President Walter Wendler at West Texas A&M University and President Robert Riza at Clarendon College will sign confirmation of an articulation agreement to streamline the transfer process of nursing graduates at Clarendon College (CC) at 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18 at CC, Barfield Activity Center.
The agreement will allow associate degree students to transfer up to 90 credit hours into a bachelor’s degree in nursing at WTAMU. In addition to speeding the time to degree, this arrangement will allow RN licensed nurses, who train at Clarendon College, the opportunity to receive scholarships, academic support and advising resources while earning their bachelor’s degree at WTAMU.
“At its core, this articulation agreement between Clarendon College and WT’s RN to BSN program will facilitate a seamless transition for students with an associate degree in nursing to pursue a baccalaureate in nursing at WT,” Dr. J. Dirk Nelson, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, said. “This is a win, win, win. Students will benefit by earning a BSN; both Clarendon College as well as WT will benefit; and the public will benefit from health care being provided by additional baccalaureate educated nurses in our region.”
“WT’s nursing program is very highly regarded in the Texas Panhandle, and this partnership is outstanding for us and provides a great opportunity for our residents working in healthcare fields,” Dr. Robert Riza, president of Clarendon College, said. “It allows us to be a vehicle to help them in achieving their goals and furthering their education without leaving their jobs and families.”
With the convenience of online courses, the nursing program at WTAMU serves hundreds of transfer colleges across the country and has received nearly 50 national rankings since 2014. Students are able to apply up to 56 credits for core and prerequisite courses from their community colleges and 34 hours of nursing course credits toward the bachelor’s degree. The cost of tuition at WTAMU after course scholarships could be as low as $8,250.
“It’s no surprise that many community college students continue on to four-year schools, as the gains of completing additional education are well established: greater civic engagement, greater lifetime earnings, as well as lower unemployment,” Nelson said.
-West Texas A&M University
