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Colby-Sawyer College and Community College System of New Hampshire Agreements Pave the Way for Bachelor Degree Completion

Colby-Sawyer College and three colleges within the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) have signed articulation agreements that allow the institutions to work collaboratively to assist students in pursuing their educational goals. The agreements enable qualified graduates of Lakes Region Community College (LRCC) in Laconia, NHTI: Concord's Community College, and River Valley Community College (RVCC) in Claremont to transfer into a bachelor degree program at Colby-Sawyer and finish their undergraduate studies in four years with a minimum guaranteed $18,000 annual scholarship.

The first agreement, between Colby-Sawyer and LRCC, was signed by Colby-Sawyer College President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. and LRCC President Scott J. Kalicki on April 30, 2014. NHTI President Stephen Caccia made the agreement official on May 8, and on May 21, President Galligan added his signature to that of RVCC President Alicia Harvey-Smith for the third agreement.

“This is a wonderful partnership with the community colleges of New Hampshire,” said President Galligan. “Together we are doing our part to make higher education in New Hampshire more accessible, more affordable, and more responsive to the needs of our students.”

The agreements result from talks that started last fall between Colby-Sawyer College President Galligan and Colby-Sawyer Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty Deborah Taylor with the presidents within the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH). More articulation agreements with other New Hampshire community colleges are expected over the summer.

“We recognize the quality of the education students receive at the CCSNH colleges, and the consonance of many features of our college and theirs: quality of instruction, student focus, small classes,” said Vice President Taylor. “We shared with the CCSNH presidents our experience of an exemplary NHTI graduate who came to Colby-Sawyer, thrived and graduated as the class's chosen commencement speaker. We want to reach out to other New Hampshire students who wish to transfer to our baccalaureate programs to make Colby-Sawyer attendance possible for them, whether it be in residence, as commuters or in our on-line degree programs.”

“Several NHTI students have successfully transferred to Colby-Sawyer to continue their pursuit of academic and athletic excellence, and this agreement can only enhance those opportunities,” said NHTI President Caccia.

Chairs of the colleges' departments have worked together to develop transfer matrices that will inform CCSNH students exactly what courses they need to complete for Colby-Sawyer programs.

The minimum number of total credits required for baccalaureate graduation at Colby-Sawyer is 120 credits. Colby-Sawyer will accept up to 90 credits to facilitate the successful completion of its programs. Under the agreement, CCSNH graduates with a cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.5 on a four-point scale; a minimum of 60 credits, with a minimum grade of C in each course; and a written dean's recommendation indicating that they have been in good standing and have not been subject to disciplinary action will be accepted with junior year standing to Colby-Sawyer.

The associate degree from a CCSNH institution will satisfy similar requirements in the liberal education program at Colby-Sawyer, and equivalent courses taken at the community colleges will satisfy the parallel requirements at Colby-Sawyer, as per the transfer matrices agreed upon between the colleges.

Financial Aid Opportunities

Colby-Sawyer's 2014-2015 tuition is set at $19,020 with room and board at $6,375 per semester. Students accepted to Colby-Sawyer College under the terms of the articulation agreements are eligible for financial aid and housing applicable to entering students with a full-time junior status.

In addition to the guaranteed annual Woodman Merit Scholarship of $18,000 for a 2.5 GPA, an additional Honors Scholarship of $2,500 will be awarded to any CCSNH graduate who was a member of a college honors program or society, or who earned a 3.5 GPA. Those who wish to live on campus will have a housing allowance of $3,500. Students will also be eligible for need-based grants if those grants exceed the totals above. Altogether, an honors student transferring to Colby-Sawyer from a community college partner who wishes to live on campus could reap a nearly 50 percent discount on tuition, room and board per year.

About Colby-Sawyer College

Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a private, independent, undergraduate college offering educational programs based in the liberal arts and sciences and designed to prepare students for their professions and lives of ongoing learning. Faculty, staff and students strive for excellence in the college's engaged teaching and learning community to foster students' academic, intellectual, and personal growth. The college prepares students to thrive in, and make a positive impact upon, a dynamic, diverse, and interdependent world. Colby-Sawyer's 1,400 students come from 20 states and 34 foreign countries to live and learn in 30 brick buildings set on 200 acres surrounded by mountains. The college is accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC), and has programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); New Hampshire Board of Nursing; and the State of New Hampshire Board of Education.

With a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, students learn in small classes from professors whose passion is teaching. Every student completes an internship before graduating, and about one-third of those internships become graduates' first jobs. Six months after graduating, 94 percent of the Class of 2013 reported being either employed or enrolled in graduate school. To learn more about Colby-Sawyer, visit www.Colby-Sawyer.edu.

About CCSNH

CCSNH's seven independent colleges comprise a public system of higher education that serves more than 27,000 students every year, 95 percent of whom are New Hampshire residents. All colleges in the CCSNH System are accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. To learn more about CCSNH, visit http://www.ccsnh.edu/.