WAYNE – A joint press conference to sign new partnership agreements between Wayne State College (WSC) and Little Priest Tribal College (LPTC) is being scheduled for early November.
According to a release from Director of College Relations, Jay Collier, the event will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, November 7 in the Elkhorn Room of the Student Center at WSC.
WSC and LPTC will be entering into articulation agreements for programs in biology, chemistry and elementary education. The agreements are aimed at Little Priest students who have completed an Associate of Science (A.S.) or Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree and are transferring to Wayne State to complete a bachelor’s degree.
Dr. Marysz Rames, President of Wayne State said, “we have a remarkable history of cooperation and collaboration with Little Priest Tribal College. These agreements open the door to new pathways for students with a passion for science and education, two areas that benefit from innovative partnerships that draw on the strengths of our institutions.”
Manoj Patil, President of Little Priest Tribal College added, “Little Priest Tribal College is thrilled to continue our partnership with Wayne State College with the three new articulation agreements. These agreements will help LPTC graduates continue their higher education at Wayne State seamlessly.”
Students transferring into the biology and chemistry programs will bring 60 credit hours with them from their A.S. degree and will need only 60 credit hours to complete Wayne State’s Bachelor of Science in biology or chemistry degree. Students transferring into the elementary education program will bring 66 credit hours from their LPTC Associate of Arts teacher education program, leaving just 54 credit hours needed to complete the Bachelor of Science in elementary education degree at WSC.
Dr. Ron Loggins, Dean of Science, Health, and Criminal Justice at Wayne State College mentioned, “we are excited to collaborate on this transfer agreement for these young scientists. Now more than ever we need people that are intellectually curious and who come from a wide array of backgrounds to face the complex and difficult challenges of the future.”
To assist prospective transfer students enrolled in the in AA-Teacher Education/BS-Elementary Education Program with their academic planning, WSC and LPTC will jointly advise students in the AA-Teacher Education/BS-Elementary Education Program during their third and fourth semesters at LPTC. Students identified by LPTC as potential transfer students to WSC will work with co-advisors throughout their third and fourth semesters at LPTC.
Dr. Nicholas Shudak, Dean of Education and Behavioral Sciences at WSC said, “this pathway and partnership represents what is great about service-oriented higher education. Each institution understands how important it is to serve our communities, and this partnership allows us to live our missions.”
Wayne State has a longstanding articulation agreement in place with LPTC for transfer into business programs. These new agreements allow each institution to respond to the high demand for scientists and teachers.
Dr. Loretta Broberg, Vice President of Teaching and Learning at Little Priest added, “we look forward to building our relationship between Wayne State College and Little Priest Tribal College for the betterment of our tribal students and the tribal nation.”
Steven Elliott, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Wayne State closed with, “we are proud to partner with Little Priest Tribal College to help students earn the credentials necessary to support and grow their communities.”
