By ASHLEY ESCOBAR AND ANNA MONROE
Editor-In-Chief and Senior Reporter
Since 1929, Amarillo College has been the starting point on a path for many students who want to transfer to West Texas A&M University. On Feb. 13, WT announced they will soon offer an embedded associate degree program.
Interim President, Denese Skinner, said the new program will not affect AC’s enrollment. “Students who attend WT do so to earn bachelor, master or doctorate degrees,” she said. “Typically, students seeking to earn an associate’s degree will attend Amarillo College as the tuition is considerably more affordable. Transferring to WT after earning an associate is a better decision due to the cost savings,” Interim President Skinner said.
Vice President of Enrollment Management, Bob Austin, said the purpose of introducing an associate program into WT was not to attract students away from AC, but specifically to accommodate students. “Our goal is to do whatever we can to improve transfer rates of Amarillo College students and West Texas A&M is our number one transfer partner by far and anything that will help WT be more successful and more attractive to AC students is valued to us.”
Similarly to AC, WT’s student enrollment is around 10,000, with an additional surge when taking graduate students into account. With an average tuition of around $8,000 per year for in-state students, it stands as a competitive choice for those pursuing a four-year degree.
WT President, Walter Wendler, said the embedded associate degree program is not meant to compete with community colleges in any way. “WT students who meet the requirements will automatically be awarded an associate degree, but WT’s goal for these students is for them to complete a bachelor’s degree,” he said.
“The embedded associate degree program is just one of many ways WT actively helps students reduce their indebtedness. As always, we welcome AC students who wish to transfer to WT to complete their bachelor’s degree,” Wendler said.
The associates degree is meant to be awarded as the students go on to their bachelors, as a benchmark if they need to pause their education. “The embedded associate degree program is not meant to compete with community colleges in any way,” Wendler said. “WT students who meet the requirements will automatically be awarded an associate degree, but WT’s goal for these students is for them to complete a bachelor’s degree.”
Some students said they are not worried about the recent announcement. “With attending both schools, I can say with every confidence that Amarillo College has nothing to worry about,” Katelyn Starks, WT education major said. “They have been ranked the number one community college for a reason
and what they do is proof of that,” she said.
“Even with that, they are a lot more affordable and having the option for the 8-week classes also helps
them. I do not wish I could have gotten my associates anywhere else other than Amarillo College. Attending that school was the best decision I could have made for myself. Being there, I was able to receive the best possible group of people who truly cared about every single student that was there and I had the biggest supporters from every professor whose class I attended,” Starks said.
Leave a Reply