Sampson Community College continues finding ways to make things easier for students to get into great Universities once they leave SCC. The latest achievement is the signing of the Pathway to Excellence Program with the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Pathway to Excellence is a partnership between UNCW and Sampson Community College that will allow guaranteed admission to UNCW for students completing an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Engineering with a cumulative GPA of at Ieast 2.5 in transferable college-level coursework from SCC.

Wanda Capps, Vice President of Academic Affairs at SCC is excited about the program. “This agreement will allow students to have a set concrete pathway to follow in reaching their academic career goals,” she says. “Provided they maintain eligibility, they don’t have to worry about the ‘if’ question regarding admission to the university. The services provided by the university will foster completion and guidance of the student’s path at SCC will setting a firm foundation for graduate completion at the 4-year academic level.  As evidenced by their plans for student engagement and advising, UNCW is committed to the success of our students.”

UNCW Chancellor, Dr. Jose Sartarelli signs the Pathway to Excellence agreement along with Sampson Community College President, Dr. Bill Starling.

Guaranteed admission to the university does not constitute admission to a professional school or specific program, however, UNCW will provide a Transfer Student Success Advisor to meet with SCC students at intervals throughout each semester in collaboration with SCC staff to insure students are on track to create a path of transfer and success beyond both schools. UNCW will host SCC students annually in an Open House event and provide an application event each spring on the SCC campus providing application fee waivers to students applying to transfer.

“During the signing ceremony I remembered that it was SCC’s partnership with UNC-W that brought the first opportunity for transfer courses to be taught on our campus,” said Dr. Bill Starling, President of Sampson Community College. “We actually used their course titles and numbers and our faculty were approved by their departmental faculty before they could teach under the transfer agreement.  So, in many respects, the opportunity to enter into a co-admission agreement with this university partner signified how much our institution has matured and how the opportunities for our local students to access transfer education has been expanded.  On behalf of our trustees and our faculty and staff, I would like to thank Chancellor Sartarelli and the UNC-W community for allowing us to continue this special partnership for the students of Sampson County.”

SCC launched a similar initiative earlier this year involving East Carolina University called Pirate Promise. In that program, students can apply to SCC and ECU simultaneously and commit to maintaining full-time status. Upon completing an associate degree, they guaranteed admission into degree-completion programs at East Carolina.

For more information about the Pathway to Excellence program or the Pirate Promise program, contact Sharon Leggett, sleggett@sampsoncc.edu or at 910-900-4101.