ISSUED: 14 September 2016
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix and Eastern West Virginia Community & Technical College (EWVCTC) President Dr. Charles D. Terrell signed a Transfer Student Enrollment Partnership that will make it easier for students from Eastern to attend Shepherd.
Through the partnership, an admissions counselor from Shepherd will schedule a time each semester to be at EWVCTC to meet with and advise students, assist them with processing the admissions application, and advise them about financial aid and scholarships.
“We’re really excited to be able to build this relationship, having a designated counselor go there once or twice a semester and sit down with students individually,” said Jennifer Hnatuck, Shepherd’s associate director of admissions. “The counselor will be able to go over course by course how things transfer and advise them on what classes to take.”
Shepherd will waive the application fee for students who transfer from EWVCTC and will offer academic scholarships to students who are eligible and have earned an EWVCTC associates degree. Scholarships include the President’s Scholarship of $2,000 for students with a 3.0 GPA, the Dean’s Scholarship of $1,500 for students who maintain a 2.8 GPA, and the Director’s Scholarship of $1,000 for students with a 2.5 GPA.
“This partnership is about helping to create a smooth transition from an academic and financial perspective to help students out with some scholarship money to ease what can be the challenge of paying for school,” said William “Bill” Sommers, Shepherd’s vice president for enrollment management. “I’m very excited about this.”
Shepherd will also offer students from EWVCTC who choose to live on campus in a traditional residence hall a $1,000 housing grant and free on-campus housing during the summer for students who register for six or more credits.
“We are looking for ways to make it easier for students to live on campus because we know that we get better academic results and better graduation rates from students who live on campus,” said Dr. Chris Ames, Shepherd provost. “We have great success with students who transfer from community colleges here to Shepherd, and we’d love to see more Eastern students coming to Shepherdstown.”
President Hendrix said she looks forward to having EWVCTC students at Shepherd and to working more closely with the community college in other areas.
“Shepherd will benefit from being able to take advantage of some of the wonderful, innovative, entrepreneurial initiatives Eastern has instigated and promoted,” Hendrix said. “Eastern has developed the most wonderful community relationship and I hope we can repeat and emulate that here at Shepherd.”
“We share a common bond that we’re both smaller institutions here in the state,” said Eastern’s President Terrell. “I think we share the same philosophy—it’s okay to be small, but that doesn’t mean we have to think small.”
Terrell is also hopeful that students who transfer from Eastern and complete teaching degrees at Shepherd will return to classrooms in the Potomac Highlands region.
“They have the opportunity to come to Shepherd and have the experience of going through a really great quality elementary education program,” Terrell said. “I hope they will return to the Potomac Highlands to inspire students in the classroom.”
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