AGSC

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AGSC STARS Then and Now

• Presented by Dendy Moseleyto Focus Group for
  Mississippi Articulation
• on October 22, 2009

GET THE GUIDE
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Overview
NOWSince AGSC/STARS
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS
THE FUTURE
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Articulation Agreements
NOWSince AGSC/STARS Statewide articulation
agreement implemented and maintained by the AGSC
through the STARS program. Mandated by state law
ACT 94-202. All agreements are now MAJOR
DRIVEN!
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS Some institution
specific agreements Universities set up
individual articulation agreements between
themselves and primary feeder schools. Agreements
were INSITUTION DRIVEN!
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Transfer Student Protection
NOWSince AGSC/STARS Individual
contracts... State approved contract between
student and public four-year institutions.
Protects students against random changes by
universities. Four-year institutions can still
change their requirements, but those changes do
not directly effect the transfer of course work
listed on transfer guides.
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS None... Four-year
schools could change transfer requirements at any
moment without notification.
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Statewide Articulation Committees
NOWSince AGSC/STARS Over 30 standing academic
discipline committees Each set up to review and
make transfer/articulation recommendations to the
AGSC for state approval. Today, all institutions
have an opportunity to have a voice and vote on
articulation issues.
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS Some pre-professional
organizations across the state... No mandates
in place to create common transfer agreements
between four-year institutions and two-year
institutions.
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Advising
NOWSince AGSC/STARS Advisors at the community
college can now print out transfer guides for
their advises STARS Guides can be obtained in
less than five minutes. Advisors can use these
documents to assist students as they lay out
their first two years of course work.
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS Full-time advisors or
faculty advisors spent hours calling and writing
various universities in-state to find out what
they would accept or not accept upon transfer...
There was no way to keep up with changes made
by the four-year institutions. Many of the
agreements in oral formnothing concrete in
writing.
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Two-Year Course Offerings
NOWSince AGSC/STARS Two-Year College Course
Directory more streamlined Courses are now
marked as A, B, C depending on whether or not
they are AGSC approved. Institutions offer more
sections of the primary AGSC transferable courses
(dont have to offer a few sections of each and
every course).
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS Two-Year College
Course Directory lists thousands of possible
courses (very cumbersome) No determinations of
which courses will and which will not
transfer. Two-year institutions tried to offer
hundreds of classes in multiple academic areas.
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Four Year Degree Audits
NOWSince AGSC/STARS Many, if not all,
four-year institutions have streamlined their
degree audit systems to automatically pick up
AGSC approved courses for the two-year college
system and automatically award degree credit.

THENPrior to AGSC/STARS Difficult to implement
and maintain due to various articulation
agreements in place.
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Recruiting Information
NOWSince AGSC/STARS Monthly reports sent to
each four-year institution that detail transfer
guide usage by students at each and every public
two-year college in the state. These reports
contain numeric usage as well as names,
addresses, e-mail, phone-numbers, students major
and community college information for each
hit.
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS None Unless
initiated by four-year institutions.
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Appeals Process
NOWSince AGSC/STARS AGSC/STARS Appeals process
in place Protects students who print and follow
STARS Transfer guides. Forces institutions to
accept coursework and graduate transfer students
in a timely manner without hassle.
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS None... Students who
experienced transfer problems had no recourse
when they felt that their transfer work was not
honored.
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Academic Costs
NOWSince AGSC/STARS Millions of taxpayer
dollars are saved because students/parents now
can obtain state approved transfer guides that,
if use correctly, can save them large by not
having to retake courses that would not transfer
or count toward their bachelor degrees.
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS Millions of taxpayer
dollars were spent by students/parents to re-take
courses at four-year institutions because the
course they took at the two-year institution was
deemed unworthy of transfer credit.
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STARS Usage
NOWSince AGSC/STARS Over 400,000 transfer
guides have been viewed/printed since the fall of
1998. Over 80,000 in 2007-2008(most ever!)
THENPrior to AGSC/STARS No state-approved
transfer guides printed.
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THE FUTURE

• FAQ pages for students and administrators
• Online help (chat live)
• Instant e-mail of transfer guide to student
• AGSC/STARS Electronic Newsletter (semi-annual)
• Additional research on transfer student success
• Work to improve website
• Work to improve communications between
  institutions
• Continue to work to improve Area V pages

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QUESTIONS

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CONTACT INFORMATION Mr. Dendy Moseley Program
Coordinator of AGSC/STARS 1101 South Brundidge
Street Room 107- Extended Learning Center Troy
University Troy, AL 36081 334-670-3653
(office) 334-670-3695 (fax) dmoseley_at_stars.troy.ed
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