At last, there is a handbook that everyone in higher education can use to help increase transfer student success. This comprehensive resource has been brought together to meet the need for a truly holistic approach to the transfer experience. The book brings together research, theory, practical applications, programmatic illustrations, case studies, encouragement, and inspiration, and is supplemented by an online compendium for continual updates of resources, case studies, and new developments in the world of transfer.
Based on a totally different way of thinking about, understanding, and acting to increase transfer student success, The Transfer Experience goes far beyond the traditional, limited view of transfer as a technical process simply about articulating credits, a stage of student development, or a novel enrollment management strategy. Rather, the book introduces a stimulating array of new perspectives, resources, options, models, and recommendations for addressing the many needs of this huge cohort – making the academic, civic, and social justice cases for improving transfer at both transfer-sending and transfer-receiving institutions.
Webinar: January 31, 2022 at 2pm ET
The Transfer Experience: A Compelling Conversation with Authors Brent Drake and Davis Jenkins
Join Drew Koch, as he takes a deep dive into the Transfer Experience with Chapter Authors Brent Drake and Davis Jenkins.
We invite you to a compelling conversation and question and answer with transfer experts, who will discuss how transfer students perform compared to new first-year students and upper-division continuing students and the institutional practices that create barriers to successful transfer for students.
Register at the link below.
Webinar: March 2, 2022 at 2pm ET
The Transfer Experience Webinar with John Gardner
Joining John Gardner:
Mark Canada, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Indiana University Kokomo
Stephanie Foote, Senior Associate Vice President for Teaching, Learning, and Evidence-Based Practices, Gardner Institute
Laura Latta, Executive Director, Tulsa Higher Education Consortium
Susannah McGowan, Director of Curriculum Transformation Initiatives in The Red House, Georgetown University
Register for the webinar:
Reviews
Reviews for The Transfer Experience:
"The Transfer Experience is a gift to educators who view transfer as a social justice imperative. Transfer matters now, perhaps more than ever, and the text offers the most comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of the transfer experience. The authors offer a transformational view of the transfer journey that goes beyond a mechanistic, processual experience. Shattering outmoded transfer assumptions, the authors take care to present a more thoughtful, holistic view of transfer keeping in mind that underserved, first-generation, adult learners should be assisted in every way to fulfill their hopes and dreams of earning a bachelor’s degree. The text offers fertile ground for significant equity and justice dialogue, transformational changes and policy considerations."
Laura I. Rendón- author of Sentipensante Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation, Stylus Press
“Helping students achieve their educational goals is a win for everyone, and brings the “American Dream” closer to reality. A key, underutilized strategy in reaching this goal is an effective, holistic transfer system that begins when a student enters an institution of higher education and continues through completion. The Transfer Experience: A Handbook for Creating a More Equitable and Successful Postsecondary System is authored by “transfer warriors” who understand and are passionate about transfer. The book is a comprehensive educational masterpiece that challenges and inspires higher education leaders and policy makers to skillfully and purposefully foster transfer student success, thereby enhancing the quality of life for students.”
Paula K. Compton, Associate Vice Chancellor, Articulation and Transfer- Ohio Department of Higher Education
“Transfer is a vital mechanism for closing the racial and income equity gaps in higher education, as well as an unnecessarily complex issue that too often leaves students stranded on their academic journeys. I share the authors’ holistic philosophy of the transfer student experience and particularly appreciate their emphasis on the student’s pre-transfer academic preparation. This handbook is an essential tool for ensuring these students are propelled to degree completion.”
