Salem College/RCC University Center Program Growing

ASHEBORO (October 6, 2009)

Dr. Rose Simon, director of libraries for Salem College, spoke recently to students at Randolph Community College who are enrolled in Salem's Business Administration bachelor's degree program through The University Center of Randolph County. Simon, Elizabeth Novicki, Salem's public services librarian, and Debbie Luck, Randolph Community College's dean of library services, spoke to the students about the combined library resources of the two schools.

The Salem College Business Administration program offered through the University Center of Randolph County increased enrollment 400% this fall, according to Ed Hartgrove Jr., who is executive-in-residence for the Department of Business & Economics at Salem College. Hartgrove also serves as a coordinator of the program with Randolph Community College and teaches classes.

The program, which was just introduced last year, had only three students taking two classes until this fall, when enrollment jumped to 12 students taking three classes each. There are 20 slots available in the program. This collaborative program is pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools of the Commission on Colleges.

Salem made some key changes to the program this fall, the most significant that students are now able to take three courses per semester instead of two. If students register for all three courses, they can apply for financial aid as full-time students. This major program enhancement allows Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree graduates to finish their bachelor's degree in 3 years (3 courses, 6 semesters) instead of 4½ years.

If students are just starting their associate degree, the program has been developed so the students can take 18 classes from Randolph Community College and 18 classes from Salem through the University Center and finish in five years. "They never have to leave the county to enroll. They never have to leave the county to take classes," said Hartgrove. And the financial savings is significant over a student who attends a private school for the entire degree. "A freshman coming into that program is making a choice to finish with money in the bank rather than a pile of debt," he said.

Hartgrove said the surge in enrollment was also due to a variety of marketing efforts by RCC and Salem. "The new students heard about the program in at least 10 different ways," he said, including the RCC Web site, flyers, a newspaper story, RCC's Campus Cruiser e-mail, and e-mail from the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce. Salem College took the step of becoming a member of the local Chamber and attended a recent Chamber After-Hours event to promote the program. "The key was that we were welcomed by the community in a real way," he said.

In addition, Salem College is now a part of the same articulation agreement that allows community college students to transfer to University of North Carolina schools as juniors if they complete a certain amount of credits, said Hartgrove. He is working closely with Clark Adams, RCC English instructor and liaison for the Salem College/University Center program, to put together specific course plans for each student so they can maximize their credits. And it is not just RCC graduates taking advantage of the program. Students who have credits from other schools are enrolling, as well as some students who are splitting classes, taking some in Asheboro and some at Salem's Winston-Salem campus.

Hartgrove said that students have a natural fear of moving from a two-year program to a four-year program, the biggest fear of which is academic performance. "But our adult students are having no problem competing and competing well," he said. The second biggest fear factor, he said, is cost. He noted that Salem College recently ranked highly in two Forbes Magazine college lists, including America's Best College Buys. Salem came in at no. 14 on the Best Buy list, and was one of only 23 schools nationwide to place in the top 100 of both that list and the annual ranking of America's 600 Best Colleges (Salem ranked no. 67).

Students who enroll in the Salem's program at the University Center of Randolph County are considered full Salem students. "They can attend games and sporting events, can use the library, and can get the full-blown university experience," said Hartgrove. They are also included in the graduation ceremony at Salem with all other students.

Several information sessions about the Salem College/University Center of Randolph County Business Administration program are planned in the next few weeks on RCC's Asheboro Campus. They are scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15; 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27; 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29; and 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the Computer Technology Center. Interested students can also visit RCC's Web site, www.randolph.edu, for more information; click on the University Center link in the QuickLinks section; or e-mail Hartgrove at ed.hartgrove@salem.edu.