Winston Salem State, Forsyth Tech to start dual admissions fall 2010

Winston-Salem State and Forsyth Technical Community College have started a partnership that will help local high school students who want to earn a bachelor's degree but are not quite prepared for the academic challenges of a four-year university.

Chancellor Donald Reaves and FTCC President Gary Green announced the partnership during a press conference in December. The dual admissions program is scheduled to begin fall 2010.

 Dual admissions will permit students, who apply to WSSU but don't meet admission standards, the opportunity to be referred to the new program. 

Those enrolled in the program will become students at both institutions, which gives them access to facilities and academic advisers on both campuses.

Students working toward an associate's degree will be enrolled in classes at FTCC but will be allowed to take nine credit hours at WSSU. 

While working toward an associate's degree, the students will pay Forsyth Tech's rate of $50 per  credit hour at both institutions. After earning an associate's degree, the students  will pay $122 per credit hour at WSSU.

Upon earning an associate's degree at FTCC, students are guaranteed automatic admission in a related degree program at WSSU.

In a Dec. 4 article of the Winston-Salem Journal, Green said community colleges are great for preparing students. 

"We take great pride in meeting the needs of these students, who come to us with all their strengths and weaknesses," Green said. 

"This [dual admission] is a road map to a bachelor's degree, regardless of their academic preparation when they started."

Any student who is not accepted at WSSU will be informed about the dual admissions program. 

For the first year,   25 students will be chosen for the program. Each year the number of students accepted in the program will double. 

Improving graduation and retention rates have been on Reaves' list of top priorities since he came to WSSU in 2007.

"I believe this approach will help both institutions," Reaves said during the press conference. 

"It can certainly be beneficial as we work to improve our retention and graduation rates – particularly with young men of color." 

Academic advising will closely monitor every students' transition from FTCC to WSSU.  

"Coordinated academic advising will ensure that the appropriate coursework is completed and that students are able to develop their entire degree plan at the beginning of their studies," Reaves said. 

"These students will always know exactly where they stand in the process."