New transfer program links UD, Sinclair

Benefits

As incoming first-year students at Sinclair Community College, UD Sinclair Academy students will have access to:

UD Sinclair Academy majors

To participate in the UD Sinclair Academy, students must choose one of the participating program majors. Fifteen “pathway credits” can be transferred from Sinclair to UD for each of these majors.

College of Arts and Sciences

Criminal Justice Studies

Mathematics

Sociology

School of Business Administration

Accounting

Economics

Entrepreneurship

Finance

International Business Management

Management Information Systems

Marketing

Operations and Supply Management

Education and Health Sciences

Adolescent to Young Adult Education

Middle Childhood Education

School of Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Computer Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology

Global Manufacturing Systems Engineering Technology

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Twelve students could attend Sinclair Community College for about the same amount of money it takes to send one teenager to the University of Dayton, but a new initiative announced Tuesday is designed to bridge the gap between the two schools.

The UD Sinclair Academy was hatched to make the private university more accessible to Sinclair students by providing a transfer program that includes financial help and acclimates students to UD over a two-year period.

“We think it’s moving the needle in making (UD) more accessible, and also having more than a traditional transfer program that is essentially ‘two years there, two years here’ without a bridge,” UD associate provost Paul Vanderburgh said.

During their two years at Sinclair, academy students will get ID cards from UD allowing them free access to campus clubs, the university’s RecPlex and most athletic events.

Academy students could transfer to UD after earning an associate degree and compiling 15 credit hours toward one of 22 degrees offered in the program. Students would have to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average.

Academy students would be eligible for up to $15,000 in scholarships for their junior and senior years at UD, as well as need-based grants.

“In many cases we can get down to what state institutions charge, especially if the need is high,” Vanderburgh said.

Tuition at Sinclair, based on 30 credit hours, is $2,971 for Montgomery County residents and $4,388 for out-of-county students.

UD’s tuition for the 2016-17 school year is $37,230. That rate would be locked in for the first academy students’ junior and senior years. Those students would enter the program at Sinclair this fall.

“This program will open doors to Sinclair students well beyond continuing their college career — though that is extremely valuable,” said Sinclair Provost Dave Collins. “It also acclimates them to the university experience and makes the full resources of both Sinclair and UD available to them.”

No binding agreement

The groundwork for the academy was laid in February 2015, and UD advisers already are based on Sinclair’s campus.

UD hopes to see 75 to 125 students in the academy at any given time. UD would like to see at least 50 of them move on to UD each year.

“We’re going to push them to be involved in (UD) activities because almost everything is free,” he said. “If I’m a Sinclair student, even if I don’t know where I want to go but I think it involves a bachelor’s degree, I would get in the UD Sinclair Academy to make sure I take advantage of the benefits. Along the way we might convince them that UD is for them.”

High school students admitted to UD also would be eligible for the academy if they wanted to delay their arrival on campus by two years.

There is no binding agreement if a student becomes part of the academy.

“We know that not every student is going to transfer (to UD),” Vanderburgh said. “They may want to go to Wright State when they’re done with the academy and we certainly understand that.”

Sinclair already has transfer agreements with Ohio’s public universities and offers a double degree program with Wright State.

Sinclair spokesman Adam Murka said about 5,800 Sinclair students transfer to four-year schools each year.

‘They do well’

A major goal of the academy, both schools say, is to keep talent in the region. Sinclair President Steve Johnson said nearly 90 percent of Sinclair students stay in the area after they complete their education.

“Our goal is for our students to succeed in their education and beyond, so acclimating them to the UD environment is logical and will pay off for these students, both institutions, and the community we all share,” Johnson said.

“This collaboration will not only strengthen the University of Dayton and Sinclair, it will bolster the local economy by providing a more educated workforce,” UD President Dan Curran said.

Murka said statistics show students with associate degrees graduate at a higher rate from four-year institutions than those who start at schools such as UD as freshmen. Vanderburgh has been impressed by Sinclair transfers.

“Our experience with Sinclair students has been phenomenal,” he said. “We’re aware of those data, but we’re also anecdotally aware that Sinclair students who come here, especially with an associate degree, are mature.

“Their priorities are school and they’re committed. They do very well.”