Janet L. Marling, Executive Director, The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students- University of North Georgia
Purchase the book
The book published by Stylus Publishing can be purchased at: https://styluspub.presswarehouse.com/browse/book/9781620369470/The-Transfer-Experience
Book page: https://styluspub.presswarehouse.com/browse/book/9781620369470/The-Transfer-Experience
Table of Contents
Foreword—John Hitt and Sandy Shugart
Preface
Introduction—John N. Gardner, Michael J. Rosenberg, and Andrew K. Koch
Part Four: Case Studies: Transfer in Action
16) A Deep Commitment To Transfer Student Access and Success: The University of Central Florida Story—Maribeth Ehasz and J. Jeffrey Jones
17) Creating a Culture of Transfer: The Story of Arizona State University’s Transfer Transformation—Maria Hesse
Conclusion—John N. Gardner, Michael J. Rosenberg, Andrew K. Koch
Case Studies and Other Resources (Online Compendium)
Case #1 A Culture of Transfer: How Stella and Charles Guttman Community College Supports Transfer and Completion at Four-Year Institutions—Danielle Insalaco-Egan
Case #2 A Quest for Equitable Transfer: Transfer Policies & Practices of the City University of New York—Chet Jordan and Niesha Ziehmke
Case #3 Making the Transition Seamless: From Perimeter College to Georgia State University—Charles Fox
Case #4 Advancing an Organizational Focus on Transfer Students: A Mission Driven Approach at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)—Catherine Buyarski, Julie Landaw, Boyd Bradshaw, James Gladden, and Kathy E. Johnson
Case #5 Student Success for Transfer Students at Kean University—Deborah Skibitski and Jonathan Mercantini
Case #6 Partnerships in College Transfer Access and Success - North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) and the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS)—A. Hope Williams
Case #7 Transfer in a Rural Setting: The University Center of the Mountains—Deronda Collier Mobelini and G. Edward Hughes
Case #8 Instilling Transfer Pride at UCLA—Heather Adams
Case #9 Interstate Passport®: Streamlining Student Transfer Across State Lines—Patricia A. Shea
Case #10 The American Public University System: Reimagining “Military Friendly” for Transfer Students—Wally Boston, Vernon Smith, and Melissa Layne
Case #11 The Tulsa Transfer Collaborative—Michael DuPont
Addendum: Phi Theta Kappa—Erin Cogswell
Addendum: Tau Sigma—Lee Colquitt
About the Editors and Contributors
Index
Part One: Transfer in Context
1) Looking Back to See the Future: The Transfer Pathway as Historical Mirage—Steven Handel
2) Institutional Barriers to Baccalaureate Transfer for Community College Students—John Fink & Davis Jenkins
3) Reframing Transfer as a Social Justice Imperative—Michael Rosenberg and Andrew Koch
4) Utilizing Transformative Theoretical Frameworks with Transfer Students of Color—José Del Real Viramontes and Dimpal Jain
Part Two: Pathways, Transitions, and Support
5) A Guide for the Perplexed: Creating a Transfer Affirming Culture at Four-Year Institutions to Increase the Enrollment of Community College Transfer Students—Steven Handel
6) Making Financial Aid Work for Transfer Students—Jason Taylor
7) The Need for a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Revolution to Support Transfer Student Success—Kathy Silberman and Rose Rojas
8) The Journey of a Transfer Student into a Competency-Based Degree Program—Michelle Alvarez, Tess Diver, and Jamie Holcomb
9) Leading Disruptive Innovation: Reverse Credit Transfer for Post-Traditional Transfer Students—Debra Bragg & Heather McCambly
10) State Higher Education System Information Provision to Promote Transfer Student Success—Angie Bell
11) Transferring Countries: International Perspectives and Student Immigration Issues—Jason Chambers, Karen Ramos, and Sarah Mackey
Part Three: Teaching and Learning
12) The Chief Academic Officer’s Role in Transfer Student Success—Mark Canada
13) Momentum Stoppers and Equity Blockers: The Implications of Gateway Courses for Students at Their Transfer-Receiving Institutions—Andrew Koch & Brent Drake
14) Teaching for Inspiration: Approaches to Engaging Transfer Students in Gateway Courses—Stephanie Foote
15) Digital Learning for Transfer Students: From Definition to Applicable Possibilities—Susannah McGowan
The Authors
John N. Gardner
Dr. John N. Gardner is an undergraduate student success thought leader and a social justice advocate. He is Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the non-profit, the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, co-founded by him and his wife, Betsy O. Barefoot, in 1999. John is also Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Senior Fellow, University of South Carolina at Columbia. He was also the Founding Executive Director of both the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and the University 101 Programs. He also served as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the University's five Regional Campuses.
