DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE & REACH UNIVERSITY PARTNER TO CREATE TRANSFER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL INCREASE BACHELOR’S DEGREE ATTAINMENT
New articulation agreement transfers Delgado’s credits into Reach’s job-embedded B.A. program, providing exposure to a career in teaching, while helping to address local teacher shortages.
(NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana) – February 21, 2024 – Delgado Community College and Reach University today announced a partnership to offer Delgado graduates a job-embedded pathway to a bachelor’s degree and professional career.
Delgado Community College & Reach University’s Articulation Agreement
In the partnership’s “Associate to Bachelor’s Degree Pathway,” 25 Delgado degrees are eligible to transfer credits into Reach University’s job-embedded liberal studies degree program. Rather than a traditional college campus, Reach utilizes local schools as the university learning place through its accredited and leading on-the-job degree program. All degree seekers will work as an employee for a regional education provider while completing their B.A., and have the option to pursue a teaching credential at the end of their degree experience.
“For over 100 years, Delgado has combined academic excellence with workforce readiness to support every learner in achieving their career and personal aspirations,” said Dr. Larissa Littleton-Steib, Chancellor of Delgado Community College. “For so many of our students, those aspirations involve being the first in their family to complete a bachelor’s degree. Delgado’s partnership with Reach University fully removes the hurdles associated in transferring to a four-year degree granting institution, while providing the added bonus of addressing talent shortages and boosting career exposure in our local schools.”
In this job-embedded transfer pathway, an associate degree holder will typically fill a critical job (e.g., as a classroom aide or other classified employee) while securing a bachelor’s degree in two years or less. Half of the learning towards the degree comes from the learner’s paid, on-the-job work, while the other half comes from rigorous and synchronous online Oxford-style seminars held after work hours and on the weekend. Seminars are led by Reach’s nationally-recognized teacher practitioner faculty, many of which are based in the New Orleans region.
Each program participant will pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, with a concentration in education science. To be eligible for the program, associate holders must be employed in a local school and have access to an instructional work setting (i.e., a place where the candidate can observe or participate in mentoring, teaching, tutoring, coaching, etc.) for approximately 15 hours a week. Degree seekers will have the opportunity to get paid throughout the duration of their bachelor’s program.
"A challenge in attracting top talent to Jefferson Parish Schools is overcoming the perception of what it’s like to be a teacher," said Donna Joseph, Chief Human Resources Officer at Jefferson Parish Schools. “This on-the-job program will provide majors across arts and sciences an up-close understanding of the privilege and reward of being an educator. We are confident that not only will this program create a new talent pipeline for our schools, but will also support more adults in becoming degree-holding leaders in the community.”
Reach University Partners with Greater New Orleans K-12 Education Providers
“We are incredibly proud to partner with Delgado, Jefferson Parish, New Schools for New Orleans, Generation Hope, state leaders, and so many more, to expand the possibility for every member of the community to become a debt-free bachelor’s degree holder while working in a local school,” said Joe E. Ross, President of Reach University. “It’s only through the full-spectrum of deeply-rooted partnerships that we can inclusively achieve educational excellence at every stage of a learner’s educational journey. With 1,000 current Reach candidates currently working in 90% of Louisiana’s parishes, the state is well on its way to solving its qualified teacher shortage - and this barrier-free articulation pathway helps to accelerate achieving this goal.”
This “Associate to Bachelor’s Degree Transfer Pathway” marks Reach’s fourth community college articulation pathway, and its first in Louisiana. After B.A. completion, the learner may continue working in the field of education, but there is no obligation to do so.
“To deliver on the promise of excellent public schools for every child, we must have excellent educators in our classrooms,” said Dana Peterson, Chief Executive Officer at New Schools for New Orleans. “As we look to expand new means of recruiting and training educator talent, this job-embedded transfer program offers local schools yet another strategy in filling critical vacancies. I encourage every community college and K-12 school to replicate this model in growing their own specialized and representative teaching talent.”
Reach’s job-embedded bachelor’s degree program is now accepting applications for the Fall ‘24 term. All current and former Delgado students who meet admission requirements, such as current employment at Jefferson Parish or an eligible regional school, may now apply.
“We see over and over how educational attainment can change lives," said Lindsey Cross, Director of New Orleans Programming at Generation Hope. "Generation Hope, Delgado, and Reach have built a strong partnership to support young parents and their families achieve their college-to-career goals, and this new program ensures we can take our two-generational focus even further. Together, we are expanding a parent’s opportunity for bachelor’s degree attainment, while also ensuring their child has a representative educator ready to support them day one in our schools. This program holds the potential to directly benefit many young families at Generation Hope.”
To learn more about the program, and view process and eligibility details, please visit https://www.reach.edu/louisiana-job-to-degree or contact Apply@Reach.Edu.
Download the full media announcement below:
[For Release] Job-Embedded Transfer Pathway_ Delgado Community College & Reach University
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President Ross &. Chancellor Littleton-Steib at the Articulation Agreement Signing Ceremony.ABOUT REACH UNIVERSITY
Reach University is the regionally accredited, non-profit university dedicated to advancing job-embedded degrees and credentials. Reach is actively solving America's teacher shortage by creating fully-embedded pathways for high-potential individuals to earn degrees, credentials and jobs as teachers within their own communities. By focusing on low-income, urban and rural regions, offering online tutorials and classes, and rendering academic credit for on-the-job experience, Reach University is eliminating barriers to entry in high-need professions, and building untapped pipelines of locally representative talent. Reach University currently operates in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
ABOUT DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Delgado Community College is a diverse, dynamic, open-admissions community college providing high-quality education through innovation and excellence in teaching and learning. The College offers a variety of academic and workforce programs and is committed to nurturing and sustaining an inclusive culture to support student success. Learn more at www.dcc.edu.
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