Are You Transfer Friendly?

December 10, 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

Paul Rhinehart & Steve Hahn | SmartPanda Tools & Huron

Summit Stage Recording

About the Speakers

Paul Rhinehart, PhD
Co-founder @ SmartPanda Tools

20 years of experience as PeopleSoft Campus Solutions Consultant with implementations throughout the U.S.
Co-founded SmartPanda Tools in early 2018
Functional and Technical
Primary focus is Student Records which has given me familiarity with transfer credit
Based in Los Angeles

Steve Hahn
Senior Director, Student Strategy @ Huron Consulting

Joined Huron in January 2020
Worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in various leadership roles, most recently as the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at UW-Madison
Passionate about improving access to higher education, making college more affordable for all students, and innovating around the student experience. Worked in university admissions and academic services, information technology, financial aid, and enrollment management for over 20 years.

The Story

Students have faced many obstacles to success in moving through higher education. The statistics tell the stories of personal struggle and economic and social justice impacts.

The Why

Transfer Credit is the 'new normal’ – theme of “Student Mobility.” Students are the general contractors of their own education and their options have only grown due to COVID.

In this sense, most students are now “transfer” students. Experience from UW-Madison. They are not a special population, they are THE population and one around which enrollments are made. The numbers of students moving credits is only going to keep increasing; there are many contributing factors and dynamics:

Adult students
Continuing ed and vocational and career education
Highschool/AP/RunningStart
Summer swirl, Covid swirl
Online courses
Economic pressures and consumer mindset
Community college and for-profit alternatives
Blockchain/portable student record
Micro-credentials
Military

What's Next

Why Should YOU Focus on Transfer Student Success (student mobility)?

It’s the right thing to do for students
It’s the mission of the institution
State funding is tied to success rates
It’s the right thing to do for your own competitive advantage, enrollment sustainability
Failing to serve students is very expensive (attrition, under-enrollment, underemployment, student loan losses)
Administrative cost savings https://smartpandatools.com/index.php/transcipt-cost-map/
Successful transfer mobility has many related benefits (advising, course selection, financial aid, completions, affinity, and alumni)
Enrollment numbers/revenue often depend on success in transfer at some institutions
Technology makes a seamless experience more possible than ever, i.e. progress does not need to be expensive or difficult

Call to Action

What Does a Solution Look Like?

Some of it is technology and some of it is collaboration/policy at regional and state levels

Collaboration/Policy

Transfer agreements with guarantees of no credit loss
Cover transfer portability as well as applicability to degree
Articulations agreements should move to matriculation agreements
Faculty partnerships are important here

Technology

Student record will be fully portable and digital to seamlessly move between schools
Transfer equivalencies, articulation agreements will be fully predictable and transparent
Automate the mainstream, and leave the rest for value-added manual review at the margins
SIS agnostic

Transparency