Michael J. Rosenberg
Dr. Michael J. Rosenberg is a nationally recognized expert on transfer student policy. He is Director of Planning for Penn State University's Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research. A higher education practitioner by trade and training, his extensive background includes experience in student affairs, academic advising, judicial affairs, residence life, and enrollment management. As the inaugural Director of Transfer at Gateway Community and Technical College and as Chair of the Kentucky Community & Technical College System’s statewide transfer task force, he helped drive the conversation in his home state around improving outcomes for this important population.
Andrew K. Koch
Dr. Andrew “Drew” K. Koch is a child of immigrants who has spent his career considering and addressing the social justice question, “Who gets to be an American and why?” The parent of three transfer students, Drew is the President and Chief Operating Officer for the non-profit John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, which he joined in 2010. Prior to coming to Gardner Institute, Drew spent nearly 20 years working in both independent and public postsecondary institutions on student enrollment, access, success, accreditation, learning, and completion efforts with an emphasis on first-generation, low-income, and historically underrepresented students. He has served as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than two dozen grant-funded research projects with support coming from sources such as Ascendium Education Group, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, ECMC Foundation, GEAR UP, Kresge Foundation, Lilly Endowment, Lumina Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.
The Authors will be presenting at:
NISTS 2021 Plenary Lecture February 23, 2021
The Transfer Experience: Creating A More Equitable and Successful Postsecondary System
For most students, the transfer experience in U.S. higher education does not work very well, and that was true even before the Covid-19 pandemic. In this session, the editors of a forthcoming Stylus publication will present a synthesis of the best thinking of 53 higher education leaders, scholars, researchers, and transfer professionals. Their book, The Transfer Experience: A Handbook for Creating a More Equitable and Successful Postsecondary System, introduces a new construct for understanding the transfer challenge and what must be done to improve it. To achieve equity in design and outcomes, we must move beyond the traditional, limited view of transfer as the articulation of credits and a “stage” or “phase of development.” We must instead consider transfer as the entirety of a student’s undergraduate educational experience at both sending and receiving institutions and be less focused on the mechanics of transfer and more upon producing academically successful transfer students.
Gardner Institute’s work for equity for transfer students.
Foundations of Excellence - Transfer
Foundations of Excellence enables institutional transformation that improves transfer-student success and retention through comprehensive, evidence-based, guided self-study, planning, and implementation. Participants develop a comprehensive approach to improving the success of transfer students.
Catalyzing Transfer Initiative
Catalyzing Transfer Initiative is national shared learning and collaboration effort between high-impact non-profit organizations that aims to build, manage, and activate new ways to increase the successful transfer of postsecondary credits and timely bachelor degree completion among marginalized racial and ethnic groups. Funded by ECMC Foundation, SHEEO and the Gardner Institute will partner to help four selected states to develop and adopt state- and system-wide transfer standards in one aspect of the project; Transfer Policy Standards for Equitable Attainment.
UnBlockEd
Leveraging blockchain to empower credit recognition.
UnBlockEd, led by the University of Arizona, along with Georgia Institute of Technology, Fluree, and the Gardner Institute, will create an open transfer exchange that will empower college students by streamlining transfer credit recognition leading to more efficient transfer articulation processes. Learn more about UnBlockEd at : http://bic-unblocked.org/ or contact: Drew Koch.
Read about the ACE funded project : https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Four-Blockchain-Innovation-Challenge-Economic-Opportunity-Underserved-Learners.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1R8AibfzrHQzGFGyR3D8Pwl8Ot-ymMSmOrwjGl8BXKzgm5XJlryivxW-w
Tulsa Transfer Project
Funded by the Schusterman Foundation, the Gardner Institute worked with Tulsa Community College (TCC), Langston University, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University, Rogers State University, and the University of Tulsa. The project was aimed at improving the transfer experience for TCC students and increasing bachelor's degree attainment in the Tulsa community.