Valencia College and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ are embarking on a new strategic partnership to boost transfer student success, funded by a $1.3 million grant from the Helios Education Foundation.
Led by the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½/Valencia Improving Student Success Task Force, the new pilot program will provide additional support to students before and after their transfer from Valencia to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½.
βThe Helios grant presents a real opportunity for us to improve studentsβ readiness to transfer to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and shorten the amount of time needed to graduate with a bachelorβs degree,β says Valencia College President Kathleen Plinske.
βDirectConnect to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is an important pathway to help students earn life-changing bachelorβs degrees and become part of the talent pipeline that fuels Central Floridaβs industries,β says ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ President Alexander N. Cartwright. βThanks to the support of the Helios Foundation, more students will be well-prepared to launch or advance their careers faster, jump-starting innovation and serving our community.β
The new grant will support Valencia College DirectConnect transfer students in the Fall 2023,Β Spring 2024 and Summer 2024 semesters, and provide them with Helios-funded incentives for the following:
- $500 toward the completion of up to three courses at Valencia to complete the common program prerequisites aligned with a studentβs degree pathway
- $250 for having completed an Associate in Arts degree and the common program prerequisites prior to transfer to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½
- $500 financial aid award for part-time students to continue their studies at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ part-time and supplement their financial aid in the transition from Valencia to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½
Additionally, Valencia students will be encouraged to participate in a S.E.E. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ tour, which stands for Students Early Exploration, with food and transportation provided. In addition to the financial incentives, the grant will cover program costs, staffing and data analysis for the length of the grant.
Using data from the Central Florida Educational Ecosystem Database (CFEED) and based on a Fall 2022 pilot which focused on students transferring to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs College of Business, Valencia and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ have identified multiple interventions to increase the success of transfer students between their institutions. The Helios grant will be used to expand the pilot and serve transfer students within all programs.
βHelios Education Foundationβs investment in DirectConnect provides Central Florida students both on-campus and financial supports to ensure completion of their Valencia College degree as the first step toward completion of a bachelorβs degree at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½,β says Paul Luna, president and CEO of Helios Education Foundation.
The DirectConnect to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ partnership is recognized as one of the leading transfer programs in the country. Since its inception in 2006, more than 42,000 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ bachelorβs degrees have been awarded to Valencia College students, accounting Β for nearly a quarter of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs baccalaureate graduates.