■ Business Trends: EDUCATION ‘Time is the enemy’


Schools are trying to help transfer students graduate on time by Jessica Sabbath


to complete her degree requirements. “It was really helpful because I could transfer in as a junior,” says Falzone. “There are a lot of classes you can lump together with your associate degree so you don’t have to take some of the earlier requirements.” Using scholarships and grants


and her own contributions, Falzone left community college with just $5,000 in student loans and expects to have an additional $25,000 of debt after graduating from VCU. Virginia’s higher education lead-


VCU student Sara Falzone heeded the advice of the university’s Transfer Center, earning her associate degree before transfering.


A


fter working several years as an orthodontic assistant, Sara Falzone was ready to advance


her education and change her career. In 2012, then living in Hampton


Roads, she started classes at Thomas Nelson Community College to study business. She’d previously taken some courses at Rappahannock Com- munity College and earned a dental assistant certification from a technical center in Virginia Beach. Falzone then decided she wanted


to pursue a bachelor’s degree. “As I grew as a person I realized


that I was not only capable of more, but I deserved more,” says Falzone, now 27. “That was what sparked me wanting to go back to school was real- izing this potential that I had.” Equipped with a bundle of


64 AUGUST 2016


community college credits, she was eager to transfer to Virginia Com- monwealth University. The timing seemed right. She and


her husband were moving to Rich- mond so that he could attend VCU. She had discovered an interest in marketing, and the university offered a wide array of classes in that field. Nonetheless, an hour on the


phone with an adviser at VCU’s Transfer Center changed her plans. The adviser encouraged Falzone


to complete her associate degree at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community Col- lege before transferring. That move would save her money and provide for a smoother transition, the woman advised. So Falzone started classes at a


third community college, taking a year


ers want to reach more community college students like Falzone, encour- aging those wanting to transfer to four-year universities to earn associate degrees first. Right now, only about one-third of these transfer students do that. Studies show students who


transfer with associate degrees can save money and are more likely to graduate on time. “Time is an enemy when


students pursue postsecondary cre- dentials, and the longer it takes them to reach the finish line, the less likely they are to do so,” says Jeff Kraus, assistant vice chancellor for public relations for the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). “So, for the sake of their pocketbooks and their student loan debt and for the sake of our institutions, we want everyone moving as efficiently as possible to the finish line.”


Transfer agreements A new study from the State


Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) supports the community college system’s concerns. Some Virginia students are taking an


Photo by Rick DeBerry


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