YANKTON, SD - Students will have the opportunity to benefit from a new partnership between Mount Marty College and Northeast Community College beginning later this year. The presidents of the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Friday on Mount Marty’s campus here to create an educational transfer pathway from Northeast to Mount Marty.
The MOU will have particular focus in several program areas, including accounting, business administration, criminal justice, elementary education, English literature and creative writing, exercise wellness, human services, nursing and recreation management.
Dr. Michael Chipps, president of Northeast, said although the colleges share a common border with the Missouri River, both institutions see the value in working together.
“For Northeast Community College, there is a significant number of people in the northern portion of our 20-county service area who live in Nebraska and work in Yankton and the surrounding area. This agreement recognizes the value of a Northeast Community College-Mount Marty College relationship in assisting the workforce needs of this portion of the region,” he said. “These are individuals who are Nebraska taxpayers, yet they make their living from South Dakota businesses. This MOU allows Northeast to align its programming and transferability to Mount Marty for a targeted population of Northeast students.”
“This agreement enables those Northeast students who want to continue their studies toward a bachelor’s degree in a small, private college environment to do so close to home,” said Dr. Marcus Long, president of Mount Marty. “Since more than 1,100 MMC alumni live within 30 miles of our Yankton campus, we’re already a major contributor to the workforces of northern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota. This agreement will enable more area students to transfer directly into our programs more easily.”
Graduates of Northeast Community College who have earned an associate’s degree and who choose to enroll full-time at Mount Marty College will be eligible for the Mount Marty Transfer Scholarship program, as long as they meet guidelines.
Under the program, Mount Marty College will provide up to $10,000 of tuition scholarship dollars for students who meet certain academic criteria, and additional scholarships for Northeast students who graduate with Phi Theta Kappa honors, or those students who are Catholic or graduate from Catholic high schools. Athletic scholarships may also be available.
These are stackable scholarships and are renewable, provided students remain in good academic standing at Mount Marty.
John Blaylock, executive vice president at Northeast, said this agreement with Mount Marty is another opportunity to create an educational pathway for students.
“In addition to Yankton and Sioux Falls, Mount Marty College has a campus in Watertown (South Dakota) and has a similar agreement with Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown. Northeast is interested in working with Mount Marty as there are five Catholic high schools in our region; and for many of those students, a private Catholic college experience may be desired. This agreement creates a pathway for students to continue their education at a Catholic college at a public four-year college rate.”
"We are excited to be collaborating with Northeast Community College,” said Dr. Jane Wood, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college at Mount Marty. “Our Benedictine values and our hospitality closely resemble the personalized attention that students experience at Northeast Community College and I think it will be a natural bridge for them to connect from Northeast to MMC.”
The Northeast-Mount Marty partnership agreement commences in fall 2017.
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PHOTO CUTLINE
Dr. Michael Chipps, president of Northeast Community College, (middle) shakes hands with Dr. Marc Long, president of Mount Marty College, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Friday on the Mount Marty campus in Yankton, SD. The MOU, to begin in fall 2017, will create an educational transfer pathway for Northeast students to attend Mount Marty. Also pictured is John Blaylock, executive vice president at Northeast.