Curriculum Committee. Updated transfer agreements will be published to Reynolds' website by June of each year.

3. Development of Transfer Pathways

   1. Transfer guides are developed by the 4-year institution in collaboration with the appropriate Reynolds academic division. The Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Dean of the School, and the Department Chair will review the transfer guide and provide feedback to the authorized transfer partner representative from the four-year institution.

   2. An approval email between Reynolds and the four-year transfer partner will be used to finalize the transfer agreement. The Office of Academic Affairs is responsible for maintaining the college's official documentation of Transfer Pathways, which includes posting on Reynolds' website for accessibility to faculty, staff, and students.

   3. Transfer Pathways will be reviewed annually by the Office of Academic Affairs and the four-year transfer partner.

Other Information: