UWGB and NWTC announce new transfer opportunities – The Press

GREEN BAY – Students looking to further their education will soon have more pathways to achieve their goals through Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB).The local institutions announced Monday, April 10, that the associate of arts, as well as the associate of arts and science programs at NWTC will allow graduates to transfer to UW-Green Bay as a junior to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

“We’re about access,” UW-Green Bay President Michael Alexander said. “We’re about access, always, for education. And we’re about making sure we create a holistic ecosystem to make that access happen.” In addition to saving students an estimated 40% on earning a bachelor’s degree, NWTC President Jeff Rafn said it gives those hoping to further their education beyond an associate degree or technical certificate more options, local ones, for continuing.

“I want people to understand how much NWTC and UWGB are joined at the hip,” Rafn said. “We’ve been working together for a number of years. We’ve been looking at what happens when people leave NWTC. In fact, every year, we get a higher percentage of students who say they are coming to NWTC in order to continue and pursue education beyond NWTC.”

He said in order to bridge that gap, over the last several years, the two schools have developed more than 20 transfer agreements, which allow students to leave an NWTC program as a graduate and move into a program at UWGB as a junior, in a variety of fields from STEM and electrical engineering technology to health sciences and child care.

“That is a tremendous amount of opportunity,” Rafn said. “I think it’s going to provide more skilled folks to the local workforce. I’ve always said that probably the strongest education a person can get is a four-year university, along with a two-year technical college degree. I think at the end of the day, this provides more educated, highly-skilled folks.”

Rafn said the partnership is a significant milestone for the community and provides a seamless pathway for students “regardless of prior academic performance or financial means, to achieve their academic goals throughout their lifetime.”

“As employers continue to require an ever increasing skillful and agile workforce, this opportunity will be the pillar necessary to retain and upskill talent within the region,” he said. Applications for the transfer program are open, and Rafn said anyone who applies will be accepted. Rafn said the program at NWTC will begin in the fall. More information about the program can be found at nwtc.edu/4year.

Source: UWGB and NWTC announce new transfer opportunities – The Press