Gateway Community and Technical College and Thomas More College signed a contract to allow students to transfer up to 54 credit hours from Gateway to Thomas More, guaranteeing them a junior status at Thomas More.
On paper, it might look as though this would be a threat to Northern Kentucky University enrollment, but President James Votruba isn’t worried. “I think that’s terrific,” he said. “It’s to everyone’s benefit. If I were the president of Gateway, I’d be doing the same thing.”
Votruba attributes his pleased reaction to the contract to his feelings about NKU, saying, “I might have a different attitude if I didn’t have complete confidence (in NKU),” Votruba said.
Votruba believes that NKU will stay competitive regardless of the arrangement, citing the record-high numbers of enrollment as an example. In fact, Votruba said, it wouldn’t make sense for Gateway to make NKU the only college for their students to transfer to.
“An exclusive relationship-it wouldn’t make sense to Gateway,” he said. “Thomas More offers a very different education than NKU. It’s smaller and it has that religious overlay, which is important for some students.”
Margaret Stallmeyer, president of Thomas More, believes that the agreement will benefit not only the students, but also the region. “The goal of both Thomas More College and Gateway is to make access and success in higher education a reality for more individuals in our area,” she said in a press release.
Gateway President and Chief Executive Officer G. Edward Hughes feels that the partnership will benefit both Thomas More and Gateway. “We are delighted to establish a partnership with Thomas More College,” he said. “This is a great example of how two institutions can work together to expand educational opportunities for adults in our region.”
Votruba also feels that the move will do the region good. “My belief is that what’s good for the region is good for NKU,” he said.
NKU has worked closely with Gateway in the past, allowing Gateway students to use Steely Library for research and attend university activities.
The new contract with Gateway and Thomas More will go into effect in January of 2006.