Wheeling University Enters Consortium Agreement with Bethany College, West Liberty University
WHEELING -- Wheeling University, West Liberty University and Bethany College are partnering through a formal consortium agreement which offers students from each school the opportunity to complete courses that will be accepted at their home institution through the Cross-Registration Collaboration.
Presidents from each school met Thursday morning on the Wheeling University campus to officially sign the consortium agreement which will become effective at the start of the spring semester of 2020.
Billed as the first of its kind in West Virginia, the agreement will allow students at any of the three institutions to take one class each semester at one of the others for credit toward their degrees.
Bethany President Rev. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg, Wheeling President Ginny Favede, and West Liberty University President Stephen Greiner spoke of the benefits such an agreement will have for the students and, ultimately, graduation rates at their respective colleges.
"This gives the student a much broader pool in which to swim and figure out who they are vocationally, who they want to be in life," Rodenberg said. "The connection to a broader range of courses at partnering institutions is a key concept in our strategic plan, Bethany Connect. Serving students through connections is what Bethany College does best and we appreciate our partners in this."
The agreement grants any full-time, undergraduate student the ability to take one course per semester at a Partner School, either at Wheeling University, West Liberty University or Bethany College. Students will now have the opportunity to take any undergraduate course including online classes, and the home school will accept the credits from the students host school toward their degree.
Only fall and spring semester courses are eligible under this Cross-Registration Collaboration. What differentiates this collaboration from a transfer credit agreement is financial aid will be granted to the designated home school, and no exchange of money will occur between the home and host school.
The agreement comes at a pivotal moment for Ohio Valley higher education, officials said.
"We recognize the value of joining together for the benefit of all of our students. We view ourselves as a unified set of schools collectively interested in what moves our student population forward," Favede said. "We are not competitors, each school is unique, with different attributes that when shared cooperatively, will better serve the academic interests of our students."
Greiner concurred with the agreement benefits stating, "West Liberty University welcomes the chance to work with Wheeling University and Bethany College in this new consortium. The cross-registration agreement is a unique opportunity for students and will help them complete their degrees in a timely fashion. That's important to all of us and the state of West Virginia."