WESTFIELD – The partnership between Westfield State University and Holyoke Community College is set to grow stronger, as the two institutions will be signing an online articulation agreement this week, enabling students to complete a four-year degree through the two schools without setting foot in the classroom.
“Now students will be able to completely get their degree online and have access to academic excellence in a way that they maybe would not have had before,” said Westfield State spokeswoman Molly Watson. “You see in the areas of healthcare, STEM, business and finance, we’re lagging behind significantly in the number of students who are graduating in the state.”
“You’re also seeing that the number of students that are eligible for college is diminishing,” she said. “I would wager that the adult population at HCC is probably slightly higher, so all of a sudden, we’re tapping into a market now where you’re graduating students outside of the traditional undergraduate day student who are now prepped for specific programs and careers, and a ready to get back into the workforce.”
“I think this is the big story of the semester for us,” said interim University President Dr. Elizabeth Preston. “If you have a Pell-eligible student – someone who has a significant financial hardship – it does not essentially cost them anything to go to HCC, so the first two years would be at no cost. Then they come to Westfield and they can complete a four year degree, all online, for somewhere between $5-10,000.”
“One of President Obama’s 2020 goals was to have a greater percentage of citizens with an education,” said Kim Tobin, interim vice president of administration and finance. “At the time when that came out, everyone was saying the demographic of traditional aged student is decreasing, so where do these people come from? The answer has always been the continuing and adult populations.”
“These are the people who don’t have college degrees, or they might or might not have a two-year degree. They might have no college,” she said. “But this is a way to get them education and skills that will make them marketable in the labor force.”
The partnership will allow for a student to start at HCC in an online program such as business, criminal justice, sociology, and history among others, and then transfer to Westfield State to complete their degree.
“Thats not the traditional student who’ll be living in a dorm. It’s the continuing ed or adult student who might have other things they have to juggle or balance, but this creates something thats affordable and accessible,” said Tobin. “It’s a far more reasonable pricetag so that students aren’t leaving with student or minimal student loans, and thats what you want to try to get to in trying to reach that 2020 goal.”
Preston added that the agreement will be “ready to go” for the upcoming fall semester at the institutions.
“We’re looking for other ways to partner with our local community colleges but this is a good step forward,” she said.
Matt Reed, Holyoke Community College’s vice president of academic affairs, agrees with Preston’s assessment.
“We’re excited to provide students with opportunities they may not have known about, paying public tuition and staying in the state system,” he said Friday, adding that the plan has been in motion for awhile. “It’s been percolating for over a year, and began when Dr. Preston was vice president of academic affairs. She’s a friend, and in conversation, we came up with the idea (an online articulation agreement).”
Reed said that Westfield State was “a little distracted” over the past year, but after seeing Preston at a legislative breakfast held at HCC, the idea was resurrected.
“It’s a win-win for both institutions,” he said. “Our kids get a great opportunity, and WSU gets some excellent students.”
“Our online students tend to skew more adult,” he said. “Many are parents who do their homework when the kids go to bed, who’ve accumulated credits but don’t have a degree.”
While online programs have been growing statewide, Reed believes that an agreement such as this is a first for western Mass., and will be one of the most affordable in the region.
“A fulltime student who receives no financial aid will be paying less than $5,000 a year to come here. Part of the appeal is for students who are afraid to go into debt,” he said, adding that many HCC students receive some form of aid. “But this (agreement) is significant, because we’re providing a higher quality education for a lower cost.”
