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About 42 percent of UNM transfer students transfer from CNM, according to the Office of Institutional Research’s fact book for the 2009-2010 school year.
To find out how UNM and CNM have collaborated to make the transfer process easier on students, the Daily Lobo talked to the Director of Academic Advisement and Job Connection Services at CNM, Tammy Strickler.
Daily Lobo: How does CNM advisement collaborate with UNM advisement?
Tammy Strickler: CNM and UNM have many collaborative advisement efforts. Some of these efforts include the STEM UP Cooperative Grant serving students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. The grant employs staff at both CNM and UNM, including academic advisers that work with both colleges and are dedicated to serving students who start their education at CNM and then transfer to UNM. This grant has a Joint Advisory Council in which academic advisers from both UNM and CNM collaborate on transfer efforts.
We are currently working on a new biology transfer agreement. Academic advisers at both colleges are participating in the development of the transfer agreement to ensure it will work for transfer students.
CNM Academic Advisement hosts an annual University Transfer Fair in which UNM regularly participates. CNM and UNM collaborate to have CNM to UNM Transfer Days. This event is usually hosted at CNM. The next event will be hosted at UNM in fall 2012 to encourage students to transition to UNM.
CNM and UNM routinely participate in collaborative team efforts including the Joint Advisory Council and the Provost Committee on Advising.
CNM Academic Advisement has long-standing advising practices that are new or forthcoming advising practices for UNM, such as online advisement, a uniform advising system and a centralized advisement student data tracking system at multiple campuses. CNM can contribute knowledge and expertise in the development of these components of the UNM advising program.
DL: What are some challenges with these collaborations?
TS: 2 2 Transfer Agreements (a transfer program that allows students to take their first two years at CNM and transfer into their bachelor’s degree programs at UNM) can be difficult to create due to the many differences in graduating requirements at each college and differing college policies.
DL: What have UNM and CNM done to overcome that challenge?
TS: Assembling advising experts and program experts at both colleges to identify the challenges that exist and design transfer agreements that remove obstacles for students.
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DL: Are there ways that you receive feedback from CNM students who plan to transfer to UNM? Do you receive feedback from students who have already transferred?
TS: We receive feedback from CNM students planning to transfer to UNM from CNM transfer fairs, transfer workshops, point-of-service surveys and graduate surveys. We receive feedback from students who have already transferred to UNM from our job-placement graduate survey.
DL: Are you familiar with UNM Provost’s Academic Plan? How will the plan help CNM advisers assist students who plan to transfer, if at all?
TS: I participate on the UNM Provost Committee on Advising team and will continue working with that team to develop transfer support from CNM to UNM.
DL: What additional support do you believe you need from UNM in order to advise CNM transfer students?
TS: CNM Academic Advisement’s perspective needs to be included in the presentation of CNM transfer student information related to CNM Academic Advisement to appreciate the larger perspective. It is important to be transparent and to understand the full student transfer experience.
DL: How many credits are transferable from CNM to UNM?
TS: Transferability and application of transfer credits from CNM to UNM is dictated by UNM. The receiving college always determines transferability of credits and how those credits apply to graduation requirements at that college.
For information about transferring between CNM and UNM,
cnm.edu/depts/trio/unmtransfer.php
admissions.unm.edu/transfer/agreements/cnm-trans-guide-bb54.pdf
