CONTENTS

About the Authors...... i Preface...... xiii Introduction...... xv

Deciphering the Data Institutional Initiatives...... 30 Orientation...... 30 Articulation Agreements...... 31 CHAPTER ONE by Bruce Clemetson, Lee Furbeck, Transfer Shock...... 32 and Alicia Moore Faculty Workshops...... 33 Understanding the Data and Best Practices Campus Visits...... 33 for Supporting Transfer Students...... 3 Mentor Programs and Transfer Seminars...... 34 Transfer Information Week...... 34 Transfer Student Characteristics...... 6 Transfer Students and National Data Trends...... 6 CHAPTER FOUR Defining and Managing by Susan Davies, Jane Rex, Different Types of Student Swirl...... 9 and Lori Stewart Gonzalez Institutional Partnerships to Support Swirlers...... 12 Creating Institutional Teamwork for Transfer Student Success...... 37 CHAPTER TWO by Paul Attewell and David Monaghan Creating a Case for Institution-Wide Transfer Programming and Service Initiatives...... 39 Lost Credits: The Community College Route Strategies to Enhance Collaboration to the Bachelor’s Degree...... 15 across Campus: Frameworks for Change...... 41 Creating Transfer Student Success through the Enrollment Management Transfer Transition Process...... 45 CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER THREE by Shanee R. Crews and Joanne E. Jensen by Nora Manz Recruiting Transfer Students...... 51 Transfer Student Success and Retention...... 23 The Big Picture...... 54 Addressing Different Needs...... 25 Understanding the Market...... 54 Elements of Student Success...... 25 Developing a Recruitment Plan...... 55 Retention and Persistence...... 27 Communications, Marketing, and Events...... 57 Establishing Successful Practices...... 27 Helping Transfer Students Transition from Statewide Initiatives...... 27 Two-Year to Four-Year Institutions...... 59

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success CHAPTER SIX Degree Requirements...... 106 by Marie-José Caro and Edward F. Trombley III Resources for Military Students and Veterans...... 107 Non-Traditional Students and Transfer: A Focus on Military and CHAPTER TEN Veteran Students...... 63 by Christy Fry Military and Veteran Students...... 65 International Transfer Credit Evaluation and Methodology Enrollment Trends of ...... 109 Non-Traditional Students...... 66 Reacquaintance with the Enrollment Trends of U. S. Education System...... 111 Military and Veteran Students...... 68 Institutional Profile...... 112 Admissions Challenges of Evaluation Methodology...... 113 Non-Traditional Students...... 68 Admissions Placement...... 114 Transferring Military Credits...... 69 Accreditation...... 115 Social and Cultural Challenges Institutional Type...... 117 for Student Veterans...... 71 Evaluating Grades...... 118 Tools to Serve the Transfer Credit Evaluation...... 119 Non-Traditional Student...... 74 Applicability Versus Transferability...... 119 CHAPTER SEVEN Credential Type...... 120 by Nancy Krogh Course Content and Level...... 120 Transfer and Technology...... 79 Reporting Formats and U. S. Conversion...... 121 Subject-Based Conversion...... 123 Historical Tools and Technology...... 82 Study Abroad...... 124 Technology Today...... 83 Advanced Standing...... 124 Public Expectations...... 86 English as a Second Language (ESL) Courses...... 124 Future Trends...... 87 Articulation Agreements...... 125

CHAPTER EIGHT ELEVEN by Kelly Brooks CHAPTER by Ann M. Koenig and Ed Devlin Writing a Transfer Policy: Fighting Fraud: Principles and Practices...... 89 Verifying Credentials...... 131 Lessons from Journalism School...... 92 Common Types of Document Fraud...... 133 Document Fraud in Transfer Admissions...... 134 Transfer of Credit Degree Mills, Accreditation Mills, and Bogus Foreign Credential Evaluation Services...... 134 CHAPTER NINE Assessing Transcript Legitimacy...... 137 by Christine Carter Counterfeit Academic Documents Military Transcripts and Transfer Credit...... 99 from Real Institutions...... 139 High School Documents and Fraud...... 140 Thomas Edison State College...... 102 Protecting Your Institution: Best Practice in The Joint Services Transcript...... 102 Document Review and Verification...... 141 TESC Transfer Equivalencies...... 103 Document Review: Regionally-Accredited Institutions...... 104 A Step-by-Step Approach...... 143 TESC Academic Program Review Credit...... 104 Considerations for Policies on Fraud...... 145 Fort Sam Houston Program...... 105 Best Practice is the Key: Being Informed, Examination Programs...... 105 Remaining Vigilant, Verifying Documents...... 147 Military Transfer Policies...... 105 Resources on Fraud...... 147

