Graduates of Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana’s largest institution of post-secondary education, can now transfer to Earlham College and earn a bachelor’s degree in as little as two years.
The institutions finalized six articulation agreements in some of their most popular degree programs, eliminating barriers for Indiana’s community college students seeking a world-class education from a four-year institution. Earlham is among the first national liberal arts colleges to develop a strong partnership with a public community college.
“This is an important step forward in deepening our roots in our home state of Indiana. By working with Ivy Tech we’ve develop new pathways for their students to further their education close to home,” Earlham President Anne Houtman said. “With a national reputation for value, a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching, and one of the nation’s top classroom experiences, Earlham is an ideal place for Ivy Tech students to expand their horizons.”
The agreements allow Ivy Tech students who have earned an associate degree in biology, chemistry, computer science, business administration, psychology, or human services to transfer to Earlham as juniors knowing every credit they have taken will count toward their degree requirements. In two years, and with an ordinary course load, these students can graduate from Earlham with corresponding bachelor degrees in biology, chemistry, computer science, global management, psychology, or social services.
“We are extremely pleased to add several seamless transfer agreements with Earlham College to our growing number of transfer opportunities for Ivy Tech associate degree graduates,” said Stacy Atkinson, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College Richmond. “These are the most extensive partnerships in history between our institutions. Earlham has an excellent academic reputation, and these agreements will provide an opportunity for our graduates to take advantage of that excellence while saving considerably.”
Ivy Tech students considering Earlham as part of the fall 2021 entering class are eligible for Earlham’s Heartland Region Scholarship, which is worth $8,000 over four years on top any other scholarships awarded by Earlham.
Earlham also offers an advantage very rare in higher education that its Ivy Tech students will be eligible for: a funded internship, faculty-student research experience, or project before graduation.
“At Earlham, these students will have access to the very best of an Earlham education, including opportunities to participate in career-discerning experiences both on and off campus, clubs and activities, and cultural immersion experiences in other parts of the world,” Houtman notes.
As part of the agreement, Ivy Tech honors students will automatically be offered enrollment into Earlham’s honors program. Honors students at Earlham benefit from enhanced advising, participate in honors seminars that allow them to engage with global issues and situations that interest them, and complete a capstone project.
“We help students discover who they want to be and how their unique interests and expertise can change the world,” said Nate Eastman, associate professor of English and the convener of the honors program.
“Honors students look at refugee crises, or access to health care in Wayne County, and ask ‘How can we use our interests and talents to make this better?’ he said. “We also connect honors students with alumni, and with an honors adviser who helps prepare students to pursue fellowships, prizes, and awards that will support them through whatever they want to do after graduation—whether it’s starting a software company, earning a Ph.D., or building a school.”
Creating transfer agreements between both institutions is one of the primary goals of Earlham’s “Grow Where You’re Planted: Deepening Our Roots,” a three-year initiative supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. Additional priorities funded by the initiative include a redesign of the College’s academic advising; expanded use of technology to support the student experience, including four-year planning and course registration; and the development of a new “commuter lounge,” a space in Lilly Library that will serve as an on-campus study space and home-away-from-home for non-residential students.
“Our partnership with Ivy Tech is a vital aspect of our work to create greater accessibility for students seeking the rigor and transformative learning opportunities that a liberal arts education provides,” said James Logan, professor and interim academic dean. “Ivy Tech graduates will bring a richly diverse and inclusive set of ideas and perspectives to campus that will make Earlham a better place to live, learn and grow.”
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