Colleges, tech schools team up to transition students

As freshman admissions to South Carolina's largest colleges and universities becomes more competitive, the schools are working with technical colleges to help students make successful transitions from two-year to four-year institutions.

Clemson University started its Bridge program last fall, enrolling 231 students who fell just short of qualifying for admission. The College of Charleston will launch a program this fall to bring in more low-income students from Trident Technical College. The college also wants to draw Trident students who are the first generation in their families to attend college. The University of South Carolina in Columbia also is planning programs for the fall that will help students from Greenville and Midlands technical colleges to prepare for, and enroll in, the university.

Clemson's Bridge program Director Sue Whorton said 125, or 54 percent, of the 231 students who enrolled in the program last August met the academic standards and will move on to Clemson as sophomores in the fall.

Bridge students took classes at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton. They lived in an off-campus apartment complex and were able to use some Clemson services such as academic support programs and recreation facilities.

Those who completed at least 30 credits with at least a 2.5 grade point average automatically were enrolled at the university. Sixty-nine of the students who fell short on credits or the grade point average requirement are taking summer classes at Tri-County, Whorton said. They hope to meet the transfer requirements by the end of summer and enroll at Clemson in the fall.

Whorton said university officials consider the program a success and they plan to continue it in the 2007-08 school year. The school sent invitations to the program to about 900 students, many of them children of Clemson alumni, she said. Being a legacy is a factor in the selection process for the Bridge program, she said, but it's not the most important factor.

So far, 262 students have said they will enroll as Bridge students next year, Whorton said.

Don Burkard, dean of admissions at the College of Charleston, said his institution and Trident Technical College this summer will enroll 25-35 students in the Keystone program, which will serve students from low-income families or the first generation in their families to attend college.

Students in the program will attend Trident for a year but one course each semester will be at the College of Charleston. During that year, they also will receive academic advising and other supportive services to help them make a smooth transition to the college. Those who earn at least a 2.6 gradepoint average and meet the other transfer requirements will be accepted as sophomores at the College of Charleston, Burkard said.

The program, he said, isn't just about helping students who didn't get accepted at the College of Charleston. "It's appealing to a need in South Carolina" by helping students who face barriers to enrolling at four-year schools, he said.

The University of South Carolina in Columbia isn't offering transition programs for Lowcountry students, but it will launch programs for students at Greenville and Midlands technical colleges this fall.

Kip Howard, USC's assistant vice provost for enrollment management, said the programs are for students who initially didn't get accepted at USC, those who chose to start at a two-year college for financial reasons or students who decided while attending a technical college to continue at a four-year institution.

USC officials have found that transfer students often aren't as well informed as those who start out at the university about what they need to do to be successful in a four-year program, Howard said.

USC's goal for the new programs is for students to be better prepared to make the transition to the university, he said.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.