Randy Dunn, president of Southern Illinois University System and Barbara Veazey, president of West Kentucky Community and Technical College, signed an articulation agreement today that will save students time and money.Officials from both institutions joined the presidents in WKCTC’s Clemens Fine Arts Center Gallery lobby for the signing of a new transfer agreement that will provide a seamless transfer of credits for any Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) student who graduates with an Associate in Arts (AFA) degree to SIUC.
“Southern Illinois University has an outstanding Fine Arts program and we are very proud to offer our Associate in Fine Art (AFA) degree graduates the opportunity to have a seamless transfer,” said Veazey. “West Kentucky developed the AFA degree as we worked so hard on the Paducah School of Art and Design (PSAD), and that degree is now available for other KCTCS colleges.”
Tena Payne, WKCTC Vice President of Academic Affairs, said PSAD provides the first two years of a strong educational experience with qualified and highly talented faculty, and the agreement provides a sound basis for a bachelor’s degree in art as recognized by SIU. “We are pleased with the opportunity this agreement brings our students and our arts community,” Payne said.
WKCTC and the community have invested heavily in promoting and building the art school, Veazey added. “It will only grow and get better and we need to provide our students the opportunity to easily move to the baccalaureate level. SIU has partnered with the college on other degree opportunities for our students and a great collaboration exists.”
This is the third articulation agreement with WKCTC in three years, said Dunn, and SIUC appreciates the opportunity to expand and enhance the collaborative effort. “We now have 72 program articulation agreements with institutions throughout the U.S., and another 84 are in the review stage. These are strong indicators of the importance we place on working closely with our community college colleagues to create greater opportunities for students,” Dunn said.
SIUC Interim Provost Susan Ford said the importance of the partnership is underscored by the fact that SIU has an undergraduate admissions coordinator assigned specifically to West Kentucky students to ensure a seamless transition experience. “We look forward to welcoming more talented Kentucky students into the Saluki family."
The transfer agreement will provide a clearly delineated career pathway for students who want to extend their learning by obtaining a baccalaureate degree, said KCTCS Chancellor Rhonda Tracy. “This opportunity for advanced learning will benefit students who want to upskill their current knowledge base or who want to enhance their job opportunities. We anticipate high levels of student interest in this new pathway.”
PSAD Dean Paul Aho said he is pleased the art school was able to work with SIU Carbondale to create an articulation agreement benefiting all Associate in Fine Arts visual art majors within KCTCS. “The agreement and its accompanying degree plans assure our students a smooth and predictable transition from our two-year programs into SIU’s outstanding fine art and design specializations.”
Upon graduation with an AFA in visual art from KCTCS, students who have followed the degree plans detailed in the agreement will transfer into SIUC as college juniors and all of their course work will be accepted for credit, saving students time and money. Graduates will also save money by paying in-state tuition when transferring to SIUC.
(Pictured L to R) – Rachel Goatley, WKCTC advising and transfer coordinator; Paul Aho, PSAD dean; Susan Ford, SIUC interim provost; Barbara Veazey, WKCTC president; Randy Dunn, president of Southern Illinois University System; Rhonda Tracy, KCTCS chancellor; and Rachel Frazier, SIUC academic services assistant director.