As many as 20 or more four-year institutions are expected to be on the Barton Community College campus on Tuesday, Feb. 4, as the BCC Career Center and Student Support Services host the spring Transfer Fair. This event is scheduled every spring and fall. Schools from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma typically attend.
A majority of Barton Community College students who transfer to a four-year university after graduation believe their experience here is preparing them for a successful transition, according to a report shared last with the BCC Board of Trustees.
Angie Maddy, vice president of Student Services reported on the Academic Advancement policy statement that stipulates:
• Students will have the academic prerequisites sufficient for successful transfer.
• Students will have appropriate knowledge of transfer requirements.
• Students will have adequate preparation to be successful after transfer to other colleges or universities.
• Students will be able to obtain bachelor’s degrees and advanced degrees through studies sponsored by Barton County Community College.
To support these goals, all degree- and certificate-seeking students are assigned advisors. Student Support Services provides group visits to transfer institutions. University admissions representatives attend events at the Library in the fall and spring semesters.
To monitor Barton’s success in meeting this goal, Barton looked at the grade-point average of students after they transferred to one of the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) six universities in the fall of 2023.
“Our students look strong when they transfer to Regents institutions in the state,” Maddy said. According to information from KBOR:
• 17 BCC students transferred to Fort Hays State University and their average GPA for the fall term was 3.15 compared to 3.26 for all of the Kansas community college transfers combined. Barton accounted for 12.6% of the 159 transfers.
• 63 BCC students transferred to K-State and their average GPA was 3.14 compared to 3.08 statewide. Barton accounted for 10.6% of the 592 transfers.
• 20 BCC students transferred to KU and their average GPA was 2.96, compared to 3.22 statewide. Barton accounted for 3.3% of the 590 transfers.
• 17 BCC students transferred to Washburn and their average GPA was 3.12, compared to 3.16 statewide. Barton accounted for 6.9% of the 246 transfers.
• 25 BCC students transferred to Wichita State and their average GPA was 3.18, compared to 3.02 statewide. Barton accounted for 3% of the 815 transfers.
There were no Barton transfers to Pittsburg State that semester. There were four transfers to Emporia State. The average GPA was not available because providing information for such a small sample might infringe on their right to privacy, Maddy said.
Students who filled out the Fall Student Services Survey rated their academic advisors and more.
• 94% agreed with the statement, “I believe my Barton experience is preparing me for successful transfer to a university.”
• 68% agreed and 88% responded “agree” or “neutral” to the statement, “Academic advisors are knowledgeable about program requirements.”
• 83% rated the service as “rewarding” or “good,” and 93% rated it as “rewarding,” “good” or “adequate.” The numbers were similar (82% and 93%, respectively) on the Graduation Exit Survey.
Maddy shared two comments from the Student Services Survey:
“Emily Cowles is an awesome advisor/teacher - loved working with her - it’s been enjoyable and rewarding.”
“I would like to recommend that it becomes a requirement to meet with the academic advisor before you are allowed to enroll in classes. I feel this would have made things flow much more smoothly.”
Maddy said new students are encouraged to meet with an advisor first but it doesn’t always happen. She also said not every comment on the survey is positive but if they see something that needs to be addressed that is also helpful.
Course transfers
Board Chairman Mike Johnson asked if the classes students take at Barton successfully transfer to the four-year institutions. When he visits legislators at Topeka, he said he usually hears at least one story about courses that didn’t transfer.
Maddy said sometimes a course will transfer, counting toward the total credits needed to graduate, but the university may still require a student to take its version of a course, such as Abnormal Psychology for a psychology degree. That’s where an advisor can help.
Barton President Dr. Marcus Garstecki said KBOR has taken a system-wide approach to program alignment so that more courses taken at Kansas community colleges will successfully transfer to universities. There are now 120 courses that have gone through the alignment process, with more to come.
Barton has many transfer and articulation agreements with four-year colleges that specifically direct a student’s studies in certain programs for a seamless transition from Barton to the transfer school. Some may be viewed on the college website: https://www.bartonccc.edu/transfer/articulationagreements.
