UM Again Makes Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Honor Roll

A UM professor enjoys answering questions and helping incoming transfer students adjust to campus life during orientation. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Communications

For a second straight year, the University of Mississippi has been recognized by Phi Theta Kappa honor society for creating ways to support community college transfer students.

UM is among 65 top colleges and universities nationally in PTK’s annual Excellence in Community College Transfer Honor Roll.
“This honor recognizes the university’s continued emphasis on supporting transfer students and their success,” said Dewey Knight, associate director for the Center for Student Success and First-Year Experience. “We have expanded scholarship opportunities and built new residence halls for transfer students. Programs in support of transfers continued to be expanded.
“Ole Miss values transfer students and sincerely cares about them and their success.”
Applications were judged based on engagement, collaboration, impact and achievements related to the transfer of community college students as well as partnerships, support, admissions outreach, scholarships/financial aid, student engagement, opportunities and institutional priorities.
The Honor Roll institutions will be featured in the 2017 Phi Theta Kappa “Partners in Excellence” publication, which goes to higher education leaders nationally. They also will be recognized on PTK’s website and at PTK Catalyst, the 2017 annual convention April 6-8 in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Our recognition as a Transfer Honor Roll award winner for the second consecutive year is a clear endorsement to prospective students that Ole Miss is ‘transfer friendly’ and their experience will be positive and rewarding both academically and from a co-curricular perspective,” Knight said.
The recognition program reflects the growing importance of transfers in helping the U.S. achieve its college completion goals and promotes further study and sharing of best practices, said Lynn Tincher-Ladner, CEO and president of the honor society.
“Increasingly, students of all ages and achievement levels are choosing the community college, not only as their first step, but also their first choice, in the pursuit of a quality, affordable bachelor’s degree,” she said. “With this designation, we hope to connect community college students with institutions who value their unique transfer experience and prioritize their success.”
Colleges and universities that provide high-quality transfer programs benefit from the rich perspective and diversity community college students bring to the student body, she added.
“These students are scholars, leaders, global citizens, often with higher grade-point averages than students who started at the university,” Tincher-Ladner said.
“In order to ensure their continued success, the Transfer Honor Roll Program identifies colleges and universities that understand the unique needs of community college transfer students and applauds the dynamic pathways these colleges have created to continue fostering student success at the four-year college.”
Phi Theta Kappa is the oldest and largest honor society recognizing students pursuing two-year degrees. It has more than 3 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations.
Other members of the Transfer Honor Roll include Appalachian State University, Delta State University, Depaul University, Eastern Michigan University, Florida International University, Georgia Southern University, Hofstra University, Iowa State University, La Salle University, Lipscomb University, Loyola Marymount University, Miami University, Ohio University, Rutgers University at Newark, Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University at Kingsville, Ohio State University, University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Kansas, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Tampa, University of Texas at Arlington, Utica College and Wayne State University.

By Edwin Smith
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