Transfer students earn reverse transfer associate degree

From starjournalnow.com: “Nicolet College students who transferred early to UW-Madison can now get Nicolet associate degree” — Nicolet College students who transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison before completing all of the requirements for a two-year associate degree now have a way to finish the Nicolet associate degree while attending UW-Madison.

Officials from both campuses recently signed a reverse credit transfer agreement that gives students the opportunity to receive a Nicolet associate of arts or associate of science degree once they complete required courses at UW-Madison.

“We found that many students were transferring to UW-Madison before they had completed all of the required courses for a Nicolet associate degree,” Nicolet College President Elizabeth Burmaster said. “What this agreement does is give students the opportunity to transfer their UW-Madison credits back to Nicolet and receive a Nicolet associate degree once all course requirements are met. This way they will have a recognized college credential as they continue working toward their bachelor’s degree.”

The agreement applies to students who transfer a minimum of 16 Nicolet credits to UW-Madison and have completed at least 15 credits at UW-Madison. The agreement applies to all new students as well as to those already attending UW-Madison.

Nicolet’s University Transfer Liberal Arts program is the largest academic program at the college, with more than 400 students enrolled every year. The program offers three different degrees: associate of arts, associate of science, and an associate of science with a natural resources emphasis.

In all, Nicolet has more than 70 transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities. These include with all University of Wisconsin campuses and many private institutions, and a special agreement with UW-Madison that guarantees admission to Nicolet students who have at least 54 credits and at least a B average.

For more information about the reverse transfer agreement or other aspects of the University Transfer Liberal Arts program, contact the Nicolet College Welcome Center at 715-365-4493, 800-544-3039, ext. 4493; TDD 715-365-4448.

UW-Madison College reverse transfer agreement signed

From madison.com: “UW-MATC reverse transfer agreement to be signed Monday” — Madison Area Technical College and UW-Madison are entering into a unique partnership that will allow MATC students who transfer to UW-Madison a chance to complete their associate degree with university credits.

Each year, hundreds of students begin their studies at MATC then transfer to UW-Madison. Some earn a bachelor degree. Others complete the 64 credits needed for an MATC associate degree.

But a third group earn at least 64 credits but never receive a degree because they enter a four-year program but drop out before completing it.

Under the “reverse transfer” agreement to be announced Monday, MATC students who earn 30 or more credits and then transfer to UW-Madison, can apply their UW credits back to automatically complete their MATC degree.

“An associate degree is recognized in the marketplace as a degree that may command a higher wage than somebody who just had some college and hadn’t finished anything. So that’s one advantage,” said Terry Webb, provost of MATC, also known as Madison College.

Getting the associate degree also could help motivate transfer students to complete their bachelor’s degree, he said.

Nationwide, there are just a few similar agreements, said MATC spokesman Cary Heyer.

“It’s a relatively new concept,” he said. “Certainly it’s going to pick up. It is unusual to the extent that it’s a two-year community college that’s partnering with a four-year comprehensive research institution.”

Webb referred to the “reverse transfer” language as “kind of a term of art,” which may not “be descriptive of what actually happens.”

“What it means is that instead of the traditional route where our students are transferring credits to UW-Madison, now our students are transferring credits from the university back to Madison College,” he said.

Webb said that last year nearly 800 MATC students transferred to the UW-Madison.

Additionally, last year and in previous years, an average of 200 students who completed an associate degree at MATC transferred to a 4-year college. While the majority go to UW-Madison, others go to UW-Whitewater, UW- Milwaukee and other schools, Webb said.

A signing ceremony for the agreement is scheduled for Monday morning at the Truax campus.

WTCS President kicks off Ed Talks

From news.wisc.edu: “Ed Talks Wisconsin an effort to start constructive dialog about public education” — Interested in public education and becoming more informed about the range of often contentious topics that are grabbing the headlines?

Ed Talks Wisconsin offers a unique opportunity to listen to diverse views and engage in debate and dialogue on issues from closing the achievement gap and the politics of school choice, to teachers unions, the transformation of higher education and more. The event, to be held on the UW-Madison campus March 12-22, is free and open to the public.

“This is a classic Wisconsin Idea sort of effort — using university resources and scholarship to inform public engagement on a big issue of public policy,” says Joel Rogers, a professor of law, political science, public affairs and sociology and director of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, who is organizing the event. “Everybody should have the opportunity for a good education. That means making the public system work. This discussion is about what that requires today.”

Whether one is a student, parent, teacher, researcher or interested citizen, all are invited to join in the conversation.

“There are so many important conversations happening in and around Wisconsin regarding the future of public education, and Ed Talks Wisconsin represents an initial effort to try and pull them together into a cohesive dialogue,” says Sara Goldrick-Rab, an associate professor of educational policy studies and sociology who is helping organize the event.

Some of the Ed Talks Wisconsin highlights include:

• The March 12 kickoff event, “From K-12 to Technical College Degrees: Toward Stronger Connections and More Student Success.” The presentation will feature Morna Foy, the new president of the Wisconsin Technical College System, and be moderated by Julie Underwood, the dean of UW-Madison’s School of Education. It begins 7 p.m. in room 159 of the Education Building.
• The discussion March 13 centers on the hot-button topic of the achievement gap, and will feature a range of educational experts and key local stakeholders, including Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, James Howard, president of the Madison Metropolitan School District’s Board of Education, and Michael Johnson, chief executive officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. This event begins at 7 p.m., also at the Education Building.
• A presentation March 15 will focus on the rapid advancement in online learning opportunities and “The Coming Transformation of Higher Education.” Anya Kamenetz, the author of several books on the future of education and a senior writer at Fast Company magazine, where she writes the column “Life in Beta,” will take part in the conversation, as will UW Colleges and UW-Extension Chancellor Ray Cross, who is helping lead efforts to launch the UW System’s Flex Degree program. This talk begins at 7 p.m. at the Education Building.
• On March 18, a panel will examine the “Politics of School Choice in New Orleans and Milwaukee.” Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is proposing an expansion of the school choice program, which uses public funding to allow students to attend private or religious schools. Two authors with new books on school choice (Sarah Carr and Barbara Miner) will participate in an event moderated by UW-Madison’s Gloria Ladson-Billings, the Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education and a professor of curriculum and instruction, and educational policy studies. This event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Varsity 3 room of Union South.

The final two days of Ed Talks Wisconsin, March 21-22, are also part of the UW-Madison Department of Educational Policy Studies’ annual conference. This year’s 10th annual event is titled “A Nation at Risk? Reflections on the Past and Future of U.S. Public Education.”

“A Nation at Risk” is a report that was released in 1983, jump-starting decades of often critical talk directed at public schools. The report was a driving force behind a series of reforms, including the Bush administration’s 2002 No Child Left Behind law that pressured schools to improve students’ test scores or face increasingly harsh sanctions. These events, all in room 159 of the Education Building, also are free and open to the public.

To view the full schedule of events and for additional information, visit the Ed Talks Wisconsin website.

Ed Talks Wisconsin is being organized by: UW-Madison’s School of Education, Department of Educational Policy Studies, Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) and Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education; the Madison Mayor’s Office; the Teaching Assistants Association; United Council of UW Students; the Wisconsin University Union; and Wisconsin Union Directorate.