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Local community college officials are fighting back against public misconceptions against institutions like theirs.
The Marietta Times ran an Associated Press article dated May 3 with a headline calling community college "A waste of time" due to college credits not being eligible to transfer.
According to Tim Brunicardi, Director of Marketing at Washington State Community College, that sentiment doesn't apply to Ohio.
"That article focused on states like California and New York. That may be the case in those states, but it's not in Ohio," he said.
Doctor Jona S. Rinard, Dean of Transfer and Public Service at WSCC, said "intentional advising" is crucial to a student's success.
"It's no different than having a map while going down the road while you're on vacation if you don't know where you're going and how to get there," she said.
One partnership the college has is with Marietta College, called WSCC to MC. Enrollees take Washington State Community College credits, along with one Marietta College class in the fall and spring semesters. The Marietta College class will be offered at the Washington State Community College rate.
Pathway Portal is a partnership with Franklin University, an online four-year accredited institution. Students can be given a login code to access their systems. With that access, students can see how many of their courses would apply to a Bachelor's degree with Franklin University.
The school also has what are called articulation agreements, where a college or university agrees to accept credits towards a degree upon transfer. WSCC currently has 12 schools listed on its website, which can be accessed at https://www.wscc.edu/current/transfer/. The listings also include specific charts that list the transferable classes.
Rinard said WSCC is invested in its students' success. Recently, one of her students was planning to transfer to Ohio University. The student's parents didn't know how to navigate the college system, so she scheduled a Zoom meeting between herself, the advisor at OU, and the student.
"We don't just hand them off and say good luck. It's a delicate advising. We advise them here, we advise them out, we hand them over and they are on a plan. We don't like there to be breaks in between," she said.
"So many students may not know how to navigate the transfer, and that's a service we provide," she said. "Especially if you're a first generation student and if you have nobody to coach you through that process, that's something we take on."
Brunicardi said the article referenced students being shocked that their credits didn't transfer.
"What we do here, we don't want to just have these articulation agreements. We don't want to kick you out and say 'You're on your own.' Dr. Rinard and her staff take the time and make sure everything's okay," he said.
The school additionally participates in College Credit Plus, which allows students in grades 7-12 in Athens County and Washington County to obtain college credits while in school. Teen of the Week Maeghan O'Neill and Safety Town Scholarship recipient Ethan Gault are examples of enrollees.
The college's overall goal is to graduate as many students as possible, according to Rinard.
"Enrollment is great. We love to see high numbers," she said. "But more importantly, it's about the successful transition in the working world and being a productive citizen. We want them to have easy wins and success along the way."