New curriculum from Vincennes University allows transfer to all Indiana colleges
Vincennes — A new 30-credit-hour core curriculum from Vincennes University is designed to save students money on their first year in college.
The Vincennes University Board of Trustees met Wednesday and approved adding a General Education Transfer Core Certificate to the curriculum. The certificate is designed to transfer among all colleges in Indiana.
Enrollment is projected at 300 students per year for the first five years, according to Charles Johnson, provost and vice president of Instructional Services.
The Board also approved an additional concentration, Agribusiness, within the Technology baccalaureate program. “This reflects the growth within the agribusiness field. We believe this will help more of our students in southwestern Indiana to finish their bachelor’s degree and enter productive careers in this industry,” Johnson said.
The Board also approved a revision in the minimum number of VU-granted credit hours needed to earn a VU baccalaureate or associate degree. Under the new policy, students must earn at least 30 hours at VU for the baccalaureate and at least 18 hours for the associate degree.
“This will put us in line with other schools in the state and gives us more flexibility with those students who leave us just a few hours short of finishing a degree. They can now transfer hours back to us and receive their VU degree,” Johnson said.
In other business trustee Doug Bawel reported on the highlights of an April 2 Indianapolis conference about aligning higher education and Indiana’s economic future. Bawel said that Indiana colleges need to better focus on on-time graduation, affordability, reducing the proportion of students needing remediation, and encouraging more students to attend college.
“A representative from Purdue University said that in the next ten years, 60 percent of the jobs have not even been invented yet. This means that the University must be much more proactive in looking to make changes in our curriculum,” Bawel said.
He said that VU received compliments at the conference during discussion of aligning higher education with industry needs. “Toyota is already partnering with VU in a program in which students will both pursue a degree while working part-time at Toyota. Other employers are excited about pursuing this. This is an 18-month program with no spring or summer breaks. Students go to school 8 hours a day and then work in the plant two other 8-hour days. By the time a student completes that 18-month program, their education is virtually paid for,” Bawel said.
J.R. Gaylor, chair of the Board of Trustees, complimented President Dick Helton and VU’s administrative team for aligning VU closely with the state’s goals for higher education and economic development.
