Lake Erie College to partner with Toledo area community college

Staff Report, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Dec. 26—Lake Erie College recently announced an articulation agreement to partner with Owens Community College.

The agreement provides a streamlined educational pathway for students to begin their studies at Owens and transfer to LEC, the four-year college, where they can continue their studies as a transfer student to pursue and achieve their educational goals, according to a news release.

Owens provides educational opportunities and training to the residents of the Toledo and Findley-area communities. It offers more than 160 programs and certificates to students who are preparing for a career, retraining for a new career, seeking professional development, or obtaining credits in order to transfer to a four-year college or university.

"Lake Erie College is excited to work with Owens Community College in providing a place for students to continue a quality educational experience," Lake Erie College Provost Jenni Kinnaird stated in the release. "We look forward to welcoming students from OCC to our LEC family and assisting them in meeting their educational and career goals."

Owens becomes the eighth community college to offer pathways for transfer students at LEC. The others are Columbus State, Cuyahoga Community College, Eastern Gateway Community College, Erie County (PA) Community College, Lakeland Community College, Lorain Community College and Stark State.

Undergraduate students who want to transfer between schools have traditionally experienced

difficulties with the process, the release noted. This year, Lake Erie College, based in Painesville, determined early on that re-doing the school's transfer process had to include clarity and simplification.

"Transferring from one institution to another can be very intimidating for a lot of students," Ashley Mayse, executive director of admissions, stated in the release. "We intend to make their entrance to LEC as smooth as possible, from start to finish."

The changes to the transfer process removed some traditional stumbling blocks encountered in the process of transferring. Students now benefit from a 72-hour acceptance notification, the number of transferable credits, and the cost.

Regarding financial support, all transfer students are eligible for up to $18,000 in scholarship support and, if transferring from one of Lake Erie's partner colleges, every transfer student is eligible for a two-year scholarship.