February 7, 2015

Elms College, GCC establish bachelor’s degree completion programs

 

REGIONAL

(Iobserve photo/courtesy of Elms College)

Staff report

CHICOPEE—The College of Our Lady of the Elms and Greenfield Community College (GCC) have signed an agreement to expand baccalaureate degree opportunities for students and alumni of GCC.

The 2+2 Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program is designed to give students the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree from Elms College upon completion of an associate’s degree from GCC. The degrees available will be launched in August of this year and will be in business management and marketing and early care and education.

“The 2+2 program, developed jointly by Elms and GCC, is a unique degree-completion model for students in Western Massachusetts,” said Elizabeth Hukowicz, dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Elms. “Students are closely advised by GCC advisors as they complete their associate’s degrees at GCC and then advised by Elms advisors as they transition into the bachelor’s degree completion programs.”

Students accepted into the program will apply to Elms separately when they finish their degrees at GCC; they will go on to complete their bachelor’s degrees through courses offered on the GCC campus in Greenfield.

In addition, students who already hold associate’s degrees in the applicable fields, whether from GCC or other regional colleges, will be eligible under the 2+2 Program to complete bachelor’s degrees from Elms on the GCC campus.

Elms College has offered bachelor’s degree completion programs at GCC since August 2013. This agreement formally recognizes that, through the 2+2 program, GCC and Elms College are actively committed to providing greater educational opportunities and services particularly for students transferring from GCC to Elms.

The agreement came about through collaborations between Sister Mary Reap, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, president of Elms College, and Robert Pura, president of GCC (pictured above).

“Business, social work, education and communication are fast-growing fields, offering exciting new career options for our region,” Sister Reap said. “As more and more numbers of Greenfield Community College students earn associate’s degrees in these areas, we are pleased to provide them with the opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degrees at Elms College.

“Graduates from these programs will help to build a stronger community and a stronger economy,” she said.