UW-River Falls, CVTC continue commitment to a seamless transition for transfer students

Leaders, faculty and staff of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) met Tuesday in River Falls to reaffirm the two schools’ commitment to providing a seamless credit transfer process for students who move from one school to the other.

UWRF Interim Chancellor John Chenoweth told the group assembled for Reaffirmation Day that the two schools have developed an especially strong collaboration that has benefited many students and will continue to do so.

“It has been exciting to watch those opportunities for students,” Chenoweth said. “The path is there. The question, as always, is how seamless it is, and that is the work we do together.”

Chenoweth said the collaboration doesn’t only help the students and the schools but helps promote economic development as well.

“The number of alumni from our two institutions who are all over this region, serving in leadership areas, driving businesses and communities forward is really impressive,” he said.

CVTC President Sunem Beaton-Garcia said the goal of the program is to provide access to education and help students finish what they started.

“Today is really about students. It’s their dreams, their momentum, and our shared promise to make every credit, every conversation, every step count,” Beaton-Garcia said.

Beaton-Garcia said the program doesn’t only benefit traditional students. It also helps first-generation students who are learning to navigate higher education, adult learners looking to change careers or finish degrees they started, as well as veterans and service members.

“Thank you to all of you who are translating policy to possibility,” Beaton-Garcia said. “For students, it’s life changing.”

Holly Hufnagle, a UWRF junior from Hager City majoring in environmental science with a minor in conservation, shared her story of transferring after earning an Associate of Science degree in liberal arts at CVTC.

Hufnagle said she appreciated the homey, small-town feel of the UWRF campus when she arrived.

“It made it feel a lot less overwhelming to start here,” Hufnagle said. “Another thing that really surprised me was how much more comfortable I felt coming here knowing I had credits under my belt from CVTC.”

Hufnagle credits Sarah Schliesmann, the UW transfer academic adviser at CVTC, with helping her make a smooth transition.

“She helped me walk through how each of my credits was going to transfer,” Hufnagle said. “There weren’t going to be any surprises.”

Hufnagle noted the transfer didn’t mean the end of her relationship with CVTC. She later took a summer class there, which worked out better for her schedule. That option adds flexibility for students at both schools.

The program, now in its fourth year, continues to grow. Currently, 113 CVTC students plan to transfer to UWRF.

Attendees spent part of the day in breakout sessions brainstorming ways to expand the collaboration and make it even more efficient for students.

In closing out the day, Stephanie Esser, executive dean of business, arts and science at CVTC, said the collaboration does more than help students succeed in their education.

“Success is really defined when students leave,” Esser said. “That success carries well beyond our doors.”