UWS - WITC Sign Ariculation Statement

By Brittany Berrens
Staff Writer
Posted 4/19/09

Administrators from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College and the University of Wisconsin – Superior got together on April 6 to sign a transfer articulation agreement.

The articulation agreement will allow Early Childhood associate degree students in the Wisconsin Technical College System to transfer their credits into the UW-Superior system towards an Early Childhood minor.

Students wishing to move on from the Early Childhood associate degree earned at a technical school in Wisconsin may also be able to use some of their credits toward the Elementary Education major that is required for an Early Childhood minor.  

Administrators hope that the new agreement will help attract new students and encourage those who already have an Early Childhood associate degree to move on to UWS.

“Students that were unsure about how their credits would transfer now have the assurance that their class time won’t be wasted,” said Susan Bailey, an Early Childhood professor at UWS.

There are also some benefits to starting out at a technical college.

“There are obvious financial benefits to going to a technical school for the first two years. Not to mention there tend to be smaller class sizes and more individual attention,” said Lisa Brown, an Early Childhood Education instructor at the WITC in Superior.

“This agreement is also beneficial to those who aren’t really sure what they want out of their education, and its’ an easier transition for those who are non-traditional students or might have children and a full-time job,” said Laura Wassenaar, the WITC divisional dean of Family and Consumer Services.

A four-year degree in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood minor allows graduates to obtain a teaching license, allowing them to work at head start programs and four-year-old kindergartens. An Early Childhood associate degree would not allow graduates to gain licensure. The graduates would be limited to work as teaching assistants or at privately-owned child care centers.

(Left to right) Provost and Vice-Chancellor  Dr. Christopher Markwood, Chancellor Dr. Julius Erlanbach, WITC Dean of Family and Consumer services Bob Meyer, and WITC President Laura Wassenaar