Updated agreements offering admission to Juniata College for associate-degree graduates from HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, and Pennsylvania Highlands Community College (Penn Highlands) were signed during the fall 2020 semester.
Administrators from both institutions, including John J. “Ski” Sygielski, MBA, Ed.D., president and CEO of HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, and James A. Troha, Ph.D., president of Juniata, came together virtually Nov. 17, 2020, to celebrate the partnership.
“Connecting curricular offerings to create a seamless transfer will position graduates to complete a bachelor’s degree in two years and a graduate degree in three.” Jason Moran, vice president for enrollment at Juniata
“I was especially pleased to sign this transfer agreement because it will offer HACC’s academically strong students financial incentives to complete their bachelor’s degree in a similar ‘student-centered’ environment in two years while minimizing their undergraduate debt,” Sygielski said.
Less than a month later, a second virtual signing ceremony saw Troha, Steve Nunez, president of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College (Penn Highlands), and their administrations celebrate their own transfer pathway agreement on Dec. 9, 2020.
“This updated agreement highlights the mission of Penn Highlands, to provide our students with quality and affordable educational opportunities,” said Nunez. “These additional transfer options allow our students to more easily continue their goal of attaining a bachelor's degree, all while staying close to home at Juniata College.”
The signing of the two college pathways program agreements support associate-degree graduates in business administration, communication, environmental science, or psychology as they pursue their bachelor’s degree at Juniata College. Juniata seeks to admit at least 10 graduates through each partnership annually.
Juniata will provide these transfer students up to $28,000 per year via a merit-based scholarship.
“The curricular pathways collaboratively established lay down the foundation to further develop and augment our partnership going into the future which in return will only position us to better serve students in pursuit of a post-secondary education,” said Jason Moran, vice president for enrollment at Juniata. “Connecting curricular offerings to create a seamless transfer will position graduates to complete a bachelor’s degree in two years and a graduate degree in three.”
The transfer agreement between Juniata College and the two institutions includes the following:
- Transfer students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 are guaranteed admission to one of Juniata College’s four college pathway programs.
- Transfer students with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher are eligible to receive a $28,000 merit-based scholarship per year.
- Transfer students with a cumulative GPA between 3.0-3.49 are eligible to receive a $24,000 merit-based scholarship per year.
- Transfer students who are Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) members will receive a scholarship of $2,000 per year.
- Transfer students will receive an application waiver, priority course registration, priority housing registration, and collaborative advising.
- Transfer students will be offered a one-time additional $1,000 scholarship for one campus visit.
