Alan Jefferson, of Ellicott City, is the father of two teenagers and a bank vice president, but he?s determined to find time to get his bachelor?s degree.
A new agreement between Howard Community College and Excelsior College in New York will enable him and other students to earn bachelor?s degrees online without leaving home.
“It?s tailor-made for me,” said Jefferson, 49, vice president of the Stanford Boulevard, Columbia, branch of Wachovia Bank.
“I work full-time and volunteer in the community ? what?s most appealing is working at my own pace.”
HCC is the first community college in Maryland to partner with Excelsior College and allow the transfer of up to 90 credits, Excelsior President John Ebersole said.
Students then can complete the remaining 30 credits for a bachelor?s degree through Excelsior?s online courses and for-credit examinations, HCC President Kate Hetherington said at a news conference Tuesday at the Columbia college.
The relationship between the two educational institutions was initiated by former HCC President Mary Ellen Duncan, who resigned this year.
Howard Commuity College has similar agreements with other institutions, such as the University of Maryland University College and the University of Phoenix, but the difference is Excelsior accepts more credits.
Students will be eligible for a lower tuition rate at Excelsior and reductions in other fees. Programs include business, technology, nursing and health sciences.
Excelsior is also in conversations, or has already made program agreements, with about 30 other institutions nationwide.
Jefferson is the first applicant in the program, with 59 of his credits transferring to Excelsior.
He is planning on pursuing a liberal arts degree and is leaning toward history.
FAST FACTS
Excelsior College is a private nonprofit institution in Albany, N.Y., founded in 1971 and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. It enrolls more than 28,000 students nationwide, including about 800 in Maryland.
