UI Welcomes Iowa Lakes Community College To 2 Plus 2 Guaranteed Transfer Plan

University of Iowa Provost Michael Hogan traveled to Estherville in northwest Iowa Thursday, May 17 to formally welcome Iowa Lakes Community College and its nearly 3,900 students to the university's 2 Plus 2 Guaranteed Graduation Plan.

By providing early access to UI advisors, the 2 Plus 2 plan can help Iowa Lakes students choose the courses they need to transfer to Iowa after two years and obtain a bachelor's degree at Iowa after just two more years.

"We're truly excited to partner in this program to help interested Iowa Lakes students transfer to Iowa," said Harold Prior, president of Iowa Lakes. "Transferring at the college level can be a complex process. The 2 Plus 2 plan will put our students on track to transfer much more easily."

The UI launched the 2 Plus 2 Guaranteed Graduation Plan last fall with three participating Iowa community colleges: Kirkwood Community College, Eastern Iowa Community College and Iowa Western Community College. All community colleges in the state will be participating by fall 2007.

Iowa Lakes Community College marks the fourth community college to join the plan, which means its students who enroll in the 2 Plus 2 plan can begin enjoying many of the benefits of being an Iowa student even before they arrive on Iowa's campus.

Thursday's announcement also builds upon related developments earlier this year, when officials from UI and Iowa Lakes formalized an agreement to help interested Iowa Lakes students earn a Bachelor of Applied Studies degree from Iowa through the UI Division of Continuing Education without having to move to the university campus.

Both initiatives recognize that many of today's college-bound students choose to reduce their overall expenses and stay closer to home by pursuing associate degrees at community colleges before transferring to a four-year school such as Iowa. More than 700 new transfer students came to the university from an Iowa community college last fall.

Hogan, Iowa's chief academic officer, said many students with associate degrees are attracted to Iowa because they can advance their education -- and their lifetime earning potential -- by spending just two more years at Iowa to earn a bachelor's degree.

"Iowa Lakes has a great program for students seeking associate's degrees across a wide spectrum of areas of study, ranging from business and communications to health, technology, and human services," Hogan said. "Transferring to the University of Iowa is a natural next step for Iowa Lakes students interested in pursuing further study or advanced degrees in these areas."

Iowa Lakes, located in the picturesque Iowa Great Lakes region, offers more than 56 areas of study at several locations throughout its five-county service area, which includes the cities of Algona, Emmetsburg, Estherville, Spencer and Spirit Lake.

The UI, one of three public universities governed by the Iowa state Board of Regents, offers more than 100 areas of undergraduate study on its Iowa City campus.

In addition to early access to Iowa advisors, all community college students in the 2 Plus 2 Plan will get a university e-mail account, access to UI library and career-planning resources, and a UI student ID allowing discounted admission to various university athletic and entertainment venues as soon as they are accepted into the plan.

Ideally, students enroll in the plan during their first or second year at the community college, but high school students across Iowa also are being encouraged to investigate the advantages of 2 Plus 2 as they begin planning their college experience.

Right now, the plan is available to students pursuing about 15 areas of study in the areas of business and liberal arts, including in some of Iowa's most popular majors, such as accounting, psychology, social work and English. University officials hope to soon add even more majors to the plan.

For more details about the 2 Plus 2 plan, including how to sign up and a list of available majors and participating colleges, visit http://www.uiowa.edu/2plus2/.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Suite 371, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500