Second Chance, Not Second Class: A Blueprint for Community-College Transfer

Written by Stephen J. Handel, director of the National Office of Community College Initiatives at the College Board, this article about how to increase the number of students successfully transferring from community colleges to four-year institutions was featured in the September/October 2007 issue of Change magazine.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Transfer

Clearly, the transfer mission can work. In California, analysis of a decade's labor has produced seven "habits" that have a positive effect on community-college students' transferring to, and ultimately succeeding in, four-year institutions.

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These initiatives are not free, but neither are they prohibitively expensive. Strengthening academic preparation, considering transfer applicants first in admissions, setting transfer goals, and making a public commitment to increasing the number of transfers require more political than financial capital. Other recommendations—such as expanding the number of articulation agreements, creating a transfer-promoting culture, and providing professional development for community-college staff members assigned to assist transfers—require additional dollars, but they do not cost as much as one might predict.