Butler Community College and Wichita State University signed an agreement intended to motivate more students to complete a key milestone in their higher education journey, an associate degree, even after transferring to a four-year institution.

This reverse articulation agreement promotes best practices for increasing both associate and baccalaureate degree completion by permitting eligible students to transfer select course work from Wichita State to Butler Community College to complete requirements for a Butler associate degree.

John Bardo

"Agreements such as this helps graduation rates for everybody," said Wichita State President John Bardo. "And we know that students who earn an associate degree are more likely to pursue and complete a bachelor's degree."

"Butler measures its success based on the success of our students," said Butler Community College President Jackie Vietti. "We know that one of the best ways to ensure their future success is to complete postsecondary education milestone markers like associate and baccalaureate degrees."

Eligible Wichita State students will: 1. have transferred 45 credits from Butler (or a combination of accumulated hours from other accredited institutions); 2. completed 15 or more credits at Wichita State University; 3. met residency requirements for a Butler degree; and 4. have indicated their willingness to participate in reverse transfer.

"This partnership with Butler Community College greatly enhances the opportunities for students to be academically successful, and it significantly contributes to the national goal of having 60 percent of adults with post-secondary degrees," said WSU Interim Provost Keith Pickus.

The implementation of a reverse transfer agreement will help advance the overall goal of the Kansas Board of Regents to postsecondary degree completion rates in our state. Nationally, half of all baccalaureate degree recipients have attended community colleges prior to earning their degrees.

"Butler values working with Wichita State on this innovative articulation agreement since the vast majority of our students select WSU as their four-year college," Vietti said. "We look forward to this novel initiative as the first of many to meet the interests of the students we collectively serve."