At the request of Chancellor Charlie Nelms and in response to the doubling of transfer students over the last three years, the N.C. Central University Transfer Center opened in January.
Its mission? To ease the transition for transfer students, and bridge gaps among admissions, counseling, financial aid, and other parts of University life.
"[Nelms has] always had a great passion for what transfer students bring to the University, especially from an intellectual standpoint," said transfer center assistant director Keisha Mark.
Mark estimated the number of new transfers this year at around 500.
Transfer students are required to attend an orientation, as well as subsequent transfer student programs.
"The transfer center is really great because it helps me as a transfer student to make a smooth transition to NCCU, and keep me on track [with] the different parts of information, as far as like the classes that I need, so that way I can make an easier transition and keep on going," said physical education junior Terry Washington who came to NCCU via Charlotte's Central Piedmont Community College.
He said he was being courted by a private university in Virginia, but chose NCCU because of its affordability and its strong physical education program.
Though the transfer center may appear welcoming to everyone, there's a catch. Mark said the center emphasizes graduation and that according to the Chancellor, students not intending to matriculate should find another university to attend.
NCCU recently dropped hundreds of students for failing to obtain a 1.9 GPA. Now the transfer center plans to potentially reinstate those students.
"This is gonna put NCCU on the map, if we can track it correctly," Mark said. "The students that are having to leave us, we're actually doing a reverse transfer to a community college."
When these students complete their associate's degrees, they are encouraged to return to NCCU to complete their bachelor's degrees. Transfer services will guide them through the entire process.
"I think instead of just letting them go and saying ‘Well, we wish you well,' or letting them go and saying ‘Well, you have the option to go to a community college,' we're actually keeping our hands on them," Mark explained.
"We're communicating with them throughout the semester. We're finding out midterm and final grades, because somebody needs to hold you accountable."
"And then," Mark added, "we want you to come back here."
The transfer center is located in the Alexander Dunn Building, rooms 212, 214 and 216, and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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