Member Moments: Muhlenberg College establishes Phi Theta Kappa scholarship program for community college students

As part of a new effort to showcase the innovative work our over 800 members are achieving, we are launching a new ‘Member Moments’ series. This series will highlight our diverse membership and the work they’re doing to tear down barriers to college access.

On March 22nd, Muhlenberg College located in Allentown, PA, announced that they were establishing a Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship program with the goal of enrolling a greater number of community college students as full-time transfer students. Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is the world’s largest and most prestigious honor society for two-year college students.

The Common App sat down with Robert Springall, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Muhlenberg, to learn about their efforts to provide more opportunities for transfer students.

Why did Muhlenberg decide to establish this scholarship program?

Rob: We decided to establish this scholarship and partner with Phi Theta Kappa because we are in the early stages of expanding access for transfer students to our traditional undergraduate program. All community college students who are members of the PTK Honor Society will now be eligible for the new scholarship program. For about 100 years Muhlenberg has been offering programs to adults and part-time learners through our Wescoe School of Continuing Education. But we’re seeing the changing demographics as well as an increase in the number of top high school students whose educational pathway leads them first to community college and then to a four-year college.

Thanks to the work of the Wescoe School, transfer students are not new to Muhlenberg. What is new here is the greater number of traditional-age transfer students who are looking at our programs as full-time students. In the past, they may not have considered Muhlenberg because we weren’t well known as an institution that accepted many transfers into our traditional undergraduate program.

How are you leveraging your partnership with your local community college, Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC), to recruit transfer students?

Rob: In 2016, we announced an admissions partnership with LCCC, which complemented an existing articulation agreement between the two institutions and offers a streamlined admissions process for LCCC students interested in furthering their studies at Muhlenberg. We are seeking to build on those relationships by offering the PTK scholarship. Since it is targeted to full-time learners, it allows students from the local area as well as students outside of our region to consider Muhlenberg.

What else is Muhlenberg doing to help transfer students?

Rob: We’re taking a more expansive approach to our Transfer Orientation program. We’re ensuring that our transfer students have the same full, multi-dimensional orientation experience our first-year students do, but it is tailored exclusively for them.

We’ve also carefully identified an academic advisor from each of our three divisions—the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences—to aid our transfer students since they are very familiar with our curriculum and the needs of transfer students.

It’s important for us to select advisors who can effectively and efficiently serve transfer students. While these students have already begun their higher education experience, they need assistance with Muhlenberg’s requirements and nomenclature. We want to give our transfer students the tools and knowledge they need to make the transition into this new academic and co-curricular experience as stress-free and straightforward as possible.

What else can all institutions be doing to further help transfer students?

Rob: Two things come to mind. First, make sure to remove any unnecessary barriers, many of which may be set up unintentionally. Help prospective transfer students easily find the information they need on your website and in your promotional materials about what their options are and the programs you offer. Help them connect with appropriate campus faculty and staff who can answer questions and concerns.

Second, educate your campus community about the contributions transfer students bring to your institution. Provide information to help your faculty and staff understand how they can welcome transfer students even more effectively. Work with your communications office to tell success stories about your students and young alumni who transferred from two-year institutions.

Is there anything else that encouraged Muhlenberg to take these steps?

We joined the American Talent Initiative (ATI) last April with the goal of enrolling more low- and moderate-income students and we’re committed to developing strategies to do so. ATI’s Talent Blind Spot is a powerful report on how much more most of us can do to increase both the access and success of lower income students. One of the most effective strategies is finding ways to connect with potential community college transfers. So many of the students ATI is encouraging us to serve start their higher education journey at community colleges. They are excellent candidates who can thrive at any ATI institution.

How is the Common App aiding in your work for transfer students?

Rob: The Common App for transfer platform is a great opportunity for us to be accessible to transfer students around the world. It gives us access to a national and international population of transfer students ready to make their next move. Muhlenberg has been a proud Common App member for 40 years and our membership helps us reach the widest possible population of both prospective transfer and first-year students.