NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — There's a new opportunity for students at Tidewater Community College (TCC), the second largest community college in Virginia, to transition to their bachelor's degree.
Just weeks before the start of a new school year, the institution partnered with Christopher Newport University (CNU) to create a program designed to support transfer students.
"CNU Ready is our university's effort to reach out and build bridges to those community college students in the Hampton Roads region who want to come and continue their education, and we want to make sure that they know that they can do it here at Christopher Newport University," said CNU President William Kelly.
He and TCC President Marcia Conston signed an agreement to create CNU Ready on August 6 at Christopher Newport Hall. The program offers several benefits to students, including some guaranteed admissions and resources to bolster academic growth.
"It provides access and opportunity for those students to come to our campus," Kelly said. "It also provides some greater access for our counselors and our staff to get on the campus at TCC and get with the students there. We're also [going to] provide some of those academic programs that provide them the support [and] some workshops with regards to writing, math, and career counseling so that they can start to envision what that next step in their educational experience is [going to] be like and how that would play out on board our campus."
CNU Ready could also potentially help boost the economy as it may encourage more students to stay in the area after graduation.
"Almost eighty-five percent of our students stay here and retain here, and then they graduate at an exceptionally high level," Kelly said. "We're number seven in the nation for internships. So, what we find is students come here, they get great internships, which lead to great jobs, they become citizens in our community, [and] they start their families here."
The move builds on Virginia's position as one of the top states in the country for graduation rates among transfer students.
"We know that we will be a richer, more diverse, more inclusive campus by welcoming in even more community college students who want to pursue their bachelor's degree," Kelly said, "and we are open for business, and we can't wait to welcome them on campus."
Students must submit a Letter of Intent before applying to CNU in order to be considered for the program.
CNU has a similar partnership with Virginia Peninsula Community College. Kelly said the university is looking to create more partnerships to help students pursue higher degrees.
TCC signed an agreement supporting transfer students with Norfolk State University on August 19.