OSWEGO — Four regional colleges are teaming up to work at “improving the transfer experience” for students.

SUNY Oswego and three community colleges are partnering on the Central New York Transfer Collaboration (CNYTC).

CNYTC also includes Onondaga Community College (OCC), Jefferson Community College (JCC), and Cayuga Community College (CCC), SUNY Oswego said in its June 6 announcement.

SUNY is supporting the effort with $85,000 for “yield activities to further strengthen relationships and the transfer pipeline” between the schools. An additional $12,000 in SUNY Transformational Funds over the next two years “will go beyond just these transfer activities to develop a more enduring partnership” among the institutions, the announcement contended.

More than one-third of SUNY Oswego’s new baccalaureate students transfer to the university each year after completing coursework or associate degrees at other institutions, SUNY Oswego President Peter Nwosu said in announcing the collaboration.

“We have the capacity to increase that number, and we are in the process of building a robust infrastructure to make that increase a reality,” Nwosu said. “We have always worked with our community college transfers to make the student experience as straightforward as possible, making us a leader for transfer students; these new efforts will help us continue improving in this space.”

Nwosu went on to say that the SUNY money will help the schools involved to partner “to enhance seamless transfer pathways to Oswego for community college students.”

Cory Bezek, SUNY Oswego’s VP for enrollment management, noted that the reality is that the relationship between Oswego and the community colleges involved continues to be more “collaboration than competition.”

“When they do better, we do a lot better, so if we can find ways to support each school and their mission, it’s going to make us stronger,” Bezek said.

Every year, between one-quarter and one-third of incoming SUNY Oswego students are transfers, with many coming from CCC, JCC and OCC, so making the process smoother and more effective helps a significant group, Bezek added.

“The ultimate goals of this coalition are to create an environment where transfer students receive credit for all the classes they’ve taken and to ensure that all their credits count towards the degree they seek,” Nwosu added. “Transcripts are evaluated in days, not weeks, like our competitors. High school seniors entering community college will know from Day One what courses they’ll need for their associate and bachelor’s degrees. All colleges in the coalition will be in constant contact to provide the right information and the support and encouragement transfer students need to succeed.”

Cooperative activities

Nwosu went on to say that making a “clear path” to a degree means working with partners to find the “best pathways,” reducing credit duplication, identifying which credits will count and “eliminating the red tape that can get in the way” of students looking to transfer.

The different institutions working together is a “big part of it,” with Bezek hoping to host a summit with transfer counselors in the future to make the process “even more efficient,” SUNY Oswego said. Another initiative involves bringing SUNY Oswego receptions to partner campuses and providing busing to SUNY Oswego admissions programs from community colleges.

“It’s more of a relationship foundation,” Bezek explained. “We want to make it a standing relationship where there is an intentional time in which the leaders are finding time together.”

But it also means “looking at new approaches,” such as having Oswego transfer students serving as ambassadors to previous institutions, including speaking to organizations they were in.

“Talking to a peer is always a more effective process,” Bezek added.