Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College pre-engineering students will now be able to take courses that are transferable to University of South Carolina’s College of Engineering and Computing.

The program is touted by college officials and students as a win-win for both educational institutions in the enhancement of student recruitment efforts as well as better preparing students in their transition from high school, college and the university.

OCtech and USC officials signed off on the transfer agreement Tuesday morning.

“We are pleased any time we can have an agreement for a path for our students to go to the university,” OCtech President Dr. Anne Crook said. “It gives them additional options. Really, that is what we are about; making sure that students find the career that is the best for them.”

The OCtech engineering courses to be transferred to USC include “Fundamentals of CAD,” “Engineering Technology Applications and Programming” and “Digital Electronics.”

The courses taken at OCtech will be equivalent to the first year of USC’s engineering and computer science curriculum.

OCtech students may apply for admission to the USC College of Engineering and Computing after successful completion of a minimum of 30 semester hours of the pre-engineering program at OCtech.

OCtech students must maintain an overall grade-point average of at least 2.75 to be eligible for admission.

Students with less than a 2.75 GPA will be considered on an individual basis.

Upon successful completion of the approved curriculum at USC, the transfer student shall be awarded a bachelor of science or bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from USC.

As part of the agreement, USC will report to OCtech on the academic progress of the transfer students.

An annual conference between the university and college will be held to review and assess the transfer program, courses, enrollment and academic performance of students.

Harry Ploehn, professor and interim dean of the USC College of Engineering and Computing, touted the agreement as a benefit for the university in that about 20 to 25 percent of the students already coming to USC are transfer students.

“It has been a large factor in ... increasing our enrollment,” Ploehn said, adding that about 90 percent of the students who transfer end up finishing with a degree. “In terms of retention, maturity and quality of the student, they are cream of the crop for us.”

Ploehn says during a difficult economic time, the transferability of students has brought financial stability to the university through increased enrollment.

The OCtech transferable courses are a part of the national Project Lead the Way educational initiative designed to promote academic excellence through academic courses.

The program provides engineering education into middle and high schools. Students who participate in the program can receive college credit for the PLTW courses they successfully complete.

Currently, there are about 152 high school students and about 55 OCtech students enrolled in the PLTW Engineering Electronics Technology program and the engineering graphics program.

Donna Elmore, OCtech associate vice president, said the college has had an EET program for several years, but she touted said the new transfer program is a “very big deal” for the college.

“We are having difficulty recruiting,” Elmore said, adding the transfer will make the college more attractive for science and math students.

She also said local employers such as BP-Amoco and South Carolina Electric & Gas, where many students end up employed, are sure to benefit from the program.

“They would take many, many more than we can put out,” Elmore said. “There are a lot of opportunities in the area.”

Alex Boykin, junior at OCtech as part of the colleges electronics engineering program with a focus on electrical instrumentation, says the transfer program will provide students and OCtech greater “clout” with the backing of USC.

“It is a win-win for everyone,” Boykin said. “It is invaluable. It says that (OCtech’s engineering) program is a great program. It says that the university will take those two-year students and put them in a four-year program.”

Wanda Staggers, dean of Computer, Engineering and Industrial Technologies and a national PLTW trainer, says students who may not have had access to the equipment and labs have benefited from the PLTW.

“It is opening up for many of them what career opportunities are available and sometimes it just takes that exposure,” Staggers said. “Sometimes we don’t realize that every student does not have access to the exposure in these curriculum fields. They go to college and they are not prepared for engineering when they realize that was an option.”

OCtech already has a number transfer programs, such as the “Two plus Two” programs with Clemson University related to its agriculture curriculum and with USC related to elementary education, middle level and secondary education, and child development.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com

You must be logged in to comment.