The NIU College of Education has added another “2+2” agreement to create a seamless transfer pathway for community college students.
Beginning next fall, Early Childhood Education will become of five NIU majors being offered at the University Center at McHenry County College, which offers equitable access to bachelor’s and advanced degree programs in Woodstock.
David Walker, associate dean for Academic Affairs, calls the collaboration “really good for the job market” and “a great opportunity for us to collaborate with our partners at McHenry and also internally here at NIU.”
It also expands the College of Education’s PLEDGE (Partnering to Lead and Empower District-Grown Educators) initiative and is structured like the program hosted at Elgin Community College: NIU faculty will deliver all classes in Woodstock, preventing students from needing to travel or move to DeKalb.
“McHenry County College is one of our top feeders into the College of Education, and this is our first codified 2+2 agreement with MCC,” Walker says. “Now we’re looking for many more, and we’re working with them on an A.A. pathway in elementary education with an ESL/bilingual endorsement.”
Kailley Harmon, director of MCC’s University Center, is happy to provide a “pathway that gives students another route to obtain their degrees while still allowing them to stay close to home.”
“Northern Illinois University is already one of MCC’s most in-demand transfer universities. This expanded partnership through the University Center will allow students who are unable to relocate or commute that distance the opportunity to successfully continue their academic journey with NIU,” Harmon says.
“MCC has worked very closely with NIU to create a 2+2 guide for MCC’s A.A.S. in Early Childhood Education connecting to the B.S. in Early Childhood Education at NIU,” she adds. “This unique partnership creates an opportunity for our students to obtain their A.A.S. and still transfer seamlessly for a bachelor’s degree – and complete in four years.”
Several Early Childhood Education majors at MCC received State of Illinois Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity scholarships, says Dawn Katz, MCC’s dean of Business, Social Sciences and Public Services, and now are close to completing their associate degrees.
“NIU is the next logical step,” Katz says, “and this partnership will facilitate an easy and successful transition for our Early Childhood Education majors.”
Beyond the obvious benefits for students, the deal also provides a blueprint for Walker and his team. Transfer students already compose half of each fall’s new enrollment.
“We’re on our 28th 2+2 now, which is just excellent, but this is the first we’ve signed where we’re articulating from an A.A.S. degree,” Walker says.
“Our other 27 agreements have been from an A.A. degree or an A.S. degree,” he adds, “and why this matters is because, typically, at the community college, you have fewer general education courses affiliated with the A.A.S. In an A.A.S., you do take some, but you take the bulk of your general education at the four-year institution, which at times can be complicated for transfer students.”
Curricular innovations proposed by Bess Wilson, chair of the Department of Special and Early Education, and Chris Lowe, director of the college’s Office for Student Success, paved the road.
Acting Dean Bill Pitney also served an active role in the successful discussions, Walker says.
“I think we have a model now to go deeper into transferring from an A.A.S. to one our licensure programs or non-licensure programs,” Walker says. “That is really exciting and helps to progress our curricula of study.”
For students, Wilson adds, the excitement stems from what each school offers.
“At the community college level, this allows students to get their gateways and their pathway-to-employment in the early childhood non-licensure areas, and then they can come here and get their professional education licensure,” she says.
Meanwhile, she adds, it comes at a time when State of Illinois initiatives such as Preschool for All champion the value of early childhood education and elevate the demand for highly qualified teachers in classrooms.
“We’re really making this accessible for students in that part of the state,” Wilson says. “It’s allowing us to take them further, to get their professional educator licenses and to really build the workforce.”
For Wilson, who joined NIU over the summer, the process also provided her with an excellent impression of her department and her counterparts in the northwest suburbs.
“It’s been a delight to work with the faculty here and there, and to think strategically about how our programs align and how we can best serve the incumbent workforce and our students,” Wilson says.
“We have this great combination of faculty who are really attuned to student interests and student needs,” she adds. “These are experts in the field who are really thinking innovatively about developmentally appropriate practice, social justice, equity and working with diverse students, and they’re combining that with deep care for each and every one of our students and their success.”
