Freed-Hardeman University, along with 14 other Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA) institutions, has agreed to accept transfer students who follow the “pathways” developed by the state for Tennessee community college graduates to transfer to the state’s four-year universities without loss of credit, according to an announcement made Tuesday by TICUA.
FHU President Joe Wiley said, “FHU is very happy to work with Tennessee’s community colleges to make the transfer process easier. We have identified 15 “pathways” by which these students will have guaranteed credit transfers. We believe Freed-Hardeman offers a very viable option for them to complete their four-year degrees.”
In the fall of 2011, more than 1,200 students transferred to TICUA institutions from a Tennessee community college. The acceptance of the Tennessee Transfer Pathways and creation of unique “pathways” will increase the number of community college students who find that Tennessee’s private colleges and universities are a good fit for them to complete a bachelor’s degree, TICUA said.
The 15 “pathways” identified by Freed-Hardeman include the following: accounting, art (studio), biology, business administration, English, exercise science, foreign language, history, kinesiology, mathematics, pre-nursing, social work, sociology, speech communication, and theatre arts.
TICUA President Dr. Claude O. Pressnell, Jr. indicated that accepting the “pathways” is a part of the nature of private colleges. “Private colleges throughout Tennessee have as part of their missions serving students who are under-represented minorities, are from low-income families, or are first in their family to attend college. The acceptance of the ‘pathways’ is an extension of this model. Private colleges strive to find efficient, low-cost means to enable students to earn degrees,” he said.
Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan said, “We are pleased that these private colleges have joined this important program to meet the demands of our students across the state. The Tennessee Transfer Pathways program helps students achieve their goals with guaranteed credit transfers. The more institutions that participate, the more options are available for students to succeed in reaching their educational goals.”
Pressnell added, “TICUA member institutions are a vibrant part of Tennessee’s higher education community. Public and private, non-profit colleges and universities will need to continue to work together to reach Tennessee’s goals of an educated citizenry.”
Private colleges participating in the Tennessee Transfer Pathways are included alongside the public colleges and universities on the Pathways website (
www.tntransferpathway.org).