Some student senators at the University of Minnesota worry community college and state university students are missing out on transferring to the University.
Last month, student senators expressed concern that the Minnesota Cooperative Admissions Program, a University-backed agreement with area community colleges to allow transfers directly into certain majors, was not reaching as far as it could or including enough colleges, like the Carlson School of Management.
Even though they’re concerned about transfer students, student leaders hope to look into the topic more before they begin pursuing specific targets for improvement.
Janet Mwanyika, a student senator, said at a senate meeting that she felt the program was not getting enough promotion from the Office of Admissions.
School leaders created the program in 2000 to clarify pathways for students who were looking to transfer to the University, said Heidi Meyer, director for transfer students.
She said the program was available to two schools before expanding to seven schools, such as St. Paul College and Normandale Community College.
Meyer said while other University colleges are part of the program, the limited class sizes of
Carlson is the largest factor in the school not taking part.
Similar issues have kept the program from working within specific majors at the other schools. More competitive programs with limited space cannot offer students a guarantee that they will have a spot in the courses, Meyer said.
When promoting the program, University officials tend to go for more direct, person-to-person contact instead of more passive advertising, Meyer said.
University academic advisers visit the community colleges involved with the program to help students plan out their future college careers.
The University aims to create flexibility for students who transfer from other schools, said Rachelle Hernandez, associate vice provost for enrollment management and director of admissions.
“We want to make sure students have support along the way with whatever program or pathway they think will work best with them,” Hernandez said, adding many students will sign up for the program for a guaranteed spot but will often apply to transfer earlier.
Transfer Student Board Treasurer Trent Beilke said he was accepted into Carlson after his freshman year.
He said he understands why the program doesn’t include Carlson, as the guarantee of admission into a program doesn’t match Carlson’s competitive nature.
Beilke said the MNCAP program is valuable for students who are looking to come to the school, but he hopes more can be done to better prepare students who are coming to the University from other schools.