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Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society has named Southern Illinois University Edwardsville among 123 colleges and universities to its 2020 Transfer Honor Roll in recognition of the dynamic pathways created to support transfer students.

The Transfer Honor Roll recognizes four-year colleges and universities that have developed transfer pathways leading to excellence and success among community college transfers.

“SIUE has always been committed to serving transfer students,” said Scott Belobrajdic, EdD, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management. “Our faculty truly embrace working with focused and pragmatic students who enter the University with previous academic experience. Each year, nearly half of our 2,500 baccalaureate degree recipients originally enter the University with previous college credit.

“We are looking forward to expanding our work with transfers through the fall 2020 launch of several online undergraduate degree completion programs. Our RN to BS online degree completion program for nurses is already extremely popular and highly respected. Our new offerings in business and criminal justice, among others, will also provide additional highly accredited options for transfers.”

Institutions were selected based on their Transfer Friendliness Rating, which is determined by the transfer profile they create in PTK Connect, an online tool that helps students find their best-fit colleges, career pathways and more. Students can search for colleges by name, scholarship offerings, or cost, and they can use the institutions’ profiles to help evaluate where they’d like to enroll.

Each institution’s transfer profile addresses admissions practices, cost of attendance, campus life, recruitment practices and peer reviews. The transfer student experience is reflected, as well as the strategies universities are taking to support and enroll transfer students. The top 25 percent highest-rated universities are named to the Transfer Honor Roll.

“SIUE focuses on building strong relationships with our community college partners and key stakeholders across campus, as well as providing key resources that clearly identify how courses transfer and apply to our programs,” said Jennifer Harbaugh, SIUE associate director of admissions. “This is critical in assisting students with successfully navigating their transfer path.

“The heart of our success is a direct result of the ongoing collaboration between dynamic individuals across campus and at the community college. Our conversations center around serving both current and future transfer students, and how we can help them soar at the highest of levels.”

“The Transfer Honor Roll reflects the growing importance of recognizing and responding to the needs of transfer students,” Phi Theta Kappa President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner said. “This award is given to four-year colleges and universities with proven outcomes for transfer success. They are the best at providing a supportive and smooth transition from community college – equating to increased rates of bachelor’s degree attainment for transfer students.”

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.

Photo: Jennifer Harbaugh, SIUE associate director of admissions.