ANN ARBOR, MI - Washtenaw Community College received a $1.4 million U.S. Department of Education grant to expand associated degree programs for incoming freshmen.
The money will set up the college’s Alpha Scholars program, which will connect students with peers with similar academic interests and mentors to develop career-specific plans, according to a WCC release.
“We are excited to announce this grant that enables us to drive student success in new ways, designing programs that wrap additional layers of support around our students and provide them with a close community of peers who they’ll journey through college with,” said WCC President Rose Bellanca in a statement.
The college applied for grant funding in October 2020, said Dr. Kimberly Hurns, Executive Vice President for Instruction & Academic Affairs. It will be first implemented for the fall 2021 semester, she said.
Part of the impetus for this program is to connect students with associated degrees that will put them in a good position to transfer to four-year universities, she said.
“What the scholars program does is cohorts (students) with a group of their peers who are like-minded who are preparing for a transition to four-year schools or preparing for a transition to careers,” Hurns told MLive/The Ann Arbor News.
Nearly 70% of WCC’s students intend to transfer to complete a bachelor’s degree, according to the release.
More information about the Alpha Scholars program, including funding information, can be found online at wccnet.edu/alpha-scholars or by emailing alphascholars@wccnet.edu.
In a related announcement, WCC announced opportunities for students to take an accelerated program for associated business degrees. These would be entirely online, the other release stated.
The timeline for these business degrees would be 17 months versus the standard 24-month one. After dealing with the pandemic for more than a year, these accelerated programs are part of the college’s push for more flexible options, Hurns said.
“One of the things that came out of COVID was us offering virtual classes that utilize Zoom as a way to actually meet at specific times, not simply to have asynchronous courses in our distance learning,” she said.
The accelerated business program also offers certificates in human resources, cybersecurity and computer networking. The college’s business programs offer opportunities for supply chain and retail management, entrepreneurial leadership and other business administration topics, the release stated.
“Our accelerated business associate degree is ideal for goal-oriented students wanting to get a jumpstart on their careers,” Bellanca said in a statement. “We are pleased to offer this high-quality program to educate and position our graduates as community business leaders and to meet the needs of both students and the workforce.”
To learn more about these associated business degrees, the college is offering public information sessions though Zoom every Thursday starting on July 15 until Aug. 26. Prospective students may register online for a Zoom link.
Similar to the Alpha Scholars program, students in these degrees will work in a cohort with a mentor. The program is intended for people with two years of work experience, and there will be eight six-week sessions initially, the release stated.
Graduates with an associate degree may increase their annual income by more than $6,000 and see 34% more job options compared to those in the workforce without a degree, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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