Arizona Western College to host ASU Local, a new pathway to college
June 16, 2021Initiative seeks to increase bachelor’s degree attainment in Yuma County
Yuma, AZ (June 16, 2021) – Arizona Western College today announced a new partnership with Arizona State University that will bring ASU Local to Yuma County. ASU Local combines online learning with in-person student support and provides a new point of access for students who want to attend ASU without leaving their home community. The program will be admitting students at the Arizona Western College (AWC) location for the spring 2022 semester.
The ASU Local and AWC collaboration bolsters the two institutions’ commitment to bring the highest quality bachelor’s degree experience to students in Yuma to help them thrive, grow and contribute to their own community. The ASU Local experience is designed to help students every step of the way through their bachelor’s degree to ensure seamless credit transfer and degree completion to prepare graduates for success in their personal and professional paths. The long-term goal is to provide improved access to higher education and to produce more college graduates.
ASU Local will be located at the AWC Yuma Campus, 2020 S. Ave. 8E, to encourage its community of students, coaches, and staff to come together for connection and support while having access to the extended AWC community and facilities. The space is intended for small group interactions and study sessions with plenty of room for solo study sessions or one-on-one conversations between students and their success coach.
“Arizona Western College is thrilled to partner with ASU Local to provide access to over 100 Arizona State University baccalaureate degrees from our campus in Yuma,” said AWC President Dr. Daniel Corr. “This partnership will accelerate the completion of AWC’s Big Hairy Audacious Goal of doubling baccalaureate attainment in Yuma and La Paz counties by 2035.”
“We look forward to growing our presence in Yuma in collaboration with Arizona Western College,” said Maria Anguiano, executive vice president of ASU Learning Enterprise. “Both ASU and AWC are working toward serving the highest-quality degree offerings to Yuma’s students who are preparing themselves for future jobs in agriculture, manufacturing, aerospace and defense, space, transportation, sustainability and many other sectors. Going away to college is simply not possible for everyone. ASU Local exists partly because we understand that students are rooted and have a desire to complete their bachelor’s degree journey and pursue career paths in their own community.”
At the core of ASU Local is nurturing belonging, curiosity, resilience, and empathy in students through community and support. A personal success coach will guide the in-person, close-knit student community and will be directly responsible for the wellbeing and success of each student. Students will choose from nearly 100 rigorous undergraduate degree programs and have the flexibility to complete coursework exclusively through ASU’s premier online learning platforms to successfully sync their academic, professional and personal pursuits.
Coaches will also work with students to identify suitable federal financial aid opportunities, including Pell Grants and Work-Study positions. Students can also apply for external scholarships and jobs for additional financial support.
ASU Local is the latest offering in the long-standing and deep partnership between ASU and AWC. The college has been in partnership with Arizona State University for more than five years. ASU@Yuma currently offers four local transfer degree pathways.
"Through our long-standing partnership with Arizona Western College, we are committed to developing supportive environments for transfer students to seamlessly achieve high-quality baccalaureate degrees that prepare learners for their future careers," said Cheryl Hyman, ASU Vice Provost, Academic Alliances. "We continuously focus on enhancing the transfer experience by introducing new guided pathway options through advanced transfer navigation technologies and personalized learning offerings like MyPath2ASU™ and ASU Local."
Arizona State University offers transfer pathways built from AWC to ASU with MyPath2ASU for on-campus and online programs. Students can use MyPath2ASU to map their bachelor’s degree pathway to one of ASU’s offerings. Students can learn more or apply to ASU Local based on their degree of choice.
The Memorandum of Understanding to bring ASU Local to Yuma was approved by the AWC District Governing Board on Wednesday, June 16. This agreement will not only strengthen the college’s partnership with ASU, but it will also be a boon to the economic development of the region as it will provide residents with additional higher education options to advance their careers and build up a knowledgeable and skilled local workforce.
“Arizona Western College is incredibly honored to hold space for students seeking opportunities through higher education in all sorts of ways. This expanded relationship with ASU – to bring the connection and support for the four-year degree program – fits perfectly with our University Learning Center model. We’re the only Arizona community college with all three state university partners offering classes and entire programs on site. We’re excited to expand that model,” said Lori Stofft, Vice President for Advancement.
Contact:
Jay Thorne
Assistant Vice President, Media Relations and Strategic Communications
Arizona State University
Jay.Thorne@asu.edu
(602) 677-7518
Mandy Heil
Associate Dean, Communications and Marketing
Arizona Western College
Mandy.Heil@azwestern.edu
(928) 314-9594