Erskine signs bridge agreement with Tri-County Technical College

April 8, 2010

DUE WEST, SC – April 8, 2010 – Officials from Erskine College and Tri-County Technical College signed an articulation agreement April 6 that will create a “Bridge to Erskine” program for students who wish to begin their studies at Tri-County and transfer to Erskine.

Erskine President Dr. Randall T. Ruble and Tri-County Technical College President Dr. Ronnie Booth signed the agreement at Belk Hall on the Erskine campus. Erskine Interim Vice President and Dean of the College Dr. Gid Alston and Tri-County Technical College Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Phil Buckhiester were also present for the signing.

A similar agreement was recently signed by Erskine officials with Piedmont Technical College, which is located in Greenwood and has centers in Abbeville, Edgefield, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda counties. Tri-County is located in Pendleton and serves residents in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties.

Alston said bridge agreements “provide a defined way for students to start at technical college and graduate from Erskine College.”

Erskine approves entry into the program, he said, and a variety of acclimation-to-Erskine programs and activities will be provided. Students in the Bridge program study for one year at the technical college and three years at Erskine.

“Students completing a minimum of 30 semester hours of specified courses at a 2.7 GPA will transfer seamlessly to Erskine College as sophomores,” Alston explained.

Buckhiester said, “Bridge students who are successful do not have to apply as transfer students to Erskine. It’s a guaranteed admission if they do their part.”

However, students who attend a two-year institution for more than one year are not part of the bridge agreement. “They would be considered on an individual basis, just as they are now,” Alston noted.

Similarly, students who attend a two-year institution for less than 30 semester hours are not part of the bridge agreement, and would be considered on an individual basis.

“I have really enjoyed working with Dr. Alston on this program the past few months,” Buckhiester said. “We at Tri-County are always pleased when the quality of our programs is recognized through formal, mutually beneficial partnerships with four-year institutions. It is especially pleasing to be collaborating with an institution of Erskine’s academic reputation.”

Erskine Vice President for Enrollment Woody O’Cain sees the agreements with Piedmont Technical College and Tri-County Technical College as “a great recruitment tool in finding students who are a good match for Erskine.”

“The landscape of the recruitment market has changed in that students are now strategically making the decision to attend a two-year college because it is a more affordable option for them,” O’Cain said.

“The perception that these students are not ready for a four-year college experience straight out of high school is simply not the case,” he said. “This is yet another example of how the economy has affected the landscape of higher education.”

Bridge program participants will receive admissions counseling from both Tri- County and Erskine College mentors. They will be assigned a student mentor who will guide them through the transfer process and their first semester at Erskine.

In addition, for Tri-County students who qualify for the Bridge program the Erskine application fee will be waived; they will be considered for transfer scholarships; and they will receive invitations to a number of recreational, campus and cultural events.