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success Regulations International Transfer Students...... 185 Transferring Student-Athletes to Other NAIA Institutions...... 188 CHAPTER TWELVE Graduate Transfer Students...... 188 by Michelle Blackwell Legislative Appeals Process...... 188 FERPA and Reverse Transfer...... 151 FERPA Rules and Regulations...... 153 Partnerships Sample Scenarios...... 155 Ensuring FERPA Compliance...... 155 CHAPTER FIFTEEN by Frank Yanchak and Jack Miner CHAPTER THIRTEEN Reverse Transfer: The Newest by Andrew Cardamone Pathway to Student Success...... 195 NCAA Regulations for Reverse Transfer Defined...... 197 Transfer Student-Athletes...... 157 Statewide Reverse Transfer Initiatives...... 197 Triggering Transfer Status...... 160 Benefits for the Student...... 198 Initial-Eligibility Certification...... 160 Benefits for the Institution...... 199 Assessing “Qualifier” Status...... 160 Public Institution Model...... 200 The Basic Transfer Rule...... 161 Private Institution Model...... 201 Two-Year (2–4) Transfers...... 161 Supporting Reverse Transfer...... 201 Four-Year (4–4) Transfers...... 161 Student Processes...... 202 Graduate Student/ FERPA Considerations ...... 202 Post-Baccalaureate Participation...... 166 Residency Considerations...... 204 Assistance from the NCAA Staff...... 168 Territory Issues...... 204 Cost and Revenue Considerations...... 205 CHAPTER FOURTEEN Future of Reverse Transfer...... 206 by Angela Crawford and Heidi Hoskinson NAIA Regulations for CHAPTER SIXTEEN Transfer Student-Athletes...... 169 by Catherine Walker, Patricia Shea, and Roland Squire Opportunities and Challenges...... 172 Emerging Trends...... 172 The Interstate Passport: A New Framework for Transfer...... 209 NAIA History...... 173 Campus Partners and Other Resources...... 173 Phase I...... 212 Recruiting and Contact Rules...... 175 Phase II...... 213 Residency Rules...... 176 Passport Learning Outcomes Definition of an NAIA and Proficiency Criteria...... 214 Transfer Student Athlete...... 177 Passport Tracking System...... 215 Transfer Forms...... 177 National Student Clearinghouse...... 178 Case Studies Admissions Application and Eligibility Center Registration...... 179 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN FERPA Considerations...... 179 by Stephen J. Handel, Shawn Brick, Adam Conference Rules...... 179 Parker, and Liz Terry Key Transfer Eligibility Rules...... 179 Strengthening Community College Transfer Transfer Students...... 181 to Highly-Selective Research Institutions: A University of California Case Study Institutional Credit Hours...... 183 ...... 219 Gaps and Competitive Experience...... 185 Background and Context...... 221

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success Findings and Recommendations...... 222 Appendices Strengthening the Transfer Pathway...... 228 APPENDIX A CHAPTER EIGHTEEN by Jason L. Taylor Who Handles Transfer Articulation?...... 251 Implementing Reverse Transfer in Ohio: A Case Study...... 229 APPENDIX B Credit When It’s Due Initiative...... 232 Sample Articulation Agreement: The Ohio Context...... 232 Colorado Statewide Transfer Reverse Transfer Implementation Strategies...... 233 Articulation Agreement...... 253 Five Steps of Reverse Transfer Implementation..... 235 Preliminary Outcomes...... 236 APPENDIX C Successes...... 236 List of Statewide Challenges...... 236 Articulation Agreements...... 259

CHAPTER NINETEEN APPENDIX D by Charles Hannon WICHE Passport Facilitating Transfer Students’ Transition Guidelines for Registrars...... 261 to a Liberal Arts College...... 241 Evaluating Student Transcripts...... 244 APPENDIX E Nuts and Bolts...... 246 Joint Statement on the Transfer Room for Improvement...... 248 and Award of Credit...... 269

References...... 275

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Paul Attewell teaches in the Ph.D. program of the University Honors Program at UT for in sociology at the Graduate Center of the eight and half years. She has presented at na- City University of New York. His research tional and regional AACRAO conferences on focuses on the intersection of social strati- reverse transfer and the National Summit on fication and education, and especially on Reverse Transfer sponsored by the National processes affecting undergraduates from low- Student Clearing House. income backgrounds in non-elite colleges. His latest book, co-authored with David Shawn Brick is Associate Director of Un- Monaghan, is titled “Data Mining for the So- dergraduate Admissions at the University of cial Sciences: An Introduction.” California–Office of the PresidentUCOP ( ). He has worked on admissions policy issues E. Michelle Blackwell is the Director of Re- for the 10-university UC system for five years. verse Transfer at the University of North Shawn also serves as the UC representative Carolina–General Administration. She pre- and Chair of the www.assist.org Executive viously served as Director of Transfer Student Management and Oversight Committee. Services at Middle Tennessee State Univer- Prior to his work in admissions, Shawn was sity, where she established one of the first a financial aid policy expert forUCOP and a reverse transfer agreements in the state with financial aid director at the California Col- Nashville State Community College. She lege of the Arts. He holds a B.A. in History earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and Anthropology from the University of i and master’s degree in child and family stud- Wisconsin at Madison and will complete his ies from the University of Tennessee (UT), master’s degree in public policy at UC Berke- Knoxville. She served as Assistant Director ley in 2015.

