Gateway Technical College and Carthage College signed an agreement Tuesday giving students who earn a Gateway Liberal Arts degree the opportunity to transfer up to 68 general education credits to the four-year college.

The agreement was signed during the Gateway Board of Trustees meeting in the Madrigrano Center on the college’s Kenosha Campus.

While Gateway has a similar transfer agreement for Liberal Arts with UW-Parkside, this is the first time the transfer will be made available to a private four-year college. The effective date for the agreement is Fall 2023.

“The intent is to provide more opportunities for our students,” said Gateway Technical College President and CEO Ritu Raju. “The way the education landscape is now, we need to make sure students have multiple pathways into the educational system.

“The agreement we signed today gives us many more access points. This also helps us as we build a pipeline of skilled workers in our region. We know our students, when they have opportunities within the region, will stay here and contribute to the area’s economic impact. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

The announcement was made less than a week after the first group of five Liberal Arts program graduates were named at Gateway’s commencement ceremony. State regents first granted Gateway the ability to offer the Liberal Arts degree in October 2021.

Carthage College President John Swallow said his college began discussions about the possibility of the agreement earlier in the year. He said the requirements of transferring from one college to another may at times hinder students from completing their degree, but this effort will help to make the process more productive for students.

“We are very excited about this,” said Swallow. “It will help remove barriers to students working to earn their four-year degree.”

Gateway Technical College Provost John Thibodeau said the transfer agreement gives students a very structured and guaranteed way to meet their educational goals.

“One of the things we are excited about with our Liberal Arts transfer program is that it gives students options,” said Thibodeau. “They could always take the Liberal Arts degree and go to another college. However, signing an agreement means we’ve actually created a pathway for them.

“We’ve connected specifically with Carthage so that students know they have a clear path there. This is letting students know of another strong option they have available to them.”