VCU, Reynolds launch dual admission program for community college students

VCU, Reynolds launch dual admission program for community college students

Molly Manning, News Editor

A new dual-admission program between VCU and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College launched with a signing ceremony on Sept. 8 at Reynolds’ downtown campus.

The program, dubbed “NEXT Step” (Navigating Educational eXcellence Together), will support community college students in their transition to VCU. 

Students can save money by completing the first two years of a bachelor’s degree at community college and transferring their credits from Reynolds to VCU. Academic advising and transfer maps will ensure the credits apply to degree requirements.

NEXT Step students can also access VCU facilities and events. 

During a speech President Michael Rao said it is a way for Reynolds students to be a part of the community throughout their entire higher education journey.

“This will give students who are interested in being a part of both Reynolds and VCU a way of being able to connect to VCU resources right away,” Rao said. “We want to find ways to make it smooth so that students know where they’re going, they’ve already been on that campus, they know the environment.”

Both Rao and Reynolds President Paula Pando discussed the importance of students not only completing a degree, but being prepared to enter the workforce following graduation. 

“We can always do better there, to ensure that our students are not just transferring to VCU,” Pando said. “[But] that our students are transferring to VCU in their program of study, graduating with a degree of value in the field that they love and that they’re passionate about and that they can earn a living wage and contribute to the vibrancy of our region as a result.”

Rao emphasized the efforts the university is making to ensure students graduate with professional experiences and internships to contextualize their textbook and classroom learning. 

The schools want to focus on students graduating without unnecessary credits by providing community college students with advising resources specifically tailored to their bachelor’s degrees.

NEXT Step is available to Reynolds students with high school diplomas or GEDs, who have a 2.00 cumulative GPA on their first 12 credits attempted and plan to enroll in a VCU degree with an approved NEXT Step transfer map. 

The program will initially accept 50 to 100 students, with an aim of increasing enrollment annually. 

Seth Sykes, associate vice president of transfer initiatives at VCU, said the goal is to eventually receive as many students as possible through the program, including expanding beyond Richmond to other community colleges in Virginia. 

Sykes also mentioned Reynolds’ dual enrollment high school programs, the Advanced College Academies, which allow high school students to earn an associate degree and then transition to a four-year college.

“What we’re hoping is that those associate degree holders will want to come to VCU,” Sykes said. 

Manuella Escobar, a Reynolds graduate and international VCU student who transferred through the Mellon Pathways program, serves as a spokesperson for NEXT Step. She said the community at Reynolds supported her throughout her two years there, as well as during the transfer process. 

Students have many different responsibilities and backgrounds, such as speaking different languages or being from other countries, having children, one or multiple jobs or acting as caregivers, according to Escobar. 

“People need their community, and transfer students need a community that’s tailored to them,” Escobar said. “College for us is not just about clubs and joining organizations and going to parties, although I myself love some of those, it’s about all of the other responsibilities that you have in your life.”

Escobar said it would not have been possible for her to attend VCU for all four years as an international student without beginning at Reynolds.

“It’s vital to acknowledge that there are students who have different pathways to university, that they have different experiences, different life conditions,” Escobar said. “Being able to not only understand them, but recognize them early on and acknowledge them can really make a difference in their education journey.”