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success Kelly L. Brooks, MPA, is Registrar at Capella and psychological services from Springfield University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her College. higher education career spans more than 20 years, including positions at the University Marie-Jose (M.J.) Caro is Registrar at Embry- of Minnesota–Twin Cities campus as the Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona School of Nursing’s Undergraduate Enroll- Beach. She has 18 years of experience in higher ment Manager, as well as Medical School education and higher education consulting, Registrar. Brooks has also served as Degree having served as a software consultant for Audit Coordinator, Registrar’s Office Super- Ellucian, Inc., Director of Student Affairs at visor, and Admissions and Transfer Officer at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Capella University. She holds an undergradu- Registrar and Associate Director of Admis- ate degree in print journalism and a master’s sions at Florida Gulf Coast University, and degree in public affairs in policy analysis and Assistant Director of Enrollment Services higher education administration. at Lehigh Carbon Community College. She holds a master’s degree from Jones Interna- Andrew Cardamone is an Associate Director tional University and bachelor’s degrees from of Academic and Membership Affairs at the Moravian College and Embry-Riddle Aero- National Collegiate Athletics Association. nautical University. Andrew joined the NCAA in September 2008 and currently serves on the academic, inter- Christine Carter is a Senior Evaluator in pretations, and operations teams. Specifically, the Office of the Registrar at Thomas Edi- Andrew serves as lead for academic, transfer, son State College, where she has worked for and academic integrity related interpreta- nine years. She earned her bachelor’s degree tions. He is also an academic team lead for at Georgetown University, and her M.Ed. business performance management and tech- at the University of Virginia. Christine has nology initiatives. presented at the AACRAO Technology and

About the Authors About Prior to joining the NCAA he was Assistant Transfer conference, as well as the AACRAO Registrar for Athletics Eligibility and Certi- Annual Meeting on topics including military fications at Georgetown University and the and non-traditional transfer credit. compliance coordinator at Temple Univer- sity. He also worked as an academic counselor Dr. Bruce Clemetsen is currently Vice Presi- in the Prentice Gautt Academic Center at the dent for Student Affairs at Linn-Benton ii University of Oklahoma. Community College in Albany, Oregon. Andrew holds his undergraduate degree Bruce earned degrees from Willamette Uni- in psychology from Saint Joseph’s University versity, Michigan State University and Bowl- where he was a member of the baseball team. ing Green State University. Bruce has worked He also holds a master’s degree in counseling in various student affairs roles at multiple

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success types of institutions. He is an adjunct faculty in College Student Development and Coun- member at Oregon State University, teaching seling, from VCU’s School of Education. She in the College Student Services Administra- began her career in higher education at VCU tion and the Community College Leadership in August 1999, and has served in various ca- programs. Bruce serves on the Oregon Com- pacities: in the Office of Records and Regis- munity College Student Success Oversight tration, the VCU Transfer Center, the School committee. His areas of interest include insti- of Business, and currently in the Office of -Ad tutional partnerships, equitable student suc- missions. In her current role, she is responsible cess and completion, and student progression. for leading the coordination of marketing and communications, recruitment, and the appli- Angela M. Crawford is the Manager of Mar- cation review process for the VCU Office of keting and Communications for the Na- Admissions’ transfer admissions efforts. tional Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). She earned her bachelor’s degree in Susan Davies earned her B.A. in English from public administration and public communi- Georgia Southern University and her M.A. in cation at Truman State University in Kirks- College Student Development from Bowl- ville, Missouri. and her master’s degree in ing Green State University. She is currently communications and quantitative research writing her dissertation on student price re- methods at the University of Kansas. sponsiveness in college enrollment decisions Angela was among the initial group hired to complete a Ph.D. in Educational Studies by the NAIA to help develop the processes for from the University of North Carolina at the Association’s new Eligibility Center, lead- Greensboro. Susan has served as Associate ing to its opening in 2010. For her first two Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management years at the NAIA, she oversaw academic eli- at Appalachian State University since 2009 gibility decisions for students transferring to and created the Office of Transfer Articula- NAIA schools and conducted the staff train- tion, which has now expanded to an Office

ing for academic eligibility decisions. Cur- of Transfer Services. Prior to her time at Ap- the Authors About rently, Angela coordinates the education and palachian, Susan held various positions that communication efforts of the NAIA Eligibil- impacted transfer student recruitment and ity Center for all external groups. retention, including Coordinator of Orien- tation and Parent Programs and Director Shaneé Crews is the Associate Director for of Admissions, over eleven years at Georgia Transfer Recruitment at Virginia Common- Southern University. iii wealth University. She received her bach- elor’s degree in psychology from Hampton Ed Devlin is currently a foreign credential University, and her Master of Education in evaluator with AACRAO International Edu- Counselor Education, with a concentration cation Services and previously held the posi-

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success tion of Director of Special Projects. He has where she has held public, private and govern- worked in international education for more ment positions in Malta, Sicily, Italy, and the than 40 years, directing the International United States. These positions have afforded Student Program at Monterey Peninsula Col- her experience in immigration and compli- lege (MPC), California, and directing English ance, credential and transfer evaluation, language and academic orientation programs training and assessment, student services, at Stanford, MPC and the University of Cali- and articulation agreement management. fornia Santa Cruz. He has also worked in Christy’s M.A. was obtained from SIT Gradu- international admissions at Golden Gate ate Institute in International Education and University in San Francisco and as a consul- Advising; her B.A. was completed in Psychol- tant for many schools and programs in the ogy. She enjoys presenting and facilitating United States and abroad. sessions, especially on the topic of creden- Mr. Devlin served on the AACRAO Inter- tial evaluation, having done so at AACRAO, national Admissions Committee and several NAFSA, and UK NARIC conferences. NAFSA committees. He has given presenta- tions, workshops and training sessions at Lee Furbeck, Ph.D., currently serves as Di- numerous AACRAO and NAFSA conferences, rector of Undergraduate Admissions and and has contributed many articles for publi- Student Transition at Cleveland State Uni- cations from both associations. The author versity and directs the transfer program for of the AACRAO publication Australia: Edu- AACRAO’s Technology and Transfer Con- cation and Training and co-author/editor of ference. She has published and presented the PIER workshop reports on Poland and the extensively on transfer-related topics, stu- Czech/Slovak Federated Republics, Ed devel- dent access and equity, and admissions re- oped the first model for theAACRAO EDGE cruitment. Lee previously served as chair of (Electronic Database for Global Education). AACRAO’s Transfer and Articulation Com- Ed Devlin is a Life Member of NAFSA. mittee and has worked with transfer students

