Alma College signs Montcalm transfer agreement

KYLEE LARY
PHOTOGRAPHER

JORDAN FOX
COPY EDITOR

11/20/2023

Alma College signed an agreement with Montcalm Community College (MCC) on Nov. 9 that will make it easier for students from MCC to transfer to Alma and continue their academic track to earn a bachelor’s degree. 

According to Tim Rath, Director of College Communications, students who have earned an associate degree from MCC and followed a Transfer Guide can transfer all credits specified toward an associated bachelor’s degree at Alma College without duplicative study. 

MCC advisors and Alma College will work together to assist MCC students in the transfer process while waiving certain typical requirements of transfer students.

“We are grateful to [MCC] for their partnership in this effort and proud of the work it took to get us here. This is another example of how Alma College seeks to be service-oriented toward the needs of our region, and make ourselves available, so that students here can reach their educational goals,” said Timothy Pinnow, Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief Operating Officer at Alma College.

To graduate from Alma College, these students must “complete a minimum of 52 credits in residence at Alma College… a minimum of 136 credits between [MCC] and Alma College… [and] the remaining program requirements, core curriculum requirements and other major and degree requirements listed in the Alma College catalog,” said Rath. 

“We are pleased to have this agreement in place, which will make it easier for students from [MCC] to earn a bachelor’s degree in a cost-effective and timely manner. We look forward to our continued partnership with MCC and hope to add even more transfer agreements in the future,” said Mariah Orzolek, Registrar at Alma College.

Alma College prides itself on being an academic institution that fosters learning through its diverse student body. One way they do such is through recruiting students transfer students like Rebecca Kenny (‘25). 

“I transferred from Mid-Michigan College… I graduated there with honors in early 2023 back in May… I transferred here as a junior, and my major is English,” said Kenny. 

For Kenny, “[the] transfer process… was a bit harrowing but it was not as difficult as I was imagining in hindsight. During the process it was a bit rocky… but I had help from my advisor, Laura von Wallmenich, and I had help from my professors… I deeply recommend people talk to their professors,” said Kenny. 

“I was able to get scholarships in order to be able to afford Alma College. I will be honest, I am low-income. My parents don’t make a lot of money and my mom has been very sick for a very long time, [but] I was able to get a scholarship… My education at Alma is [mostly] covered,” said Kenny. 

“It’s a very different experience if you are transferring into Alma College than if you were here all four years. I don’t really know a lot of my peers very well,” said Kenny.

Despite the difficulty of assimilating to campus life, Kenny does not regret transferring to Alma. “I could not have picked a better college to transfer to… You are not a number here and that is something I deeply appreciate. I have never wanted to go to a college where I would just be a face in the massive sea of people, and that is not the case at Alma College,” said Kenny.