Charles Patrick of Penn State Fayette signs an articulation agreement between Penn State and Westmoreland County Community College. He is joined by, from left, Andrew Egan of Greater Allegheny, Tuesday Stanley of WCCC, and Kevin Snider of New Kensington.
Penn State New Kensington offers
articulation agreements to WCCC students
LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. -- Administrators from Penn State and Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC) signed an articulation agreement June 16 to facilitate the transfer of WCCC credits into baccalaureate degree programs at 14 University campuses.
The Penn State majors included in the terms of the agreement are: Administration of Justice B.A./B.S.; Business B.S.; Communications B.A.; English B.A.; Human Development and Family Studies B.S.; Letters, Arts, and Sciences B.A.; Information Sciences and Technology B.S.; and Psychology B.A./B.S. All programs are not delivered at every campus.
Penn State New Kensington’s four-year degree programs parallel WCCC’s two-year programs in Administration of Justice, Business, Communications, Information Sciences and Technology and Psychology.
In addition, the agreement will include specific program-to-program articulation for the RN to B.S. in Nursing at the Fayette, New Kensington and Shenango campuses.
The agreement, which is effective immediately, was announced by Charles Patrick, chancellor of the Fayette campus, and Tuesday Stanley, president of WCCC, at a signing ceremony in the college’s Founders’ Hall. They were joined by Andrew Egan, chancellor and chief academic officer of Penn State Greater Allegheny, and Kevin Snider, chancellor of the New Kensington campus.
“Penn State Fayette is pleased to partner with Westmoreland County Community College to provide access to high-quality academic opportunities for students in our shared service area. This articulation agreement moves us forward in that effort by streamlining the transfer process for students,” Patrick said.
The agreement ultimately expands access and affordability of Penn State degrees by providing a clear understanding of which courses student should take while earning an associate degree at WCCC.
Stanley characterized the agreement as a “monumental leap” forward because it will allow WCCC students to transfer seamlessly into Penn State campuses.
“I know some of our students have struggled,” Stanley said. “We’re making the commonwealth better.”
According to Snider, the agreement will build on his campus’s current partnerships with WCCC and Westmoreland county.
“We’re involved in county efforts to try and stimulate economic development, and so this is a nice, logical next step,” Snider said.
Egan said residents of the region will benefit most from this agreement.
“We work all the time with students who are disadvantaged and need to have an opportunity to access higher education, so I think this helps us do that,” Eagan said.
Now that the agreement has been formalized, WCCC students who earn an associate degree will be provided with an academic pathway to transfer into a parallel bachelor’s degree program at Penn State’s Commonwealth campuses. The coordination of transferable coursework, supported through academic advising, will enable a successful transition for students.
When transferring to Penn State, students must apply for admission, submit required transcripts, and meet the University’s admissions requirements. Penn State will waive application fees for WCCC students who apply for baccalaureate programs.
The Commonwealth campuses previously entered into similar articulation agreements with Butler County Community College, Beaver County Community College, and Community College of Allegheny County.
For information about academic and scholarship options, contact the admissions office at WCCC or a Penn State campus.
For information on New Kensington admissions, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Admissions/default.htm
For information on New Kensington bachelor’s degree programs, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Academics/bacc.htm
For more information on the articulation agreement, contact Gregory Evanina at 724-430-4199.