About the Authors About and transfer credit policy at the institutional Christy M. Fry is the Associate Director of and state levels in multiple states. She has also International and Diversity Recruitment at served as chair of AACRAO’s Professional De- Colby-Sawyer College where she is charged velopment Committee and in several regional with all international and transfer enroll- leadership roles. Lee earned a doctorate in ment initiatives. For the past four years, she English at the University of Missouri in Co- iv was the lead international credential evalua- lumbia, Missouri, and master’s and bachelor’s tor for both International Graduate and Un- degrees from the University of Kentucky. dergraduate Admissions at Johnson & Wales University. Christy has been an international Lori Stewart Gonzalez, Ph.D., obtained her education practitioner for nearly fifteen years, B.A. from the University of Kentucky’s Com-

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success munication Sciences and Disorders program. advocated for and conducted research with She received her M.A. in Communication community colleges nationally and interna- Disorders from Eastern Kentucky University, tionally, with a special focus on initiatives and her Ph.D. in Communication Disor- that advance educational access and equity ders from the University of Florida. She be- for all students. Handel is the author of the gan her academic career at Southern Illinois Community College Counselor Sourcebook as University at Carbondale in 1988. In 1991, well as other publications focusing on higher she returned to the University of Kentucky education issues, including Remediating Re- as an assistant professor in the Communica- mediation (with Ronald Williams), Strength- tion Sciences and Disorders program. She ening the Nation by Narrowing the Gap (with spent twenty years at the University where James Montoya), and Second Chance, Not she served on the faculty and also served as Second Class: A Blueprint for Community Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. In 2005, College Transfer. Handel holds a Ph.D. from she was appointed UK’s third Dean of the UCLA and a bachelor’s degree from Califor- College of Health Sciences serving in that nia State University, Sacramento. capacity for seven years. Dr. Gonzalez served as Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Charles Hannon is Associate Dean of the at Appalachian State University in Boone, Faculty and Professor of Computing and In- North Carolina from 2011 until 2014. During formation Studies at Washington & Jefferson her time as provost, she focused on student College in Washington, Pennsylvania. He success initiatives including transfer student teaches courses in human-computer interac- programming. She currently serves as the Se- tion, the history of information technology, nior Advisor to the Senior Vice President for data presentation, project management, and Academic Affairs at the University of North gender and women’s studies. He has recently Carolina General Administration. published in Smashing Magazine and Interac- tions, and is the author of Faulkner and the

Stephen J. Handel is the Associate Vice Pres- Discourses of Culture (2005), which won the the Authors About ident–Undergraduate Admissions for the C. Hugh Holman prize in southern literary University of California (UC) System. In this studies. He holds a B.A. in English and Ger- capacity, Handel provides leadership around man from James Madison University; an freshman and community college transfer ad- M.A. in Modern Literature from the Univer- missions policy and practice for the nine UC sity of Kent at Canterbury; and a Ph.D. in undergraduate campuses. Prior to this posi- English from West Virginia University. v tion, Steve served for nearly a decade as the Executive Director of the National Office of Heidi Hoskinson is Interim Vice President Community College Initiatives at the Col- of Academic Affairs at Friends University in lege Board. At the College Board, Handel Wichita, Kansas. A higher education profes-

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success sional for over 20 years, she has worked in the university. She began her career in higher ed- areas of student affairs, enrollment manage- ucation as a teaching assistant and adjunct in- ment, and academic affairs. Heidi is finishing structor in the VCU Department of English. a Ph.D. in Adult and Higher Education with In 1999, she joined the staff in undergradu- an emphasis in Administration from the Uni- ate admissions where she was responsible for versity of Oklahoma and previously earned overseeing marketing and publications. In a Master of Science in Educational Leader- her current role, Jensen leads all marketing ship from Central Connecticut State Univer- and communications activities and program- sity and an undergraduate degree from Fort ming for SEM. Lewis College, Durango, Colorado. Active in AACRAO, Heidi has served on the Small Col- Ann M. Koenig is an Associate Director with lege Issues and Academic Progress and Grad- AACRAO International Education Ser- uation Committee and currently serves as the vices. Her career in international education Vice President for Outreach for the Kansas spans more than 25 years, including foreign Association of Collegiate Registrars and Ad- credential evaluation with IES and other missions OfficersKACRAO ( ). She has served professional evaluation services, and campus- as Chair of the NAIA Registrars Associa- based work in international undergraduate tion for the past year as well as serving on the and graduate admissions, student records NAIA Competitive Experience Committee. management, academic advising, and trans- fer credit evaluation. She has worked with Joanne Jensen is the Director of Marketing Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, a and Communications for Virginia Com- University of Maryland University College monwealth University’s Division of Strategic program in Germany, Golden Gate Univer- Enrollment Management, which includes sity in San Francisco, and the University of admissions, financial aid, military student California, Berkeley. services, new student and family programs, As a respected expert in academic docu-

