Leaders from Bridgewater State University, Cape Cod Community College and the community celebrated signing two formal agreements – a memorandum of understanding and an articulation agreement – to offer the first joint undergraduate program on Cape Cod by the two public institutions as well as a series of upper-level programming.
Presidents of the two public institutions signed a joint resolution pledging their mutual commitment to a strategy for public higher education on Cape Cod and the Islands that is designed to expand access and opportunity.
Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria and Dr. John L. Cox, presidents of BSU and CCCC respectively, signed the MOU prior to a celebration of BSU Cape Cod on Nov. 5 at Alberto’s Ristorante in Hyannis before an audience of 50 educational and community leaders.
“We have been overwhelmed with responses from this community,” President Mohler-Faria told those gathered. “We knew we had to enlist your help – this had to be a community effort. Three to five to seven years from now, we will see a robust delivery of education at all levels on the Cape.”
The MOU commits both institutions to work collaboratively on “a proactive strategy of cooperation to produce substantial increases in access to public higher education and degree completion at the associate’s and bachelor’s degree levels” on the Cape.
Central to the agreement is advancing economic growth on Cape Cod through educational attainment and progress as both institutions committed themselves to “planning, developing and aligning instructional programs at the undergraduate level to meet … growth opportunities” on the Cape.
An advisory board consisting of university and college representatives, members of the region and economic leaders from Cape Cod will be established to make programmatic recommendations regarding future programs and offerings. The agreement will remain in effect for three years after which BSU and CCCC will update and renew the resolution.
The first joint undergraduate program in the “two-plus-two” program model between the institutions is for CCCC graduates and those who are about to complete the early education and care (PreK-K) major.
CCCC students who have completed their associate’s degree in the major will be able to transfer their courses to BSU toward completion of a bachelor’s degree in early education and care, which prepares graduates for career opportunities with young children from infancy to age 6. Anyone with a two-year degree in the field is also eligible to transfer credits.
Objectives of the articulation agreement signed by the presidents and the chief academic officers of both institutions include attracting qualified students to CCCC and BSU; promoting and facilitating efficient transition of transfer students between the two institutions; providing specific information and guidelines for transfer students; and academic coordination including joint academic advising for students attending CCCC.
“We are looking forward to building opportunities for more two-plus-two programs,” said President Cox. “We are also looking forward to growing the partnership and seeing more students engaged in the future.”
Forty courses will be offered during Bridgewater’s inaugural semester that begins in January, said Jennifer True, director of BSU Cape Cod. On the graduate level, Bridgewater will offer courses leading to the completion of master’s degrees in Educational Leadership, Special Education and Reading. A Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership is planned. Graduate certificate programs in Addiction, Certified Public Managers, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages will be offered, as will Accelerated Postbaccalaureate Programs (APBs) for professionals who are seeking to become teachers.
Non-credit business certificate programs in Entrepreneurial Strategies/New Venture Development, Managing Volunteers, Grant Writing and Financial Strategies for Non-Profits are planned. Bridgewater is also developing community enrichment programs for the spring semester.
Information sessions for Bridgewater program offerings on Cape Cod have been scheduled. For regular updates and specific courses visit https://bridgew.edu/bridgewater-cape-cod.
Bridgewater has been refurbishing a section of the former MacArthur Elementary School in preparation for the January 2015 opening. Initially, four classrooms, a conference room and administrative office space are being renovated prior to the start of the semester. All will be disability accessible. Building renovations are expected to continue for several years. (Story by Eva T. Gaffney; photos by David K. Wilson, '71, University News)
