[media-credit name=’LISA SAFRANSKY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Top officials from the University of Wisconsin and Madison Area Technical College officially signed an agreement Wednesday providing guaranteed transfer-student admission.

UW Chancellor John Wiley and MATC President Bettsey Barhorst joined forces to set standards for MATC students to follow in order to gain access to UW.

"Now, every student in the Liberal Arts Transfer Program at MATC will know exactly what's required for transfer to UW-Madison. The contract spells it all out," Wiley said. "Students can plan for a guaranteed transfer from the first day of enrollment."

Effective this fall, the "Transfer Contract" program is designed to eliminate the anxiety of transferring by guaranteeing transfer from MATC to UW for students who enroll as freshmen in the Liberal Arts Program and meet specified levels of academic achievement.

"It gives [students] a goal. It gives them a guarantee because they have so much uncertainty anyway," Barhorst said. "It's that security for them."

Though the admissions process will remain the same for all students, the contract specifically details every requirement for guaranteed transfer, which includes earning 54 breadth credits and maintaining a 3.0 GPA.

Wiley noted earning a bachelor's degree is one key to earning a higher-paying job and cited one in five undergraduates — and one in four bachelor's degree holders from UW — enter the university as transfer students.

And UW Regent Brent Smith, president of the Wisconsin Technical College Board, said creating greater access for transfer students will increase the overall number of people with bachelor's degrees in Wisconsin.

"I think [the Transfer Contract program] will make applications to technical-college schools that much more attractive," Smith said in a phone interview Wednesday. "It is certainly in line with making … seamless the ability to transfer and also increasing bachelor's degree holders."

Smith added only two other state technical colleges besides MATC-Madison currently have the unique Liberal Arts Program: Nicolet Area Technical College in Rhinelander and Milwaukee Area Technical College.

"It would be consistent to apply [the Transfer Contract] to Nicolet and Milwaukee, as they have the ability under state statute," Smith said. "It is feasible that, with Board of Regents and Technical College Board approval, [the Liberal Arts Program] could be expanded, but right now it is limited."

Wiley noted agreements between UW and both of those technical colleges are nearly completed and will be finalized soon.

Additionally, Wiley said the new program is different than the Connections Program, through which students not admitted to UW due to space limitations are invited to complete certain requirements in a two-year UW College and then enter UW without reapplying for transfer.

The new program also provides for unlimited transfers, another difference from previous transfer programs.

"We can handle more juniors and seniors. We just can't handle any more freshmen and sophomores," Wiley said. "That's the real bottom line."

Barhorst added the transfer program will provide greater access to the Madison population.

"Since our liberal-arts student population includes 12.9 percent minority students and reflects the ethnic diversity of Madison, this agreement will increase the access to bachelor's degrees for many traditionally underserved students," Barhorst said.

Marjorie Cook, a 2000 transfer to UW from the MATC Liberal Arts Program, said she did not finish high school and found many MATC students had a similar background but were still hard working, smart and capable.

Cook noted the Transfer Contract is "invaluable" to students, as she is currently completing her Ph.D. work in educational leadership and policy analysis.

"[The Transfer Contract program] does set that goal that students know, 'If I work hard, there's going to be a payoff, and I can actually go to that dream school of UW-Madison,'" she said.