By KYLE ODEGARD
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 12:00 am
Oregon State University, Hawaii community colleges create degree partnership
Oregon State University will hold its 53rd annual Lu'au on Saturday night at Gill Coliseum to celebrate the culture of Polynesia and students from there, including nearly 300 Hawaiians.
In the coming years, there could be even more enrollment from the Aloha State, thanks to an OSU degree partnership program being created with two schools on the islands - Hawaii Community College in Hilo and Leeward Community College in Pearl City.
University officials are finalizing student-record details and hope the program will start this fall. That could mean students enrolled in online classes or even at the OSU campus in September.
Rockne Freitas, chancellor of Hawaii Community College, said, "Approximately 30 percent of our graduating seniors who go on to college go to schools on the mainland."
Freitas said he can give OSU his personal recommendation, having played center on OSU's 1965 Rose Bowl team. "I had a wonderful experience at Oregon State."
He couldn't yet estimate how many students would participate in the partnership program, Freitas said, but he said he's received many inquiries about the partnership program since the agreement that established it was announced in September 2006.
"This was actually (OSU President) Ed Ray's idea. We feel very fortunate to be participating - kind of like a community college in Oregon."
OSU has partnerships with 16 of the 17 Oregon community colleges, but this is its first out-of-state venture, said Blake Vaughter, associate director for marketing and communications with the OSU admissions office. The program allows students to concurrently enroll at a two-year institution and OSU. It is designed to eliminate barriers to attending a four-year institution, such as transferring credits.
It will have one application for OSU and either of the Hawaiian schools, will have coordinated financial aid, and students can take classes at both institutions at the same time.
Students who complete the associate of arts degree in Hilo or Pearl City will be guaranteed junior standing at OSU, with their lower division baccalaureate core requirements completed.
OSU senior Kecia Sakugawa of Kula, Maui, who was setting up for the Lu'au on Friday afternoon, said she wished the program had been available when she was younger. "Kids can save money for two years, then get their degrees on the mainland."
OSU already has a good reputation in Hawaii, especially for pharmacy and exercise and sports science schools, but this should guarantee it a higher profile. While the partnership could bring more Hawaiian students to Oregon, don't expect an enrollment boom, Vaughter said.
Hawaii Community College in Hilo has about 2,600 students. Leeward Community College has 6,000 students.
"It may start with a trickle, but I think it could increase quite well," said James Goodman, interim dean of arts and sciences at Leeward Community College.
OSU officials also are considering establishment of dual partnership programs with other community colleges in the Pacific islands, said Kate Peterson, assistant provost for enrollment management.
Kyle Odegard covers Oregon State University. He can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.