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A partnership between the ������ο��Ƶ of ������ο��Ƶ at Lafayette and LSU Eunice is cited as a model in a new guide for improving transfer ������ο��Ƶ success.

“The Transfer Playbook: Essential Practices for Two- and Four-Year Colleges,” profiles UL Lafayette and LSU Eunice, along with other institutions in five states that are improving outcomes for community college ������ο��Ƶs who transfer to universities to earn bachelor’s degrees. The report was produced by the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program and the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia ������ο��Ƶ.

“Our efforts have included designing the Ragin’ Cajun Bridge Program, developing 2+2 programs where ������ο��Ƶs can earn UL Lafayette bachelor’s degrees on the Eunice campus, and maintaining clear communications between senior leaders at the two campuses,” said Dr. DeWayne Bowie, vice president for Enrollment Management at UL Lafayette.

LSU Eunice has two-year associate degree programs whose courses can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree at UL Lafayette.

The Ragin’ Cajun Bridge Program, established in 2014, gives ������ο��Ƶs attending LSU Eunice – who plan to transfer to UL Lafayette – access to many campus benefits enjoyed by ������ο��Ƶ ������ο��Ƶs, such as access to Ragin’ Cajuns sporting events, Dupré Library, tutoring, career services, and academic advising.

Through the 2+2 program, UL Lafayette offers a bachelor’s degree program in elementary education that enables ������ο��Ƶs to complete all four years of coursework on the LSU Eunice campus. ������ο��Ƶ faculty travel to LSU Eunice to teach. “Each year, the UL Lafayette portion of the program enrolls approximately 20 ������ο��Ƶs, many of whom live in Eunice and have children, which makes the hour-long commute to the UL Lafayette campus more difficult,” the report states.

A UL Lafayette academic advisor also meets with ������ο��Ƶs once a week on the LSU Eunice campus to answer questions and make sure they take any tests needed to stay on track, such as PRAXIS certification exams.

According to “The Transfer Playbook,” 720,000 degree-seeking ������ο��Ƶs across the nation entered community colleges in Fall 2007. Most intended to ultimately earn bachelor’s degrees. However, “only about 100,000, or 14 percent, transferred to a four-year college and earned a bachelor’s degree within six years.”

The report notes that “������ο��Ƶs who enter higher education through community colleges are much more likely than those who start at four-year institutions to be low-income or the first in their family to attend college.”

So, it continues, “the two- to four-year transfer process, when it functions well, represents a critical means for upward mobility across the United States."

Other partnerships between universities and community colleges featured in “The Transfer Playbook,” are:

•  Colorado State ������ο��Ƶ, Colorado Front Range Community College;
•  Eastern Connecticut State ������ο��Ƶ, Manchester Community College;
•  Florida International ������ο��Ƶ and Florida Atlantic ������ο��Ƶ, Broward College;
•  ������ο��Ƶ of Massachusetts Amherst, Holyoke Community College; and
•  ������ο��Ƶ of Washington and Western Washington ������ο��Ƶ, Everett Community College.

According to the , those partnerships have three broad strategies in common. They “make transfer ������ο��Ƶ success a priority, create clear programmatic pathways with aligned high-quality instruction;” and “provide tailored transfer ������ο��Ƶ advising.”