FAIRBORN — A signing ceremony was held on Friday morning in the Wright State Student Union to celebrate the renewal of Wright State’s partnership with Clark State.
Wright State and Clark State will continue to work together to provide high quality, affordable education to students across the region.
“Our relationship with Clark State is incredibly important,” said Wright State President Dr. Sue Edwards who gave a brief speech that highlighted the three Rs – recruitment, retention, and relationships – that Wright State prides itself on. “We’re working together to provide seamless opportunities for students to transfer between one institution and another.”
Edwards said that she had been a transfer student herself along with her husband and son.
“We understand the challenges that face some of our community college transfer students if we do not set very clear pathways,” Edwards said. She also described how a clear path to an affordable four-year degree is a way to provide the region’s businesses with the qualified workforce they need to succeed.
“A lot of our students are from the region, they stay in the region and they are the economic powerhouse of the region,” Edwards said.
Clark State President Dr. Jo Alice Blondin, expressed her confidence that sending transfer students from Clark State to Wright State is the right path for them.
“Clark State wants our students to go to an institution that takes care of its students and Wright State is that school. I also call it the Wright path for our students,” she said. She described how Clark State alumni are more likely to stay in the area if they graduate with a degree from Wright State as well.
Students have been transferring from Clark State to Wright State for years, but it’s worth noting that both institutions continue to invest resources into making the transfer process as clear and easy as possible. The cost of higher education continues to rise across the country. As traditional four-year degrees becomes more expensive, it’s important to make sure that alternative pathways not only exist but are clear and accessible.
