Support for a Systemwide Campus-Specific Transfer Pattern by Major Degree Program in the California State University

AS-2645-04/AA - March 11-12, 2004

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of the California State University (CSU) request that the CSU Board of Trustees adopt the following policy to provide for a systemwide campus-specific transfer pattern by major degree program:.

1. The creation of transfer patterns for each major degree program specifying a common core of at least 45 semester/68 quarter units acceptable at, but not necessarily required by, all campuses of the CSU which offer that major degree program to count as units in the major degree program; the transfer pattern should resemble the academic road map experience of the native student so as not to disadvantage the transfer student.



2. The creation of campus-specific degree transfer patterns for each major degree program specifying the additional transfer units beyond the systemwide transfer program which will be acceptable at the campus to count as units in the major degree program; the transfer pattern should resemble the academic road map experience of the native student so as not to disadvantage the transfer student.



3. That community college students who have fulfilled the systemwide campus-specific transfer pattern will be accorded the highest admission priority among all transfer students at the campus to which they have committed. Students have the option to sign multiple agreements.



4. That community college students accorded the highest admission priority under this transfer pattern must commit to a major degree program and campus no later than at the point of application to the CSU. That community college students electing to fulfill this pattern must complete the coursework within 70 CSU baccalaureate-level units.

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate CSU urge the Chancellor, prior to implementation of the proposed transfer pattern, to provide specific data that document the problem to be solved by the transfer pattern and to estimate the cost of implementation of the pattern; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate CSU urge that the process for implementation of the transfer pattern be developed jointly through direct consultation between the Chancellor and the Academic Senate CSU; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate CSU urge the Chancellor in consultation with the Academic Senate CSU to assess the impact of the systemwide campus-specific transfer pattern on enrollments, student retention, and time to degree. Such an assessment shall begin no later than three years after implementation; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate CSU urge the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees to recognize and the Legislature to fund the real costs of implementing (estimated at $2.4 million) this large-scale initiative in the CSU.

RATIONALE: There is a perceived problem in that both native and transfer CSU students graduate with more credits than are required to complete their degrees, native students with an average of 142 units and transfer students with an average of 141. These students occupy seats that could provide access for new eligible students who now may be denied admission. Initiatives to facilitate native students' progress to degree are being developed or implemented on each CSU campus. Yet a significant issue remains because two-thirds of CSU graduates are transfers from the California Community Colleges (CCC). According to a Chancellor's Office study of 1,952 transcripts of CCC transfer students who graduated from the CSU in 1999, transfer students take an average of 76 semester units after transfer; part of the reason for the high number of units may be to make up for units taken at the CCC that do not count toward the degree. Also, for these students the growing impaction of CSU campuses means that they may not be admitted to the campus of their first, or even second, choice. These students need clear information about what courses to take in both general education and their major, especially those courses that will meet major degree requirements regardless of which CSU campus admits them.

The stated goal of both the Academic Senate CSU and the CSU administration is to provide access to the baccalaureate for a greater number of students. Reducing the number of units taken beyond those needed for the degree is made more urgent because of budget reductions. Beginning fall 2005, at least 60 units will be required of CCC students for upper-division transfer, and the CSU, with few exceptions, will no longer accept lower-division transfer students. Transfer students who enter the CSU with 60 or more units applicable to their major degree program will take fewer units beyond those needed for the degree.

The transfer pattern must be achieved within existing policies, and, for many major degree programs, especially those that are not high-unit, lower-division preparation programs, the systemwide campus-specific pattern will likely include:

1. Completion of General Education Breadth requirements (39 semester/59 quarter units) or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (37 semester/56 quarter units),
2. Completion of the American Institutions requirement,
3. Completion of a statewide lower-division major preparation pattern,
4. Completion of any campus-specific lower-division major preparation courses, and
5. Completion of elective courses to reach a total of 60 semester or 90 quarter units.

The systemwide campus-specific transfer pattern would presumably reduce difficulties in advising for CCC students and counselors. The current between-campus variations in requirements for lower-division major and major prerequisite courses are confusing and complicated. The model would encourage focused purposeful student behavior by offering preferential admission status.

Program faculty may agree to more than 45/68 units in the systemwide major degree program core; however, there should be no coercion or expectation to go beyond 45/68 units.

This is a complicated program and will take some time for its implementation phase. Furthermore, it will need to be monitored for effectiveness. The CSU will need to track and compare progress-to-degree to see if a substantial number of transfer students, especially those who achieve the highest priority admission status, graduate with fewer units.

APPROVED - May 6-7, 2004