UC Santa Cruz, community college leaders meet to strengthen transfer pipeline

SANTA CRUZ >> Seeking to bring 1,500 new California transfer students to UC Santa Cruz by the year 2020 and to increase transfers to the University of California and California State University systems by 35 percent by 2022, higher education leaders met to discuss how to achieve their shared goals.

The 90-minute meeting, held late last month at the UCSC Scotts Valley Center, was attended by Chancellor George Blumenthal and Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Marlene Tromp of UCSC, 12 regional California Community College leaders, California Community College Deputy Chancellor Erik Skinner and UC Regent Lark Park.

"It was a stimulating discussion that focused on the opportunities and challenges in building a strong pipeline from our community colleges to our campus," Blumenthal said in a press release.

Community college administrators echoed the sentiment. "This conversation is about how can we take this further — how can we both increase the transfer rate and increase the success for students," said Skinner.

Ideas shared at the meeting included improving information and outreach to potential transfers on how to prepare, what it's like to be a UC student, and what services and support each campus offers. The group noted the importance of student input in directing these improvements and identifying additional ways UCSC can help transfers achieve their goals. It was also suggested that successful transfer students be involved in recruiting and mentoring new transfers.

UCSC guarantees fall admission to California community college students who meet specific criteria, but those in attendance identified further opportunities for collaboration. These included giving community college students the opportunity to take UCSC courses online, on their home campus or at UCSC through cross-campus enrollment prior to transferring.

UCSC faces geographic challenges in courting new transfer students. It may be too economically challenging for potential transfers to leave their job or family and move closer to Santa Cruz's forested campus. For these same potential transfer students commuting a large distance to attend school may not be a viable alternative. UC reported that only 37 percent of UCSC transfers lived within 50 miles of campus in fall of 2016, compared to 46 percent system-wide.

UCSC anticipates 1,275 new California transfer students for the 2017-18 academic year. California transfer enrollment will need to increase by 18 percent by 2020 to reach the state's goal of one new California transfer for every two new California first-year students.

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