About the Authors About records and registration, student account- ment review and fraud detection, Ms. Koenig ing, summer and intersession programs, the has contributed to several AACRAO publica- transfer center, and university academic ad- tions on the topic and shared her insights vising. Jensen earned her bachelor’s degree and recommendations for best practice at in English and her master’s degree in English numerous workshops and conference ses- composition and rhetoric from VCU. Prior to sions. Her achievements in international vi her work in higher education, Jensen worked education include in-depth research and as an account coordinator and writer in the writing on education in several countries. She fields of advertising and public relations, has presented at professional development and as an editor for a newspaper. Jensen has and training events sponsored by AACRAO, served in several roles during her tenure at the NAFSA, NAGAP, EAIE, and several other or-

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success ganizations in the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Koe- Delaware County Community College for nig has served on the NAFSA national ADSEC almost nine years, where she is responsible for committee and the AACRAO International managing the Transfer Office. Education Committee. Over the last 13 years, Nora has worked in various roles in higher education including Nancy Krogh currently serves as a Senior admissions, counseling, advising, and stu- Consultant for Sierra-Cedar Inc. She previ- dent activities. In recent years she served on ously worked at the University of Idaho and the Board of Directors of SSI at West Chester the University of North Dakota as university University, and was invited to serve on NA- registrar and at Rocky Mountain College as CAC’s Transfer Advisory Committee. Nora the registrar and director of institutional re- has presented at local and national confer- search. Nancy earned her Ed.D. and M.Ed ences regarding transfer student transitions, from Montana State University and a B.A. advising and adjustment, as well as Transfer- from the University of North Dakota. She Check. She is currently a member of the New has 25 years of experience in higher education York State Transfer and Articulation Associa- including in registration, transfer, admis- tion (NYSTAA), and is a founding member of sions, institutional research, residence life, the Transfer Advising and Admissions Com- and the administration and implementation mittee of Pennsylvania (TAAC). of technology. Nancy served on AACRAO’s Board of Di- Jack Miner is Director of Registrar Opera- rectors as vice president for finance. She has tions at The Ohio State University. He holds also served on several committees and task- a bachelor’s degree in political science and forces including as chair of the Institutional a master’s degree in public policy and man- Research and Enrollment Planning and In- agement, both from The Ohio State Univer- formation Systems and Technology Com- sity. In addition, Miner has been recognized mittees and as the co-chair of the AACRAO with the University’s Distinguished Alumni

Task Force on Association Governance. Award and a scholarship named in his honor. the Authors About Nancy was awarded AACRAO Honorary Jack has served as president and treasurer of Membership in 2015. the Ohio Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and serves on the -Ar Nora Manz is the Associate Director of ticulation and Transfer Credit Steering Com- Transfer and Articulation at Delaware mittee for the Ohio Board of Regents. He has County Community College. She has an also served as vice chair of Nominations and vii M.A. in Counseling, an Ed.M. in Psychologi- Elections, chair of the LGBT Caucus, and cal Counseling from Teachers College, Co- on various committees for the AACRAO. Jack lumbia University, and a B.A. in Psychology is currently the Vice Chair of the Program from Alfred University. She has been with Committee and will be chair for the annual

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success meeting in Phoenix in 2016. Jack is a recipi- campus develop a SEM plan and associated ent of the 2015 Thomas A. Bilger Award for student success strategies initiative, partner- service and leadership within AACRAO. ships between high schools and universities, as well as a new comprehensive one-stop ser- David Monaghan is a Ph.D. candidate in So- vice center that includes admissions, registra- ciology at the Graduate Center of the City tion, placement testing, academic advising, University of New York (CUNY), and com- student account/bursar, and financial aid. pleted his undergraduate education at Tufts Ms. Moore has also played a key role in the University. His research focuses on non- design of COCC’s new Campus Center and traditional students and open-access higher student housing, and coordinated the de- educational institutions, and in particular velopment of ongoing efforts towards a suc- on how the stratified structure of American cessful institution-wide strategic enrollment higher education reproduces educational in- management plan. equality among college entrants. His research Ms. Moore has presented at numerous has been published in Educational Evalua- conferences on topics including strategic en- tion and Policy Analysis, Sociological Focus, rollment management, assessment in student and Social Science Research. He is completing services, student engagement and retention, his dissertation, which explores college en- and institutional branding, and has written rollment among working-aged adults. several articles for AACRAO’s College and University journal. She has a bachelor’s degree Alicia Moore, Dean of Student and Enroll- from Willamette University, a master’s degree ment Services for Central Oregon Commu- from Colorado State University, and is cur- nity College (COCC) and Senior Consultant rently pursuing her doctorate in educational with AACRAO Consulting, bring more leadership from Oregon State University. than 17 years of leadership experience in the field of student and enrollment services. Ms. Adam Parker is a Policy and Program Ana-

