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“I feel sorry for anyone who is in a place where he feels strange and stupid.”
—Lois Lowry, The Giver
As I was reflecting on how Lorain County Community College’s University Partnership engages and supports transfer students, this quote really struck me. The Giver solves the problem of belonging by removing differences and memories—not an ideal solution. But the quote leads me to wonder, how many of our students find themselves feeling strange and stupid as they try to navigate transfer? How many of them feel that they are impostors, switching to a new institution halfway through their studies to join those who have already been there for two or more years? How many of them feel completely disconnected as they move into programs that don’t even require going to a new campus and meeting new people? How many would be happy to feel sameness?
The majority of students who attend community college do so with the intention to transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree. However, according to the National Student Clearinghouse, only 14 percent earn their bachelor’s within six years. Community college students often talk about the barriers to transfer, the fear of changing schools, the lack of support when they get there. Transfer is a complex process that involves multiple steps, many of which students feel they must navigate on their own. Students need support to navigate the maze but are not always sure where to turn.
The Transfer Reset report states, “A key goal should be to streamline options for students, winnowing the current maze down to a set of easy-to-understand pathways.” Even with these pathways, transferring to a four-year institution can be a daunting challenge for many students, especially those not on a traditional path. While students are encouraged to pick a pathway and stick with it, life gets in the way. And from the Transfer Playbook, “Despite the value of program maps, we heard from a number of faculty and staff that many students do not closely adhere to them.”
Melissa Ezarik stated, “Helping students through challenges they’re going through now requires a deep understanding of where they’ve been.” Students want to feel known and understood by those at the institution. Transfer students are no different. The Transfer Playbook indicates that four-year institutions need to dedicate institutional resources to improve transfer student outcomes, by hiring staff and creating structures to improve student engagement and retention. But what about resources for students who don’t go to the four-year campus? What about those students who chose a fully online program?
LCCC’s closest state school partner is 30 miles away; we do not have a public four-year transfer option easily available to our students. As a result, Lorain County came in last for bachelor’s degree attainment in Ohio in the 1990 census. That is why the University Partnership was founded 25 years ago, to give our students the option of completing their degree on the LCCC campus with the goal of improving bachelor’s degree attainment in the county. From 2000 to 2010, Lorain County’s bachelor’s degree–attainment level increased by 75 percent, the second-highest increase northeast Ohio. When the UP started, partner institutions offered classes on our campus, either in person or through video distance learning, forming connections with the students even though the classes were not on the four-year campus.
After COVID, many of our partners have chosen to keep their classes entirely online, even with in-person classes resuming on their main campuses. While this makes a lot of sense based on logistics, travel time and other factors, it means that LCCC’s University Partnership needs to increase our support for these students as they transition through to the bachelor’s degree. While their classes are online, they still need support from faculty, staff, mentors, friends and family in person. They need the community of support that comes with campus life.
We provide these transfer students full access to everything our campus has to offer. LCCC allows our UP students to use all our campus resources, even if their classes are online. Our students in an online R.N. program still reach out to LCCC nursing faculty for advice and support during their studies. Many students want a home base with in-person connections even if they cannot physically leave Lorain County.
“When I finished at the Early College High School, I was not entirely sure what I wanted to do afterward. The University Partnership gave me the opportunity to pursue my interests in an environment that I was already comfortable with and felt like home.”
—Michael Gonet, LCCC–University of Toledo, bachelor’s of computer science and engineering
We work with our partners to identify students in the UP programs and then reach out to them through various means to ensure they know everything available to them, including the library, computer labs, writing center, math lab, fitness center, the Advocacy Resource Center, student clubs and activities, and we even have a UP student representative on the Student Senate. We want these students to feel like a part of campus life and to reach out when they need support. Our transfer coordinator works hand in hand with our advising team to get students the answers and supports they need to complete their degree at LCCC and continue on through our partners on the correct path to complete their bachelor’s and even master’s degrees. We guide them on this pathway rather than leaving them to try and follow it on their own.
Helping all students, even those who transfer to online programs, feel connected to the LCCC community is just one way we are working to ensure success for all students. LCCC believes every student’s dream matters, and we are here to get them to that dream. Our students say it best. In her poem, LCCC Achieving the Dream scholar Nikita Johnson said, “with something as small as a text, but as strong as a hug. a college that inspires hope that influence changes.” She talked about how LCCC treats her like family and is always there to support her, even as she transitioned to a degree in social work through the UP. Our goal is to make this true for every student who transfers to a University Partnership program.
