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Standing L to R: Kirkwood Community College (KCC) Agricultural Sciences Faculty Member Ken Carroll; Don McLean, previous WIU-QC Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration coordinator; WIU RPTA Program Coordinator Rob Porter; WIU College of Education and Human Services Assistant Dean Lloyd Kilmer and Vice President for Quad Cities and Planning Kristi Mindrup. Seated L to R: KCC Dean of Agriculture Sciences Scott Ermer and WIU RPTA Chair Dan Yoder.
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WIU and KCC to Launch Reverse Transfer Agreement for Students in Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration/Natural Resource Management Field in Fall 2015

June 2, 2015

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MOLINE, IL/CEDAR RAPIDS, IA — Kirkwood Community College students studying natural resources management (and who have completed one year of KCC courses) will be able to take Western Illinois University-Quad Cities classes that will apply to their bachelor of science degrees, through the WIU Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration (RPTA), this fall.

According to WIU RPTA Chair Dan Yoder, the reverse transfer agreement between the two institutions enables KCC students to take part in an accelerated program and enroll in WIU-QC classes to work toward their bachelor's degrees at Western.

"The general education and technical classes taken at Western will transfer back to KCC and count toward the requirements for a KCC associate's degree," Yoder said. "Through this agreement, students will have the opportunity to learn from a diverse collection of faculty, who are leaders in the field, from both institutions. Because the program allows students to earn their degrees in a shorter period of time, they will save a significant amount of money."

Yoder noted while this program has many benefits for WIU and KCC, the greatest benefit will be reaped by students, who will have to spend less overall to earn their college degrees and will be able to begin their careers sooner.

"This innovative program enables a student to choose to take classes in the summer, resulting in his or her ability to earn an associate's degree and a bachelor's degree in as few as three years," he explained.

According to KCC Dean of Agriculture Sciences Scott Ermer, the agreement came about through the ongoing work of personnel at both institutions.

"The path to this partnership began a couple of years ago, when Dr. Don McLean, the previous WIU-QC RPTA coordinator, contacted KCC Agricultural Sciences Faculty Member Ken Carroll and me. Since then, we, along with current WIU RPTA Program Coordinator Dr. Rob Porter, have worked on the curriculum and logistics of the agreement," Ermer said.

For more information, contact Porter at R-Porter@wiu.edu or the Kirkwood Agricultural Sciences Department at (319) 398-5609 or via email at agsciences@kirkwood.edu.

Learn more about WIU's RPTA department at www.wiu.edu/rpta/.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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