Montgomery County Community College expands partnership with Delaware Valley University

Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) and Delaware Valley University (DelVal) officially signed an expanded transfer articulation agreement today, which will make it more affordable and convenient for MCCC students to transfer to DelVal. The expanded agreement increases DelVal’s scholarship support for MCCC transfer students, guarantees core credits will transfer and guarantees admission for MCCC graduates who meet certain grade point average requirements. 
 
“This partnership between DelVal and MCCC goes well beyond a simple transfer of credits,” said DelVal President Dr. Maria Gallo. “It looks at our relationship on a holistic level and is a model for how institutions should be collaborating. I look forward to welcoming more MCCC students to DelVal as a result of our expanded relationship.” 
 
Under the agreement, MCCC graduates who transfer to DelVal as full-time students will be eligible for scholarships ranging from $15,000 to $21,000 per year, and part-time students will be eligible for DelVal scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $1,500. DelVal will also award Phi Theta Kappa members who transfer an additional $1,000 a year, and part-time members an additional $250 a year. Scholarship amounts are guaranteed based on MCCC grade point average. For example, a full-time MCCC transfer student who comes in with a GPA of 3.5 or higher will receive a $21,000 scholarship. Scholarships are renewable each year as long as students remain in good academic standing and meet credit requirements. 
 
“Montgomery County Community College is committed to providing students with seamless paths into the workforce or into the best four-year colleges and universities in the region and beyond,” said MCCC President Dr. Kevin Pollock. “Agreements such as this set new benchmarks for collaboration between community colleges and four-year institutions and we are very proud to continue and expand our partnership with Delaware Valley University.” 
 
Under the newly executed articulation agreement, MCCC graduates from specified associate degree programs at the College will be able to easily transfer with full junior status into related bachelor's degree programs at DelVal. The MCCC associate degree programs included are: mass media, liberal studies, business administration, culinary arts, hospitality, environmental science, life sciences, physical sciences, criminal justice, secondary education, history and psychology. The related DelVal bachelor’s degrees include: media and communication; business administration; restaurant and food service management; food technology; environmental science; biology; chemistry; criminal justice; history; policy and society; and counseling psychology. 
 
“MCCC graduates are well prepared to be successful at DelVal,” said Dr. Benjamin Rusiloski, DelVal’s interim vice president for academic affairs. “Their courses are academically rigorous and they are the kind of students DelVal hopes to attract.” 
 
MCCC graduates interested in enrolling at DelVal in the fall semester can take advantage of the Guaranteed Admission, Core-to-Core, and Program-to-Program agreements as well as the transfer scholarships. 
 
“Both MCCC and DelVal have outstanding faculty and I am very proud of the work that they do on behalf of our mutual students,” said Dr. Victoria Bastecki-Perez, vice president for academic affairs and provost at MCCC. “I know that our graduates who transfer to DelVal will experience the same high-quality teaching and nurturing learning environment as they receive at MCCC.”  
 
The schools are also going beyond the classroom to provide joint-student engagement activities including pre-season athletic competitions and an annual President’s Cup where the top intramural teams from the schools compete against each other. DelVal and MCCC are also working on developing an honors-to-honors program agreement where honors students from MCCC could enter DelVal’s honors program. Joint collaborations in support of military and international students are also in the works. 
 
“This agreement is specifically tailored to serve MCCC’s unique student population, and is consistent with DelVal’s commitment to be the most transfer-friendly university in the Philadelphia area,” said Art Goon, DelVal’s vice president for enrollment management.