Monaca, PA — Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) is proud to launch our Strategic Transfer Excellence Plan (STEP) through the Aspen–AASCU Transfer Intensive (Cohort 4)—a national partnership supporting community colleges and four-year institutions as they implement proven reforms that help more students transfer efficiently and complete bachelor’s degrees on time.
Transferring from community college to a four-year institution can be a high-impact, affordable pathway to a bachelor’s degree. Yet too often, students experience unclear major requirements, credits that don’t apply, inconsistent advising, and administrative hurdles that delay progress and add cost. Our STEP moves from diagnosing barriers to implementing measurable improvements designed to make transfer simpler and more predictable—so students know what to take, what counts, and what comes next.
At CCBC, our STEP focuses on our commitment to equity and opportunity by engaging with a broader demographic community, including students who had not previously considered higher education. The development of a Premier Partnership represents a significant step forward in strengthening that collaboration to better serve students and support regional workforce needs. The development of a Premier Partnership represents a significant step forward in strengthening that collaboration to better serve students and support regional workforce needs.
For example:
- Strategy 1: Curriculum alignment and guaranteed credit transfer, ensuring students stay on track toward a bachelor’s degree
- Strategy 2: Individualized transfer advising that begins early and continues through the transition to the university
- Strategy 3: Collaborative engagement between faculty and advising teams to support academic planning and student success
“This premier partnership between CCBC and Slippery Rock University ensures our students start Titan Strong and finish Rock Solid by honoring every credit they earn, removing barriers, and building flexible transfer pathways which ultimately decreases costs and accelerates their path into high-demand careers,” explained Senior Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Shelly Moore.
Cohort 4 includes 23 colleges and universities across 10 states, serving 186,991 full-time students annually, with an average of 40% Pell-eligible enrollment. Across partner institutions, there are 5,800+ transfers between partners annually, and about 45% of those students currently attain a bachelor’s degree within four years.
The STEP is designed to provide equity and opportunity, such as reducing credit loss, improving in-major credit applicability, increasing major-ready transfer, shortening time to degree, and strengthening bachelor’s completion—while better connecting education pathways to workforce opportunity.
