Blue Ridge Community and Technical College students will be guaranteed admission to West Virginia University’s College of Education and Human Services, as long as they meet certain requirements, under an agreement being signed Wednesday (March 18) at Blue Ridge’s campus in Martinsburg.

Called an articulation agreement, Blue Ridge students who earn an associate of science in education degree, with a cumulative GPA of 2.75, and passing scores on the Praxis CORE Academic Skills Test, will be guaranteed admission into CEHS’ four-year program.

“With this articulation agreement, West Virginia University is breathing new life into the smaller community colleges across the state, said Jane Cardi, director of CEHS’ Center for Student Advising and Records.

“The College of Education and Human Services has been working between the two institutions for several months on integrating this agreement, and the University has helped in vetting the courses to make sure we have proper course equivalencies. We believe that this articulation agreement presents a smooth transitional opportunity for those people at Blue Ridge who want to become elementary school teachers.”

CEHS “began working on the articulation agreement last year, and then we finally started developing these 2+2 and 2+1+1 programs in which students can start at a community college, then come to WVU for a year, then return to their community college, where they can complete their student teaching requirements.” Cardi said.

“This agreement is going to help the students in the smaller towns and more specifically those areas where we need elementary school teachers. I believe that as a result of this articulation agreement, community colleges are going to begin offering a lot more courses, therefore improving the education of the students and our communication with other parts of the state.”

After the signing on Wednesday, scheduled for 10 a.m., a college-wide majors fair will also take place at Blue Ridge; CEHS will participate to recruit students and speak to prospective Mountaineers about the CEHS elementary education program and the newly instated articulation agreement.

The WVU-Blue Ridge articulation agreement stands at the forefront of University partnership developments, the CEHS being the second college to establish a relationship with a state community college. WVU is also in the process of looking to form articulation agreements with West Virginia Northern Community College, Garrett College and Allegany College.

“This articulation agreement will really help us to satisfy the WVU land-grant University mission, that is; to reach out to other parts of the state and beyond, to work with people and to educate people. The students from small towns in West Virginia who want to get an elementary education can come here, spend a little time in the ‘big city’ and then they can go and give back to their communities. This partnership satisfies our mission and that’s very exciting,” Cardi said.

Blue Ridge elementary education students and prospective candidates should submit their intent to apply to WVU within the first year of their associate degree studies. For more general information regarding the articulation agreement and/or the Martinsburg signing ceremony contact Jackie Griggs, Blue Ridge academic program specialist/lecturer at jgriggs@blueridgectc.edu

-WVU-

cz/03/16/15

CONTACT: Christie Zachary; WVU College of Education and Human Services
304.293.0224; christie.zachary@mail.wvu.edu

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