California State University (CSU) Chancellor Timothy P. White has been appointed as a co-chair of a national task force that will focus on improving transfer and award of credit practices to spur student success and reduce the time to graduate. Additionally, California State University, Northridge President Dianne F. Harrison will serve as a member of the group.
The American Council on Education (ACE) announced the membership of the National Task Force on Transfer of Credit, charged with the production of a report containing best practices and emerging strategies for improving the transfer and award of credit, with the goal of advancing student success, promoting equity, and making college more affordable. The report's recommendations will also reflect the diverse missions of U.S. colleges and universities.
“The California State University is proud to be at the forefront of providing enhanced opportunities for transfer students," said White. “The work of this task force will be consequential for hundreds of thousands of students across the country every year, and I look forward to sharing many of the best practices established at the CSU and in California."
How transfer of credit is handled is important to students, especially given how many transfer during their academic careers. A 2018 snapshot from National Student Clearinghouse data found that more than a million students, 38 percent of the 2.8 million entering college for the first time in fall 2011, transferred to a different institution at least once within six years. Unfortunately, as these students transfer, many of them lose academic credit.
“While there has been much discussion and work on the topic of transfer of credit in recent years, there is more to do," said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “We want colleges and universities to evaluate previous academic work and nonacademic experiences more effectively to facilitate transfer of credit and completion. Given the increasing mobility of students between institutions and other learning opportunities, we know that improving transfer of credit practices is critical to our efforts to better support students and increase their success. I would like to thank all of the members of the Task Force for committing their time and expertise to this important initiative."
The Task Force will meet several times throughout 2020 to engage with leading experts in the field, identify challenges and craft solutions to better serve students. A final report will be released in early 2021.
The CSU is a national leader in improving pathways for transfer, partnering with the California Community Colleges to sponsor legislation resulting in the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) in 2010. For the fall 2019 term, 15,991 students transferred to the CSU after earning an ADT from a California Community College, nearly 30% of the 54,839 students transferring to one of the CSU's 23 campuses that term.
CSU campuses are renowned for accommodating transfer students - three (Channel Islands, Long Beach and San Diego) were selected to Money Magazine's most recent list of “10 Best Colleges for Transfer Students".
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About the California State University
The California State University is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, 52,000 faculty and staff and 482,000 students. Half of the CSU's students transfer from California community colleges. Created in 1960, the mission of the CSU is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity, and student success, the CSU is renowned for superb teaching, innovative research and for producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards more than 127,000 degrees. One in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU and our alumni are 3.8 million strong. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU NewsCenter.