State’s new Transfer Council aims to streamline higher ed student transfer pathways
| SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Higher Education Coordinating Commission announced Tuesday the formation and appointment of the Transfer Council, established by Senate Bill 233 in the 2021 Legislative Session. The Transfer Council—comprised of representatives from Oregon public universities, community colleges, and high schools— will develop and advance work to streamline student transfer pathways between institutions. This work is intended to simplify transfer and reduce the time and cost of earning a degree by making it easier for students statewide to know which courses will transfer and fulfill major and degree requirements. The Transfer Council’s first public meeting will be October 21st, and all meetings will be public, with details on the HECC website here. In 2019-20, transfer students earned approximately half of the bachelor’s degrees awarded by Oregon public universities to in-state students. The largest proportion of those students transfer from a community college, and are more likely than direct-entry university students to be low-income. They are also currently less likely than direct-entry university students to graduate from the university in a comparable time frame. Ben Cannon, executive director of the HECC, says, “The recommendations of the newly appointed Transfer Council will be critically important to help support the success of the thousands of students who transfer every year, many of whom are low-income, and to save them time and money as they complete their college goals. We appreciate those who volunteered to serve on the Council and sincerely look forward to their student-centered vision and expertise.” Senate Bill 233 requires the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to establish, by administrative rule, a common course numbering system and system of transfer and articulation, based on recommendations from the newly constituted Transfer Council. The Transfer Council is charged with developing recommendations for the HECC on this common course numbering system, to continue the development of Major Transfer Maps that prepare students for transfer in a particular major, and to address other important credit transfer-related concerns. The work of the Council builds on important transfer pathway work accomplished under House Bill 2998 (2017), which led to the development of the Oregon Transfer Compass and Transfer Maps. The 2017 legislation directed the HECC to bring together community colleges and universities to establish statewide “foundational curricula,” now called Core Transfer Maps, as well as major-specific agreements now called Major Transfer Maps. Learn more about the HECC policy work on transfer and college credit here. Students, families, and counselors, can learn about the growing set of tools to navigate the transfer process in the Oregon Transfer Compass here. |
| ### The State of Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) envisions a future in which all Oregonians—and especially those whom our systems have underserved and marginalized—benefit from the transformational power of high-quality postsecondary education and training. For more information, go to www.Oregon.gov/HigherEd |
