Gateway, UW-Parkside increase opportunities to students by articulating pathways for information technology programs
The five new agreements between Gateway’s Information Technology Department and UW-Parkside’s Business Department will enable Gateway graduates to transfer a greater number of credits to UW-Parkside. In each case, Gateway graduates will enter the university as a junior, thereby establishing a faster pathway to a four-year bachelor’s degree.
Gateway and UW-Parkside, along with local educational, industry and government leaders, lauded the new agreements at a signing ceremony held on Gateway’s Racine Campus.
“This is a very unique opportunity,” said Gateway Technical College President and CEO Bryan Albrecht. “What is really important here is the opportunity this provides to our students, so they can leverage their skills to the next level – and not have to replicate their coursework.
“This agreement provides even more educational – and career – options for students across Southeastern Wisconsin.
UW-Parkside officials agreed.
“There are times when those of us in the world of education see things through a different lens than perhaps our partners in business, or our partners in public administration,” said University of Wisconsin-Parkside Provost Fred Ebeid. “This, I’m proud to say, is not one of those occasions.
“The creation of more opportunities for students to succeed means there will be more opportunities for businesses to succeed and that means more opportunities for our communities to succeed.”
Gateway Information Technology graduates will have the option of transferring up to 57 credits which could be applied to the following UW-Parkside majors: Accounting, MIS, and Business Management, with concentrations in Finance, General Business and Human Resources. The effort will provide more educational – and career – opportunities for Gateway graduates.
“This isn’t about building an empire or a legacy,” said Jim Ladwig, president of Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce. “This is all about serving the students. This is really what is in the best interest of the students not only in Racine County, but in all of Southeastern Wisconsin.”
Racine Unified School District Superintendent Lolli Haws described eight new career pathways being developed that students could select in their sophomore year. The pathways include job shadowing, apprenticeships, and internships. “Courses that are dual credit,” Haws said, “they can take in high school and get credit at Gateway. That will launch them into being able to go to Parkside as well.”
The benefit of the new Forward Together IT agreements will be felt throughout Southeastern Wisconsin as students at Gateway and UW-Parkside come mainly from Kenosha County, Racine County and Walworth County.
The Information Technology transfer agreements build on the Forward Together effort, which was officially launched in September 2013 and publicly acknowledges educational partnerships between the two institutions. The initial effort linked business programs from Gateway and UW-Parkside.
In an effort to increase access to higher education and student success in their future careers, the two institutions are strengthening the relationship they have been building in the past several years to align curriculum and create additional seamless transfers from Gateway to UW-Parkside.
These agreements provide students even greater options for their education and career. They can earn a technical college degree and enter the workforce – but still have the opportunity earn a four-year degree. It also allows students who want to begin their education at Gateway, but with the goal to enter UW-Parkside, the peace of mind to know that their credits will be accepted at the four-year university – and the time and money invested will be recognized.