Development of articulation agreements with secondary and postsecondary educational institutions

Purpose:

To establish a formal process for the development of agreements to articulate academic programs offered by J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) with those of secondary schools, other community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities for the purpose of ensuring academic continuity and quality as students progress from one educational level to another.

Definitions:

Chief transfer officer: the designated individual at each four-year and two-year college or university in the Commonwealth who serves as the point of contact for transfer-related communication. The chief transfer officer for Reynolds has been designated as the vice president of academic affairs (VPAA).

Dual enrollment agreement: a formal arrangement with a high school or school division, whereby high school students are enrolled in a course (or courses) for which they are simultaneously awarded high school and college credit.

Guaranteed admissions agreement: a type of transfer agreement with a four-year college or university that guarantees admission of community college students who graduate with predetermined classes and who satisfy criteria articulated in the agreement (e.g., a minimum grade point average). Most guaranteed admissions agreements guarantee admission to the institution, but not necessarily to the student’s major of choice.

Guaranteed admissions and co-enrollment agreement: a type of transfer agreement with a four-year college or university that facilitates the admission of community college students, whereby students at the community college may enroll in classes at the four-year institution and, after meeting specified criteria (e.g., a minimum grade point average in the classes taken at the four-year institution), be guaranteed admission to that institution. Students should be advised that they cannot receive financial aid for both institutions in some cases.

Transfer agreement: a formal arrangement with another college or university to ensure that transfer students are treated on an equal basis with the receiving institution’s native students. Reynolds has three types of transfer agreements:

1. Transfer articulation agreements
2. Guaranteed admissions agreements
3. Guaranteed admissions and co-enrollment agreements

Transfer articulation agreement: a type of transfer agreement, usually written in terms of specific courses or entire programs that specifies how courses will be accepted from one college or university to another and how they will be applied to an academic program at the receiving institution.

Policy:

All forms of dual enrollment agreements between the college and secondary schools and transfer agreements between the college and other postsecondary institutions shall be covered by this policy.

1. Dual enrollment agreements

   The policies set forth in the Virginia Plan for Dual Enrollment Between Virginia Public Schools and Community Colleges shall be adhered to in the development of any dual enrollment arrangements by the college. The college’s dual enrollment coordinator shall be notified when dual enrollment opportunities are initiated by any area of the college. This notification must be made prior to the preparation of any written proposal(s) concerning the content of an agreement. The dual enrollment coordinator shall be responsible for coordinating the development of all dual enrollment agreements. This shall include providing information to appropriate college representatives about opportunities for dual enrollment, serving as the liaison between the college and school districts concerning dual enrollment, and providing assistance with dual enrollment agreement preparation.

   The Office of the Vice President of Finance and Administration is responsible for maintaining the college's official document file for signed dual enrollment agreements.

2. Transfer agreements

   The college’s chief transfer officer shall be notified when college transfer opportunities are initiated by any area of the college or by another postsecondary institution. This notification must be made prior to the development of written transfer agreements. The chief transfer officer shall be responsible for coordinating the development of all transfer agreements. This shall include providing information to the executive officers and school deans about opportunities for transfer articulation, participating in inter-institutional discussions concerning transfer articulation, and providing assistance with transfer agreement preparation.

   The chief transfer officer is responsible for maintaining the college's official document file for signed transfer agreements, which includes posting the agreements on Reynolds.edu for accessibility to faculty and staff.

3. All agreements entered into by the college with other institutions must be reviewed by the vice president of finance and administration.

4. Final agreements must be entered into by the president or designee.

Procedures:

1. Development of new dual enrollment agreements

   1. The approved template, available on the internal Reynolds site, will be used for the college’s dual enrollment agreements. This contract form has been approved by the Office of the Attorney General and the chancellor of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). The Office of the Vice President of Finance and Administration is responsible for approving the completed Dual Enrollment Contract.

   2. The dual enrollment coordinator will be notified of any requests for new dual enrollment courses or expansion of dual enrollment opportunities. The dual enrollment coordinator will work with appropriate college and school district representatives to complete dual enrollment contract negotiation and course offering negotiation.

   3. Dual enrollment contracts are signed by the president of Reynolds and the superintendent or ranking official of the school district.

   4. Signed dual enrollment contracts will be maintained in the Office of the Vice President of Finance and Administration.

   5. The Office of the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs will post signed contracts on the internal Reynolds Curriculum/Agreements page.

   6. The coordinator of dual enrollment will oversee the periodic evaluation of dual enrollment agreements.

2. Development of new transfer agreements

   1. Prior to the development of any written transfer agreement covered by this policy, the college official initiating the agreement notifies the college’s chief transfer officer, who will coordinate the development of the agreement. The chief transfer officer informs the Executive Cabinet and school deans of the new agreement to be developed.

      The initiating college official proceeds with continued discussion of the articulation initiative and works with the chief transfer officer in the development of a formal written agreement.

   2. Since there is no standard form for transfer agreements, developers of these agreements may review the approved agreements posted on Reynolds Transfer Website for ideas on content and format.

   3. As new agreements are developed, every effort will be made to use standardized terminology regarding the type of transfer agreement, according to the definitions in this policy.

   4. Once complete, the chief transfer officer coordinates a review of the agreement by appropriate college faculty and staff, depending upon the type of agreement. Reviewers of the agreements will generally include the vice president of academic affairs; associate vice president of strategic planning and institutional effectiveness; school deans; director of admissions; registrars; director of financial aid; counselor of transfer services; and faculty via the school deans.

   5. Once the agreement is reviewed and finalized, the chief transfer officer coordinates the signature approval process by the college president and the appropriate official at the partner institution.

   6. The chief transfer officer maintains the official repository of signed transfer agreements.

   7. The chief transfer officer will implement a process to review agreements on a three-year cycle, beginning with those with the oldest signatures and continuing until all have been reviewed/signed within the last three years. Annually, those agreements which need to be reviewed will be identified at the beginning of the year and listed in the unit’s work plan. Unless otherwise negotiated with the four-year partner, all new and revised agreements will have language that calls for review every three years.

3. Revisions to existing agreements

   1. Dual enrollment agreements

      1. The dual enrollment coordinator will coordinate revisions to existing dual enrollment agreements in consultation with the vice president of finance and administration, following the procedures in IV.A. above.

   2. Transfer agreements

      1. The chief transfer officer will coordinate revisions to existing agreements, following procedures in IV.B. above.

Other Information:

Virginia Plan for Dual Enrollment Between Virginia Public Schools and Community Colleges