University departments collaborate to pave pathways to graduation

Each year Ohio University confers degrees upon several thousand students to mark the successful completion of their college careers. Some students work toward degrees they never complete, but OHIO is working to help students, and former students, who might have slipped through the cracks earn their degrees through Project Graduation and the state’s Credit When It’s Due program. 

In 2009 University College launched Project Graduation, with the help of the Office of University Registrar, to help OHIO students who were very close to graduation but had stopped making progress toward their bachelor's degrees. The Registrar’s Office used a set of general criteria to determine which students might need advising to help them graduate. Those criteria included number of credit hours earned, registration status, and GPA.   

According to Registrar Deb Benton, the project originally focused on students who left or stepped away from Ohio University,  but more recently her staff and colleagues in University College have combed University records for students who have already successfully completed a declared program (bachelors, or associate) and earned adequate credit, but might have been missing a requirement for graduation, or neglected to take the final step of applying for graduation. In cases where the students have left the institution, University staff have reached out to the students to help them figure out a plan to degree attainment.  

“We’re helping students realize their dreams and become Ohio University alumni,” said Benton. “Anytime the University can help a student achieve any credential we’re moving in the right direction. It’s touching to hear students’ stories and know that students can be recognized for the work that they did while they were here.” 

In fall semester 24 students who were identified through Project Graduation as having completed degree requirements graduated with the bachelor’s degrees. Ohio University has awarded over 450 associate degrees since fall 2018 as part of Project Graduation.  

“We are appreciating and recognizing work done well, even if it wasn’t a student’s original goal,” said Assistant Dean for Student Success and Persistence Jenny Klein. “Every student who leaves here without accomplishing their goal may feel disappointed. When we show them a way to complete what they hoped to complete they are amazed and appreciative.” 

Julie Cohara, Director of Degree Programs in University College, reviews student records and helps students identify their next steps to degree completion, whether that looks like enrolling in online courses, or returning to OHIO to complete a few classes on campus. She appreciates seeing students empowered to re-enroll and complete their degrees.  

Staff in the Registrar’s Office and University College also collaborate to identify students who are currently enrolled, have completed their degree requirements, but have not yet graduated. They reach out to those students to advise on pathways to graduation.  

The state of Ohio’s Credit When It’s Due (CWID) program seeks to award associate degrees to students who attended community colleges, earned some credits and transferred to four-year institutions, like Ohio University, where they are currently enrolled, but never earned associate degrees. CWID emphasizes degree attainment for students that have some college experience but no degree. According to the Ohio Department of Higher Education website, students can benefit by earning an associate degree while working toward a baccalaureate degree, or by earning a degree with college credit earned at a two-year college attended previously. 

Every summer the Department of Higher Education sends OHIO, and other public universities, a list of eligible students. OHIO’s Office of the University Registrar then checks student records and corresponds with OHIO students to notify them of their eligibility and inform them of the steps to take if they wish to earn an associate degree. Ohio University associate degrees are granted by University College.