Transfer options and staying connected

PEL will continue to offer scheduled courses through Spring 2017 as well as courses needed for graduating students in Summer 2017, and will work with individual students through the Fall 2017 semester to offer directed studies and other options for completing their degrees. Students who have not already done so should consult with their advisors to determine whether or not they may feasibly complete their studies at Eckerd. For students who cannot complete their degrees before the program closes, there are a range of transfer options.

Representatives from five local colleges and universities recently met with interested PEL students in the James Center to discuss possibilities for transferring to other programs. PEL advisors and faculty also attended the session to provide perspective and to gather information to share with students who could not participate.

PEL Executive Director Amanda Hagood explained that Eckerd College has signed teach-out agreements -- written agreements that provide an opportunity for students in a program that is closing to complete their course of study elsewhere -- with these institutions:

• the University of South Florida St. Petersburg,
• the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee,
• St. Petersburg College,
• the University of Tampa, and 
• Saint Leo University. 

"These institutions have pledged their support for Eckerd PEL students who are not able to complete their program of studies within the phase-out time period," Hagood said. The agreements outline ways in which such support will be provided, such as honoring transfer credit, waiving application fees, and accommodating any residency requirements.

At the October 11 event, the admissions officers and advisors from each of the five institutions gave a brief overview of their academic programs and of the process for admission, then spoke with students one on one.  A short summary of each program, along with key contact information for each institution, is provided in the chart below.

As a group, Eckerd’s teach-out partners offer a range of majors, course schedules and formats, and locations in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties, Hagood said. 

"PEL faculty and academic advisors can offer additional advice on which options might be best for individual students," Hagood said. Students who transfer to another institution will not be able to take advantage of articulation agreements made between Eckerd College and Stetson University Law School or Florida State University Law School. However, transfer institutions may have their own articulation agreements with other institutions, and students should research this as they consider their next steps.

The three-page chart with names, contact information, and a summary of what is offered is here: Transfer options chart

Ordering transcripts for transfer applications

For its part, Eckerd has agreed to waive the transcript fee for transfer applications, Hagood said. However, students needing transcripts for transfer applications should not order them online or they will be charged the normal fee. Instead, students should complete and sign a transfer request form, which can be returned by email to Sharon Clawson (clawsosa@eckerd.edu), or faxed to 727-864-8422. Students also can drop them off  in person in the PEL office. Students should specify that they are planning to transfer and provide a specific address to which transcripts should be delivered.

A copy of the form can be downloaded here: Transcript Form

Staying connected with Eckerd and with PEL people

"Transfer students are still considered Eckerd alumni," Hagood said. "That connection does not go away, and it comes with several benefits."

Hagood explained Eckerd alumni can rent boats and other equipment from the waterfront, have access to and check-out privileges at the Armacost library, and can get discounted admission to productions at the Beninger Theatre and Eckerd Athletics events. 

"To obtain your alumni card, just complete the online request form, which also will allow you to update your contact information," Hagood said.

Eckerd student email addresses remain active and working as long as the user desires, Hagood explained, and it is easy to forward your Eckerd email to your personal account. (See the videos below for pointers.) However, if you wish to keep up with professors and advisors after the program closes, you may wish to exchange alternative email addresses.

How to forward email videos. The first is shorter but has an ad at the beginning. The second is longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atzl-LkdEVY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tos2RNvlSU

"We hope those who have been part of the PEL community will stay in touch with each other and will establish firm connections with the rest of the Eckerd College community," Hagood said. "The PEL community has much to offer and Eckerd College wants to help facilitate those connections."

Paved road to MBA for Eckerd people through Nova Southeastern University agreement

Left: (l-r) Professor Naveen Malhotra with NOVA Southeastern University representatives Michael Abraham and Les Ross and PEL Executive Director Amanda Hagood on Eckerd College's South Beach this past April.

by Anne W. Anderson

Photos courtesy of Amanda Hagood

Eckerd people -- including recent graduates, alumni, and employees -- will find the road to an MBA much smoother, thanks to a recently signed articulation agreement between Eckerd College and Nova Southeastern University (NSU).

Initiated by Professor Naveen Malhotra several months ago, the agreement means Eckerd people with a 3.2 undergraduate GPA and who meet other requirements are automatically accepted into the MBA program without having to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and receive a $6,200 tuition award (applied over the duration of the degree program). Applicants do not necessarily have to have an undergraduate business degree.

"Many students put off pursuing a graduate degree because they are hesitant about taking the GRE or, in this case, the GMAT," Malhotra said. "This agreement removes a perceived barrier."

Nova Assistant Directors Les Ross and Michael Abraham gave an information session at Eckerd on April 28 to about a dozen attendees from PEL, the Office of Advancement, the Center for Innovating Learning, and Admissions. Ross and Abraham presented information about Nova's MBA program through the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship and about other graduate programs Nova offers. Following the session, Malhotra and PEL Executive Director Amanda Hagood gave the visitors a tour of the Eckerd campus and shared lunch with them in Café Bon Appétit.

On June 27, Malhotra and Hagood paid a return visit to Nova's Tampa Campus, where they joined Abraham, Ross, and Racquel Khuri, NSU's Tampa campus director, for lunch and a tour. They learned more about some of Nova Tampa's unique offerings, including their M.S. in Cardiovascular Sonography and their Anesthesiologist Assistant program.

Right: On a visit to Nova Southeastern University's Tampa campus, Hagood tries her hand at scanning a computer generated "heart" housed inside a mannequin, under the watchful eye of NSU's Samuel Yoders, EDS, RVT, and Program Director of Cardiovascular Sonography.

Other Eckerd articulation agreements

Eckerd College has several other articulation agreements, Malhotra noted. Since 2004, business students from Hillsborough Community College, who have earned a two-year degree, have been able to transfer smoothly into Eckerd's bachelor's degree program. 

"Part of the articulation agreement with HCC is that PEL accepts HCC general education courses as equivalent to PEL general education courses," Malhotra explained. "With the addition of the Nova agreement, we now have a way for students to come into PEL, complete their bachelor's degree here, and then move on to graduate work."

Malhotra also said the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee MBA programs accept an Eckerd bachelor's in business areas as equivalent to one from an AACSB accredited college, programs which usually are required to have a separate college of business. 

As of May 23, 2016, eligible students completing majors in other areas who are interested in attending law school also can articulate into programs at Stetson University and receive $15,000 or more in scholarship funds.

While seldom applicable to PEL students, Eckerd also has an agreement with Florida State University's Law School that makes Eckerd students who fulfill a series of requirements "eligible for priority review for early admission" into FSU's law program. 

"Such agreements indicate the high regard in which Eckerd College's academic programs, including PEL, are held," said PEL Associate Dean of Faculty Margret Skaftadottir. 

Anne W. Anderson is PEL's director of blended and online learning 

and is co-editor of The PEL Connector.