About the Authors About Moore emphasizes the need for campus-wide lyst at the University of California, Office of leadership in strategic enrollment manage- the President. He has worked on higher edu- ment and providing opportunities for indi- cation issues including admissions, financial viduals across the campus, regardless of their aid, and student diversity, for the last fifteen position, to engage with the planning and years. As an independent consultant, Adam implementation process. works with nonprofits and foundations on is- viii During her tenure at COCC, Ms. Moore sues relating to education and poverty. Adam helped the College navigate record-setting has an M.A. in Public Policy from UC Berke- enrollment goals, including doubling insti- ley, an M.A. in History from the University tutional enrollment in five years. Through of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in History her collaborative efforts, she has helped the from UC Berkeley. Adam also has written

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success three books on California history for elemen- Center also provides data services that track tary school students. student enrollment and progress in postsec- ondary education for high schools, districts, Jane Rex received her Bachelor of Science in states, postsecondary institutions, researchers Health and Physical Education from Slippery and other educational organizations. Rock University in 1979 and a Master of Arts Shapiro has 15 years of experience conduct- in Student Development from Appalachian ing and publishing research on students in State University in 1989. Jane was a 23-year higher education, including 11 years of build- veteran of the North Carolina Community ing and managing student-level research da- College System before directing the Office tasets at the institution, state and national of Transfer Articulation. Established by Ap- level. Prior to joining the Clearinghouse, he palachian State University in 2010 to address was the Director of Institutional Research the needs of transfer students, particularly at The New School. Before that, he served as it relates to the seamless transfer of credit, as Vice President for Research and Policy the office has evolved into a one-stop center Development at the Minnesota Private Col- for transfer students. In addition to the chal- lege Council. Shapiro spent his early career lenges of creating a new office, Jane serves on managing alumni development campaigns, numerous committees on campus and across teaching mathematics, and leading one of the state to advocate for transfer-friendly the largest graduate student employee labor policies and practices that address transfer unions in the nation. He holds a Ph.D. from student needs. Jane is a frequent presenter at the University of Michigan’s Center for the state, regional, and national conferences and Study of Higher and Postsecondary Educa- was recently awarded the Bonita C. Jacobs tion, an M.A. in Mathematics from the Uni- Transfer Champion Award by the National versity of Michigan, and a B.A. in History Institute for the Study of Transfer Students. from the University of Chicago.

Douglas T. Shapiro, Ph.D., is the Executive Patricia (Pat) Shea is the principal investiga- the Authors About Research Director of the National Student tor for the Interstate Passport Initiative. She Clearinghouse Research Center, where he is holds an M.Ed. in Educational Administra- responsible for leveraging the nation’s largest tion and Supervision from George Mason student-level longitudinal dataset of college University. As the Director of Academic enrollment and degree information to help Leadership Initiatives for the Western In- improve institutional practice, inform policy terstate Commission for Higher Education ix and increase student success. The Research (WICHE) in Boulder, Colorado, Shea over- Center publishes annual reports detailing sees the activities of three membership orga- trends in student enrollment, persistence, nizations based there: the WICHE Internet transfer, mobility and completion. The Course Exchange, the Western Academic

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success Leadership Forum, and the Western Alliance policy and educational and social inequality. of Community College Academic Leaders. He has conducted and led several quantita- She also directs WICHE’s involvement in two tive and mixed methods studies on college other regional collaborative projects: the access and college pathways, including topics North American Network of Science Labs such as college readiness, developmental edu- Online (NANSLO) and the Consortium for cation, adult pathways to college, dual credit/ Healthcare Education Online (CHEO). enrollment and early college experiences, re- verse transfer and transfer policy, career and Roland Squire is the University Registrar for technical education, LGBTQ students, and Utah State University. He earned his bach- educational access and equity. elor’s degree in computer science from Utah Jason is the Co-Principal Investigator State University. He has had a career in infor- for the research associated with the Credit mation systems; first with Salt Lake City and When It’s Due initiative, and is investigating then as the Management Information Ser- the implementation and impact of reverse vices Director for the Utah Department of transfer programs and policies in the 15 states Public Safety. While at Public Safety Roland participating in Credit When It’s Due. He was named by the Governor as the Enterprise has published in journals such as American Executive for the information technology Behavioral Scientist, Community College Re- component of the state’s homeland security view, Community College Journal of Research efforts. He has worked forUSU for ten years and Practice, Education Policy Analysis Ar- and has worked on the WICHE Passport chives, and New Directions for Community project from the start of the project. Colleges. Prior to transitioning into academia, Roland served four years in the Air Force. Jason was an academic advisor at Illinois State After receiving electronics training he was as- University and the Registrar at Chaparral signed to the White House Communications College in Arizona. Agency in Washington, D.C. where he served

About the Authors About for over three years. Liz Terry is a Policy and Program Analyst at the University of California, Office of Jason L. Taylor is an Assistant Professor in the the President, focusing on Undergraduate Department of Educational Leadership and Admissions. She holds a master’s degree in Policy at the University of Utah. He received public policy from the Harvard Kennedy his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the Uni- School and a bachelor’s degree in mathemat- x versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with ics from Brown University. a research specialization in evaluation meth- ods and concentration in public policy. His Edward F. Trombley III is Registrar at Embry- broad research interests are at the intersection Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide. of community college and higher education With more than 25 years of experience in ed-

