McDaniel participates in MICUA consortium to support transfer students’ pathways to colleges

McDaniel College is participating in the Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA) consortium to help more community college students in Maryland achieve their goal of earning a degree from a four-year college.

MICUA has been awarded a $50,000 initial grant by the Teagle Foundation to support transfer students’ pathways to colleges.

Nationally, about 80% of community-college students want to earn a four-year degree, but fewer than 20% do so. MICUA and its member institutions, which includes McDaniel, will work with Maryland’s 16 community colleges to create a comprehensive transfer consortium that will focus on clear communication, shared data analysis, and a consistent focus on identifying and removing roadblocks to student success.

“We are excited about the opportunity through the Teagle and the Arthur Vining Davis foundations to continue our work with community colleges to ensure a seamless transition to McDaniel. This partnership through MICUA will help McDaniel become even more accessible to community college students of all backgrounds,” said Kemia Himon, director of Admissions & Financial Aid at McDaniel. “We will continue to provide personalized support from the beginning with students working with a designated transfer counselor that will assist throughout the application process.”

With a focus on students who have been historically underrepresented and underserved at institutions of higher education, the MICUA consortium will build upon existing opportunities to make transfer to independent schools from community colleges as smooth and seamless as possible.

“The Teagle grant will benefit many college students in Maryland by facilitating and supporting partnerships between community colleges and private and independent institutions of higher education in our state,” said Tony D. Hawkins, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Frederick Community College who co-chaired the workgroup that submitted the proposal. “Specifically, this grant will expose community college students to Maryland’s private and independent institutions, simplify and improve the transfer process, and make it more financially feasible for them to transfer. We look forward to working together to increase positive student success outcomes.”

Through this grant, MICUA will create a comprehensive and coordinated mechanism for promoting transfer from Maryland community colleges to MICUA schools, and for sharing transfer student outcomes across all institutions. Beyond allowing MICUA to build a statewide structure to collaborate with community college peers, this grant will help align MICUA priorities with the priorities of the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) for transfer, as well as nationwide interest in expanding post-secondary education to all those who seek it.

“We are so grateful for this generous funding from The Teagle Foundation and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations,” said Sara Fidler, president of MICUA. “Their confidence and support will enable us to strengthen our efforts to facilitate transfer as part of the community college student’s journey toward the achievement of a baccalaureate degree. We are looking forward to getting started!”

MICUA is a member-driven, nonprofit organization, which has as its mission the collective representation of 15 Maryland private, nonprofit colleges and universities, including McDaniel. MICUA provides public policy leadership on behalf of its members, fosters cooperative efforts among its member institutions and the broader higher education community, and serves as the official liaison between Maryland’s independent institutions and state and federal policymakers. In addition, MICUA serves as the resident agent of the I-Fund, which has as its mission raising funds to provide scholarships and grants to students attending 12 I-Fund member institutions.