CSUB announces partnership with Honors Transfer Council of California

University aims to enroll more honors students from community colleges

By California State University, Bakersfield

February 3^rd, 2022

California State University, Bakersfield has taken a new step in its effort to attract more transfer students to the university.

CSUB’s Helen Louise Hawk Honors Program has entered into a new partnership with the Honors Transfer Council of California. The goal of the partnership is to attract more honors students from community colleges to the university and streamline the transfer process.

Through the Honors Transfer Council website, prospective students now have access to a CSUB-specific webpage that serves as an information hub for the university. Students can apply to CSUB and the honors program as well as learn about financial aid, housing, on-campus resources and more.

“We’re really excited about this. This is a great resource,” said Dr. Jackie Kegley, director of the Helen Louise Hawk Honors Program. “It’s always been the desire of the CSU system to have an easy transfer pathway from the community colleges, so this is really in line with goals of our university and of the whole system. We are looking forward to seeing transfer students apply and be part of the honors program.”

The Honors Transfer Council of California is a consortium of more than 50 California community college honors programs that links those programs to various universities. Students in honor programs that are part of the council receive guaranteed or priority transfer consideration at partnering universities, among other benefits.

CSUB joins five other CSUs that are existing transfer partners: Cal Poly Pomona, Fullerton, Long Beach, San Bernardino and San Diego.

“We are looking forward to a great partnership with the Helen Louise Hawk Honors Program at Cal State Bakersfield,” said Council President Christina Yamanaka-Vu. “It is a wonderful opportunity for our Honors Transfer Council of California students, particularly the Helen Louise Hawk Honors Program's focus on research, cohort learning, studying abroad, service learning, and becoming involved in leadership and campus life at CSUB.”

'A greater connection'

Dr. Kegley said the idea to join the council came out of discussions last year with representatives from Bakersfield College and Antelope Valley College about ways to strengthen connections between the honors programs at all three institutions and enroll more students from those programs.

AVC suggested that CSUB partner with the council and helped connect the university with the organization.

“A good portion of our students go to Bakersfield for a variety of reasons,” said John Vento, a professor at the college who helped develop its Honors Transfer Alliance Program. “This partnership gives them the option to have a greater connection with the university. There’s a lot of benefits the students now have when they transfer in.”

Ed Knudson, superintendent/president of Antelope Valley College, said working with CSUB to help ease the transfer process for honors students is part of an effort to enroll more of its students at four-year institutions.

“We’re about creating opportunities for students, and that’s what we continue to do,” he said. “As we bring those opportunities to the students, both institutions are going to benefit.”

Besides area colleges, Dr. Kegley said the Helen Hawk program also provides an opportunity for other community colleges around the state.

“Many community colleges don’t have an honors program, but they’re anxious for students to have an honors experience. We would be providing that for them,” she said.

The partnership will also help CSUB reach students from community colleges outside of the state. Schools from Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Michigan are also partnering with the Honors Transfer Council.

“The recruiting office at Cal State Bakersfield goes out to community colleges to promote, but there’s not a direct connection to students,” Dr. Kegley said. “This is an opportunity for students to get access to information about the university and the honors program much more easily. It’s a one-stop shop for everything they need about transferring.”

Dr. Kegley hopes this new partnership will result in an influx of more students from a larger variety of community colleges and more participation in the honors program. Currently, there are around 300 students in the program.