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success ucation, he has served as Senior Operations sation, and expanded learning opportunities. Manager of the Registrar’s Office at Walden Previously she held numerous positions at the University; Registrar at DeVry University Education Commission of the States and the in the Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., State Higher Education Executive Officers. metro regions; and Dean of Administration at Bryant & Stratton College. He holds a Frank Yanchak is University Registrar at bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. He the State University of New York at Oswego. has been in higher education for more than 20 years and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Catherine Walker is the project manager for West Liberty University and a Master of the Interstate Passport Initiative, which is Business Administration from Wheeling Je- managed by Western Interstate Commission suit University. He has served on AACRAO’s for Higher Education (WICHE). She holds Mentor Services Committee and the Trans- a bachelor’s degree in music history and a fer and Articulation Committee. Master of Arts in Teaching from The Colo- Frank has been very active in Ohio ACRAO rado College. Walker is also a founder and as President, Vice President of Mentoring and partner in The Third Mile Group, an educa- Membership, member of the Records and tion policy and research firm that conducts Registration Committee and Professional project management, program evaluation, Development Committee, and Co-Chair of research, writing, editing, and constituent the Local Arrangement Committee. He was communication and relations. Her work has also selected by his peers to serve on the Ohio focused on education leadership, alternative Board of Regents Articulation and Transfer education, teacher preparation and compen- Credit Steering Committee. About the Authors About

xi

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success

PREFACE

✍ LEE F. FURBECK Director, AACRAO Transfer Conference Director of Admissions and New Student Transition, Cleveland State University, Ohio

In January 2015, President Barack Obama ing a bachelor’s degree (Hossler et al. 2012). announced an ambitious proposal to offer With more options available for where and two years of community college tuition-free when they can access and complete courses, to qualifying students, including non-tradi- these students engage in multiple patterns of tional and part-time students excluded from attendance, moving between four-year and similar state initiatives. Community colleges two-year schools, and between public and are a relatively recent American invention, private institutions. Any transfer student may starting with Joliet Junior College in Chicago be at a greater risk of not completing a de- nearly 100 years ago. Since then, community gree, but they don’t have to be. Partnerships colleges have established a proud tradition as between institutions as well as college and open-access institutions educating a wide va- university support services can help transfer riety of students ranging from first-time col- students succeed and graduate. lege students and military veterans to adult AACRAO has a history of being at the learners and new immigrants. According to forefront of transfer, and for over 80 years the College Board, many of the millions of has published Transfer Credit Practices of students enrolled in credit-bearing programs Designated Educational Institutions (TCP), a in community colleges are doing so with the voluntary exchange of information regarding intention of transferring to a four-year college practices for acceptance of transfer credit. The or university and earning a bachelor’s degree. much-needed publication The College Trans- With the recent recession and college costs fer Student in America: The Forgotten Student xiii continuing to increase, student transfer has was published in 2004 just as institutions and become more prevalent and its patterns have state and federal government were turning an become less traditional. More than one third eye toward transfer. This guide translates re- of students transfer at least once before earn- search into practical advice on attracting, re-

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success taining, and graduating transfer students, and connections between the two while retaining addresses strategies for orientation and advis- the original focus of the meeting. ing, curricular issues, articulation agreements, Now, AACRAO has once again filled the and particular types of transfer. Not long af- void for admissions, advising, enrollment, ter, AACRAO’s Accreditation Mills (2007) was financial aid, registrar, and retention profes- released as the first publication of its kind to sionals working with transfer students. Indi- explore accreditation fraud. The book gives vidual chapters in this book cover enduring a historical perspective of the problem, ex- topics such as trends, transfer of credit and plores the relationship between degree mills articulation, transfer policy, two-year to four- and accreditation mills, and defines tactics year pathways, credential verification, recruit- used by mills to deceive the public. ment, transfer student athletes, advising, One year later, in 2008, the AACRAO partnerships, and regulations with a fresh and Transfer Conference was born as the associa- timely perspective. Other chapters address tion recognized the need to bring profession- more recent phenomena such as adult learn- als working with transfer students together to ers, growing numbers of military veterans, re- address common issues and to take a stance verse transfer, technology, and student swirl. on proposed federal legislation which would With so few resources devoted entirely to have shifted transfer credit decision-making the topic, this publication stands alone as from institutional control to the federal gov- a comprehensive publication on all things ernment. Since then, 300 to 400 transfer transfer. The best thing about working with professionals continue to meet each year to transfer students is that no two days are the share challenges and successes and to provide same. Whether you are just beginning your a venue for collaboration. In 2012, AACRAO’s journey with this fascinating student popu- Transfer and Technology Conferences of- lation or charting the course for transfer stu- ficially co-located for the first time, creating dent success at your institution, you will find opportunities for attendees to explore the a valuable source of information here. Preface

xiv

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success INTRODUCTION

✍ DOUGLAS SHAPIRO Executive Research Director, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

