SIU, Shawnee College approve agreement

Southern Illinois University Carbondale chancellor Austin A. Lane was joined by Shawnee Community College president Tim Taylor in the signing of a reverse transfer agreement between SIU Carbondale and SCC. 

The agreement will allow eligible students to earn their associate degrees from Shawnee while they are working toward a bachelor’s degree at SIU.

Under the agreement, Shawnee students who transfer before earning an associate degree are eligible for the program after completing a minimum of 15 transferable credit hours and at least one semester at SCC. 

President Taylor, himself a two-time SIU alum, expressed his excitement with the partnership, stating that it will benefit both institutions as well as students. 

Chancellor Lane spoke about how the program will lower student debt by helping lower the likelihood of students graduating with excess numbers of credit hours.

At the signing ceremony on Thursday, May 27, Chancellor Lane and President Taylor were joined by Meera Komarraju, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at SIUC; Amanda Sutton, interim admissions director, SIUC; Josi Rawls, assistant director for transfer relations, SIUC; Jean Ellen Boyd, SCC interim vice president of academic affairs and student learning; and Lisa Price, SCC vice president of student success and services. The signing ceremony was held at SIU.

(Editor’s note: The accompanying story and photograph are by Jordan McBride, staff reporter with The Vienna Times & Goreville Gazette.)