SEMO, East Central College announce 'student success' partnership

Southeast Missouri State University and Union, Missouri-based East Central College announced Wednesday they have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding transfer students.

The "Transfer Mentor Program" will help East Central students "plan a pathway to success, ease their transition to Southeast and complete a degree," according to a news release.

"The Transfer Mentor Program allows Southeast to treat ECC students as if they were our very own," SEMO president Carlos Vargas said. "This agreement will give students support and advising to ensure courses are transferable as they make progress on their associate degrees."

Jon Bauer, East Central president, spoke of collaboration between the two schools in getting the arrangement done.

"It takes two institutions to make an agreement work. It's important to have processes in place so students know the answers without having to search for them. This partnership will work for the students," he said.

According to the release, East Central students who participate will be assigned a transfer mentor, offering individual support as a community college student through their first semester of enrollment at Southeast.

Additionally, the schools announced, every semester East Central will send an official college transcript to Southeast at no cost to the student or to ECC, allowing East Central and Southeast to share information, manage progress toward degree completion and have access to transcripts through a web-based degree management system.