River Cities Business Journal: Cover Story

Education landmark; MCC, NAU ink key cooperative deal; Students may now enroll with NAU and attend MCC

River Cities Business Journal

KINGMAN - Higher education in the region received a big boost March 11 when Mohave Community College and Northern Arizona University agreed to a new dual enrollment program.

Dual enrollment will permit MCC students to enroll at NAU and the college simultaneously. It will grant MCC students all the rights and privileges of NAU students, but at the price of community college tuition.

Benefits to the dual enrollment include tracking of students academically by MCC and NAU, access to NAU academic advisors, access to the NAU library and services and student access to main campus resources.

NAU Vice President for Extended Programs and Dean of Distance Learning Frederick Hurst said the program is intended to help develop an educated work force to fill current and future needs throughout the state.

“Dual enrollment is to promote Bachelor degree completion,” Hurst said. “It targets students who are eligible for admission at NAU, but start at MCC. It allows MCC staff and NAU staff to work together to keep students on track for a Bachelors degree.”

The program will be available to every graduating high school student in the county that decides to enroll at MCC, but it will also be available to non-traditional students.

“We are truly dedicated to serving the traditional student and the non-traditional student,” Hurst said. “We are now offering 120 programs around the state.

“Growth has been especially strong in online programs. (Students) find that if they take a Web course they can do it and it is very flexible. They can work it around their jobs and family commitments.”

“The dual admissions program is already in the cycle. It creates a seamless transition from MCC to NAU,” MCC Chancellor Dr. Michael Kearns said. “The best part of the agreement is information sharing. NAU reviews them and they know which classes to take that will apply at NAU.

“It's very student friendly and gets the information to them in a way they can understand.”

Another program that was instituted by the agreement signed by Kearns and Hurst is called the 90/30 program.

In the 90/30 program students earn an associates degree at MCC and then take another year's-worth of credits (30) at MCC before transferring to NAU for their final year.

This program allows students to pay lower community college tuition for three years and complete all their electives before transferring.

Four Bachelor degrees are available through the 90/30 program under the headings of Bachelor of Arts or Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on Public Management and Bachelor of Science or Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on Humanities.

Both program will be underway shortly and will be available to students at all the MCC campuses.

For more information contact the admissions office at any MCC campus.