University, Technical College System announce statewide Bridge Program

The University and the S.C. Technical College System signed an agreement Nov. 29 that will expand some of Carolina's successful student-oriented programs to technical-college students who plan to transfer to the Columbia campus.

The agreement, announced by President Andrew Sorensen and S.C. Technical College System President Barry Russell, creates the statewide Bridge Program, which will take effect in fall 2008. The agreement builds upon a similar one signed earlier this year with Greenville Technical College and Midlands Technical College, aiming to expand access and enhance transfer of students from all of the state's 16 technical colleges.

Sorensen said the statewide program is the realization of a goal to make the transition from South Carolina's technical colleges to the University of South Carolina as seamless as possible. The program also is a response to demand in communities across the state.

"Because of the overwhelming response, officials at the technical college system and here at the University agreed that we should take this program statewide and make it available to students throughout South Carolina," Sorensen said. "If we are to succeed as institutions of higher learning and if we are to prosper as a state, we must build bridges with one another and to a better life and encourage our prospective students to cross them."

The Bridge Program is intended for first-time college attendees who are recent high-school graduates. To be eligible, students must successfully complete 30 hours of general studies or earn an associate degree and meet the University's admissions criteria.

Student Body President Nick Payne, who attended Midlands Technical College from 2003 to 2004 before entering the University in fall 2004, said the program will help students who want to obtain a four-year bachelor's degree.

"The technical-college experience is a unique one," said Payne, who will graduate in May 2008 with a degree in economics. "It offers an environment that is inquisitive with friendly instructors to support the student's learning experience. It allows students to become familiar with the work that is to be expected of them during their careers at an institution of higher education. I am proud of the steps that our state's education leaders are taking to ensure every South Carolinian is afforded the opportunity to further their education in the next chapter of higher learning."

The University and technical colleges will identify and contact students who were denied admission to the Columbia campus either for academic or space-available reasons.

University admissions officials said the Bridge Program has several components. Students will be provided information about the program in the fall and will be invited to attend an event at the University in the spring at which they will meet staff from the University's admissions and financial-aid offices, the Student Success Center, the Career Center, University Housing, and representatives from academic areas.

To further ensure student success, the program offers students the opportunity to be matched with a transfer student the semester before entering the University. Admissions officials said mentoring opportunities will continue throughout a student's first year at the University, and a special session on personal and academic success will be offered for Bridge Program students.

The agreement between the S.C. Technical College System and the University does not replace similar agreements that exist between the University and Greenville Technical College or Midlands Technical College.

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