EXPLORING TRANSFER
Download 2009 Exploring Transfer Application (PDF 324k)
Applications are due March 31, 2009.
For over twenty years, the Exploring Transfer (ET) program at Vassar College has successfully introduced community college students to the possibilities of transfer to a wide range of four-year colleges and universities. ET students, all of whom are drawn from populations underrepresented in higher education and all of whom are first generation to college, have gone on to complete bachelors degrees at most of the units of the State University of New York and the City University of New York; our students have also transferred and flourished at private selective universities such as Yale and Columbia and colleges such as Smith, Middlebury, and Vassar. We believe that of the nearly 1000 students who have participated in Exploring Transfer over the last fifteen years, over 80% have transferred to four year institutions, 95 to Vassar College. At least five ET participants have gone on to PhD programs, one is a practicing physician and many are lawyers and public school teachers.
Exploring Transfer is designed to provide an introduction to the intensive study of the liberal arts to community college students who are pursuing associate degrees or certificates in vocational, liberal arts, or science programs. Indeed, most of our students come to the program with the kinds of vocational goals encouraged by community college admissions; it is our purpose to show them that there is a world of other possibilities available to them.
Each summer Exploring Transfer offers between three and five specially designed courses, each taught by a Vassar and a community college professor. Each of these courses, which are usually interdisciplinary in focus, carry one unit of Vassar credit and match the expectations for 100 level courses during the regular year. Students live in one of the residence halls where they are encouraged by program counselors to form a learning cohort to promote intellectual sharing and to provide mutual academic and personal support.
Each student receives a scholarship that covers completely their tuition, room, board, books, and all other supplies. Download 2009 Exploring Transfer Application (PDF 324k)
For information, students at the following Community Colleges can contact the coordinators:
- Borough of Manhattan- Beryl Duncan Wilson (bduncanwilson@bmcc.cuny.edu)
- Bunker Hill - Nicole Guilmett (nguilmete@bhcc.mass.edu)
- Dutchess - Joe Allen (allen@sunydutchess.edu)
- Eastern Maine - Elizabeth Worden (eworden@emcc.edu)
- Kennebec Valley - Jim Peacock (jpeacock@kvcc.me.edu)
- Kingsborough - Reza Fakhari (reza.fakhari@kbcc.cuny.edu)
- LaGuardia - Cecilia Macheski (cmachesk@lagcc.cuny.edu)
- Los Angeles - Hector Plotquin (plotquin@lacitycollege.edu)
- Southern Maine - Sharron Bannon (sbannon@smccme.edu)
- Suny Orange - Jeanine Buckes (jeanine.buckes@sunyorange.edu)
- Westchester - Gwen Roundtree Evans (gwen.roundtree@sunywcc.edu)
Other interested students, please contact us directly.