TESU Receives OSHE Grant
Thomas Edison State University (TESU) has been awarded a grant from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) to support OSHE’s Some College, No Degree initiative.
The university is set to receive $149,977 to fund incentives for both students and institutions, facilitating the return of working adult students to college for degree completion. OSHE has allocated nearly $3.3 million in grant funding to 23 institutions.
“We are honored to be selected for the FY24 Some College, No Degree Institutional Grant Opportunity. The University was founded for this purpose and the grant furthers our work in overcoming barriers to re-enrollment and degree completion,” said Dr. Merodie A. Hancock, president of TESU. “We are proud to contribute to the transformation of higher education in New Jersey, ensuring our workforce is well-prepared for the challenges ahead. We look forward to collaborating with the State and amplifying best practices that will contribute to achieving the goal of 65 percent of working-age New Jerseyans obtaining a high-quality credential by 2025.”
Nationally, the population of students with some college, but no degree, has been increasing and roughly translates to one-in-four adults across the United States. In New Jersey, more than 790,000 residents are a part of this population, having taken a hiatus for various reasons, ranging from financial and material hardship to shifting career goals and aspirations.
MCCC, Rider Sign New Transfer Agreement
Rider University and Mercer County Community College have signed a new five-year guaranteed transfer agreement, furthering their commitment to expanding educational access for students.
Signed in November by Rider President Gregory G. Dell’Omo and Mercer County Community College President Deborah E. Preston the agreement includes 42 program-to-program agreements, which have been updated to reflect the most recent curriculum. Some of the programs include education, film and television, game design, and all of Rider’s business majors.
Symbolically, the program-to-program agreement for Mercer’s Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology: Cybersecurity Concentration to Rider’s Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity was signed, representing the institutions’ joint desire to help students enter growing fields equipped with the technical knowledge and real-world experience they will need to succeed.
“As higher education continues to evolve and students’ needs change, partnerships like ours are critical to ensuring that students can earn their degrees in a flexible, affordable, and personalized manner,” says Dell’Omo.
Program-to-program agreements allow Mercer students who earn their associate degree in specific programs and maintain GPA requirements to seamlessly transfer to Rider to complete their undergraduate degree.
“Like our partners at Rider, we are committed to providing the most comprehensive, accessible and seamless transition toward a high-quality, four-year degree,” says Preston. “As educators, we have the opportunity to create convenient, supportive pathways to receiving a bachelor’s degree, and we are thrilled to work together with Rider to offer more than 40 exceptional programs to choose from.”
For more than a decade, the institutions have created pathways for students to complete their bachelor’s degrees. Recently, Rider and Mercer have expanded their partnership to include specialized room and board rates for Mercer County Community College students to live on Rider’s campus and tuition discounts for Mercer employees.
To learn more about transferring to Rider, visit rider.edu/transfer.
