West Liberty University President Tim Borchers and West Virginia Northern Community College President Daniel Mosser shake hands after signing an agreement Thursday.

In a new agreement between local colleges, students will be able to more seamlessly transfer from West Virginia Northern Community College to West Liberty University.

Leaders from the two schools gathered Thursday morning to officially sign the new Collaborative Enrollment and Guaranteed Admission Agreement. This new “Thundering Hilltoppers Program” is an effort to better support students seeking educational advancement between the two colleges and keep them in the Wheeling area.

The agreement guarantees admission to West Liberty University for any student who graduates from West Virginia Northern Community College with a GPA of 2.0 or higher. It also sets up a more seamless application and transfer process, and includes students in joint events between the schools.

West Liberty’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Cathy Monteroso said the agreement emphasizes the ongoing collaboration between the two schools to make education accessible for everyone.

“We are two institutions with a focus on removing barriers for students so we can get them to the careers and the jobs they are looking for and do it in a way that limits time to completion and also so they can see opportunities so they are available,” Monteroso said.

West Liberty has resources for Northern students available on campus and Monteroso said she wants to continue strengthening that relationship.

Angela Hawk, vice president for learning at WVNCC said there are already several programs with articulation agreements that allow students to transfer seamlessly to West Liberty, particularly in social work, education and nursing. Now, the process will be even simpler for all students.

“Really this was an opportunity to come together at a college-wide level and remove any remaining barriers there were to West Virginia Northern students becoming hilltoppers,” Hawk said. “Behind the scenes it creates a much smoother process of the administration of it.”

West Liberty accepts around 120 transfer students a year, but Northern is their principal partner, Hawk said. She said it is likely that West Liberty will see even higher transfer numbers in the future now that the pathway is clearer for students.

The collaboration is about creating a sense of community, Hawk noted.

“We really wanted to cultivate this program of students getting to know each other, being part of a cohort, maybe going to West Liberty football games and really feeling like a Hilltopper even while they’re still here completing their degree at Northern,” she said.