Nov. 2, 2006
 
New 2 + 2 Agreements Strengthen Options for ACTC, Marshall University Students
 
By HNN Staff
 
Ashland, KY (HNN) – Presidents from Marshall University and Ashland Community and Technical College today signed 2 + 2 articulation agreements that further strengthen the relationship between the two institutions and add options for students.
 
The agreements, signed in a brief ceremony at ACTC’s College Drive Campus, offer 12 additional 2 + 2 degree options in the fields of journalism and chemistry. They allow students to complete an associate degree at ACTC, then transfer the courses smoothly into a complementary major at Marshall.
 
“It is important to create a seamless pathway for students so they will know what courses to take when they transfer to Marshall,” MU President Stephen J. Kopp said. “We want to do anything we can to demystify that process. The challenges we face in higher education really don’t have state boundaries.”
 
Kopp said Marshall expects to partner with ACTC on more agreements in the future.
 
“We know that we have friends at Marshall University,” Ashland Community and Technical College President Greg Adkins said. “This partnership, among the many others that we in higher education forge, enhances higher education throughout the region. The concept of working together for the common good improves the educational, as well as economic, vitality of the tri-state.”
 
The agreements state that students who receive an associate degree in science at ACTC may then pursue Bachelor of Science degrees at Marshall in:
 
Biology with a minor in chemistry;
Chemistry with a minor in biology;
Forensic chemistry with a minor in biology.
 
Those who receive an associate degree in arts at ACTC may then pursue Bachelor of Arts degrees at Marshall in:
 
Advertising with a minor in history;
Advertising with a minor in marketing;
Broadcast journalism with a minor in political science;
Electronic media management with a minor in history;
Online journalism with a minor in history;
Online journalism with a minor in political science;
Print journalism with a minor in history;
Print journalism with a minor in political science;
Public relations with a minor in political science.
 
The 2 + 2 agreements guide students through a four-year academic plan which begins with an associate degree at ACTC and is followed by prescribed coursework at Marshall. The colleges have worked together and had 2 + 2 agreements in place in different fields of study since 1996.
 
“It is a guarantee that if you follow this path at ACTC, then transfer to Marshall and continue on the curriculum path, you will get your four-year degree,” Dr. Sarah Denman, provost at Marshall, said of the latest agreements. “It is a win-win for the Tri-State Area.”