SC Technical College System and Lander University announce statewide bridge agreement

COLUMBIA, SC – February 5, 2009 – Columbia, South Carolina – Lander University and the SC Technical College System have signed an agreement designed to facilitate the transfer of students from the SC Technical College System to Lander.  This collaboration is intended to serve students by providing program support and services which facilitate the transfer process and prepare students desiring to continue their education at Lander.

The agreement, signed by Lander President Daniel Ball and SC Technical College System President Barry Russell, creates the statewide Bridge Program, which will take effect fall 2009. The agreement builds upon similar programs established with both the University of South Carolina and Clemson University.

Ball said the program is designed to make the transition from South Carolina’s technical colleges to Lander as seamless as possible. The program also is a response to demand in communities across the state.

“The SC Technical College System and its 16 technical colleges throughout the state are dedicated to preparing South Carolinians to succeed and achieve their work and life goals,” said Russell. “This agreement with Lander enhances our ability to serve those students who wish to begin their higher-education studies with us and then seamlessly transfer to Lander for further learning opportunities.”

“Although university transfer addresses only one component of our overall mission, it is an option that more and more students are choosing,” Russell said. “We are very pleased with the partnership we have developed with Lander – making higher education even more accessible for students across the state.”

The Bridge Program is intended for, but not limited to, first-time college attendees who are recent high-school graduates. The university and technical colleges will identify and contact students who were denied admission to Lander either for academic or space-available reasons. Students attending one of the technical colleges with the intent to transfer to Lander University are also eligible for the program.

Technical college students will be provided information about the Bridge program and will be invited to attend an event at Lander later this spring where they will meet and interact with personnel from the offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Support Services and the Academic Success Center. Program participants will also have an opportunity to meet with representatives from their chosen academic area and be provided a campus tour.

A special program for technical college advisors will be hosted by Lander in late spring, and all Bridge Program contact personnel at the technical college will be provided a list of contacts from university administrative and academic departments.

To further insure student success, students will be offered the opportunity to be matched with a transfer student mentor the semester before entering Lander to answer questions as the student prepares for his/her transition.  Transfer students will continue to benefit from mentoring opportunities throughout their first year at Lander.

Last year nearly 235,000 students were enrolled in credit and continuing-education programs in the SC Technical College System’s 16 institutions. For more information, go to www.sctechsystem.edu.

Lander University

Lander University has been providing educational and cultural opportunities since its founding in 1872 as Williamston Female College in Williamston, S.C. The college moved to Greenwood, S.C., in 1904 and was renamed Lander in honor of its founder, Samuel Lander. It became part of the state system of higher education in 1973. Lander is now a coeducational, state-assisted, comprehensive university with traditional liberal arts and science programs, and professional programs in business, education and nursing. For more information, visit www.lander.edu.

SC Technical College System
The SC Technical College System is an integral part of South Carolina’s higher-education system, working to make college affordable and accessible through its 16 colleges across the state. The continuum of education and training for businesses and individuals provided by the technical colleges, the Center for Accelerated Technology Training and its readySC™ program as well as Apprenticeship Carolina™ make the system a key partner in South Carolina’s economic and workforce development efforts. For more information, visit www.sctechsystem.edu.