Transfer is a large and growing part of stu- tions as they seek to improve how they serve dents’ experience of postsecondary education their students, how they meet increasing de- today, and thus it is increasingly important mands for accountability from state and fed- for student professionals, institutional reg- eral policy makers, and how they meet their istrars, admissions officers, and enrollment own institutional goals. managers to understand. Student mobility, There are very few institutions remaining generally referring to any of the multiple- for which students arrive only as first-time institution pathways that students follow in freshmen and leave as newly-minted gradu- pursuit of their educational goals, can include ates (or dropouts). Trying to measure the all directions of transfer, such as “traditional” scale of student transfer can present difficul- transfer from a two-year to four-year institu- ties, however, because of the slipperiness of tion; “lateral” transfer from one two-year to the phenomenon and the need for multi- another two-year institution or from a four- institutional data to track individual student year to another four-year institution; “swirl- movements from campus to campus. Recent ing” from one institution to another and back research by the National Student Clearing- again to the starting point; “reverse” transfer house Research Center has found that the from a four-year to a two-year institution; numbers depend upon the vantage point and concurrent and dual enrollment patterns for viewing the student pathways and the that may include simultaneous enrollment amount of time spent in observance. Track- in more than one institution, such as an on- ing a cohort of students from their very first xv line university, a local evening or weekend postsecondary enrollment, for example, program, or even a high school. Understand- shows that one-third of students will enroll ing these patterns and their implications for at a different institution from where they student success is increasingly vital to institu- started within their first five years and before

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success earning any degree or certificate. This number tion are now entering as dual-enrollment stu- is fairly consistent regardless of whether that dents while still in high school, meaning that first institution is a community college, pub- when they enter college as “freshmen” after lic four-year, or private non-profit four-year graduating from high school, they may also institution (Hossler et al. 2012). These are the expect to bring transfer credits with them students who entered your campus as first- (Shapiro et al. 2013a). Students starting at time freshmen. Add the ones who transferred four-year institutions are, when they transfer in and, for the average institution, the pro- or swirl, equally likely to switch to a two-year portion of mobile students reaches one-half. college as to another four-year. The same is Looking at a graduating cohort instead of a true of students starting at two-year institu- starting cohort confirms that this is not just tions. Some of them will eventually want to a matter of the struggling students trying to bring their new credits “back home” to their find their footing, but includes the successful original institution; others, perhaps not. In- ones as well; half of all students who earned deed, most who start at a two-year institution their first degree or certificate between 2003 and transfer to a four-year without complet- and 2013 had enrolled in more than one insti- ing an associate degree may not know that tution along the way (Shapiro et al. 2014b). “reverse transfer”—sending four-year credits Many of these are “swirlers,” but even exclud- back to their starting institution in order to ing those who leave and come back, the data receive the associate degree if, by chance, they shows that over a quarter of those who com- do not complete their bachelor’s—is even pleted degrees within eight years of their first possible. Yet, many state policies now encour- enrollment in 2006 had actually earned them age it, and there are as many as two million at a different institution from the one they students nationwide who may be eligible started in (Shapiro et al. 2014a). Taken as a (Shapiro et al. 2014b). whole, it is a safe assumption that the share The growth of non-traditional students, of students who are on a multi-institution particularly adults, part-time enrollees, or pathway, either transferring in, transferring those returning to college after a long stop- out, or both, makes up a larger part of the en- out, is often assumed to contribute to trends Introduction rollments on the average college campus than of increasing student mobility and the growth many student professionals would think. of transfer students. Surprisingly, however, Not only are the numbers of mobile stu- non-traditional students are often among the dents large, but their pathways are also com- least mobile on many campuses. They tend xvi plex. More than one-quarter of students who to have less geographic freedom than tradi- have enrolled in more than one institution tional-age students, largely due to employ- have also crossed state lines in the process ment and family constraints, and thus find (Hossler et al. 2012). Nearly 16 percent of new, themselves more tied to the specific programs first-time entrants into postsecondary educa- at specific institutions and locations that best

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success meet their needs. They are also consider- Student mobility and transfer are also im- ably less likely than traditional-age students portant at the overall system of postsecond- to pursue a bachelor’s degree by starting at ary education, and particularly in terms of a two-year institution (Shapiro et al. 2013a). national and state-level goals for increasing Students in the military and student veterans, college completion and attainment rates. however, appear to be an exception to this Unfortunately, the resulting focus on institu- rule. Their frequent stop-outs and geographic tional accountability and measures of student dislocations due to service demands and rede- success often includes measures of success ployments make them more likely to change that do not count students who transfer, such institutions than their non-veteran adult as institution-based retention and gradua- peers (Cate 2014). Thus, the growth in the tion rates, and our national attention to these student-veteran population, expected to con- measures thus causes both institutions and tinue to accelerate, may lead to a reversal in the public to greatly underestimate the real the overall trend for non-traditional students. rates of postsecondary student success. This Student mobility is important to institu- leads to a diminished public perception of tions because of its impact on their efforts the effectiveness of higher education, and of to manage enrollments and retain students. the value that it returns to students, fami- For many students, the process of transfer- lies, and society’s investment. It also causes ring credits among the institutions in their students to suffer from a narrowed horizon increasingly complex educational pathways of opportunity and reduced capacities to is often fraught with unexpected hurdles plan realistic pathways to goal achievement, and barriers that can create frustration because neither they nor their advisors and and dampen momentum (Monaghan and counselors typically have access to complete Attewell 2015). Recent attention to the chal- or accurate statistics on the availability of lenges of credit transfer has led to many pol- multi-institutional pathways and their suc- icy initiatives, particularly at the state level, to cessful outcomes. By improving their under- address the perceived inefficiencies of “lost” standing of the transfer pathways of students, credits through regulation. Institutions that enrollment professionals will be better able Introduction find ways to further streamline this process to counter these trends and support the goals may be better positioned to avoid undesir- and expectations of their mobile students. able regulation while also becoming more ef- fective at supporting progress and success for their mobile students. xvii

The Transfer Handbook: Promoting Student Success