Entering “2+2” agreements with community colleges is nothing ground-breaking, said Sue Maes, dean of continuing education for Kansas State University.
Such pacts occur on an annual basis, clearing the way for students to earn a degree at KSU following two years of study at the community college level.
“But we’ve never done six agreements at once,” Maes said Tuesday in a ceremony at Allen County Community College.
The two schools held a ceremony to mark their six 2+2 articulation agreements.
The agreements allow students to earn bachelor’s degrees at Kansas State in production media, farm and ranch management, psychology and interdisciplinary social science, business, family studies and addiction and prevention studies.
The agreements allow both schools to spell out the courses necessary at each school for students to earn their bachelor’s degrees. Brochures neatly arranged with color coding make the process even simpler.
And with the continuing development of online education, students can earn their degrees regardless of distance from campuses in Iola or Manhattan.
Putting together the articulation agreements “was a process that required a lot of work on both sides,” ACCC President John Masterson said. “Anytime you can make these agreements and provide easier access for students is a good thing.”
Masterson touted ACCC’s considerable footprint, thanks to its burgeoning online student population and its outreach campus in Burlingame.
Maes noted that many community college students end their schooling after earning their two-year degrees. The articulation agreements create a visible path the students can follow to continue their college careers, she said.
“And of course we would love for everybody to continue their schooling at K-State,” Maes said.
Jon Marshall, ACCC’s vice president for academic affairs, agreed.
“This allows the students to plan ahead,” Marshall said. “They can plot their coursework so they know ahead of time what they need to do to get a bachelor’s degree.”
ACCC, Kansas State tout program pacts
